Refuge Audio Podcast

John the Baptist’s whole life & ministry was in preparation for the public ministry of Jesus. With each passing day, John knew that Jesus would be coming at any moment. So he faithfully prepared the people to be prepared for the Lord’s arrival. And then…that day came, when the Uncreated Creator not only visited humanity in the frailty of humanity, but also began His earthly ministry. 

In Matthew 3, two of the most influential men & ministers in history came to a crossroads. John's ministry was coming to an end and Jesus' earthly ministry was just beginning. In order to understand all that was happening, we have to go back to a time before Jesus and John were born—to the ancient prophecies that foretold their arrival.

In Matthew 3, we read about one man in the wilderness with one singular purpose—to prepare the way of The Lord. His name was John, and at first glance, he might seem like an odd man. After all, he wore camel’s hair and ate honey and locust. But he had an important message to fulfill his purpose. What was his message to prepare us for The King of The Kingdom that was at hand? What was the message that would prepare us to receive Jesus? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

After speaking to His people through the prophet Malachi, God was silent for 400 years. The last thing He told them was that He would send a man who would help them prepare for the coming Messiah by turning their hearts to the things of the Lord.

That man was John the Baptist—the last of the Old Covenant prophets, even though his life and ministry is recorded in the New Testament. John had a word from the Lord, the first word spoken by God to His people in 400 years.

What was that first word after centuries of silence? Repent! But what does repent mean? And why is repentance important to the Lord? We considered these questions as we studied the first two verses of Matthew 3.

In his letter to the Ephesian church, the Apostle Paul wrote that we are to put off our our old nature, which is continually corrupted by its deceitful desires. We considered this as we continue to learn about Herod in our study in Matthew. What would this mean for the heart of Herod after he rejected the Lord? His heart would be continually corrupted and rotted by its deceitful desires. But this isn’t just true for Herod—it applies for all who reject God. This is why Jesus came—to save us from our old self, to give us an opportunity to be born again, and to give us a brand new heart and a new spiritual nature. All of this is available to anyone who comes to Him—even to the worst of sinners. Even sinners as vile and violent like Herod.