“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
– Matthew 4:17
Main Thought: This statement comes very soon after the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and right on the heels of his 40 days fasting in the wilderness, followed by the three temptations of Satan. The first thing then that we see Jesus doing in his ministry is to preach the Gospel. Many people who are only vaguely familiar with Jesus will extol the social aspects of His ministry, like healing the sick, feeding the thousands and washing the feet of His disciples. However, if they really understood the Jesus of the Bible and what His true initial ministry was, they wouldn’t be so fond of that Jesus. You see Jesus was not just a social example, but he was a preacher of The Gospel, a message that for the most part lost men and women do not want to hear, that identifies all as having sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Jesus knew perfectly well that the world He came to more than anything else needed to hear the Gospel, and part of that Gospel message was that men needed to repent of their sins. The truth is that a message of the Gospel without repentance is really not the Gospel at all, for men need to know of their sinfulness against God and then repent from it before being saved. When Peter and the apostles preached the Gospel following the ascension of Jesus back to the Father, they did not preach a Gospel without repentance, but the Gospel where repentance was necessary (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22), with Paul also later on proclaiming in Athens on Mars Hill to the pagan idolaters “the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). What Jesus was proclaiming, and what still must be proclaimed, is that repentance from sin is still necessary for salvation. As we look around us, as in Jesus’ day, we see a world of men and women who need to hear the Gospel and still must repent. May we be faithful as God’s people, out of love and compassion for the lost, to proclaim this Gospel to them, and may we pray earnestly that God will move upon many of them by His Holy Spirit to bring about repentance and salvation.
David Webber
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
More from David Webber
2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9
Job 14:1-2
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.” – Job 14:1-2
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Proverbs 28:13
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13
Psalm 119:41-42
“Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me.” – Psalm 119:41-42
Psalm 86:9
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” – Psalm 86:9 (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV)