This is perhaps a little lengthy for some, but I ask you to please read it both purposefully and patiently. And please keep in mind that God has a specific purpose for each person’s life. When we find our purpose in Christ there is nothing that can compare with it. We realize our reason for living. No drug on the market (high – false sense of peace or joy), no amount of money, notoriety (popularity), or feeling of significance can match it. I would like to add that I did not even feel like writing this today. But God has put something deep down inside of me that makes me want to share his divine love for you. AS YOU READ YOU MUST COME TO REALIZE THAT GOD HAS A CALLING FOR YOUR LIFE TOO. Please proceed.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD?
John the Baptist simply obeyed God’s calling for his life. He went out preaching repentance. He baptized all who sincerely came forward, those who truly desired to leave a life of sin and stand before a Holy God, to live in His presence, nothing hidden, but all laid bare before Him. He realized that he obviously was not God, nor had he any intentions of receiving any personal glory. He was just the one spoken of in the Book of Isaiah, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God..” 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken” (Isaiah 40:3-4) King James Version).
UPON HIS OBEDIENCE TO THE LORD SEE WHAT HAPPENED BELOW and understand that God, when we obey him, will also, through our lives, bring his plans to pass in this world. “For we are labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9). He has big plans and has chosen to work through his people (this includes us) in fulfilling his purpose for mankind, not just the stories that have already been written in the Bible already but also the stories that are to be written regarding our personal lives for today and the future. SPECIAL NEWS REPORT: God is so awesome and loves every person so much that in order to make sure his program (plans to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to make it to heaven) goes forward (is fulfilled) that he even uses those who are not a part of his kingdom (the Christian church) to make sure that his purposes are accomplished.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:1-51).
God is complete, lacking nothing. Purest love (unimaginable) somehow compelled him to create us for fellowship with him. Just as he gave Adam and Eve dominion over all that he had created so that continues to and through you and me. When the devil deceived Eve and Adam disobeyed God do you not know that he is God and He had the power to destroy the devil and rewrite the whole script? But God is faithful and true and would never violate his own order. God gave his people (Adam and Eve), “Dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27), and if he (God) had reacted from an emotional standpoint at that time he would have violated his order (usurped the authority which he had freely given people). So he had to do what had to be done in order to rescue all humans from this ungodly peril (living under Satan’s control in what was once a perfect world which had now become a dark depraved world). To fix things, he had to become a human and to suffer unparalleled injustices for you and me. You see, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14). – I would just like to point out too that the Word spoken of here is Jesus and that, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
Part A: Before we were saved (born-again) we used to walk under the power (control) of the devil just like the rest of the world (those who have yet to accept Christ into their hearts (those who are still lost – heading to hell). READ CAREFULY: “And you hath he quickened (made spiritually alive, emphases mine), who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:1-10). Because we have accepted Christ (the Prince of Peace)into our hearts (hopefully you will too) we have now been freed from the power of the devil and from having sin as our master. We are free (e.g., We don’t practice having sex outside of marriage, lying and stealing, we don’t do drugs, etc.).
Part B (Contrasting the way we used to live to how we now live since receiving Jesus (Christ) in our hearts and becoming ‘born again’:
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit,” (this is those who now live for God), “and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16) (these are those who still live according to the flesh to fulfill their own wicked desires) .
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:17-21).
NOW THAT WE HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS INTO OUR HEARTS AND ARE LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT THIS DESCRIBES US: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:22-26). We are no longer ruled by our lower nature (the flesh fulfilling our own desires) but are truly led by the Holy Spirit (Spirit of God).
Because have received God’s salvation which is freely offered to everyone, in addition to having his presence in our lives now, we also know that we will one day live in heaven with him forever. You can know this for yourself too.
If you want to know this for yourself just repeat the following prayer out loud and mean it:
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and that you rose again. Please forgive me for all my sins. I repent, yes, I turn away from all sin and ask you to come into my heart and live. I receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. I pray this in your name, Jesus. Thank you so much. Amen. – If you prayed this prayer it is so important that you both get yourself a Bible and start to attend a Bible based church. Please check this website for information on where to find a church near you. Now you can begin to pray to the Father in Jesus’ Name. Jesus said, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). As you get to know Jesus better and better you will understand why he said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
As God’s people, just as John the Baptist had a call on his life, so we have a call both individually and corporately as well. We are to prepare the world for Jesus’ second coming so they can go to heaven too. We must tell the world about Jesus and his love for them by sharing the Bible (the gospel message). God’s desire is that all would know him personally so he can take us all to heaven to live in paradise with him. He does not want anyone to go to hell. That is why Jesus sacrificed his life on the Cross so we could go back with him when he comes again (See John 3:16-17).
Jesus tells us to, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). When you come to know Jesus, and experience his love for us, you will have an overwhelming desire for everyone else to know him as well.
I love you; Jesus loves you, and God has awesome plans for you!
P.S. While the whole Bible is the infallible (perfect) Word of God this writer is suggesting if you are new to this most profoundly wonderful book that you start by prayerfully reading the Gospel of John, the Book of Romans, and 1 John. These 3 books are in the New Testament. Ask God to give you understanding as you begin each study session and he will.