Changes Due to Sanctification

“Changes Due to Sanctification”

Prov. 28:13-14; Psa. 139:23-24; Duet. 19:19-20; 1 Jn. 1:5-11 

SUBJECT: CORRECTION ADVERSITY COMPELS US TO MAKE

THEME: Examine Your Attitude Toward Evil and Sin When Trouble Invades Your Life. 

RELEVANCY: God Desires for Us to Correct Our Attitude Toward Evil and Turn Away from the Practices of Sin. Sin usually leads to even more sin; it is certain that the “hardened heart shall fall into mischief.” God desires to compel all of us to engage in periodic self-examination so we may face up to our own sin and to do the difficult work of changing our beliefs and our behavior. 

INTRODUCTION:

The Scriptures tell us, God is a God of absolutes. We are either evil or righteous, based upon what we have decided to do in response to Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the cross. 

Now that we are saved, our focus must be on sanctifying ourselves unto Christ our Lord. Sanctification is being set apart for God’s special use…being progressively made holy. The ongoing, practical, and experiential growth in grace is the target. The daily journey of moving away from sinful behaviors to embracing a Christ-like lifestyle involving prayer, scripture study, complete surrender, and obedience to God. This is the lifelong work of the Holy Spirit transforming us believers to become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, desires, motivations, and actions. 

MESSAGE:  

COMPELS US TO CORRECT OUR HARBORING OF EVIL.

A.  CORRECTION THROUGH SALVATION.  

Persisting in sinful patterns and willful disobedience to God is a primary cause of a hardened heart. God is still calling you to trust Christ as your personal Savior today. He still loves you. His Holy Spirit still attempts to draw you to the Father.  

B.  CORRECTION THROUGH SANCTIFICATION.

Recognizing our sinfulness compels us to journey further, making life changing growth a habit. 

You likely remember that Proverbs 28:13, says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” These observations are key to the sanctification process. Recalling two particulars that are conducive to making sanctifying changes:

• Honestly acknowledging faults and taking responsibility for those wrong actions.
• Truly repenting to not merely say sorry but actively abandoning sinful behaviors.

   1. We Should Feel Compelled to Confess Our Sin.

When we see that we are sinful, we need to come to our heavenly Father saying, “I need Your forgiveness. Please wash me and make me clean in Your sight.” When we recognize that we have committed a trespass against our neighbors, or that we have sinned against God, we should not brush that aside casually as if to say, “Well, that's just my human nature.” Rather, we need to come to God and say, “I have sinned. Have mercy upon me. Change me so I won't desire to do this again!”

a.     Be wide open and straight with God regarding your sins. Psalm 139:23-24, says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: [24] And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” David acknowledges that God knows him completely. By asking God to “search” and “try” (test or examine), he invites God to reveal the inner motives and unconscious biases that he might be blind to. David is begging God to search for sin and point it out, even to the degree of examining his very thoughts. He wants God to expose any hidden sins in his life and guide him toward righteousness. This is a humble admission of our fallibility and a desire for God’s transformation.

b.    Beloved, this is ‘spiritual exploratory surgery’ for sin. The phrase “wicked way” refers to anything causing spiritual grief or pain. This is a request for cleansing and realignment, asking God to point out sin so it can be confessed, and to actively guide us onto the path of eternal life. Child of God, how are we to recognize sin unless God points it out? Then, when God shows us (sometimes through others), we can repent and receive forgiveness. Oh, make this verse your sincere prayer. If you ask the Lord to search your heart and your thoughts and to reveal your sin, you will be continuing God’s path of experiencing everlasting life.

   2. We Should Feel Compelled to Reject Sin and Stand Against Evil.

Recognition of evil should bring about a rebuke, a removal of evil, or a stand against evil.

Deuteronomy 19:19–20, Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. [20] And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

a.     We can note the consequences for a malicious witness who gives false testimony in court. The Law mandates that the false accuser receive the exact punishment they intended for the innocent victim, serving as a severe deterrent to perjury and a way to purge evil from the community.

1)    So, if a person lied in court to get someone convicted of a crime, that person would receive the very same penalty (whether a fine, imprisonment, or death) that the innocent defendant would have faced. The goal was not personal vengeance but community protection to eliminate wickedness from society.

2)    Public justice had a dual purpose: to punish the guilty and to act as a strong psychological deterrent. By carrying out severe, fitting penalties in plain sight, the community would learn to fear the legal and moral consequences of lying. This strict justice system was designed to cultivate a culture of truth, integrity, and respect for the law. (See Bible Study Tools)

b.    Beloved, we too are to live in truth, integrity, and respect for God’s Word. Those who hope that God will tolerate a little sinfulness are those who tend to tolerate sinfulness in themselves.

1)    I have seen some come to the point that they do nothing about their sin even though they recognize it as sin. They usually say something like this, “But we are all sinful. We all fall short of perfection. I’m only human after all.” That is true. Romans 3:23 says it plainly: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

2)    But, when we recognize sin in our lives as Christians, we should feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to do something spiritual about it! A Christian should never tolerate nor excuse his sin! We are to live with truth, integrity, and respect for God’s Word.

c.     1 John 1:9, states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This Christian core promise assures us believers that openly acknowledging and taking responsibility for our sins before God instantly restores our fellowship with Him, guaranteed by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Forgiveness means our sins are entirely pardoned and the barrier between us and God is removed. “...and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” speaks of cleansing or removing the internal guilt and moral pollution that sin brings, making us spiritually pure in His sight. While Christians are granted eternal, positional forgiveness at salvation, daily sins hinder our close fellowship with God. Confession acts like ‘relational dusting,’ washing away daily guilt and restoring our closeness with God.                                                            

   3. We Should Feel Compelled to Break Free of Sin’s Grip.

Jesus told a woman who was caught in the act of blatant sin, “Go and Sin No More”.

John 8:10-11, When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? [11] She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 

Jesus literally expected her to quit sinning in this area He had dealt with.  He was commanding her to REPENT! It didn’t take her 10 visits with a Psycho Analyzer and $20, 000 dollars to get her life straightened out. It took real faith in the Lord Jesus, and conscious submission to Christ’s Authority in her life, therefore she could break away from sinful practices. She was now saved; therefore, she could stop making a habit of sinning! (Rom. 6)

a.     Look to the Lord Jesus, Who Requires Us to Be Perfect. Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. We believers are called to pursue spiritual maturity, wholeness, and unconditional love that mirrors God’s nature, particularly by showing grace to both friends and enemies.

1)    The word “perfect” means “mature,” “complete,” or “reaching a goal”. It does not mean absolute, sinless flawlessness, as we have real limitations.

2)    However, this is God’s ultimate standard; we cannot achieve moral perfection on our own. Instead, it is a lifelong pursuit of transformation, made possible only by relying on Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

b.    How Can We Be Perfect or Spiritually Mature?

1)    In character. In this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible.

2)    In holiness. Like the Pharisees, we are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values. But unlike the Pharisees, we are to be devoted to God's desires rather than our own and show his love and mercy to the world.

3)    In maturity. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once, but we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development.

4)    In love. We can seek to love others as completely as God loves us.

c.     We Can Be “Perfect” If Our Behavior Is Appropriate for Our Maturity Level—mature, yet with much room to grow. Our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ. Christ calls all his disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity, and to mature in every area, becoming like him. Those who strive to be like Jesus will one day be like him because of seeing him as he is (1 John 3:2-3). John also advocates ‘walking in the light’ (1 Jn. 1:5-10) or being honest about your mistakes rather than pretending to be ‘perfect.’ We acknowledge our flaws rather than sweeping them under the rug. We begin to live honestly…transparently with God and relate more appropriately with people!

C.  CORRECTION THROUGH ZERO TOLERATION.

Facing the fact that we are sinful creatures is not the same as tolerating sin in our lives. Again, you may be saying, “But we are all sinful. We all fall short of perfection.” That is true.  You may also say, “Well, nobody is perfect, surely God understands that.”

   1. Understand That Acknowledgment is Not Toleration for Sinful Behavior.

Acknowledgment of sin should lead to cleansing and fellowship—not more tolerance.

1 John 1:5-10, This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. [8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

a.     Acknowledging sinfulness means agreeing with God that our behavior or conditions fall short of His standard or expectations. Toleration, however, is consenting to or condoning that behavior. This distinction calls us believers to confess and reject our sins rather than approve of our iniquities.

b.    Beloved, this is a solemn call to real repentance! Psalm 32:5, says: “I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”

    2. Understand That Our Acknowledgment Leads to Rejection.

The Scriptures teach us that God desires for us to hate sin and its consequences and to turn from evil at every opportunity.

a.     We need to not only memorize Psalm 119:104, but we also need to adopt the attitude that it requires regarding sin and evil.  May its truth be our resolve! Psalm 119:104, Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

1)    We are not to imitate evil.

2)    We are not to embrace evil.

3)    We are not to flirt with evil.                                                                  

4)    We are not to be curious about evil.

b.    Realize that Jesus’ death and resurrection were God’s final remedy for sin. John 19:30, When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.  Until this time, a complicated system of ceremonial sacrifices had atoned for sins. Sin separates people from God, and only through the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could people be forgiven and become clean before God. But people sin continually, so frequent sacrifices were required. Jesus, however, became the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. The word “finished” is the same as ‘paid in full.’ Jesus came to finish God's work of salvation (Jn. 4:34; 17:4), to pay the full penalty for our sins. With his death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. Now we can freely approach God because of what Jesus did for us.

We believe in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection therefore we can live eternally with God and escape the penalty of death in hell that comes from sin.

 CONCLUSION:

Sanctification can be your reality. This daily journey involving moving away from sinful practices to implementing Christ-like lifestyle measures may be your reality immediately. The Holy Spirit transforming us believers to become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, desires, and actions can began for you today. Remember, acknowledging sin before God is the path to forgiveness, not the acceptance of sin. 

   

 

The Advantage of a Government Shutdown!

Are there any advantages to a government shutdown? I know that sounds like a weird question when government shutdowns cause so much difficulty, uncertainty and chaos. How can something so disturbing to normal life have any good to offer? Yet, I still believe there are powerful lessons that can be learned from such a national crisis.

In the United States, a government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass or the President refuses to sign appropriations bills (budget) into law. That is legislation that will basically fund federal government operations and agencies for the fiscal year. This is actually the 21^st government shutdown in our national history! So, when was the last time a budget was passed in Congress? In the four decades since the current system for budgeting and spending has been in effect, Congress only managed to pass required appropriations bills four times! In fiscal 1977 (the first full fiscal year under the current system), 1989, 1995 and 1997. This is a record of gross failure.

What is the longest government shutdown? There was a long U.S. federal government shutdown in 1995–96. The 16-day-long shutdown of October 2013 was the third-longest government shutdown in U.S. history, after the 18-day shutdown in 1978 and the 21-day 1995–96 shutdown. So, 21 days was the longest in our national history before the 2018/2019 shutdown of 35 days. Will the next shutdown set a new record? Concerning....

Let me say with brilliant clarity I am an American Patriot. I have served my country for more then 13 years on Active Duty and as a civilian. I have visited and lived in many other countries, but I love these United States of America more than any. I am loyal to our republic and the three-branch system with checks and balances of power. I am NOT advocating for either party, and I mean NO disrespect to any elected officials! Unfortunately, the main news outlets seem to be content to merely assign blame...much like the two parties. I will not play that deceptive game or fall prey to their spin machines! Their antics only skew the real issues or leave them unaddressed altogether. If we are merely pointing fingers of blame, then we have been thoroughly duped by the mainstream media. Beware!

If we are asking questions like “Who is responsible for the government shutdown?” we are asking the wrong questions and giving the power to the wrong people. It is not that responsible individuals or parties are insignificant, but there is a far more pressing question. A better question would be, “What am I learning from this and other government shut downs?” I think a few things are obvious…. The government, our elected leaders, are not doing their jobs of leading and finding solutions that satisfy the requirements of law and the needs of the American people. Its not the Democrats or the Republicans fault! Its not a party issue primarily, but a failure of our elected officials to do their jobs…. There is a difference; pointing the finger of blame to another person or party is often a ploy to evade careful scrutiny. As a result ineptitude goes undetected...unexposed...continues in office while doing next to nothing. 

These offices and positions require working together (reaching across the else) to secure real solutions and not merely taking obstructionists positions to halt viable corrective measures. Both political parties are more concerned with their party (legacy, power, re-election, image) and not with the best courses of action for the country--the American people. Further it is a failure of the American people to hold them accountable at the polls. These are the leaders we elected and re-elected again and again, and they fail the country repeatedly. There is a formula for insanity analogy looming large presently.... We can make a difference at the polls. There is much more I could say here, but I must refrain.   

So, the advantage of the shutdowns is that they demonstrate in a punctuated manner that our elected officials on both sides of the isle are not representing the interests of the American people. The point here is not merely to assign blame…that solves NOTHING! My aim is to reaffirm where the real power is and to recognize the opportunities before us. The real crisis is not the shutdown, but the fact that we tolerate such failures from our elected officials. The shutdowns only reveal a much larger cancer eating away at the very fibers of our Republic. Beloved, this much should be extremely evident.  The question is, what are we going to do about it?

Well, what can I do? You can fall to your knees in prayer crying out to Almighty God to deliver us from such ineptitude and narcissism among national leaders. You can pray for a spirit of cooperation in Congress and a revived interest in the will of God for our nation. You could pray to God for national revival among real believers across the nation that will impact our views, values and abilities to influence the country for God’s glory. You can write your congressmen and express your concerns in a civil and respectful manner. Not merely complaining but offering workable solutions that could benefit the country as a whole. You could also vote intelligently in local, state, and national elections inviting the Spirit of God to lead you in these civil duties. You could also become the Daniel, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel of our times. All of these godly leaders influenced godless governments and leaders for the glory of God! Yes, I am saying the power is still with you and me to make a real difference in our national life. In the middle of all this despair...I want you to see that God is our hope, and He gave us a potent promise. “If my people which are called by My Name….” Once again, what are we going to do about it?

Out with the Old and In with the New

Hebrews 9:6-10

Theme: The Sacrifice of Christ purged sin and dedicated the New Testament while fulfilling the Old.  The New Covenant provides eternal redemption, thorough forgiveness of sin, and the anticipation of Christ’s return with full salvation. We have no need of any other religious system or supplements to Christ’s service to have a clear—guilt free— conscience with God.

Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. ⁷ But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: ⁸ The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: ⁹ Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; ¹⁰ Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:6-10)

How often do you think about Christ’s death on the cross? What does his suffering for you make you feel? Often, we may reflect on the death of the Lord Jesus several times during a week.  Others perhaps may think about Him offering up Himself to God weekly during church services or when it’s mentioned in a sermon.  Then, no doubt there are people who consider Christ’s redemptive sacrificial death at Calvary once or twice a year during the religious holidays.  Finally, there are too many who never give Christ’s sacrifice a second thought.

When I reflect on Calvary, I unmistakably recall how His sufferings move me and what feelings grip me deep within. Sometimes I am even conflicted…hating the fact that Jesus needed to die because of my sins, but at the same time so thankful that He voluntarily suffered in my stead to pay my penalty. Honestly, profound gratitude fills me whenever I give the subject serious thought. These emotions usually lead to a sense of obligation to live for Christ because He literally died for me. Like yourself, I know we can never really repay Him for His sacrifice; to even attempt this would be an insult to a gracious God. Still we never want to take His Cross for granted either. It’s a spiritually healthy exercise to meditate upon the significance of Christ’s fully-sufficient atonement at Calvary.

The sacrificial system was a vital element in Old Testament faith. The Mosaic Law code established standards which, while shaping the lifestyle of Israel, no individual could live up to. And anyone who fell short, in even one point (James 2:10–11), was guilty of sin.Yet God made provision for sinners. With the Law, God gave Moses the pattern for building a tabernacle, and established a sacrificial system. A sinner could bring a required blood sacrifice, have his sins covered, and so approach God. The one way into the tabernacle—the only door to the courtyard of the place of meeting with God—opened onto the altar of sacrifice. There was no other way for a sinner to approach God. Only blood on the altar could cover human sin. –Richards, Larry; Richards, Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary

What kind of purification from sin occurred in the symbolic system of the Old Covenant with its tabernacle worship? (Heb. 9:7, 9, 10)

A.    The Tabernacle System Was Symbolic for That Present Time (Heb. 9:9).

1.      A picture of something better to come, it was an imperfect representation of Christ’s perfect work. What this indicates for the present time is that the Old-Covenant sacrificial system did not meet human need at its deepest level. It could not clear the conscience of the worshiper.

2.      The gifts and sacrifices could never make the worshipers perfect regarding the conscience. If complete remission of sins had been procured, then the offerors’ conscience would have been free from the guilt of sin. But this never happened.

B.     The Levitical Offerings Dealt Only with Ritual Defilements—Externals (Heb. 9:10).

1.      They were concerned with such externals as clean and unclean meats and drinks, and with ceremonial washings that would rid the people of ritual impurity, but they did not deal with moral uncleanness.

2.      The sacrifices offered, and the blood applied to the mercy seat could never change the heart or the conscience of a worshiper. All of the ceremonies associated with the tabernacle had to do with ceremonial purity, not moral purity. They were “carnal ordinances” that pertained to the outer man but that could not change the inner man. –Wiersbe, Warren W.

3.      The offerings were concerned with a people who were in covenant relationship with God. They were designed to maintain the people in a position of ritual purity so that they could worship. They had nothing to do with salvation or with cleansing from sin. The people were saved by faith in the Lord, based on the work of Christ still future.

C.    Finally, The Sacrifices Were Temporary (Heb. 9:10). They were imposed… until the time of reformation.

1.      They pointed forward to the coming of Christ and to His perfect offering. The Christian era is the time of reformation referred to here. This is a clear restatement of the temporary nature of the Levitical system (Heb. 7:10–19; 8:13; Gal. 3:15-22).

2.      The word… “reformation” … means in its physical sense the making straight, the restoring to its natural and normal condition, something which … has gotten out of line, as for instance broken or misshapen limbs.

                                                  i.      It means “to set things to rights.”

                                                ii.      …The word in its context here means “to bring matters to a satisfactory state.” It refers to the introduction of the New Testament which latter displaces the First Testament. The First Testament never was satisfactory, so far as offering a sacrifice that could pay for sin was concerned. It could not actually in itself save the believer. –Wuest, Kenneth S.

3.      Christianity itself is the great Reformation of the current Judaism (Pharisaism) and the spiritual Judaism foreshadowed by the old Abrahamic promise (see Gal. 3 and Rom. 9). –Robertson, A.T.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews argued that the Old Testament sacrifices spoke of Jesus, the perfect Sacrifice, who has done what animal sacrifices could never accomplish. Jesus has actually perfected the sinner washed in His blood and made the sinner holy in God’s sight! There is no need for repeated sacrifices, for by His one sacrifice on Calvary Jesus has fully met our need, freeing us completely from sin, guilt, and shame.Why is this teaching so important to believers today? Because, when we understand just what Jesus has done for us, we find our conscience cleansed and experience release from our bondage to past failures. And we have hope that we will live a new and holy life. –Richards, Larry; Richards, Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary

Paul outlines in Romans 10:9-10, writing, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” We cannot simply believe anything about Jesus, we must believe the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and God raise Him up again the third day for our justification before The Father. It is crucial that we understand that it is faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel that is the power of God that saves us (Rom. 1:14-17).

Christ’s suffering at Calvary was God providing payment for our sins. That is literally what Calvary was about—justice was served, and sin was paid for in full. Now sinners like me and you can be saved—born again to enter a relationship with God. It is the Spirit who regenerates us and gives us new life when we trust Christ. We cannot save ourselves no matter how good, sincere, or diligent we are. Instead of trying to justify yourself to God, I urge you to acknowledge to Him that you, like all humanity, do not measure up to His perfection and requirements. Like myself you know deep down inside how desperately imperfect you are. My friend that imperfection and tendency to do, say, and want what God forbids is evidence of our innate sinfulness. Our own conscious condemn us. Look at how often we lie or shade the truth. Look at how we love our self but fail to love God and others. If you take evidence seriously, then consider the many times you felt guilty for some moral or ethical failure…. I cannot count the number of times I have experience the sharp piercing of guilt in my own heart. I felt condemned in my own soul…and so have you. Beloved, this is evidence of our inborn sinfulness and we cannot change this about ourselves. We are at the mercy of God to change us deep within.

Being born again means we become a part of a new family, God is our Father who shares with us His very own divine nature. All of this is realized the moment we humble ourselves before God acknowledging our sins while trusting Christ and His payment for them. We must accept this payment personally. Beloved, we must exercise faith in the Person and Work of Christ to experience this spiritual new birth. What about you? Do you have one or two births?

Beloved, rest assured the work, his sacrificial atoning death and resurrection, that Jesus did was definitive. We no longer need to offer blood sacrifices in acknowledgment of our sin. We need only have faith in Jesus Christ and accept what He has done on our behalf. Why not cry out to God owning your sin and pleading for His forgiveness and mercy. I did back in 1990 and God forgave me and gave me a brand-new beginning!

The writer of Hebrews says that God took away the first means of blood sacrifice that He might establish the second means, the sacrifice of Jesus. The sacrifice of Jesus was the only one necessary. The phrase that is used is a powerful one: “once for all” (Heb. 10:10).

What Jesus did on the cross, He never needs to do again, and neither does anyone else ever have to suffer and die as He did. He is the sacrificial, substitutionary, all-sufficient atonement for all sin.

  

Come trust the Lord Jesus Christ today as your personal substitutionary sacrifice. God’s greatest provision for our sinfulness is a singular substitute for all humanity—Jesus Christ’s death at Calvary! By faith receive Him as your personal Substitute and full payment for your sin. Yes, even now place your trust in Jesus.

Acknowledge Your KING

For over 400 years, the nation had not heard the voice of a prophet. Then John appeared and a great revival took place. Consider some facts about John.

John the Baptist was six months older than his cousin Jesus (see Luke 1:26, 36). He stepped onto the stage of history to serve as forerunner for the King of Israel. His unlikely auditorium was the wilderness of Judea—an arid area extending from Jerusalem to the Jordan.

The ploughman must precede the sower. It is the work of John the Baptists to break up the fallow ground. Sometimes the messenger comes in the form of a great sorrow. Men are arrested and aroused, made to feel their helplessness and their need. Then, but not till then, they may receive the kingdom. –from The Pulpit Commentary

In order to be fully prepared for the reign of Christ in our lives, we must hear and respond to John’s call of repentance.  Accepting Christ as King requires submission and loyalty on our behalf.  Jesus is not interested in reigning over great crowds who are filled with sin or shallow enthusiasm for Him. He encouraged us to move beyond the superficial interests of religion on to deeper personal commitment.  Following Christ means total submission to Him—He is not only the King, but Your King. It is essential that we understand this submission to King Jesus is not surrender, withdrawal, and certainly not apathy. Submission is an active commitment or cooperation with Him. John's message, the Word of God, helps us understand the vital elements in this journey. 

To us also John the Baptist must come if we shall properly appreciate the Redeemer. We must expose ourselves to the fire, the ax, the winnowing-fan, that we may learn what we really are, and come, like Paul, to reckon our own righteousness as loss if only we may win Christ and be found in him. –F. B. Meyer

Note these considerations from John's message and emphasis:

Consider What John Preached (Matt. 3:1-4)

The Jews were not fit to receive their Messiah; they needed the preliminary work of the prophet of the wilderness to prepare them for the new influences of the King.

The world will not welcome its Savior until the way has been made ready for Him to draw near. Individual men and women are far from the kingdom of heaven, and the landscape is wild and impassable till God provides a pathway across it. John’s message would plough the landscape of the soul to make way for the King!

JOHN'S MESSAGE (Matt. 3:1-3)

John’s message was, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” The King would soon appear, but He could not and would not reign over people who clung to their sins. They must change directions, must confess and forsake their sins. God was calling them from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven.

As He Proclaimed It (Matt. 3:1-2): "Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

John's preaching centered on repentance and the kingdom of heaven.

He Proclaimed Repentance.

The word “repent” means "to change one's mind and act on that change." John was not satisfied with regret or remorse; he wanted "fruits meet for repentance" (Matt 3:8). There had to be evidence of a changed mind and a changed life.

John the Baptist's theme was Turn Around! Repentance means doing an about-face—a  180-degree turn—from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, taking revenge, abusing, and indulging in sexual immorality.

A person who stops rebelling and begins following God's way of living prescribed in his Word is a person who has repented. The first step in turning to God is to admit your sin, as John urged. Then God will receive you and help you live the way he wants.

Remember that only God can remove sin. He doesn't expect us to clean up our lives before we come to Him. John must have labored to produce repentant attitudes among his hearers; he must have made it his goal to lead his listeners to a deep sense of their sin. Until a man owns his guilt he will not seek pardon from God. John the Baptist called people to a radical turning from sin that inevitably became manifest in the fruit of righteousness (v. 8).

The unsaved man is supposed to repent. Yes, the unsaved man is told that he is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the message of Paul to the jailer at Philippi (see Acts 16:31).  When an unsaved man turns from his rebellion against God and believes in Jesus, he is repenting. Faith means to turn to Christ, and when you turn to Christ, you must also turn from something. If you don’t turn from something, then you aren’t really turning to Christ. So repentance is really a part of believing, the primary message that should be given to the lost today is repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the idea that repentance was necessary in order to enter this kingdom was something new and became a stumbling block to many Jews. They thought that as children of Abraham they would automatically be granted entrance into Messiah’s kingdom. John’s message, however, was that a change of mind and heart (“repent”) was necessary before they could qualify for the kingdom. They did not realize how far they had drifted from God’s Law and the requirements laid down by the prophets (e.g., Mal. 3:7-12).

Repentance is also for saved people, that is, for God’s people. We are the ones who, when we become cold and indifferent, are to turn back to the Lord (2Cor. 7:8–11). That was the message to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3, and it was the message of the Lord Jesus Himself.

He Proclaimed The Kingdom of Heaven.

The phrase the kingdom of heaven, is used thirty-two times in this Gospel. We cannot rightly understand Matthew without comprehending this concept, a definition and description of the term are in order here.

The kingdom of heaven is the sphere is which God’s rule is acknowledged. The word “heaven” is used to denote God. This is shown in Daniel 4:25, where Daniel said that “the Most High” rules in the kingdom of men. In the next verse he says that “the heavens do rule.” Wherever people submit to the rule of God, there the kingdom of heaven exists.

There are two aspects of the kingdom of heaven. In its broadest sense it includes everyone who professes to acknowledge God as Supreme Ruler. In its narrower aspect it includes only those who have been genuinely converted.  Many people are in the sphere of profession; this includes all who are genuine subjects of the King, and also those who only profess allegiance to Him. This is seen in the parables of the sower (Matt. 13:3–9), the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31, 32), and the leaven (Matt. 13:33). The true believers are in the sphere of possession this includes only those who have been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven in its inward aspect can be entered only by those who are converted (Matt. 18:3). (R.J. Sargent)

By putting together all the references to the kingdom in the Bible, we can trace its historical development in five distinct phases:

1) First, the kingdom was prophesied in the OT. Daniel predicted that God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed nor yield its sovereignty to another people (Dan. 2:44). He also foresaw the coming of Christ to wield universal and everlasting dominion (Dan. 7:13, 14; see also Jer. 23:5, 6).

2) Secondly, the kingdom was described by John the Baptist, Jesus, and the twelve disciples as being at hand or present (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). In Matthew 12:28, Jesus said, “ ... if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Luke 17:21, He said, “For behold, the kingdom of God is within you” or in your midst. The kingdom was present in the Person of the King. As we shall show later, the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably.

3) Third, the kingdom is described in an interim form. After He was rejected by the nation of Israel, the King returned to heaven. The kingdom exists today, while the King is absent, in the hearts of all who acknowledge His kingship, and its moral and ethical principles, including the Sermon on the Mount, are applicable to us today. This interim phase of the kingdom is described in the parables of Matthew 13.

4) The fourth phase of the kingdom is what might be called its manifestation. This is the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth which was pictured by the Transfiguration of Christ when He was seen in the glory of His coming reign (Matt. 17:1–8). Jesus referred to this phase in Matthew 8:11 when He said, “... many shall come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

5) The final form will be the everlasting kingdom. It is described in 2 Peter 1:11 as “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

6) The phrase “kingdom of heaven” is found only in Matthew’s Gospel, but “kingdom of God” is found in all four Gospels. For all practical purposes there is no difference—the same things are said about both. For example, in Matthew 19:23 Jesus said that it would be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Both Mark (10:23) and Luke (18:24) record that Jesus said this about the kingdom of God (see also Matt. 19:24 which has a similar maxim using “kingdom of God”).

7) We mentioned above that the kingdom of heaven has an outward aspect and an inner reality. That the same is true of the kingdom of God is further proof that the two terms indicate the same thing. The kingdom of God, too, includes the real and the false. This is seen in the parables of the sower (Luke 8:4–10), the mustard seed (Luke 13:18, 19), and the leaven (Luke 13:20, 21). As to its true, inward reality, the kingdom of God can be entered only by those who are born again (John 3:3, 5).

8) One final point: the kingdom is not the same as the churches. The kingdom began when Christ embarked on His public ministry; the first church began as He called His disciples. The kingdom will continue on earth till the earth is destroyed; the churches continue on earth till the Rapture (the catching away or removal of the saints from earth when Christ descends from heaven and takes all believers home with Him—1 Thess. 4:13–18). The church bride will return with Christ at His Second Advent to reign with Him. At present the people who are in the kingdom in its true, inner reality are also a part of the bride.

He Proclaimed The Kingdom Is At Hand.

The phrase "is at hand" portrays God as having interrupted history with a dramatic new revelation of His authority and power.  The opportunity is now…we should be deeply impressed to appreciate the chance we have been given before it is too late. For some this means it is time to be saved; for others it means it is time to get right with God and stop toying with pet sins. For yet others, it is time to continue under the authority and power of your King Jesus with complete submission and loyalty! Let Him reign in you with peace, gladness and service for His glory!

John must mean that God’s heavenly rule was about to be extended directly to earthly spheres. God’s rule over the earth had drawn near and was about to be instituted through the person of the Messiah for whom John was preparing the way. No one hearing John preach asked him what he was talking about, for the concept of Messiah’s rule over the kingdom of earth was a common thread in Old Testament prophecy. The requirement for that institution, however, was that the nation repent. –Walvoord, J. F.   

Like Israel, we all must prepare ourselves for the rule of the King, Messiah Jesus, in our personal experiences. Repentance, Kingdom Reality, and Kingdom Rule are imperatives for us all. The Word of God planted in a humble repentant heart is how it all begins. Beloved, prepare yourself for Christ your King by responding to John’s call to repentance.  Accepting Christ as King requires submission and unparalleled loyalty on our behalf.  Jesus is not interested in reigning over great crowds who are filled with sin or shallow enthusiasm for Him. He encouraged us to move beyond the superficial interests of religion on to deeper personal commitment. Beloved, this one thing is vital. Following Christ means total submission to Him—He is not only the King, but Your King. It is essential that we understand this submission to King Jesus is not surrender, withdrawal, and certainly not apathy. Submission is an active commitment or cooperation with Him. It flows out of relationship, truth, and worship.