1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’"- P88
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.- P89
John the Baptist is the prophesied messenger who prepares the way for people to receive Jesus. He preaches a clear message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (v. 2). - P90
Repentance means turning away from sin and turning toward God. Hearing John’s message, people from the entire area of Judea confess their sins and are baptized in the Jordan River as a symbol of their cleansing and forgiveness. - P90
We see the importance of repentance in order to enter God’s kingdom. - P90
We cannot be true citizens of heaven if we indulge in sin. - P90
Not only are we to turn away from sin, but like John, we are also called to proclaim the gospel, pointing others to Jesus, our Savior and King.- P90
The Pharisees and Sadducees also come to the Jordan River, but John theBaptist says that they are like a bunch of snakes that are trying to run awayfrom the coming wrath. They try toclaiming Abraham as their forefather. However, John the Baptist sees thattitles and outward appearances than genu-they care more about reli. ‘Orefand security in following the Law andine repentance. - P90
True repentance produces good fruit; people can see andexperience God‘s kingdom reflected in our words and actions. The fruit ofrepentance demonstrates that we are God‘s children and live in obedienceleads to a life that not only receives God‘sways. - P90
Repentance leads to a life that not only receives God‘s gracebut also radiates His character to the world.- P90
"You‘ll never find refreshing rest apart from a relationship with the Redeemer."
- Brian Bill- P90
In today‘s passage, John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to
"produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (v. 8). We see a similar messagein the letter of James: "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will showyou my faith by my deeds" (James 2:18). These words remain relevant forus today. It is true that we are saved and sanctified by God‘s grace, but itis important to consider whether our actions reflect the inward change inour hearts. This does not mean that we should compare our works with theworks of others to see whether we could be perceived as righteous. Instead,
we should be checking the state of our hearts to ensure that what we do isin line with the faith that we claim to profess.
- P91
Our deeds are a reflection of the state of our hearts. If our heart is in sub-mission to the Lord, then this will show in how we live. We cannot havetrue faith without actions that naturally reflect what we believe. - P91
Our actionsare an outward expression of our faith. Therefore, as believers, we shouldcontinue to seek God daily, connecting our hearts with His. We shouldcare about what He cares about. As we do so, we will begin to mirror Hischaracter and produce good fruit that reflects the faith, goodness, and lovethat we have received from Him.- P91
Dear Lord, I am grateful for the grace You have shown me in forgiving my sins. I recommit to walking daily in repentance and obedience, turning away from sin and walking forward with You. In Your name I pray, amen.- P91
