Hello Beloved,
As we prepare our hearts for the upcoming celebration of Resurrection Sunday (also known as Easter), I would like to encourage you to prepare your hearts for Resurrection Day! Jesus, unlike any other "god," is the only One to conquer death, our number one enemy. And why is death our number one enemy? Because 10 out of 10 will die. Death is the most guaranteed thing in life. (Some say death and taxes are guaranteed, but many evade paying taxes, but none can evade death.) If you have experienced losing a loved one, you know that death is this alien force that is so unnatural and contradictive to life, that comes and rips away people from our lives. Death leaves us feeling so violated, robbed and helpless. Death is, most certainly, our number one enemy. And why am I talking about death? Because that's what Resurrection Sunday is all about. The overcoming of this great foe! But this leads to the next question: why is there death?
Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." Death is our wages for our sin. Like a judge who tells a guilty murderer their going to the electric chair for his crimes, this criminal has earned his wages for his crime. Likewise, sin is so serious in the eyes of a holy God that He has given us death as our earning. But, thanks be to God the rest of that verse says, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Death is earned, but eternal life if given.
You know, there is a lot of talk about end times prophecy. Some are very fruitful, but I'll tell you what's better than understanding the end times prophecy, is to adhere to the words of our Master when He told us to "be ready." Let us always be ready for either our death or Jesus' return, amen?
So how do we stay ready? Well how did God prepare the world for Jesus? Who was His forerunner? It was John the Baptist. Here is prophecy from the old testament about John: (please read slowly:)
The way of the Lord is the way of salvation! The voice cries to us to make the way the way of the Lord plain. Straight, smooth, and flat is the way of the Lord. Everyone is able to see this way to salvation. If everyone can see it then it must mean it's easily accessible. However, it does also indicate the strictness of the way of salvation. That there is only one Way. There is not many ways. There is no twists and turns, no ups and downs.
John the baptist was the one who prepared the way of the Lord and it is his example that we look to when we are preparing the way of the Lord in both our own hearts and in our evangelistic efforts. And what was John's ministry? Well it was a ministry of repentance! He called Israel to repent and be baptized. He commanded the people to bear fruits worthy of repentance (Matt 3:).
Repentance is the channel by which we prepare our heart for the Savior. And it is an ongoing thing. We are to take up our cross daily and follow Him. And when we lead others to Christ, we must show them their sin in it's true light (otherwise they won't know what to repent of), up against the standard of the Lord which is His law, the 10 commandments, and preach repentance to them. After John came Jesus. Even Jesus initiated His official ministry with calls for repentance (Matt 4:17, Mark 1:15).
After repentance, comes the good news of the gospel. Evaluating our life and allowing the Lord to point out our sin leads us to the only One who could actually wash our sin away- Jesus!
Yes, the wages of sin is death, but Jesus bore our sin unto death on the cross, and because He Himself was sinless, death could not hold Him!!
Now we can rejoice that we are no longer under a salary contract to sin. Jesus has set us free from that harsh slave master. We are no longer under the bondage of sin, but we are free in the Son.
Hallelujah! May we daily repent and be ready for the return of the Lord. May we fulfill the great commission of the Lord and save souls. But may we follow the example of Bible, with John as our example. He was Jesus' forerunner and we also are His forerunner for a lost and dying world.
Blessings,
Akiko