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A Ministry of Bryce Lowance

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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Prepare The Way

6 May 2014

"For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Matthew 3:3)

When John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness and baptizing in the River Jordan, he fulfilled the prophecy of the forerunner of the Messiah as it is recorded in Isaiah 40. His duty was to lay the ground work for the coming Messiah by preparing the way.

But what exactly does that mean?

We know from Jesus' own words that preaching does not prepare the heart to understand. God prepares the heart and then the message can be received and understood by the mind.

"And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17)

So exactly how was John to prepare the way?

Luke's detailed description of the time of the coming of John is very telling on this matter.

"Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness." (Luke 3:1-2)

The once great nation of Israel no longer truly has a king of her own. Rome bore rule over the entire region and even local officials reported to the Emperor rather than to God as the Lord designed. The nation was now divided into four regions and helpless to reunite itself. And not only was the civil arena in shambles, so was the religious framework. There were two high priests serving at the same time. Explain it however you will, the religious leaders had perverted God's design. The Lord designed for only one high priest to be in office because it pointed to the coming Great High Priest!

There was nothing in the civil nor religious structure that pointed to the true nature of the coming Messiah. The religion of the Pharisees and Saducees had so polluted the minds of the people that many of them did not recognize Jesus for Who He was.

So what does John do? He turns the religious world upside down by preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He teaches that everyone should repent of their sins and false practices and turn back to the word of God.

"Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Luke 3:5-6)

John prepared the way for the Lord, not by changing the hearts of men for that lies only in the power of God. John prepared the way by showing clearly what the Old Testament taught about the coming Messiah. He pointed back to the word of God so that ALL flesh could see by the evidence in Jesus that He truly is the Messiah!

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Tags: harmony_of_the_gospels, john, john_the_baptist, luke, mark, matthew, repent

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.