A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

PREACH THE MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE 

Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 

In the church of today the word “preacher” and “pastor” are used interchangeably when in fact they are derived from two different Greek words. To preach technically means, “. . .the primary announcement of a message. . .” Christian preaching delivers the primary message, the “facts of salvation.” The Greek word from which the English word pastor is derived means shepherd.   

A pastor preaches God’s word and is especially tasked with preaching the Gospel, the Good news of God’s love for sinners and God’s word that has the power of salvation. He does this repeatedly and also teaches it in a classroom type setting. A preacher will proclaim the same Gospel but addresses an audience with that message normally once or only a few times.   

John the Baptist and Jesus “. . . preach(ed), “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” They preached this message to crowds that came to them in case of John in the desert and Jesus while walking from town to town first throughout Galilee and then the entire nation of Israel. Neither John nor Jesus served the people as their resident pastor.   

The message of John the Baptist and Jesus prepared the hearts of their hearers to recognize their sins and need for Yahweh’s forgiveness. Huge numbers of people came to hear them preach their message of their need to repent of their sins. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” is the message needed today by every nation, people, and age group. This word will do its work, as Isaiah wrote, “. . . My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)  

Prayer: Lord, bless the preaching of Your Word! In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Almighty God, Your Word is cast Like seed into the ground;
Now let the dew of heav’n descend And righteous fruits abound. 

Let not the sly satanic foe This holy seed remove,
But give it root in ev’ry heart To bring forth fruits of love. 

Let not the world’s deceitful cares The rising plant destroy,
But let it yield a hundredfold The fruits of peace and joy. 

So when the precious seed is sown, Life giving grace bestow
that all whose souls the truth receive Its saving pow’r may know.  (LSB 577)