The New Testament is marked by a man named John. He was the cousin of Jesus and was given the message that all of us need to hear. Prepare yourself for the coming of the Messiah. Literally “repent for the kingdom of God is near”.
He was a strange man who dressed differently than most in clothes made of camel’s hair with a leather belt. Camel hair sounds itchy. And John ate locusts (think grasshoppers) and wild honey. Not a diet I have ever tried. John the Baptist lived, not in a city, but out in the wilderness. He sounds like a an isolationist and maybe a little eccentric. But John the Baptist was by Jesus’ own words the greatest man living at that time.
But what this man had to say is something that desperately needed to be heard and still does today. Prepare yourself. Prepare for Jesus. Change is needed.
Sounds like a political statement. And it was. But that is not the point. Sounds like a spiritual statement. And it was. And that is the point. Jesus was coming on the scene, and nothing would ever be the same. Listen in to what John the Baptist had to share and why.
His message was a call to repentance. I share this in yesterday’s sermon in our series “prepare me” as we get ready to celebrate Easter and Jesus’ resurrection.
Luke 12:5 NLT
But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.
Let me give us a picture of what it means to repent. It is to change one’s mind and literally understanding of sin and lining up life with what God says. To repent is to think about the future judgment is to come and no longer missing the truth of following Jesus. To repent is to place faith in God alone, believe what God says, and to humble oneself before God.
1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Repentance is to surrender completely to God as we deal with self and pride, publicly confessing and allowing change. What John the Baptist called people to in that day is what we desperately need today.
Luke 4:8 NLT
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
Foreshadowing of what is to come… the life of Jesus, leading to the death of Jesus, necessitating the resurrection of Jesus. That is why we prepare for Jesus who is the one we all need.
On a personal note, please pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for all in the middle east. This is a difficult time for so many. Pray for those in harms way, those who make decisions and for those who need Salvation in Jesus.
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