Preparing The Day of the Lord

10/12/17 by
Rev. Ngui Au Sze

Topic: Preparing The Day Of The Lord

Text: Mark1:1-8




Introduction

Advent and Christmas-What's the difference?

Advent is the season of four weeks before Christmas. It is the time of preparing ourselves spiritually to usher in Christmas. Christmas is the season to celebrate the birthday of the Lord and Christ is the reason for the season.

1) Preparing for the Lord

• John the Baptist and his role.
John the Baptist is the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets. He came into the scene after 400 years of prophetic silence since the days of Malachi. His ministry had two major roles. Firstly he was the forerunner and messenger to announce to the people that the messiah is to appear and secondly to urge his listeners to repent and change their ways to receive him.

• The Expected Messiah
The Israelites are not expecting a messiah to be a baby born in a manger. They are expecting someone anointed by God like Moses or David who could lead them to overthrow the overlords the Romans who has been governing and taxing them unfairly and making their lives miserable.

• Who are we Expecting
We are not expecting the messiah to be born because he already came 2000 years ago. We are looking forward to celebrate his birthday during Christmas and be reminded of his great love of dying on the cross for our sins so that we can be reconciled to God and inherit eternal life

2) The acts of preparation

• Confession
We may have inadvertently missed out confessing all the sins that we have committed in thought, word and deed. Advent is a good time to recall, confess and repent those sins so that we have minimum baggage carried forward to next year.

• A baptism of repentance
Besides confession we need to genuinely repent of our sins. Repentance means taking a 180 degree turn from sin toward God. Others should be able to see the difference it makes in us.

• what are our preparations
Besides the physical preparations of decorations, presents and food during Christmas we must also take stock of our spiritual lives as well such as carolling and hospital visitations to bring the hood news of great joy to those around us including bible reading plans etc.

3) The Lord is coming

• He will baptise with the Holy Spirit
John's water baptism by immersion demonstrated repentance, humility and willingness to turn from sin. Jesus will baptise with the Holy Spirit sending the Holy Spirit to live in each believer. The entire person will be transformed by the Spirit's power hence offering us both forgiveness and the power to live for him. The baptism of the Holy Spirit started at Pentecost

• How is your spiritual life
In the midst of our busyness it is good practice to do a health check on the status of our spiritual lives. Questions like when do you last have a heart to heart talk with God will be helpful.

Conclusion

We must reflect, pray and ready ourselves to walk the way of the Lord.

Questions

1) Read Isaiah 40:3-5 and Luke 1:5-25, who are some of the people God involved in the preparation of Christ's birth? What are their respective roles?

2) In what way are you preparing for the Lord's coming as we celebrate Christmas?

3) what do you think your role is in preparing for the second coming?