THE WAY OF THE LORD

PREPARE THE WAY

(Mark 1:1-8)

I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”[c]—“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. (Mark 1:2-3)

 Mark  in chapter (1:2-3) quotes from the old testament is Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 about Christ that lines up with Israel’s story of the coming Messiah. Mark lets us know that John the baptist is not the messiah but was one who would come to tell about the messiah. Someone much more powerful than He was.John knew why he was called. (Mark 1:7, John 1:20; 3:22-36)

John came to prepare the way of the Lord, we have a similar task, lets look at a few way. John gave answers to those who asked about the Messiah, some even thought he was the Messiah, but John made it very clear, he only came to prepare the way for Him. We too need to be ready with an answer for people.  Read (John 1:19-25, 1 Peter 3:15)

John presented a simple message with eternity in mind, John does not shy away from the fact that without repentance people parish. (John 3:19-21) spells out the consequences of not repenting and rejecting God/the Messiah. "Jesus is the way the truth and the life."(Matthew 7:13 and John 14:6, Luke 3:10, Zephaniah 3:17, Mark 1:15) We have a JOB to do.

John was willing to follow the leading of the Lord. He challenged sin in peoples lives and in the end it cast him his life. If we study about John and Jesus, they both spoke to those who though they were good enough in the eyes of God. But those people were challenged, in the fact that being good would not get you into heaven. There is a lot more to it then just being good.It is costly to follow Christ. Its free to have a relationship with Him, but to truly follow Him is where the sacrifice comes in. 

Friends, if we believe God and obey His Word. It means living very, very differently. It means caring for the poor and the widows and children, it means living in a daily time of repentance obedience and sacrifice, and fully surrendering and leaning on the wisdom of the Lord. Is that me, is that you? I don't know about what you think, but I know both you and I need the Lords strength daily in order to live a life that is pleasing in His sight.If we are going to live a life of righteousness we need His help, strength and wisdom to follow Him. (Romans 3:10, Ephesians 2:8)

So, no, we are not good enough, God is not pleased when we live a selfish life. But He loved us enough to show us the way to eternal life through Jesus life, death and resurrection and ascension. When the Holy Spirit came to teach us all things, things we needed to know to present Christ.  To give us all of the gifts we needed to get the job done. 

So we too are to prepare people in such away that the y are drawn to Christ and learn to accept Him as the one who came to save them from their sins. We are to do it in a humble fashion, because it is not us, but Christ and we are to get to know Jesus better and better because we need to be like Jesus and John the baptist who always point other to God the Father, Jesus the Son and to the Holy Spirit as the one and only God, who made /created both the world and you and me. Read Genesis the first 3 Chapters and you will see. 

Father God, thank you for creating me and having a plan and purpose for my life. Help me seek you with all of my heart, so that I can help prepare the way of Jesus the Messiah in the lives of others who are seeking Him. Help me be like John, in being a voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord. It is in your name I pray AMEN