John the Baptist came with a bold message for the Jewish people, and the crowds gathered to hear his message. Not holding anything back, he urged them to deal with the sin in their life, urging them to “prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (ref. Luke 3:8) His message of repentance was not sugar-coated but was a voice with a purpose - to prepare the people to get ready for the coming Messiah. Many embraced John’s message and were baptized. However, some were confused, thinking that he was actually the Messiah, and John needed to set them straight from this mis-thinking.
“Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am – so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” – Luke 3:15-16 (NLT)
Jesus Christ, The Messiah, continued the message of repentance, and provided an eternal grace that would come at a high price: being crucified to a cross on our behalf – for all past, present, and future sin. Jesus warned the people to count the cost before choosing to follow Him. (ref. Luke 14:26-33) The grace Jesus offers isn’t cheap – it requires true repentance. Repentance isn’t just about forgiveness, it’s also about turning from our ways and following God’s ways instead. It’s costly grace, that calls us to obey His commands.
But we’re not in it alone.
When Jesus returned to the Father in Heaven after His resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit. His same Spirit is fully alive and active today! And John had this message of revelation from God that he shared with the people.
“He’s going to clean house – make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” – Luke 3:15-17 (Msg)
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to clean ‘house’. To clean up our hearts by showing us the “trash” that’s in our lives and what needs to go. Let’s be honest, this isn’t always a fun process (it’s often painful), but it’s necessary for our closeness with God and hearing the voice of the Spirit. He continually points us to God’s best. He nudges us to deal with our sin by turning away from it, and to live a life of repentance. He’s in the business of purifying those He loves. It’s a costly grace, but it’s beautiful and worth the purification. Let’s be women who embrace the Holy Spirit’s leading – who listen to His instruction and follow through with what He is calling us to.
"Holy Spirit, search our hearts and reveal to us what we've hidden away. Give us strength to deal with what needs to go. Help us to trust You with each nudge. Each whisper. Each instruction. Thank you for Your patience with us. We love you. In Jesus' name, Amen."
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