Second Sunday in Advent – December 4, 2011

Mark 1:1-8 - The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

² It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— ³“a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”

⁴ And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

If you could choose just one person, past or present - other than Jesus, with whom you could sit down and have a conversation, who would you choose? I suppose some might choose someone like Adam and Eve, Noah or Paul; while others might choose a spouse, parent, grandparent, or early pioneer. But would any of you choose John the Baptist?

Now, he might not be the first person on many of our lists – but stop and consider why that might be? Is it because of his manner of living? his clothing? or because he wasn’t popular enough? Or might it be that we are a little apprehensive to hear what he would say to us? After all, he doesn’t use the spiritual sappy-talk we have grown accustomed to hearing from the world this time of year. He’s not a salesman trying to sweet talk us into anything. And he’s certainly no politician, trying to match his words to whatever the popular opinion of the day is. He has a message, regardless of what people might say or think about him, that hits us in the heart.

So, what would it be like to meet John the Baptist? Well, interestingly enough, I think we can paint a pretty accurate picture of what that would be like since our Lord has recorded in Scripture what John was like and what his message was. And, since this is the case, I think it is also safe for us to say that the Lord is intent on us listening to His advent preacher.

The first thing John would tell us is that he was sent by God. Mark brings this across in his gospel when he writes, “It is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’—‘a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John could say to us, “I’m not some guy who is a little off up in the head, I was spoken about in the Old Testament. I come by God’s authority. And I come with a job to do, to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah.”

Hundreds of years earlier, God had spoken through the prophets Malachi and Isaiah that a forerunner would come, signaling the advent of the promised Savior. God kept his promise, and John was the fulfillment of that promise. So now John can say to us, “Because I was sent by God, listen to my message so that nothing stands in the way of the gospel message working in your hearts. This is the way to prepare for Jesus.”

So John came with the message of repentance, as Mark says: “John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance.” John would tell you that you need to repent. He would say, “There’s something wrong with you, and it’s time to change.” That’s what he preached to the world into which he came.

That world into which John came was a spiritual desert. It was made up of Pharisees – a proud, self-righteous people who based their standing before God on their own works, and thought that since they were more pious than others they had no need for a Savior. It included the Sadducees – a people who denied most spiritual things and wanted only those things they could touch, see and hear. Then there were the Gentiles, people oozing with corruption, immorality and materialism; a people with little or no regard for marriage or human life; a people in despair. Finally there were the common Jews, many who had their sights all wrong as they looked for an earthly Messiah.

Things haven’t changed much, have they? And to be clear, I am not trying to focus your attention on the sinful abominations that are committed by the people who don’t set foot inside these church walls. I want you to focus your attention on the person clothed in your skin, sitting right here in these pews within these very church walls. I know I must admit that it isn’t overly difficult to find times that I have been proud and self-righteous; smugly self-confident in my own works and sugar-coating my sins. I know I would be lying if I said doubts never creep into my mind concerning something God has spoken to me in his Word. I know I must plead guilty of immorality – whether it be something I thought or watched on television; of being materialistic – whether it be giving less to God because I wanted more for me or being far from content when my retirement fund doesn’t grow like I want it to; of lovelessness – when I am not slow to anger but instead am quick to get upset and reluctant to forgive; of having poor spiritual vision - being far too focused on this life and far too little on the one to come. And dear friend, infected with a sinful nature just like the one that tries to poison me, don’t you find that you are guilty of many of these very same sins, along with many others that I haven’t mentioned?

And that’s far from the perfection required by our perfect God to get into his perfect heaven and escape the torments of the fiery flames of hell. We are not perfect. I want you to say that to yourself right now – “I am not perfect.” (pause) And according to the absolute standard of all things, the Word of God, if you are not perfect then you are sinful. There’s no in-between. There’s no almost perfect; or good enough; or ok; or a little sinful. Either you are perfect or you are sinful – and we are sinful. So it is true of us, “[We] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We need to see that we are sick with sin, and “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:3). That’s why John the Baptist says to you and me, “Repent!”

But what does that mean? Perhaps it will help to understand repentance better if you think of three “R’s” when you think of repentance. The first “R” is recognizing your sin. Where have you been less than perfect in your life? Look back on your conversations, did you share some information that hurt another’s reputation – then you gossiped. Did you say something to purposely put someone else in a bad light – that’s slander. Look back on the way you dealt with people around you – where your actions always driven by love? Think about your thoughts – where they pure, lovely, decent and kind? Think about your relationship with God – have you been adjusting your schedule to make time for him or have you been adjusting him and his Word to fit your schedule? Recognize your sin; confess your sin to Christ. Openly agree with God that the only verdict you deserve because of your sin is eternal punishment in hell! Sorrow over your sin – recognizing that you are sick and in desperate need of a Savior.

That brings us to the second “R,” receiving forgiveness from God. In verse 4 of our lesson Mark says that John came preaching a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. You see, John not only denounced sin, but also pronounced forgiveness. Now, forgiveness is the removal or cancellation of an obligation or barrier of guilt. And forgiveness is what our gracious God has given to us as he canceled our debt of sin by making Christ pay for them with his death on the cross. That means God forgives you for all your imperfections. Because of Christ all your sins are gone. God holds no grudges, keeps no record of wrongs, and makes you jump through no hoops. He forgives you completely. The people that came out to John received God’s forgiveness through the sacrament of Baptism. You too received that same forgiveness when you were baptized, as well as every time you hear God’s forgiveness spoken to you, and every time you read of that forgiveness in the Bible, and each moment that your heart of faith is recognizing your sinfulness and believing in the forgiveness you have in Christ your Savior.

That brings us to our final “R” – reforming your life. You see, repentance isn’t just admitting our sin and receiving forgiveness, it is also a turn-about, a 180 degree change of mind that results in a change of thought and behavior. That means that after you have been forgiven for gossiping, you stop gossiping in your life. After you have been forgiven for having a bad temper, you become gentle. After you have been forgiven for immoral thoughts, you cultivate godly thoughts. After you have been forgiven for holding a grudge, you forgive. After you have been forgiven for disobeying God and making excuses, you strive to obey God, not because you have to, but because you want to. You change from a self-centered worshiper of pleasure to a Christ-centered worshiper of God.

But how are we going to do that? How can we be moved and motivated to confess our sins to God? And how are we to know we are really forgiven? Well, listen again to God’s advent preacher: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

With these words John is highlighting the greatness of our Savior, Jesus. He is saying to us, “Yes, listen to me! God has sent me! Repent! But focus on what I am pointing you to, I am pointing you to ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ (John 1:29). I am pointing you to Jesus, the one born of Mary, who is God with us (Matthew 1:23). I am pointing you to the one and only Savior (Acts 4:12). He has come to fix your relationship with God. He has come to turn God’s anger from you to himself. He has come to take away all your sin. He is the one who will strengthen you and change you into a new person, a new creation. He is the one who will give you courage to confess all your sins to God. And he did! He is the one who provided you with the perfection you needed by living a perfect life for you; he is the one who took all you sins away by paying for them with his death on the cross; he is the one who has risen from the dead so you can be assured you are really forgiven. He is the one who sends the Holy Spirit to create faith in your heart and work repentance in you and the desire to amend your sinful life. He is the one you must focus on.”

Oh it would be interesting to sit down and have a talk with John the Baptist, wouldn’t it! But you know, in a way we have. And what he has told us is this: “Repent, and see that Christ has come and won your forgiveness! Repent, and see that Christ has healed your sickness of sin! Repent, and see that Jesus has met your desperate need for a Savior!” Repent, because Jesus is coming soon. The same way that repentant hearts of faith were the only way to be prepared to meet him the first time as Savior; repentant hearts of faith are the only way to be prepared to meet him when he comes as Judge. That’s why we listen to God’s advent preacher today. Amen.