Luke 3:1-6 - The Message of Repentance

After the birth of John the Baptist, in Luke 1:76-80, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, had prophesied about his son’s future with these words: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.”   Now here in Luke 3:1-6, some thirty years later we are reading of the fulfilment of Zacharias’s prophecy as John came preaching a message of repentance. To me this is interesting, and we should ask the question, “Why a message of repentance”? We should also point out that Matthew’s Gospel also gives us this same description of John: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:1-2).   Matthew also informs us that the very first words that Jesus preached after His baptism and forty days of temptation in the wilderness were: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).   Why is repentance so important? Why is repentance the prelude to the coming ministry of Jesus the Messiah? Well, think about it. Later John would say, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, has come to do what? To take away the sins of the world. The ministry of Jesus the Messiah is to atone for sin, to provide the way for the forgiveness of sin, and to provide a just and righteous basis whereby our loving heavenly Father can forgive us of sin.   What could possibly keep us from receiving this glorious message of forgiveness? The answer is obvious! Not adequately appreciating that we need to be forgiven of sin. You can't be forgiven of sin if you don't believe that you have sinned and need forgiveness. Repentance is the recognition of our need for forgiveness of sin, and therefore it is necessary for the forgiveness of sin. Not because repentance brings about or causes forgiveness. We could repent until the cows come home, and apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ it would not forgive our sins.   But John makes it clear that it is necessary for forgiveness because we need to recognize our need for forgiveness before we are in a position of receiving forgiveness and trusting in the One who has purchased us forgiveness before His heavenly Father. And so, repentance is absolutely vital, and Luke summarizes John the Baptist's ministry in terms of his preaching of repentance.   Some people feel regret when they are suffering the consequences of their sin. But that is only mental. They admit that they are sorry, but usually that only means they are sorry they got caught or that their sin has hurt someone else. Then there are others who feel remorse for their sin. They shed tears as they emotionally response to their sin and ask for forgiveness. But then they never change and continue to do the same things.   Thank the Lord for true and genuine repentance! It happens when the Holy Spirit so convicts us of our sin against a Holy God that we not only feel regret and remorse but that we turn from our sin and see the full consequence of it falling on the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross! We then experience the regeneration of the Holy Spirt as we are forgiven of all our sins and by His grace we never want to sin again!   Have you ever genuinely repented of your sin! If not, why not right now ask the Lord to give you that heart of repentance and accept the Lord as your only hope of forgiveness and salvation!   God bless!