Matthew 3:1-12 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Here we see that the message of John the Baptist preached was “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The message that the Lord Jesus preached at the beginning was the same as that of John the Baptist, that is, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is the kingship of God, that is, God is king. What does it mean to repent? Repentance means change of mind, a fundamental change of mind, change from self-centered to God-centered.
A voice of one calling: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)
The book of Isaiah in the Old Testament prophesied the coming of John the Baptist. He was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, opened the way and prepared the way for the Lord Jesus. John the Baptist gave people water baptism, asked people to repent, confessed their sins and repent, but the Lord Jesus came to baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire, that is, to receive the Holy Spirit during baptism, and the Holy Spirit indwells and dwells in people’s hearts.
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)
Here the Lord Jesus said that the kingdom of God is not something you can see, but the kingdom of God is in your heart.
When I was baptized, I confessed my sins and repented, entrusted my life to the Lord, and let God be the Lord of my life, the King of my life. I experienced the Holy Spirit entering my heart from the top. I was very touched. On the night of baptism, as soon as I closed my eyes I felt joy in my heart, and this joy came from the Holy Spirit. Thank the Lord.
May God bless you and your family. 🙏😀
