John The Baptist Shows How In The Wilderness, God Uses Harsh Mercy To Feed Our Deepest Spiritual Hunger.

Introduction:

Our Gospel reading today begins with a cry from the wilderness—not the voice of a king, nor the voice of someone celebrated or important, but the bold, lonely voice of John the Baptist declaring, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

1. A Voice in the Wilderness

A lonely voice, yes—but not without purpose. John was a wild man by every measure: eating locusts and wild honey, wrapped in a camel’s-hair coat, standing in the heat and dust of the desert, raving out about a coming Messiah… and by all appearances, he should have been dismissed as a madman. And yet… the people came. Crowds came, and hundreds off them and they didn’t just listen; they were moved to action. They were convicted, and they were baptized—by the dozen … by the score.

Clearly, something more was at work. John was a man profoundly touched by God—so much so that Jesus Himself would call him the greatest figure of the Old Testament, and personally, I find John one of the most complex figures in the entire Bible—and, if I’m honest, someone I’ve always struggled to connect with and by all appearances, John is the kind of person most of us would instinctively avoid. And yet … God uses him to prepare the way.

John had a simple message, “Repent! And turn back to God!”, and what happens? … People come — they flock to him from Jerusalem, from Judea, from all around the Jordan. … They walk miles through the heat, to hear this strange man in the desert … and why?

Because deep down, they were hungry — hungry for something real. Something in their lives was missing, something that made everything else feel incomplete. They were hungry for God Himself, for a presence that could satisfy the deepest longings of the heart — to know that He, God cares for them and that He is at work in their lives.

Now, John’s message may have sounded sharp, but when we look closely, we discover it is full of hope and full of mercy. He is really saying, “Just turn your lives around! The kingdom of heaven is near, and it’s waiting for you!”.

Now, the word repent doesn’t mean they were to “feel bad” or ashamed. … It simply means to think about the direction your life is taking, and to admit when it’s going in the wrong direction. … These are not words of despair or shame, but words of hope — hope for a new and brighter future.

2. The Wilderness: God’s Classroom

As you know, John preached in the wilderness … we certainly don’t associate him with any town or city, or synagogue … just the desert, amongst the rocks and sand and wind … because … the wilderness has always been God’s classroom.

When Moses met God, it was in the wilderness. … God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and later at the top of a mountain, which is also … a form of wilderness. … When the Israelites escaped from Egypt, they learned who God was … in their 40 years in wandering the wilderness. … When Elijah ran from fear, God met him in the wilderness; in a still, small voice … and there are many other wilderness examples in the bible.

And we all know that wilderness feeling. It’s that dry season — (or the wet season, in our case) — it’s that time when everything seems to go wrong… when prayer feels empty and life feels uncertain. But take heart, because it is often in this wilderness that God does His best work. This is where He finally has our undivided attention.

When things go wrong, or begin to unravel, we suddenly realise how much we need Him … and hear His voice. … And so, we make time to seek Him, to listen for His guidance, to discern what He wants us to do, and how He wants us to move forward.

If we are wise, we use those wilderness experiences to draw closer to God, trusting that we are neither forgotten nor ignored. … It’s like that familiar poem, Footprints in the Sand — in the moments we feel most alone, God is actually carrying us, if only we knew. … The wilderness is where we feel low, isolated, and overlooked. Yet it is precisely in those seasons, that God does His best work in us and through us. And it is in those very moments that He is preparing us for the next stage of our lives journey.

3. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven Is Near”

John’s message carried a sense of urgency — or rather, a sense of focus. He wanted the people to grasp this simple but profound truth: that the “The kingdom of heaven is near.” He was saying, “It’s not far off… God Himself is drawing close. Heaven is coming to earth.” And he was right — because not long after, Jesus appeared on that very same riverbank.