Be Prepared
Series: The Winning Way
1. The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,
2. As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet, “I will send My Messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your Way.”
3. “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”
4. And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:1-4
Success in Anything depends on Planning
There are many who have the desire to be successful in life but lack a plan to prepare them for that success. Anything that is worthwhile will involve two critical elements: time and preparation. The time element simply allows the natural elements that God put in place to work. An acorn falling to the ground does not become a tree the next day. It takes time for growth and development. While time allows the growth, there are certain processes that will prepare the acorn to mature into a mighty oak. It will require rain, nutrients from the ground, sunlight, and changes in seasons before that tiny acorn can stretch out its branches. The same is true for us. If we are to grow and develop into something, we must prepare and plan for that to happen.
This passage that introduces the Gospel of Mark gives us some rich information on what it takes to prepare for God’s Way. You cannot simply say that you believe the Good News of Jesus the Messiah without some process that will change the way you live and respond to God. As a matter of fact, Mark states that this process involves a Message, a Messenger, and a correct response to the Message. We might read the introduction to Mark’s Gospel as his opening statement to introduce his book, and certainly that is true. But the only way the Gospel of Mark or any other Book in the Bible will have any impact on your life is that you must take the message personally. In other words, Mark is getting you prepared to receive the Message of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. You must never read it in the third person. Simply put, you are the person receiving the message and receiving it firsthand. God wants to get you prepared for His Power, His Presence, and your potential.
Why People Don’t Prepare
With that in mind, Mark records someone by the name of John the Baptist giving a direct message and this John echoed the words of Isaiah the Prophet. What was the message? “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.” These eleven words were to get people ready for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Heeding these words would make the difference between being prepared for God and not being prepared. Those words would cause a person to be successful in the most important area of their life: their relationship with God. The same is true for us today only if we take the words to heart.
Here is the greatest Truth that can ever be revealed by anyone to anyone. People ask, how can I know that God is real? Here it is. You must be prepared. And that preparation begins by taking the message seriously. Some people don’t take “preparation” seriously and they don’t get anything out of it. Who were the people that did not take warning seriously in John’s day? The religious leaders did not take the message to heart because they thought that God would speak only through them. They also thought that they were good enough so they did not need to prepare. In other words, they were much like the people who “have it all together.” These are the folks who brag and boast about what they have and who they are. As Paul would write, “they measure themselves by themselves and honor themselves above everyone else.” The warning is clear, it is always good to check to see if you are standing in the Truth than to fall in the end.
There were others who did not prepare nor did they heed John the Baptist’s warning. They were grown folk who did not allow anyone to tell them how to live their lives. They knew what was best for them and they did not want to change. What amazes me is how can people who know that their lives are a wreck at the same time refuse to change in order to make things better. Such are the ones who are deceived by the things of this world. The Good News is that Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost and those who are broken. I am amazed at people today who claim they know God, but have never taken the effort to “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”
For those who believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to truly have success in life, it should not be a problem with being prepared for God to lead and direct you. There should not be any problem with straightening up your life and asking God to help you to live decently. But that brings us to the third group of people who will not prepare for God’s Way. Not only do you have those who are already good in their own eyes, you also have those who love the world more than they love Jesus. But there is a third group called the “wait and see.” These are the ones who can’t quite make up their minds. They make claims like, “religion is so confusing.” They may even say, “I don’t feel comfortable with depending on the Bible.” First, let’s be clear that we are not talking about religion. This is a relationship with the King of Kings. Secondly, believing, and following God’s Word has nothing to do with comfort because we walk by faith and not by sight. Faith means you are to trust God even when you don’t understand or know what He is doing. As I have said before, “don’t depend on your feelings to guide you because they make poor leaders.” Let God prepare you for the things He has planned for your life.
Getting Prepared
In ancient times, rulers would send out forerunners or workers whose jobs were to go ahead of the monarch and make the route safe for their passage. As you can imagine, this job was critical to prevent the ruler from being attacked, to prevent disruptions in their journey, and even to have devoted followers to cheer the ruler as he made his way to a destination. Two things would be critical in this process. The person appointed as the forerunner had to perform his duties. Those who were asked to prepare had to follow careful instructions so that they would be prepared for the rulers entry. If these roles are not taken seriously, success for both king and subjects could be in jeopardy.
On November 22, 1963, a motorcade escorting then Texas Governor, John Conally, and President John F. Kennedy was hit by gunfire. The attack would claim the life of John Kennedy and seriously injure the Governor in what has now come to be known as the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There are many speculations as to how Lee Harvey Oswald could have carried out this act and if there were co-conspirators in this attack. One thing is clear, whoever was in charge of “preparing the way” they did not carry out their job duties. Was there neglect? We don’t know. All we know is that by the end of the day on November 22, 1963, the thirty fifth president of the United States was no longer alive. The point is, the job of the forerunner was critical to the safety of the ruler and preparation of the route was extremely critical to a successful journey.
Let’s be clear about one thing. God is not in jeopardy if we don’t prepare the way for the Lord. The ones who end up losing are the ones who are supposed to be prepared. With that in mind, what is our role in Preparing the way for the Lord and making straight paths for Him? For starters, how do you expect to make it in life without the Lord? Your very future depends solely on Him.
First, take preparation seriously. This is God that you are responding to. He is not your peer or neighbor; this is God Almighty making a request to you. Life is going to unfortunately pass many people by because they do not take it seriously. Don’t get me wrong, I am not referring to “nose to the grind-stone” all your life. The seriousness of life should be that we appreciate each day. Taking God seriously means letting Him know that you are grateful for every minute He gives you. Taking God seriously means not complaining when He sends trials your way. This is God’s Way of helping you to get things in order and reminding you how much you need God’s help. Take God seriously.
Second, if you are going to get prepared, set priorities for your life. People who do not have a set of priorities in life will see any and everything as an emergency. They are what I call the “siren people.” They always make a noise over the least of things and never fully appreciate what is really important. Of course, God is your highest priority and next to that would be the assignments that God has given you. Those assignments include family priorities, job priorities, and serving your community. Setting priorities is the key to keeping a good focus on life.
The third critical key to getting prepared is to clean up and fix up. Of course, we can only do this through the Power of the Holy Spirit. Many years ago, we use to preach a message of “living right” in the Church. That has somehow taken a back seat to getting your praise on. I still believe in old fashioned “holiness.” If God is in your life or my life it should be demonstrated by the way we live. People who are truly successful in life have learned that getting rid of the skeletons in the closet is not only wise but healthy. If Jesus Christ is working in your life, why live like the world. Live a life that reflects the change in character and the new man in Christ Jesus. Notice the verse says, “make straight paths for Him.” That way, when the King appears, you will be able to present to Him the fruits of a clean life.
Lastly, being prepared means praise is in order. As with all kingly processions, when Jesus appears, there will be much praise and adoration. To help us prepare means to simply remember all the incredible benefits that God has given. To help us prepare means reflecting on where the Lord brought you from To help us prepare means reflecting on where the Lord is taking you. We don’t just prepare for the Lord to pass by. O no. We are preparing to join the King so that we can follow Him on the journey. My admonition is that we be prepared to go with Him. That is the wise way to live. If you are not successful in your relationship with God, you will never be successful in anything in life. With that in mind, if you truly appreciate God in your life, you will always be a winner.