December 4th…..Forerunning

Webster’s defines Forerunner as; one that precedes and indicates the approach of another. Luke 1:16-17 states; “and he (John the Baptist) will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘To turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’”

So let’s look at John’s forerunning and then at Jesus’ forerunning…did you know Jesus was a forerunner too? John’s forerunning “job” was going to, in the power of God; turn back the hearts of the people and make ready a people prepared….prepared for what? John was the one who was going to plow up the hard ground of Israel’s heart to open up the ground and make it ready for the WORD of the Lord- the Word, in the flesh, Jesus. He was to make ready and go before the Lord, so that the good seed of the Word itself might be planted and grow up!

John was the one who preceded and indicated the approach of another namely Jesus BUT Jesus was also a forerunner and an even better one. John tilled up the ground and then Jesus planted the Seed, Himself…and that Seed had to die (Check out John 12:24-25, 27-33!) so that it could bring life to many. In doing all of this, Jesus became our forerunner in the True Temple, in heaven itself…in the very presence of God. Hebrews 6:19-20 states, “This hope (the hope of the Gospel) we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizekek.”

Jesus preceded us into the presence of God to present His own blood….God approved of the payment and Jesus rose from the dead! But Christ forerunning role also indicated that there would be the approach of others…through His sacrifice, the believers can now approah. Christ accomplished an invitation to draw near through His blood, right into the presence of God, in Christ Jesus! John tilled the ground of a nation to make the way for Jesus to till and change the heart in the person. Forerunning….