Advent Begins: John the Baptist
Theme: Good News to Share
Theme Verse: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10b NIV
Readings: Matthew 3:1-12, Luke 3:1-18, Isaiah 40:3-5
Optional Readings: Mark 1:1-8
Memory Verse: "A voice of one calling: 'in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'" Isaiah 40:3
Background: Luke firmly roots Jesus and John the Baptist in historical fact and world history and the history of the Jews. Date is probably 26 or 27 AD. There is also an interesting contrast between those with worldly authority and the authority of the Word of God.
John had been prepared by God for this ministry from before his birth. (Luke 1:15-17. Compare Malachi 4:5-6) God tells him NOW is the time! John is obedient. When the Word of God came to him he went around the area of the river Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance. It was time and John knew exactly what he was doing. It was God's word, not John's. Word received: Are you paying attention to My timing in your life? I want you to pay attention to My timing just as John did. If you listen to Me you will hear.
He was dressed like one of the prophets of old. (2 Kings 1:8). Notice that he didn't go to Jerusalem. John went to the wilderness of Judea near the Jordan River to preach and many from the whole region and Jerusalem went out to hear him preach. He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven (Kingdom of God) is at hand." He had good news--long awaited good news-- to share but it was urgent, "at hand", right now, and it was a warning. There was judgment, God's righteous anger and sifting were coming. They needed to prepare by repenting. God longs for his people to hear his warnings as well as his good news.
All four gospels quote from Isaiah 40 about John being the "voice crying in the wilderness" to prepare a way for the Lord. In the gospel of John the quote is his answer to the authorities from Jerusalem who came to find out who he was. John was very clear that he was NOT the Messiah.
"As it is written in the prophets, 'Behold I send My Messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you." (Malachi 3:1&4:5, Mark 1:2) Word received: I sent witnesses ahead of you and prepared the way for you. I will do that for everyone who has a heart to turn to Me.
Let's stop and look at Isaiah 40. (Luke quotes more than the others.) It begins with words of comfort and strengthening. "Comfort, yes, comfort my people, says your God." (Isaiah 40:1) Word received: I want to comfort you. I want to hold you in My arms. I AM He who comforts you.
"Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins." (Isaiah 40:2) (Double was the Old Testament penalty.) Word received: My people have been disciplined with My rod because I love them. When I discipline you it is because I love you and want you to grow into the image of My Son.
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:3) Word received: My people are a desert -- they are dry and barren. I want to build a road to life in their midst. I sent My servant John to prepare that road for Me. I wanted My people to walk on My way that I had prepared. I want them to walk in that way now. Tell them I have prepared a way for them. Word received: I want you to call out to those who are in the wilderness. Tell them the Good News that will make their paths straight and lead them to Me.
John didn't miss the opportunity that God gave him. PRAYER: Lord, make me keenly aware of your will and your timing. Give me courage to share your good news with others when you want me to.
"And they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins." Word received: I want you to have the same willingness to confess your sins as they did. Their sins were real and needed to be confessed; so are yours. Repentance is more than feeling sorry. It is a change of behavior, a change of heart, a change of direction.
When John the Baptist saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he was angry and called them a brood (a nest of very poisonous snakes!) of vipers. "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not presume to say to yourselves we have Abraham as our father.'" God is always looking for "fruit" and notices what kind of "fruit" we produce. Just going through the ritual of baptism was not enough. They needed to show evidence of a changed heart and mind (like Zacchaeus). Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:16) John was showing these Jewish religious leaders a way out, an option, a way to be saved. Luke 7:30 says many of them missed God's purpose for themselves when they didn't see their own sinful condition and refused John's call and John's baptism. They needed a Savior and didn't know it.
They were trusting in themselves, who their ancestors were, their acts of piety, like the Pharisee and the tax collector in Jesus' parable. The Pharisee "prayed thus with himself, I...I...I..." while the tax collector looked to God for mercy and forgiveness. Word received: There will always be a chance for people to meet and know Me. I don't want to lose a single one. This is John sharing good news and telling all to prepare for Jesus' arrival.
"Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth." (Isaiah40:4) Word received: Where are the rough places in your life? Let Me make then smooth. Where are the crooked places in your life? Let Me make them straight. Where are the low places in your life? Give them to Me and I will exalt them. Where are the inaccessible mountains that block your way? Give them to me and I will bring them down and make a way through for you. We need God's help first to see what needs to change and then to turn away from the rough and crooked places we have in our lives that are not pleasing to God. We have to have his help to do this.
John is quite down to earth and practical when the people asked, "What shall we do?" Each answer is specific to those people. We too need to ask, "What shall I do?" Are we ready to ask that and act on the answer. (Share examples.)
John is giving answers that will cost them something. Empty words or merely external act will not prepare the way for the Lord, will not prepare the way for our King.
God has times of opportunity and times of judgment--the winnowing of the good seed from the worthless husks. John is pleading with the people to seize the opportunity. (Remember how Jesus wept when he looked at Jerusalem and saw the future they had chosen in rejecting him.) God wants to do a winnowing/sifting work in us as well as his whole people.
John points to Jesus, "There comes one after me who is mightier than I; whose sandal straps I am not worthy to stoop down and untie." (Luke 3:16). Word received: I want you to have the same humility before Me that John the Baptist had.
The other thing that John chooses to point to is that Jesus "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). It is very important since it is in all four gospels. (NOTE: "Baptize" is a word from the cloth dyeing industry. It means to immerse, saturate with the dye.) Jesus wants his Holy Spirit to saturate our lives so that we take on his coloration -- and his power to do God's will. The reference to "fire" in Malachi (see Malachi 3:2-3) talks about a cleansing and purifying work of fire in the process of purifying of gold or silver. It burns away the impurities. Ask the Lord to show you what he wants to cleanse and purify out of your life , your temple. Word received: I want you to welcome the cleansing fire of My Holy Spirit.
"The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." ( Isaiah 40:5) Word received: I want My word and My glory to be revealed in and through you. Are we willing?
How to teach Word for SS teachers: (Mt.3:8) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. Examine your hearts: ask Me to show you the fruit I AM trying to cultivate in your life.
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 12
Please read the Study Guide first. Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic points of the lesson for little ones:
Have you ever had any "special" company? When we have special company we prepare our house and especially the guest room. We clean it up and decorate it. We fix things that are broken, we polish things until the house is ready for our special guest. (What would you do if a king was going to visit your house? Would you take a bath or be stinky and dirty? )
Well, 2000 years ago a special guest was coming to visit. It was the king of the world! God told a man named John the Baptist to tell people to get ready for this king of the world. This is just what John did. Do you know who is the King of the World? Jesus is! John was telling everyone that Jesus the King would be coming soon. Jesus wants to be king in our lives. He wants us to welcome Him. He wants us to welcome him into our hearts. If you want to be friends with a king, we have to obey him.
Share the story above and then make these points.
1. Jesus is that special guest(and King) that you can invite to your house. Have you asked Jesus to come and live in your heart?
2. You will need to get ready for Jesus by being willing to obey him. Ask Jesus to forgive you for what you have done wrong and ask him to help you turn away from wrong and do what pleases him.
3. Jesus loves you very much and wants to be your best friend. He wants to comfort you and help you. He wants to hold you in his arms.
4. You don't need to be afraid of Jesus cleaning you up and giving you his very own Spirit.
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