What a weirdo.
Do you think you would want to go out and see him?
It was almost like a circus sideshow
or something like that.
This man out in the middle of the wilderness
wearing camel skin clothing,
having a leather belt around his waist.
Almost like a survivor man eating locusts and wild honey,
scraggly, rough and tough.
Do you think you would want to see this man?
If so, you wouldn't be alone because
crowds of people were flocking
to see this guy called John the Baptist.
But for as rough
and tough as we was in appearance and location,
it really was symbolic of a rough and tough message.
Here's the main message.
John the Baptist preached this,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
God sent John the Baptist
to prepare the way for Jesus to come.
And how were people to prepare?
Well, they were supposed to repent.
Now, that's a fancy Bible word there, repent.
Do you know what that word means?
Repent literally means to have a change of mind.
Or maybe if I could say it in a different way,
repent means to make a spiritual U-turn.
So let's say you're going down one path,
and you're not doing what's right,
you're not doing what God wants.
The Bible calls that sin.
Well, repenting is more than just saying,
"I'm sorry."
No, repenting is also changing your ways,
that you turn around
and go in the other direction.
John the Baptist came to prepare people's
hearts by repenting for Jesus to come.
And now, God wants to use him with that same
message to prepare you for Jesus to come back.
So let me ask you this question.
What sin are you stuck in right now?
Do you struggle with a foul mouth?
Or maybe with your anger,
anger at home, anger in your workplace?
Do you struggle with alcohol
or some kind of substance?
Do you have money and possessions that you
make so important like they're idols in your life?
God is calling out to you right here,
right now through the message of John the Baptist,
and he says, "Repent.
"Turn away from those things."
And when you do,
know that you will find arms of forgiveness
wide open to you from Jesus our savior.
This is why Jesus came in the first place.
He came to bring forgiveness for you at the cross.
And this is why he's coming again.
He's coming back to take you
to eternal life to be with him forever.
So don't be afraid,
don't be terrified by Judgment Day.
Instead, be confident.
Know that Jesus came here
to wear a crown of thorns
and face death so that he could
give to you a crown of victory
and that you could have life.
What has come to your mind
first when you think of Judgment Day?
Some people have really scary thoughts,
some people have excited thoughts.
Share what things come to your mind
as we can think about this great day that's coming.
And be sure to join us the rest of this week
so we can have the proper focus
to get ready for that great day.