PREPARING THE WAY OF THE LORD

GLORY IN THE LORD!

Let all those that see thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.

Psalm 40:16

The Apostle Paul said,

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words (speech), lest the cross of Christ should be made of non effect.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:17,18

Pointing to the finished work on the cross.
Not saying lay down and be lazy and relax, but you trying to work like a plow horse, ain't God.
The sower sows the Word.

There is a distinct difference between what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples and what He said to the lost who came to Him seeking healing and salvation.

The disciples were chosen, they didn't go out looking for Jesus, Jesus walked by the way and called each of them.

Those who came seeking Jesus were lost.
Those who came specifically searching Jesus out where sick, tormented by demons and fear, hurting in their soul, bound by sin, suffering grief at the loss of a loved one, worried about a sick friend or family member, lacking enough to eat or drink, weighed down by the cares of the world.

And they came because they heard Jesus speak and knew that it was God speaking.
He said something.
Jesus Christ taught the people that through His broken body they could have shalom.

That He was the bread of life that came down from heaven.

When the woman with the issue of blood heard of Jesus and she pressed in to touch the hem of His garment, she was not given the assignment of a disciple, she wasn't told to go and spend more time with God right now, she was healed and Jesus told her what healed her, restored her and made her whole.

The woman believed that Jesus was where healing rested.
The Lord did teach that once we come to Him that we are to dwell with Him.

The woman caught in the act of adultery she was caught in the wrong, judged and about to be sentenced by men when she ran across Jesus, The Lord lifted her up dealt with the accusers and judges in the crowd and simply told that woman that she was forgiven.

She believed that she was forgiven and not condemned because He said so.
She was pardoned at His words and then He told her to go and sin no more.
She followed The Lord all of her days.

To prepare the way of the Lord is to do what Jesus and John the baptist did, to go and teach that Jesus is the One who came to save and not condemn.
But people reject the commandment of God in order to keep their own (ritual/opinion/ religion)

Teach them to guard, take care for, and attend to carefully, whatsoever I have commanded you, said Jesus.

Matthew 22:37-40
THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND.
This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it,
THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus said, If a man love me, he will keep My words, because the words that He speaks are not His own , but the Father's who sent Him...
John 14:23

If a man loves Jesus, he will keep His Words.

But we cry,
Lord they don't agree with me and they have said so publicly, I can't love them!

These are the commands that we are to observe, to attend to carefully, to teach and to guard.
But we cry,
Lord, you see that they aren't helping me any more, I can't be a help to them!

You are right, you can't be.

Paul confirms the Lord's teaching in Romans 13:8-10
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Meaning that if we are taking care to love one another:

For this, WE WOULD NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, WE WOULD NOT KILL, WE WOULD NOT STEAL, WE WOULD NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, WE WOULD NOT COVET; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THY SELF.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

All of the command is fulfilled in this one thing and we know it.
Galatians 5:14.

Many want to hear from the Father one day, "Well done My good and faithful servant."
James 2:8 says,
If we fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THY SELF, you do well.

Please don't start racking up in your mind all of the folks that you have fed and clothed and count that as being the greatest measure of love.

Faith without love is dead.
Some feed and clothe for profit.
1Corinthians 13:3-5
We do not love folks when we strive against the passion of Christ.

Leviticus 19:18 The LORD said
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.

grudge+ avenge+ justify self= not love

Jesus demonstrated what love was by being broken for us, so that we don't have to broken or crucified to demonstrate something that Jesus already established.
You don't have to be nailed to a cross over and over again, it's been done already with perfection.

Jesus didn't come to justify Himself, He came to justify us through His suffering.

What we do as followers is point to the cross in everything, were love has been defined and people will follow.

Grace and peace is multiplied through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ but we continue to try and define it some other way.

Prepare the way of the Lord, demonstrate that you are observing His teaching.
demonstrate that you are a disciple and those who are called will come.

When God is with you there is no sweat and no need to breathe like a dragon or forcibly inflict penalty, bear a grudge or exact revenge.

You don't have to breathe a negative word against anyone if you are walking in love.

Consider these things.
Luke 10:27
Psalm 70:40

LOVE Y'ALL