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TODAY'S TEACHING
Before peace can fill our world, it must first rule our hearts. John the Baptist called people to prepare the way for the Lord — and his message still matters today. Discover how repentance, faith, and forgiveness make room for the Prince of Peace.
Peace is a word that usually is used after times of war - when the hostility ends and new relational boundaries are drawn. Once war ceases and the terms of peace are established, something amazing can happen: former enemies can became close allies (e.g. United States, Japan, & Germany). The hostility was real, but so was the reconciliation.
The Bible says the same thing about our relationship with God. Because of sin, we weren’t neutral — we were at war with Him (Col 1:21, Eph 2:1-3, John 3:18). But through Jesus, God didn’t just call a truce… He made peace. He brought us close. He turned enemies into family.
Northern Israel had been invaded by Assyria over the course of many years (ultimately conquered in 722 BC). This punishment - sent from Yahweh, because of Israel’s sins - occurred during the life of Isaiah and his audience. Isaiah lived and ministered in Southern Israel (Judah), and warned that punishment from Yahweh was coming for their sins too - if they didn’t repent. They would NOT, and the Babylonians later conquered Judah and carried off many captives (e.g. Daniel and friends) in 586 BC - even destroying the temple in Jerusalem.
God had brought war to His disobedient people, but - in the future - HELP was on the way! And that’s Isaiah’s message to a distraught people.
Prepare the way for Yahweh. It sure seems like Yahweh is about to make an appearance on the Earth after preparation is made for His arrival. Imagine if the President of the United States were to make a scheduled visit to our little town. Our main road would look immaculate with nothing to interfere with his arrival. So too, there was to be preparation for Yahweh’s visit.
Make smooth…a highway for our God. This language of every mountain leveled, and rough ground being made into a smooth highway is metaphorical language pointing to the promise that NOTHING - not mountains, hills, or rough terrain will keep YAHWEH - our God from coming to help His people and extending PEACE to them.
How would THAT preparation for PEACE happen? We see the ultimate answer to the question - 700 years after Isaiah’s prophecy, when Zechariah - a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple - received a message by an angel sent from God.
John was a popular name in the New Testament times, with 6 different men having this name.
John = “Yahweh is gracious”.
This was the name of the forerunner who would announce the coming of Yahweh and extend Yahweh’s offer of peace to sinful people. Just after John was born, here are the words his father spoke over him.
The Hebrew name Yeshua = “Yahweh saves” will save His people from their sins.
When you TRUST HIM...He will forgive you and live inside of you! And that’s the greatest gift you’ll ever receive!
“Yahweh saves” would be fully human, but…MORE than HUMAN.
One day as John was warning of God’s wrath & extending God’s peace, preaching & baptizing - God with us does show up.
THIS is how PEACE would be made between God and His sinful enemies. Paul, once one of God’s fiercest ENEMIES - yet one who had experienced God’s forgiveness and PEACE - later writes it this way.
Believing that we are now holy, faultless, and blameless before God should show up on our faces, through our voices, and spill out onto others around us. This is our message that we can carry to others - allowing God to use US to Prepare the Way of PEACE to the lives of others…like one beggar telling the other beggar where to find the bread:
- You are a great sinner. (So was I.) You have been God’s enemy. (So was I.)
- BUT…Jesus is a Greater Savior, able to make you holy, faultless, and blameless!
- ASK God for opportunities, LOOK for opportunities, and TAKE opportunities to tell others about Him during this Christmas season, a.k.a. Advent.
Have questions and need some help? …real soon…how about now? Please call or text us soon!
These discussion questions are designed to help you LIVE what you LEARN with your Family, Friends, or Small Group.
Looking Back to Look Forward
- How does the contrast between judgment (Assyria/Babylon) & comfort (Isaiah 40:1–2) set the stage for the arrival of the Prince of Peace?
- Isaiah 40:3-5 speaks of valleys lifted and mountains lowered — metaphorical roadwork. What are some “obstacles” in the human heart that must be leveled for God’s peace to reign?
Preparing the Way — Understanding John the Baptist
- John’s name means “Yahweh is gracious.” How does his mission (Luke 1:16–17; Luke 1:76–79) embody that meaning?
- John preached repentance as preparation for the Lord’s coming. Why is repentance essential for experiencing peace with God?
Jesus — The Prince of Peace Arrives
- Read Matthew 1:20-23. How does Matthew’s description of Jesus as Immanuel — God with us - deepen our understanding of the peace God offers?
- Read John 1:29-30. John the Baptist calls Jesus “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” How does this imagery connect to Advent and the theme of PEACE?
Peace Made Personal
- If peace fundamentally means “the end of hostility and reconciliation,” how does the cross fulfill this definition according to Colossians 1:19–22?
- When you think back on your life, when did you realize that you had once been an enemy of God, not just neutral? How did God bring you near?
- Many Christians intellectually believe they’re forgiven but struggle to feel forgiven. How does the phrase “holy, faultless, and blameless” challenge your understanding of what Jesus has done for you?
Becoming Messengers of Peace
- We often say: “We need to be like one beggar telling the other beggar where to find the bread.” Who is one person in your life who needs to hear about God’s peace this Christmas?
- John prepared people for the first coming of Jesus. How can we prepare people for the second coming of Jesus? Talk about some practical ways you might share Jesus with others.
- Pray for one another.
