Preparing for guests to come: clean and straighten the house, cook food, prepare drinks, dress appropriately
Jesus is coming soon. How are you preparing for his arrival?
John the Baptizer was sent to prepare the people of Israel for the coming of the Messiah. He called people to repentance. He called the people to prepare themselves for the Messiah’s arrival. How were they to prepare themselves?
John gave four ways to prepare for Jesus to come.
1. We confess our sin to God.
3:3 (NLT)
Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins...
Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, "Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let’s do the same. Confession is good for the soul." In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to gamble and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed his struggle with lust and the third one confessed to materialism. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn’t confess. The others pressed him saying, "Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?" Finally he answered, "It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here."
From time to time, we need to be reminded of our sinfulness. We live good, honest lives. But we are still sinners.
Sin is a lot like kudzu. It’s hard to get rid of. Like the vines, you can remove the acts of sin from your life. But the root continues to remain. As long as the root of kudzu remains in the ground, it can sprout new growth at any moment.
Susanna Wesley told her young son, John, "If you would judge of the lawfulness or the unlawfulness of pleasure, then take this simple rule: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, and takes off the relish of spiritual things--that to you is sin."
That is sound advice. We would do well to heed Mrs. Wesley’s counsel about sin. Listen again to her description of sin: "Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, and takes off the relish of spiritual things--that to you is sin."
John the Baptizer was preaching that people everywhere should repent of their sin. Repentance begins with confessing our sin.
When we confess it means that we agree with God that we have sin. You may not have a sinful act to confess, but you still have a nature of sin that you must bring before God every day. Only God can keep the root of sin dormant.
Repentance also means turning away from sin. When John addressed the Pharisees who were coming to hear him, he condemned them for being hypocrites. They talked a lot about the Law of Moses and they prayed three times every day. But they were guilty of spiritual pride. They believed they were better that others because of their discipline. Jesus said they prayed and fasted to impress people, so their spiritual discipline meant nothing to God.
Sin can be very subtle. Occasionally, a cow will wonder off and get lost. One cattle farmer described how it happens this way.
The cow starts nibbling on a spot of green grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead to the next spot of green grass and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on a spot of grass right next to a hole in the fence. It then sees another spot of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the another. The next thing you know, the cow has nibbled itself into being lost.
If we do not confess our sinful nature everyday, we will find ourselves nibbling our way away from God. We’ll wake up one day and ask, “How did I ever get here?”
After we confess our sin...
2. We receive forgiveness from God.
3:3 (NLT)
...and turned to God to be forgiven.
The psychiatrist, Dr. Karl Menninger, once said that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75 percent of them could walk out the next day!
We have a deep need to know that we are forgiven.
In his book, A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis retells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much- loved man of God, who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace, no sense of God’s forgiveness.
In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her he said, "The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary." The woman agreed. A few days later the priest asked., "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?"
"Yes, he did," she replied.
"And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?"
"Yes."
"Well, what did he say?"
"He said, ’I don’t remember’"
What God forgives, He forgets.
The problem with forgiveness is that while may forget our sin, we don’t. We allow the thought of the sin to haunt us and bring false guilt upon us.
In a dream, Martin Luther found himself being attacked by Satan. The devil unrolled a long scroll containing a list of Luther’s sins, and held it before him. On reaching the end of the scroll Luther asked the devil, "Is that all?" "No," came the reply, and a second scroll was thrust in front of him. Then, after a second came a third. But now the devil had no more. "You’ve forgotten something," Luther exclaimed triumphantly. "Quickly write on each of them, ’The blood of Jesus Christ God’s son cleanses us from all sins.’"
When you accept Jesus to be your savior and redeemer, all your sin is forgiven. Is Jesus your savior? Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb of God?
To prepare for the coming of Christ we confess our sin and receive forgiveness from God. Then, we…
3. We live a holy life.
3:10-14 (NLT)
10The crowd asked, “What should we do?”
11John replied, “If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
12Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13“Show your honesty,” he replied. “Make sure you collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to.”
14“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money, and don’t accuse people of things you know they didn’t do. And be content with your pay.”
John knew what the Law of God taught. He knew the Shema: Hear, O, Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. John also knew Leviticus 19:18, which reads “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Being a Christian begins with a relationship with Jesus out of which we also love the people God brings into our lives. How do we show our love for them? By putting the Law of God to work in our lives. We show the love of Christ when we do practical things that meet the needs of people.
One of the reasons for the success of the Methodist movement that began in England in the 18th century was John Wesley’s teachings on Holiness of Heart and Life. Basically, he taught that if your heart is holy, then your life will be holy as well.
The early Methodists were reformers of society. John preached to the poor. He and the Methodists established schools, discipleship groups, orphanages, and even medical clinics. Wesley emphasized faith in Christ that motivates people to serve others.
When the Methodists came to America, they continued the emphasis on loving God and your neighbor. The Methodists established schools and universities, provided for the needs of poor with food, clothing, and shelter. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was a Methodist.
We have a rich heritage as Methodists. We would do well to be inspired from our fathers and mothers in faith.
As we live holy lives…
4. We expect the Lord to come anytime.
3:15-18 (NLT)
15Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” 18John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.
Underline the phrase: Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon.
On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford, Connecticut darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought."
Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we’re to be lights as we watch and wait.
Invitation
We are in the season Advent — the season of expectation. How are you preparing for Jesus to come? Are you preparing for him to come into your life every day? Are you preparing for him to return at the end of time?
Preparing for guests takes time and effort. Don’t be caught by surprise. Don’t wait until the last minute to be prepared, for that may be too late.
Prayer
Let us bow our heads before Almighty God.
Have you confessed your sin lately? Take a moment to confess your sin to Jesus.
Now receive forgiveness from our Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, there is only so much we can do to prepare for your coming, but there are things we can do. Give us a deep desire to spend time with you each day in prayer, bible study, service. Move us to love and compassion for those you bring into our lives. Let us be channels of your love to all whom we cross paths.
In the name of Jesus, whom we expect to meet every day. Amen.
