Behold, He Comes
Three years that shook the world. And the world continues to shake. Has there ever been anyone that has impacted the world more than Jesus? Has there ever been anyone that has caused more lives to be changed? Has there ever been anyone that has sacrificed more?
Do you know Jesus, the King? Have you met Him? John the Baptist was born to introduce Jesus. One man, from his mothers womb to his deathbed was here for one reason and one reason only; to announce the coming of the Messiah. There was a King coming and there was an announcement of His arrival that must be made.
Matthew 3:1-4 “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying,’Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.
Johns message was then, and is now, the only true gospel message: repent, for the kingdom is at hand. The repentance John preaches is the complete laying down of ones life. A shedding of old ways. It was not just saying you’re sorry, it was saying that you wanted whatever this kingdom of heaven had to offer and you were willing to do whatever it took to gain it. When you move into a new kingdom, you certainly would not go there thinking that you were not going to live under the rule of the King of that kingdom. A king rules. He is Lord and Master of all He surveys. No one can overrule the king, nor can anyone ignore the kings wishes.
Rev. 17:14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."
Jesus is not only king, He is king of kings and lord of lords. He is to be the supreme king over all of creation. He is to be Lord of everything. This includes all of the presidents, kings, prime ministers or dictators of this world. This, of course, includes you.
John 18:37 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?"
Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
The gospel message always divides. It draws and it repels. To those who see and feel their utter lack of hope for helping themselves, who realize that they are lost, the gospel is just what it claims to be: ‘good news’. It is hope for the future. It carries with it a promise of renewed life. It is a chance to start over and have a life worth living. It is the good news that you can be reborn. But it also says you are to be reborn into this new kingdom. You can not be reborn and not live in the kingdom. To continue living in ‘the world’, is to be unfaithful to the King of the kingdom where you Christians live: John 18:36 “Jesus answered’ My kingdom is not of this world…” When you accept the kingdom that Jesus offers, you accept His Lordship over you. You cannot have the kingdom without the King. But this is exactly what many preachers offer today. I heard one say that it was a full 18 months after he accepted Christ as his Savior before he accepted the Lordship of Jesus over his life. I say that it is impossible to have salvation without lordship. Jesus saves, but it is King Jesus who does the work of saving.
Revelation 17:14 says that Jesus, here identified as King of kings, will overcome and those with Him are called, chosen and faithful. Called by the Holy Spirit to salvation, chosen by God to live with Him in His Kingdom, and faithful to Him.
You cannot live in the Kingdom and not accept the Lordship of Christ over your life.
To those that ignore or reject the message, it is an eternal death sentence. To reject the good news of Jesus is to reject the future that the good news promises. Of all of the terrible decisions that men can make, rejection of the gospel of Jesus is the absolute worst. To reject the King is to reject the Kingdom.
The preaching and sharing of the gospel will bring those who wish to deny it as well as those who wish to grasp it. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were some of the first to come to hear Johns message. But he did not water it down the least bit to try and convince them of the good news. The diluting of the truth makes it ineffective. The gospel message is being made more attractive, diluted and watered down, to bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ. Accept salvation and you can make Christ your Lord in the future. This is not the true Gospel. John, and Jesus, said repent first and then, be saved.
1 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…” Paul speaks of a sorrow that is a deeply felt sorrow. A knowledge in the very heart of the unbeliever that he is living a hopelessly sinful life, with no hope available except to turn to Jesus.
When Jesus came to John to be baptized, it was the beginning of His earthly ministry. After his baptisim, we see Jesus as He is tempted by the Devil. As it was for Jesus, so you can plan on it being for you. As He set out to spread the gospel message, the devil shows up. When you set out to do the work of Jesus, expect to be tempted towards failure. And the easiest way for you to fail is to dilute the message. A diluted message loses its true saving potency.
Matthew 4:17”From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Repent.
Luke 5:32” I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Even the dictionary that those in the world use, even that non-Christian book has a good handle on what it means to repent: to feel regret about a sin or past actions and change your ways or habits.
Many times in the past, kings have ruled harshly. There have been many people who have lived under the iron hand of some merciless despot, treated cruelly. Many times, kings have hated those whom they have ruled over. These kingdoms were controlled by fear. And those who lived there, did so, not out of a desire to be there, but because they had no other choice available to them. But, thanks be to the God we serve, there are choices available for those looking for something better. There is the Gospel. The Good News. And it works like this:
Repent. Why? Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God cannot abide with sin. We must rid ourselves of our sins so we can live in the Kingdom with Him.
Be reborn. John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
How? John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” You must believe that Jesus died for you.
Then: Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
This confession is a complete surrender of ones will to Christ. Lord Jesus, is who you confess is your savior. King of kings. Lord of lords. Have you met the King? Do you want to live in the kingdom of God? Are you prepared to accept Jesus as your only hope for salvation? Are you prepared to accept Jesus as your King? You cannot have one without the other.
Prayer
