Preparing the Way for Jesus
By Jeff Cranston
Waiting faithfully on God is one of life’s most difficult experiences. It can be easy to give into despair and disappointment. But you can trust God during the hard times and know that He hears your prayers, and you can confidently continue in faithful obedience and tell others about His goodness in spite of disappointments or unfulfilled dreams.
Read Luke 1:5-25; 67-80. Luke introduces us to a simple, faithful couple: an elderly priest named Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth. Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for children for a long time, but the physical possibility for that happening had long passed. But God had heard their prayers, and He had a plan for them.
God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Zechariah that Elizabeth would bare a son and that this little boy would not be just any child. This child, who would be named John, would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, the Messiah, we should also prepare for the second coming of Christ through the ministry of the Church. How do we do that? Like John the Baptist, we have three mandates:
1. Share the Knowledge.
“To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us … ” Luke 1:77-78
What are we to be about this week? This month? This year? We are to tell people everywhere the Good News of the gospel of Jesus—that every sin they’ve ever committed, will commit, or are presently committing, can be forgiven because of the tender mercies of God pouring out upon them through the cross of Calvary.
2. Spread the Light.
“To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death …” – Luke 1:79a
Spread the light; provide illumination. How are we to illuminate people’s thinking? Because the Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, we are privileged people chosen by the Lord Himself to share with people—not our philosophies, not our ideas, not our agendas—but the Light of the world—the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Share Direction.
“ … to guide our feet into the way of peace.” – Luke 1:79b
People are desperately looking for guidance and direction in this life. We all are. How do we find it? How do we know it’s the right way? It is found when we walk in the way of peace. The apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:15 to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts … ”
Walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, enjoy your relationship with Him, and the peace in your heart will tell you whether you are going in the right direction.
Even when you’re experiencing tough times, God is faithful. Invite Him to shine His Light and ask Him to give you opportunities to praise His character and work to those who are around you.
Jeff Cranston is lead pastor of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, S.C.
