What Kind Of People? Series

I BELIEVE IT’S TRUE THAT WE DON’T LIKE TO BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD AND UNPREPARED. THE DOORBELL RINGS AND SUDDENLY YOU HAVE VISITORS. A STUDENT IS CALLED ON BY THE TEACHER TO ANSWER A QUESTION. A STRANGER STOPS YOU FOR DIRECTIONS.

WE SIMPLY DON’T LIKE HAVING TO GO “OFF THE CUFF” WITHOUT ADEQUATE TIME TO PREPARE OR TO GET OURSELVES READY. WHY, THEN, SHOULD OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES BE ANY DIFFERENT? WE MUST BE LIVING IN ANTICIPATION OF STEPPING INTO ETERNITY.

JOHN THE BAPTIST REPEATED THESE WORDS OF PREPARATION FROM ISAIAH IN MARK 1:3, “PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD’S COMING! CLEAR THE ROAD FOR HIM!’”

THE WORD “PREPARE” REFERS TO MAKING SOMETHING READY. IT IS ALSO A “VERB” IN THE “IMPERATIVE” WHICH ELEVATES THIS WORD TO A COMMAND. WE MUST BE“CLEARING THE ROAD” SPIRITUALLY BY RIDDING OUR MINDS AND HEARTS OF WORLDLY DEBRIS THAT GETS IN THE PATH OF OUR JOURNEY OF FAITH. WE DO THIS THROUGH MAKING THE EFFORT TO DISCIPLINE OURSELVES, BY MAKING THE SACRIFICES, AND EXAMINING OUR LIVES EACH DAY IN CONFESSION AND PARDON. THE CALL IS TO OBEY GOD’S COMMANDS IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT ANY HESITATIONS.

WE MUST BE LIVING IN SUCH A WAY AS NOT TO BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD AND UNPREPARED. WE MUST NOT BE LIVING AS IF OUR DEATH AND THE COMING OF JESUS ARE DECADES AWAY. WE MUST NOT LIVE AS IF THE COMMANDS OF GOD ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A TEDIOUS BOTHER THAT CRAMPS OUR STYLE AND HINDERS OUR WORLDLY PURSUITS. WE MUST BE DRAWING NEARER TO GOD RATHER THAN GOING DEEPER INTO THE WORLD.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PLANS AND WILL OF GOD, WE CANNOT HUMANLY MEASURE IT BY A CLOCK OR A CALENDAR. GOD IS NOT SLOW AS WE UNDERSTAND SLOWNESS. HE IS NOT BEING TARDY OR LATE, BUT LONGSUFFERING AND COMPASSIONATE WITH US.

THE TIME THAT IS PASSING IS NOT A DELAY, BUT RATHER AN EXPRESSION OF HIS IMMEASURABLE GRACE AND AN EXTENSION OF HIS MERCY. HE IS GIVING US AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE TO COME TO SALVATION THROUGH HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST. HE IS ALSO GIVING TIME TO HIS PEOPLE TO MINISTER AND ACCOMPLISH HIS KINGDOM WORK.

PETER WROTE IN 2 PETER 3:9, THAT GOD “…DOES NOT WANT ANYONE TO PERISH, BUT FOR EVERYONE TO COME TO REPENTANCE.” GOD IS EXCEEDINGLY PATIENT, GIVING PEOPLE TIME TO TURN TO HIM.

PSALM 86:15, “BUT YOU, O LORD, ARE A GOD OF COMPASSION AND MERCY, SLOW TO GET ANGRY AND FILLED WITH UNFAILING LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS.” GOD MAY HAVE GRATNED US “FREE WILL,”BUT IT IS HIS DESIRE THAT ALL PEOPLE WOULD RECEIVE HIM AND BE SAVED.

THEREFORE, WE MUST MAKE THE MOST OF THE TIME WE HAVE BEEN GIFTED. ISAIAH AND JOHN THE BAPTIST GIVES US THE CALL: PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD AND MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.”IT HELPS US TO REMEMBER THE WORDS OF JESUS, IN LUKE 2:49 THAT WE “…MUST BE ABOUT [OUR] FATHER’S BUSINESS.”

WE MUST BE ABOUT OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS. WE “PREPARE THE WAY” WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS AND GOD’S SAVING PLAN. WE “MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT” WHEN WE LIVE OUT THE GOSPEL AND PROCLAIM THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST TO THE WORLD AND HELP OTHERS OPEN THEIR HEARTS TO CHRIST THROUGH TEACHING, DISCIPLESHIP AND YES, EVEN CORRECTION AND REBUKING.

THE CALL TO “PREPARE THE WAY” AND “STRAIGHTEN PATHS” IS A COMMAND…A CALL…A MISSION…A MUST! 2 CORINTHIANS 5:19-20, “FOR GOD WAS IN CHRIST, RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF, NO LONGER COUNTING PEOPLE’S SINS AGAINST THEM. AND HE GAVE US THIS WONDERFUL MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. SO WE ARE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS; GOD IS MAKING HIS APPEAL THROUGH US. WE SPEAK FOR CHRIST WHEN WE PLEAD, “COME BACK TO GOD!”

WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE ORTO CAST ASIDE IN DELAY. THE TIME IS NOW; TODAY! THE CHURCH NEEDS TO BE THE CHURCH. CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE LIKE CHRIST AND LIVE OUT JESUS. THAT IS WHY PETER ASKED “WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE SHOULD YOU BE?”

THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THIS QUESTION IS THAT IT IS RHETORICAL! HOW IS THAT? IT IS RHETORICAL BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER. WE ALREADY KNOW THIS AND THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LIVING THIS WAY ALL ALONG.

THOSE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST ARE TO BE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO BE LIVING HOLY AND GODLY LIVES THAT ARE CHARACTERIZED BY RIGHTEOUSNESS. WE ARE TO ADOPT RADICAL OBEDIENCE AND ACTS OF SACRIFICE INTO OUR LIVES.

WE MUST BE LIVING LIVES IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO THE UNHOLY LIVING AND GODLESSNESS FOUND IN THE WORLD. WE LIVE NOT IN THE FEAR OF THE END OF TIME, OR OUR OWN DEATH, BUT LIVE IN EXPECTATION BY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE “NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH” OF ETERNITY WITH GOD OUR FATHER.

DON’T DELAY. DON’T SIT IDLE OR BECOME CASUAL WITH THE TIME! OUR MISSION DURING OUR TIME ON EARTH IS TO LIVE FOR GOD AND TO TELL THE WORLD THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST.