Dear Ones,
Today we are reading Luke 3. Let us focus on the message of John who is preparing the way for our Lord Jesus.
He went into all the country around the Jordan,
NIVO Luke 3:3
preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
God ordained and sent John to prepare the way for Jesus. John was an eccentric. He came out of the dessert wearing camel’s hair clothing and eating locust and honey. He had been waiting in the desert many years then was sent by God right on time!
John had an expansive ministry into all the country around the Jordan river. Like the Methodist preachers, John Wesley and George Whitefield, he spoke to crowds in the open air. And many people came out to hear John. He attracted sinners!
By all the accounts, John was a fiery proclaimer of the good news. He spoke on sin and called people to seek forgiveness. His baptism was in water as a picture of their desire to be cleansed of their sins. His focus was on repentance. To repent is to recognize our sins and our debt to God. Then to change our attitude toward God and our actions to follow the Lord. D L Moody summarized repentance in these words: Halt! About face! Forward march! When God convicts us of our sin, He stops us in our tracks! We suddenly are very aware of our sins. Then He calls us to turn from sin. To seek forgiveness so that we can live a new life by following Him.
I heard the preacher say, “Christians are not sinless, but we should seek to sin less and less.” This is a clear picture of repentance in the life of a Christian. God calls us to repent then equips us to live by overcoming temptations. We can only defeat sin by His power at work in us! This explains why we need a Savior! One who paid our sin debt and enables us to live a new life!
This message of repentance was echoed by Jesus. It is in His mercy and grace that we become aware of our sin! As John Newton wrote so well: “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
In Romans 6:1-5, Paul defines the baptism of a believer in Jesus. This baptism is not one in which we cry out to God for forgiveness but a symbol of our union with Jesus in His death and resurrection. When a believer is baptized, they declare that they are forgiven of all their sins by their faith in Jesus Christ alone! We died with Him to sin and now live a new life for Him by faith and by the indwelling Spirit.
Let us give thanks for the preparation God makes for each of us by convicting us of our own sins then by calling us to repent and seek Him! We thank God for the mercy we find in Christ who died so that He can freely forgive us as we trust in Him. The order in the history of John to prepare for Jesus’ message is the same in each of us who have been saved.
The gospel is good news for every sinner!
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off— for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
NIVO Acts 2:36-39
Until tomorrow,
Pastor Rick