by Emily Wooten
Since the fall of Adam, God has called to humans to turn from their evil, repent and pay attention to his word. He asks us to give place to his word. God gave instructions for carrying out various ministries before the Lord. He told Aaron to burn incense every day. He told him how to perform this sacrifice and Aaron’s decedents had been doing just that since God told them to.
Exodus 30:6-8 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.
Like his ancestors before him, that is what Zachariah was doing in the temple on the day that the angel Gabriel appeared to him. Gabriel told him he and his wife would have a son. Gabriel prophesied their son would turn God’s people to him.
Luke 1:15-17 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Zachariah doubted he and his elderly wife, who had never had children, would finally have a son. As a sign to Zachariah he was unable to speak.
Elisabeth, Zachariah’s wife conceived and in her sixth month the same angel appeared to her cousin Mary.
Luke 1: 30-33 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Another miracle was working in their family and soon two sons would be born. Both of them would be men of renown. They were linked together in a mission to save the world. Elisabeth and Mary had no idea the role their sons would play in the eternal.
Noah was a man who was called to a specific work. He too preached the message of repentance. Hebrews 11:7 says Noah became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. II Peter 2:5 calls Noah a preacher of righteousness.
John Baptist had a simple message. Repent and turn from your evil ways. If you see someone who has need, share with them what you have. Only take what is due. He said things like: Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. People wondered if he was the Messiah.
Family and neighbors might have supposed John would have followed in his father’s footsteps to be a priest in the temple. They didn’t understand that he was doing the same work but his ministry was pointing to the ultimate sacrifice. All the sacrifices for all the generations had only pointed to the one sacrifice which would once and for all take away the sins of the world.
The message, after more than 2,000 years is still repent and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
It is time for us to take that message to all we know. There is no more important words that we can say. Will you, like Noah, John and Jesus, choose to take the message to a people who are on the edge of eternity? Who among you won’t make it one more week? If they face the judgment will they be prepared? Tell them!