Prepare For The King 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-6.

  John exploded upon the landscape as a blazing voice from God. He came preaching in the Judean solitude, venerated by the common people of the land, as a prophet of God. His uniqueness rose from his announcement of the coming of the Messiah. His message was a call to repentance, of genuine renewal, in the context of preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven. A new Kingdom was being announced! John's message was so spectacular and distinctive that it had political, social, economical and spiritual implications. It impacted all of life.
  Matthew's description of John's appearance is quite descriptive. His appearance distinguished him as a man of the wilderness. His diet of the locust-bean would have been from the carob tree. John would have eaten the fruit of the carob tree, rather than the insect. The Hebrew word for the carob tree fruit and the insect are similar. Combined with wild honey, it would have been a good diet, but of one who lived close to the land.
  Like the Old Testament prophets before him, John came in spirit and power, that broke the smug silence of religiosity with a word from the Lord. He was not creating a new religious order but preparing the way for the coming of the King. His mission was characterized by a baptism of repentance. The baptismal, or mikva in Hebrew, was a very common element of all sects of the Hebrew people. It was used as an outer cleansing of the body. In some sects they would go through the baptismal daily. John's dramatic mission announced a turning from the old life forever. Not only was it an outer cleansing, but foremost, it was a baptism accompanied with the "confession of sin". The King was coming. It was time to be prepared!

Discussion:

1. After reading Matthew 3:1-6 discuss how do you prepare your heart to meet King Jesus?

2. If a King were about to come to your house, how would you prepare? What kind of emotional, physical and spiritual changes would you be going through?

3. Would you tell everyone you could that the King was coming to your house? Would you invite everyone or just select a few?

4. Compare the mission of John and Elijah. 1 Kings 16:29-34; 17:1-4; 18:36-39; 19:11-21.

5. Describe John's message. Luke 3:10-14; John 1:6-8; John 10:41.

6. Repentance involves the act of turning from sin to a new way of living. Describe how this happens in your own life. 2 Corinthians 7:10;
1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Hosea 14.

Discovery Section:

  Here are some more questions in our desire to discover more about our King; What if no one warned me a King was coming to visit  my house? Would I be prepared before hand? Would the house be presentable? The message and mission of John forces us to examine our hearts and minds. Are we living as if the King is already here, or are we living as if the Lord hasn't walked on the earth and shown us the right way? Examine your heart and mind today and every day.
  A foundation of our faith is repentance. The entrance into the Kingdom is through the gates of repentance. Ultimately repentance is a gift of God. He is at the gate desiring to open them wide for each of His children. The way is prepared, walk in it.