Matthew 3
Today's Passage: Matthew 3
The long-awaited forerunner for Jesus was here! Coming out of the Judean wilderness and
sporting some camel hair clothing, John came with a consistent message: repent.
v. 2: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
v. 8: “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
v. 11: “I baptize you with water for repentance.”
This was a crucial message to the Jews and is still an eternal command for us today because it is
also the same message of Jesus Himself.
What is repentance?
What is repentance NOT?
We should be broken over our sin, but that brokenness should also be accompanied by the
desire to run to Jesus, not away from Him! That’s the beauty of the gospel, clearly depicted in
Romans 2:4, which says: “…God’s kindness leads us to repentance.”
Every day, we build in a rhythm of repentance because of the consistency of his kindness. He
draws us back, ready with grace and forgiveness to welcome us home. This was John’s message.
This was and is Jesus’ message too. For our good and for His glory, we are always in process of
turning toward Christ. His great kindness is always the reason and the result of our repentance.
Written By: Drew Dukes
The long-awaited forerunner for Jesus was here! Coming out of the Judean wilderness and
sporting some camel hair clothing, John came with a consistent message: repent.
v. 2: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
v. 8: “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
v. 11: “I baptize you with water for repentance.”
This was a crucial message to the Jews and is still an eternal command for us today because it is
also the same message of Jesus Himself.
What is repentance?
- It is a literal change of mind.
- It is turning away FROM sin and TOWARD Christ.
- It is a striving to put sin to death.
- It is an internal grief over our wrongs committed against God.
What is repentance NOT?
- Feeling bad for getting caught.
- External brokenness but internal apathy.
- Asking for forgiveness, but knowing you will willingly do it again.
- A fear-motivated response.
We should be broken over our sin, but that brokenness should also be accompanied by the
desire to run to Jesus, not away from Him! That’s the beauty of the gospel, clearly depicted in
Romans 2:4, which says: “…God’s kindness leads us to repentance.”
Every day, we build in a rhythm of repentance because of the consistency of his kindness. He
draws us back, ready with grace and forgiveness to welcome us home. This was John’s message.
This was and is Jesus’ message too. For our good and for His glory, we are always in process of
turning toward Christ. His great kindness is always the reason and the result of our repentance.
Written By: Drew Dukes
1 Comment
First sentence, last paragraph is a graphic of God's love: "Every day, we build in a rhythm of repentence because of the consistency of His kindness".
SWEET!