A People Prepared

Scripture

Luke 1:8–17 ESV

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Intro

It’s a marvelous thing that God works in this world through us.

Why did the way need to be prepared?

Jesus was coming to establish His kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, on earth. This was not just some “do gooders” club, you couldn’t just show up and be a part of it, this was a matter of eternal life versus eternal damnation. To be a part of the kingdom of heaven you have to die to yourself, die, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus.

We want to know that we can still hold onto our old lives, but now add a little bit of Jesus to make us feel good about ourselves. A common answer to the question, “Are you saved?” is, “Well, I go to church.” or “I was baptized.” But have you repented of your sins? Can you admit that you deserve hell and damnation without the grace of God found in the blood of Jesus Christ? “Well, we don’t want to make people feel bad about themselves.” It’s not about feeling bad about who you were or what you’ve done, it’s about the truth.

The Gospel message is that we were a people under the damnation of our own actions, but Jesus came to take that damnation upon Himself so we could live. The Good News is that if we repent that He is merciful and just to forgive us of our sins. We don’t want to face our sins and we think it a cruel business to carry that lamp into a dark room and shine the light of truth on the matter. The truth is, it is cruelty to let people stumble through the darkness when you have the light they need to see clearly.

What are you doing to prepare the way?

We can save no one but we are given a task to be witnesses of Jesus wherever we go. We may till the soil, plant a seed, or water a seed that has been planted, and we trust God to provide the growth. Maybe it is rejoicing with someone about the birth of Jesus, God with us. Maybe you can pray with someone going through a rough time. God will put opportunities in your path and you have to trust in the Holy Spirit in you to accomplish His work. Colossians 1:29 “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”