Luke 3:1-6NLT

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler[a] over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler[b] over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!

    Clear the road for him!

5 

The valleys will be filled,

    and the mountains and hills made level.

The curves will be straightened,

    and the rough places made smooth.

6 

And then all people will see

    the salvation sent from God.’”[c]

Luke 3:2 NLT

...At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness.

Malachi 4:5-6 ESV

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”[a]

Luke 3:3 NLT

3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

Baptized = An Immersion

Repent = Change/Transformation of Mind/Perspective/Actions

Matthew 3:2 NLT

2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[a]”

It’s time Turn from your old ways because there is about to be a complete change of who’s in

charge. It is time to change your thinking. It is time to change your behavior and allegiance

because God is about to usher in His kingdom.

Luke 3:4-6 NLT

4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!

    Clear the road for him!

5 

The valleys will be filled,

    and the mountains and hills made level.

The curves will be straightened,

    and the rough places made smooth.

6 

And then all people will see

    the salvation sent from God.’”[a]

Joshua 5:2-3 NIV

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.[a]

Romans 2:29 CEV

29  To be a real Jew you must obey the Law. True circumcision is something that happens deep in your heart, not something done to your body. And besides, you should want praise from God and not from humans.

A circumcision of the heart involves God cutting away everything in our lives that doesn’t

bring glory to Him.

Ezekiel 36:24-27 MSG

“‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.

Ephesians 5:14-17 AMP

14 For this reason He says,

“Awake, sleeper,

And arise from the dead,

And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.”

15 Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], 16 [a]making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.

Luke 3:4-6 TPT

4fulfilling what was written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

“Listen! You will hear a thunderous voice in the lonely wilderness telling you to wake up and get your heart ready for the coming of the Lord Yahweh.  Make straight every twisted thing in your lives. 

5-6Bring into the light every dark way. Make right every wrong. Remove injustice. Every heart of pride will humbly bow before him. Every deception will be exposed and replaced by the truth to prepare everyone everywhere to see the Life of God!”

John is calling us to remove ANY & ALL obstacles that stand in the way of the Lord taking His

rightful place in our lives.

What Obstacles Stand In His Way In Your Life?

Declaration: As a disciple of Jesus, I will declare God's truth at all times. I will proclaim, by my actions, that the way of the Lord is prepared. By my words, every crooked way is made straight. And I declare that my life is a testimony that will reflect His love and peace to others, trusting that all will come to see and know His salvation.