Skip to main content

42. Having a Purpose


Isaiah 40:1-11, John 1:5-9, & 15-28, Mark 1:1-8, Matthew 3:1-12, Luke 3:1-20,
Key Verse: A voice of one calling: "in the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Isaiah 40:3-5, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4-6, & John 1:23

Just as a herald goes before his king proclaiming, "Make way!  Make way for the glorious king!  May he live forever." John the Baptist went before Jesus to prepare the way for Him, the coming Messiah. 

They were cousins on their mother's side.  Both men shared miraculous birth stories.  Jesus grew up in poverty.  John embraced poverty as an adult, after being raised in a refined, priestly household.  In truth, from a worldly perspective, it would have probably made more sense if John had been Messiah, not Jesus.  John certainly had more of the expected credentials. 

For John, it was all about the message.  He could have, so easily, embraced the fame that his ministry created.  He could have chosen to stay with the temple, hoping that, as a priest, he could serve God.  No, his job was to prepare the way for Messiah. 

His job was to tell the nation that they were sinners in need of repentance.  Yes, the people were oppressed.  Yes, the people were suffering under Roman tyranny, but that wasn't their only problem.  That wasn't their biggest problem either!  They had a heart issue that needed to be dealt with to enable them to hear the message that Messiah would bring for their salvation.  As a result, his message created many enemies, but he stayed true to his calling.  As a farmer prepares the soil before planting the seed, John prepared the people to hear the words of Jesus. 

What was John's message? John reminded the people that, even the oppressed are in need of repentance.  No one was too good or too poor to repent, for the kingdom of God was at hand. John did not soften his message for the rich, or the ruler.  In fact, he proclaimed their sin the most because they thought that they needed his message the least. 

John was never drawn off message.  Even King Herod was confronted concerning his sin, but truth is truth.  John spoke the truth and accepted the consequences.  John eventually lost his life for the sake of his mission, but he stayed true.  He prepared the way for Jesus. 

Hymn: "When John Baptized by Jordan's River" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

142. White Washed Tombstones!

Isaiah 29:9-16 , Matthew 15:1-20 , Mark 7:1-23 , Key Verse: "Nothing outside a man can make him "unclean," by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him "unclean." Mark 7:15 Approximately six hundred years before Jesus, the people of Judah had sinned so badly by ignoring the word of the Lord that God allowed them to be punished by being destroyed by the Babylonians. Jerusalem was completely ruined. Many of the citizens were killed and only a relatively few, referred to as "the remnant," were carried off to live in Babylon for 70 years before being allowed to return and begin again. This event proved to be a real wake up call for the people. The priests and Levites developed an extensive list of rules and regulations by which the people were to live that would outline very clearly how not to break the Ten Commandments again, or any of the whole Law, or "Torah," from Moses in the first five books of the
Post a Comment
Read more

Spiritual Warfare

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18 Listen Link:  http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw There’s a war on! And it’s not overseas. I am not talking about the war on terrorism. I am talking about the war in which your heart is the battle ground. It is a war between spiritual forces of good and evil. The victory is ours in Christ. The battle belongs to the Lord. But we are called to play our part. That is why Paul instructs believers like you and me to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”  The life of discipleship gives us no time to relax and live our lives ignoring the spiritual battle. We are ordered to fight. It’s not a pleasant metaphor these days. But Paul had no qualms about telling Christians to be good soldiers, prepared for battle. Even when we do take a Sabbath and rest in the Lord, it is only so that we made ready for the next battle. But this kind of battle won’t wear us out if we are strong in the lord. In fact, we will rejoice! This is not a gr
Post a Comment
Read more

Advent Devotionals day 3 The Problem of Evil

Post a Comment
Read more