Straight to the Point
Matthew 3:1-3
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
+
Straight to the Point
John does not mince words. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He calls to all who have ears to hear this message.
Repentance is often a hard thing for us because it involves admitting that we have done something which makes repentance necessary. Our sinful nature doesn’t like to admit we are sinners. The world and the devil try to convince us it’s not our fault and we have nothing to be sorry for. But John gets straight to the point: the Messiah is coming, and sin’s days are numbered. This holds true for us even today, some two thousand years later.
And thanks be to God we have been given the faith to know and believe we are indeed sinners in need of repentance. For to repent means to have a change of heart and mind, abandoning the old Adam in us and by faith walking the path Jesus has given us. John prepared the way for Jesus, and He then prepared the way for us. Christ taking on our sins and giving us His righteousness has made us a new creation, on the path which leads to the Father only through the Son.
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
+
Straight to the Point
John does not mince words. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He calls to all who have ears to hear this message.
Repentance is often a hard thing for us because it involves admitting that we have done something which makes repentance necessary. Our sinful nature doesn’t like to admit we are sinners. The world and the devil try to convince us it’s not our fault and we have nothing to be sorry for. But John gets straight to the point: the Messiah is coming, and sin’s days are numbered. This holds true for us even today, some two thousand years later.
And thanks be to God we have been given the faith to know and believe we are indeed sinners in need of repentance. For to repent means to have a change of heart and mind, abandoning the old Adam in us and by faith walking the path Jesus has given us. John prepared the way for Jesus, and He then prepared the way for us. Christ taking on our sins and giving us His righteousness has made us a new creation, on the path which leads to the Father only through the Son.
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