“He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
Luke 3:3-4 NIV
Happy new week my beloved family. We are still studying the life of John the Baptist. After sometime in the wilderness getting the training he needed, being hidden from the world , finally it was time to make an appearance. It was time to finally serve his generation. John began to fulfill his ultimate calling: to be a forerunner of the Messiah. It was time. There is a time for training. There is a time for process. Then comes a time for taking action.
John’s message was a call to repentance. Some people think that repentance is mostly about feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin. It is wonderful to feel sorry about your sin, but repent isn’t a “feelings” word. It is an action word. John told his listeners to make a change of the mind, not merely to feel sorry for what they had done. Repentance speaks of a change of direction, not a sorrow in the heart. What l love about John’s ministry is that he did not go out to talk about himself and all the honey and locusts he ate. It was never about him. He went into all the country to talk about the Messiah. Maybe that’s why you haven’t been sent anywhere else because all you do is talk about yourself.
Many of us have fallen into sin. Actually, the bible says anyone who says they have not sinned is a liar. We know how bad and terrible it was to find ourselves in that moment of sin. We cried. I would cry. Whether it was a chemical response to soothe my conscience or l was really sorry only God knows. Sometimes I’d find myself back in the sin. I thought repentance meant saying “I’m sorry” but it actually means to turn away from. John was saying to them, “This path you have taken is wrong, turn and take this one instead.”
Preparation for the Messiah is not bathing and ironing clothes, l mean that’s wonderful. It is not carrying a bible and posting a bio on Instagram, that is also great! The way to prepare for the Messiah is to repent. We do not choose how we prepare, the template is already there. John truly was a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He preached about the kingdom of God. He says “Make straight the paths for the Lord.” This gets me wondering, are our paths straight? Or do we zigzag in and out of sin , in and out of purpose, into the light then back into the darkness. Repentance involves recognizing that you have thought wrongly in the past and determining to think rightly in the future. More than a desire to change, it is a decision to change. Selah.
We can not truly preach about the Messiah without emphasis on repentance. The short biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that results in a change of action.” This is why evangelism is of primary importance. There are so many people who need to hear the gospel. So so many. I totally love how bold John was. We will get into more of his message tomorrow but he was a bold man. You sure need to be bold to go into places preaching the gospel.
Have we turned away from our sins or will we keep falling and crying to soothe our conscience? Have we been baptised? Have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? Not because we are afraid of going to hell but because we recognise that we have truly been living unrighteously and we want to change. Wishing for change and actually changing are two different things. I know because there was a time l wished to change and a time l actually changed. Even right now, any part of me that is still canal and not ready to meet with God, may l change today. Can’t we see? The more we delay, the more damage caused. I don’t want to continue in reckless living, l want to be home with my Jesus. I want to check out of the pigsty. I want to prepare to meet the Messiah.
Aren’t we tired? Of losing so much for so little. Why don’t we repent today. Be finally tired of living like that. A friend of mine said to me,”I got tired of living in sin.” Another said, “ I got tired of saying I’m sorry everyday.” I say “ I got tired of being the one responsible for breaking my relationship with Jesus. I got tired of a divided heart.” Even now, l don’t claim perfection, l choose to repent today. What are you choosing to do?
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!”
Joshua 24:15-16 NIV