The Ministry of John the Baptist

John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets even though the record about him is found in the New Testament. John prophesied like the prophets of old, the coming of the Messiah, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! John was actually Jesus' cousin, born to Elizabeth, his mother, Mary's cousin. John came preaching before Jesus to prepare the way for the Lord and to tell people how to find salvation.

The Message: Repent

John and the Pharisee's - Tissot

 In the Advent readings last month we read about John's miraculous birth to an aged barren mother and how his birth was announced to his father Zacharias while he was burning incense in the temple. Later, after John was born, Zacharias prophesied over his infant son: "And you my little son will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell His people how to find salvation". Luke 2:76,77 NLT  Thirty years later we see John beginning his ministry: Read More

The Message: The Kingdom of Heaven

John the Baptist preached: 

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

What is this Kingdom of Heaven that John and and Jesus speaks of? Where is it and why can't I see it? Here is a quote from one of the helps in my favorite Bible:

Defining the Hope "What does "the kingdom" refer to?... God's sovereign rule in the universe. He is King of the heavens. But more specifically, here it refers to the entry of God's long anticipated Messiah, the promised Son of David who would not only be the Savior, Deliverer, and King of Israel, but KING of all mankind!!!

The Kingdom was near, because the King was here and walking among His own people. Read More








Fruit Worthy of Repentence

"But when he (John)  saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance... and even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'" Matt 3:7-10

These men were the religious leaders of the day, the most knowledgeable about the scriptures among the people. Why did John use such strong words against them? What was their sin? What did Jesus have to say about them? Read More

The Baptism of Jesus

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him... 'It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness'. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened... and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying,
"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
Matt. 3:13-17 NKJ

John spoke about the baptism of repentance. He prophesied about a new baptism yet to come:

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, 

but He who is coming after me is mightier than I...

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Matt. 3:11NKJ

What is this baptism of the Holy Spirit? What did Jesus say about the Spirit that was to come? He tells us about the Holy Spirit in the gospel of John: Read More

Behold the Lamb of God

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward Him and said,

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" vs 29

What did John mean when He said this about Jesus? The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? How could this be? If you have not heard about this before, it may be a bit confusing for someone living in our modern world and not knowing about an ancient story that sets the stage for one of the great mysteries of all the ages. You see, God our Creator is completely holy, beautiful, radiant with piercing holy light. We as human beings are dark and sinful, unable to even exist in His Presence. In the ancient times, God reached out to people. These stories are contained in the Old Testament of the Bible. There was a time that God allowed people to make animal sacrifices, often times it was a lamb, as a way for them to atone for their sins. Why is that? Because sin causes pain and needed a sacrifice, a vivid reminder of the misery and death that sin brings into our lives. God, in His mercy has done something wonderful for us. In Genesis 22:1-8 we see a gift and a promise made by God to Abraham. Read More

 Temptation of Adam and Eve

After John baptized Jesus, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted. Why was it necessary for Him to be tempted by the devil?  I'll answer that toward the end of this post. First, lets go back to the very first man and woman to look at the temptation of  Adam and Eve. This will give us a better understanding of how temptation can persuade us and lead us away from what we know to be right and true.  You can also see the effect their sin had on their own sons Cain and Abel. Our own sin does affect our children as well. Read more




Temptation of Jesus

Image copy right- Michael Dudash

"Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil." Luke 4:1, 2 NKJ

Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? We'll answer that question later. For now, lets look at 1 John 2:15, 16 again, this time in the New King James: "Do not love the world...for all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world." 

Both Adam and Jesus faced three aspects of temptation; (just as we do even to this day as descendants of Adam and Eve). Adam yielded, bringing upon humankind sin and death. Christ resisted, resulting in justification and life.

Read More