Will the Real Messiah Stand Up

Just over a week ago a friend of mine visited with his wife in the area. They stayed at a motel in the next town over. They were married on a Saturday, and then flew to Maine on Sunday for thier honeymoon. This was a friend from the Air Force that I haven't seen in person for almost 30 years. Him and his wife are both Christians, and it was evident in our time together that they love the Lord. Praise God for such a special visit. Shortly after returning to North Carolina, he sent me an e-mail with the following verse.

Colossians 1:10-12, "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (NIV)

What an encouraging and comforting passage of scripture. Praise the Lord.

Last time we looked at the beginning of John the Baptist ministry. We learned a little bit about sanctification and repentance. I promised that this time we would try to understand what John's baptism was all about.

"preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,"

Baptism was a means to demonstrate your membership or agreement in something. It is a public symbol of participation. When folks heard from John that the messiah was coming and they needed to prepare their hearts for change (repent). They demonstrated that repentance by joining others in baptism. So here is what is being demonstrated.

1. The messiah is coming
2. John is warning us to prepare
3. I repent. I turn from the direction I was heading and turn to God.
4. I am baptized to symbolize that I have laid my old selfish nature aside and show my membership and agreement with those awaiting salvation.
   
5. I change my actions to be more caring, generous and careful to be a ministry to others. These are the things we talked about last time.

After being baptized the people began to wonder if John was the messiah.

Lk 3:15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,

Why were they wondering that? First there wasn't a spiritual leader in Israel that could speak to the needs and hearts of the people. It can be imagined from John's statement and the statements of Jesus later that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were making the people feel bad, unable to meet the requirements of the law. They viewed themselves as unworthy. Which if they tried to make themselves worthy of the law would be the case. Also we already noted they were living with the Pax Roma (the peace of Rome). That is when you country does what it is told, pay taxes and you would be protected from other enemies. The people we waiting and anticipating a Messiah. Plus John had just told off the religious leaders and they that were smug about their ancestry to Abraham. Maybe he is the Messiah. But John corrected them.

Lk 3:16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John is preparing the way, the Messiah is coming. John is uncomfortable with the idea of being worthy to tie the Messiah's sandal, let alone we mistaken for the Messiah. The messiah is coming and he will bring real judgment. He will clean house. The chaff are those who pretend to religious righteousness and the wheat are those who seek God with their hearts.

You can imagine that even today God is seeking those who are seeking Him. He is knocking at the door of your heart. He is looking for your willingness to let Him in. He is not interested in those living their lives serving themselves or religious leaders who are satisfied with their own self righteousness. He wants those that have repented. Turned from seeking their own self and instead have turned to seeking God.

Are you seeking God, are you searching for a Savior. That savior is Jesus Christ and no one comes to comes except through Him. If you are prepared to except Jesus or have made that decision and have questions please let me know.