He is a thunderous voice of one who shouts in the wilderness: “Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord YAHWEH, and clear a straight path inside your hearts for him!” John the Baptizer was the messenger who appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the complete cancellation of sins. A steady stream of people came to be dipped in the Jordan River as they publicly confessed their sins. They came from all over southern Israel, including nearly all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. John wore a rough garment made from camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and honey. And this is the message he kept preaching: “There is a man coming after me who is greater and a lot more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals. I’ve baptized you into water, but he will baptize you into the Spirit of Holiness!” One day, Jesus came from the Galilean village of Nazareth and had John immerse him in the Jordan River. The moment Jesus rose up out of the water, John saw the heavenly realm split open, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. At the same time, a voice spoke from heaven, saying: “You are my Son, my cherished one, and my greatest delight is in you!” Immediately after this he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go into an uninhabited desert region. He remained there in the wilderness for forty days, enduring the ordeals of Satan’s tests. He encountered wild animals, but also angels who appeared and ministered to his needs. Later on, after John the Baptizer was arrested, Jesus went back into the region of Galilee and preached the wonderful gospel of God’s kingdom. His message was this: “At last the fulfillment of the age has come! It is time for God’s kingdom to be experienced in its fullness! Turn your lives back to God and put your trust in the hope-filled gospel!”
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Compare All Versions: Mark 1:3-15
4 Days
Tony Evans gives you a book summary for each of the Gospels in this four-day reading plan, helping you to gain a broader understanding of this important section of the Bible.
Who was Jesus? In our modern imaginations sometimes He appears as a teacher with good advice, a revolutionary who sticks it to the Empire, or as a relaxed friend who wants us to take it easy. But these caricatures are far from the truth. Join us in this four-day plan as we explore Jesus: Messiah, sacrifice, God and giver of life.
What does it mean to prepare the way for the Lord? In this devotional we look at how we can prepare our hearts, our thinking and our environments to be fully consecrated to Jesus, and to prepare the way for him - for his glory to be revealed!
Advent invites us to journey through the darkness to discover the light, the incarnate Word of God who "shines in the darkness" (John 1:5). This plan focuses upon the weekly themes of Advent—hope, peace, joy, and love—and serves as a guide through each week of the season. It is taken from our book, Dawn, with reflections for every day of Advent available within the Dwell Bible App.
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