Read: Matthew 3:1-10
PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD
The message of Jesus and His disciples is no longer preached among “Christians,” it is sad but true, most Christians today are not even aware of what message Jesus and His disciples preached.
We see in our Scripture today that John the Baptist preached, “the kingdom is at hand.” Note that it is the same message Jesus preached (Matt. 4:17, 23; Luke 4:43); and in Acts 1:1-3, the writer says, that is all He preached. It is the message the disciples preached – the twelve (Matt. 10:5-8), as well as the seventy (Luke 10:19). Philip preached the same message (Acts 8:12); Paul preached it (Acts 14:22; 20:25).
Jesus made a statement recorded in Luke 18:8 “….Nevertheless, when the Son of man commeth, shall He find faith on the earth?” The way this is written in the original language, the answer to that question is a resounding “No”.
Is it then cause for concern that what we have here in Christendom, might be something that Satan has put together so as to distract us from coming to the truth, PREPARING THE WAY OF THE LORD?
The King and the kingdom are inseparably joined in Scripture. Many in Israel would have gladly received the kingdom and its blessings, but they refused Jesus as King. They resented the call to repentance, assuming they were entitled to the kingdom because they were “sons of Abraham.”
The first recorded conversation of Christ about the kingdom is with Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3-5). Nicodemus did not understand what this meant, so Jesus explained: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (3:6).
A new birth is the foundational requirement for all who would have a part in Christ’s kingdom for it brings together the Messiah’s work as Saviour and King, and solve the sin problem which must be taken care of first. It is only at this point that one can really start to “work” towards being a part of God’s kingdom (John 3:3).
What does that say for the absence of the message of the kingdom that is evident in our pulpits today? Are we really preparing the way of the Lord, or are we side-tracked into “another gospel”?
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little
PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD
The message of Jesus and His disciples is no longer preached among “Christians,” it is sad but true, most Christians today are not even aware of what message Jesus and His disciples preached.
We see in our Scripture today that John the Baptist preached, “the kingdom is at hand.” Note that it is the same message Jesus preached (Matt. 4:17, 23; Luke 4:43); and in Acts 1:1-3, the writer says, that is all He preached. It is the message the disciples preached – the twelve (Matt. 10:5-8), as well as the seventy (Luke 10:19). Philip preached the same message (Acts 8:12); Paul preached it (Acts 14:22; 20:25).
Jesus made a statement recorded in Luke 18:8 “….Nevertheless, when the Son of man commeth, shall He find faith on the earth?” The way this is written in the original language, the answer to that question is a resounding “No”.
Is it then cause for concern that what we have here in Christendom, might be something that Satan has put together so as to distract us from coming to the truth, PREPARING THE WAY OF THE LORD?
The King and the kingdom are inseparably joined in Scripture. Many in Israel would have gladly received the kingdom and its blessings, but they refused Jesus as King. They resented the call to repentance, assuming they were entitled to the kingdom because they were “sons of Abraham.”
The first recorded conversation of Christ about the kingdom is with Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3-5). Nicodemus did not understand what this meant, so Jesus explained: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (3:6).
A new birth is the foundational requirement for all who would have a part in Christ’s kingdom for it brings together the Messiah’s work as Saviour and King, and solve the sin problem which must be taken care of first. It is only at this point that one can really start to “work” towards being a part of God’s kingdom (John 3:3).
What does that say for the absence of the message of the kingdom that is evident in our pulpits today? Are we really preparing the way of the Lord, or are we side-tracked into “another gospel”?
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little
child shall in no wise enter therein Luke 18:17
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