“Prepare the way of the Lord”(Isaiah 40:3; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:3 Mk.1:2; Luke 1:76)
In Isaiah 40:3-4 there is the toughness of God and the tenderness of God together.
The people of God had to realize that God was holy yet graces. That he would
discipline as well as pardon. They had to prepare them selves for God’s coming.
They had to make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. In those times,
a victorious General returning from his conquest was accorded the victor’s triumph. History records feats of engineering in making perfect roads through the trackless desert for these Generals.
Every low place was filled, and every high place smoothed so that the victorious
General can enjoy unhindering progress. John the Baptist described Jesus our
Lord in this same way (Matt. 3:3). Before God reveals him self to His people,
there must be Spiritual preparation of the heart.
John’s task was to create in the nation such a sense of sin and repentance as
would make it right and possible for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. So it must be among God’s people today. Anything to high must be brought down.
Anything to low must be raised up.
Everything crooked in the life must be straightened, and everything that causes
a stumble block must be removed. Low levels of spiritual living must be raised,
and rough places of character polished. All areas of neglect must be dealt with.
Because Sin is the problem.
Are you prepared for the future? Like a pastor that had a falling out with his
church. After bitter arguments, he was forced to leave and take up a job as a
prison chaplain. He preached his last sermon at the church on St. John 14:1, “I
go to prepare a place for you.”
God is foretelling what will happen in the future for Israel and Christians.
They must prepare their hearts. These things will happen to them in the future
before God through Christ is to come. He came to set those that realize they
are captive to the bonds of sin. To Israel it was a event to come. But to us it has already happened. God has fulfilled His promise of sending His Son Jesus Christ to take away sin and bring light to all the world. Preparation for Christ coming is a heart issue.
You must prepare your heart to meet God. Everyone has been warned to get ready
to meet their Maker. The scripture says, “prepare your hearts unto the Lord,”(1
Sam. 7:3). “Prepare to meet thy God”, (Amos 4:12).
The question is how prepared are you? Are you really prepared to meet your maker? To better understand this examination for your self is to apply the 3M process.
The Motive(Why?), Method (How?), and Means(When & Where)? These 3M’s can help you prepare to get ready to face a Holy God.
In order to get ready to meet God everyone must examine themselves, (2 Cor. 13:5). They must ask themselves these three questions, related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- What is my Motive ?(Why)
- What is the Method ?(How)
- What is the Means to do it?(When&Where)
The problem with preparing for God’s coming is dealing with Sin. What is Sin? Sin is being rebellious against God, (Deut. 9:7). Sin is transgressing(not doing)
the law of God, (1 John 3:4). In order to meet our holy God sin must be dealt with.
Motive – If you have not thought about your sinfulness then you have not began to prepare your self to meet God. Your Motive should be to get right with God. The bible says examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.
Your motive must be pure. Why are you doing what you are doing? What is
your reason for desiring God? Perhaps you see how sinful you really are?
Perhaps
you now know how much you where fighting against God? Ask yourself what is my reason? If you don’t deal with sin then you cannot possibly be ready to face our
Holy God. You may ask how do you deal with sin? What is your way of handling
your sin? The answer your method.
Method– What is your method? The method is the process how you are going
to solve this problem? Answer, through your need for God and his help alone.
What is that help? Through Christ’s death, burial, and ressurrection. That is God’s
only provision.
St. John 14:6 says that Christ is the only way, truth, and life. The only way to God the Father is through his Son. No other way to get to heaven, but by Christ. He is the Door, St. John 10:7,9. The article the is singular meaning one. One Door is the only means.
Means– What is your means? Means is the source to which something is achieved.
It answers when and where? This is the life cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. His blood is the means to which Sin is cleansed and we are purified.
Why? Was Jesus Christ manifested? Answer to destroy the works of the Devil
which is Sin, (1 St. John 3:8). God the Father chose Him to be the only way before
anything was made. Christ is the only means through which the Father erases
our sin.
The question is are you getting ready? Your day is coming to stand before Him, be sure you are ready to meet your maker. Prepare your heart to enter into His gates and come before His courts. Will you be ready on that day?
How do you get ready? First look at God’s motive, because God loves you. Second because God gave His Son. Third because God’s means was through the death,
burial, and ressurrection of Christ on the cross.
How do you get ready? Believe and trust God’s only substitution for your sin. Confess your sins,(1 St. John 1:9). God through Jesus Christ is the propitiation
for your sins. The question is what have you done with Him in your heart? One day you will stand before God. Are you Getting Ready?