Prepare the Way: Notes from Sunday, December 5th

"Prepare the Way"

How do we prepare?

John the Baptist preached and taught to: "Repent"

What is it to "repent"...?

"Repent" from the Greek means to "change one's mind."

Is repentance needed only when we get caught doing something sinful? Is it just feeling "sorry?"

It's much more...

   When we sin we have turned our back on God and instead turned to the world. Repentance is turning away from the world and turning toward God. This can only happen through the Grace of God and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit working through baptism, word and the sacrament (Lord's Supper) gives us the direction and the way to turn.

  We Need to Know Him...

Who is the Messiah? What pleases Him? What has He done for me? How can I recognize Him and the Holy Spirit working?

All these questions are answered when we follow the communication of our Savior which He lovingly provides us through His Word, through fellowship with Christians around us, through our church. Part of repentance is throwing out our preconceptions of God and instead asking for guidance through His truth.

  What do we Know...

We know that God is the same now and forever. His promises have been rooted in history and shown to us through the people of the Bible. We have been saved because of who He is--the Son who came in the flesh from God for us! He died, rose and conquered death for you and me.

  Don't add to His gift of Salvation...

Our temptation is to make Him less by adding something to His loving work and plan of salvation that He has already accomplished. There is no need to add anything--Jesus is enough! If we think that our lives are not good enough or that we are not "comfortable" in this life --we are often tempted to "fix" that ourselves. This is a temptation we all deal with every day. Jesus came to take us out of this world and to have us look forward to a better place. In the meantime, we must hold onto the gift that has already been given us--freedom from sin through repentant hearts and the knowledge of a Savior that loves us!

Thanks be to God that we don't have to deal with sin ourselves...

So as John the Baptist did: Prepare the way...He asks us to "Repent" let the Holy Spirit change our thinking, our disposition, our judgment and affections, let us consider our ways, letting our hearts please our Savior and not just ourselves!

God's Word:

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

 ¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
 ² Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
   to my cry for mercy.

 ³ If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
   Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
   so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

 ⁵ I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
   and in his word I put my hope. ⁶ I wait for the Lord
   more than watchmen wait for the morning,
   more than watchmen wait for the morning.

 ⁷ Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
   for with the LORD is unfailing love
   and with him is full redemption. ⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
   from all their sins.

Hymn: Grace Alone
“By Grace Alone” – Psalm 130By Martin Luther (1483-1546) / David L. Ward
Out of the depths I cry to You,
Lord, hear my voice of pleading;
Bend down Your gracious ear, I pray,
Your humble servant heeding.

If You remember each misdeed,
And of each thought and word take heed,
Who can remain before You?
Only by grace, by grace alone.

Your pardon is a gift of love,
Your grace alone must save us,
Our works will not remove our guilt,
The strictest life would fail us.

Let none in deeds or merits boast,
But let us own the Holy Ghost
for He alone can change us:
Only by grace, by grace alone.

Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.

Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
Who will set all His people free
From all their sin and sorrow:
Only by grace, by grace alone.