A funny thing happened this week without Pastor Keller and I knowing about it. When I finished the outline for my sermon I gave it to Pastor Keller for the bulletin. He called me later that day to inform me that I had written the exact same theme that he wrote for his Wednesday sermon - Prepare the Way for the Lord. It was word for word the same. When we looked at the parts of the sermon, they were similar also. He told me he could not remember that ever happening before.

Coincidental? Maybe, but the more I thought about it, maybe not. In fact, if you look at most of our sermons, they are quite similar. One reason is because we follow the same format that we learned in the Seminary when we were studying to be pastors. But more importantly, it is because we are trying to relay the same message every week. How we bring it to you changes slightly, but the message does not.

And so today, since you have heard your own preachers week after week, I want to show you another preacher. We have been bringing you Advent sermons lately, but this person is a true Advent preacher, arguably the best there ever was. People would come from all over to listen him. They would leave the city and trudge out to the Jordan River to hear this prophet proclaim his message from God. The preacher's name is John the Baptist. Listen to this true Advent preacher this morning. He urges us to repent of our sins. He invites us to receive God's salvation.

Now sadly, I won't be reading one of John's sermons. I wish I could. But I will tell you exactly what he was telling the people by the river. Like all good sermons, he would give the people the law. He would tell them that they were sinners and needed to repent.

Why? Well if you don't know that you are sinner - and some people believe that they aren't - then you really have no need for a Savior. What would you need to be saved from? Everyone single one of is sinful. We were sinful from the time we were conceived in our mother's womb, and we will be sinful until the day we die. It is like a terrible disease for which we need a cure. Otherwise we will die and spend eternity in hell.

That was John's message. It was basic. You are a sinner and you need to repent of your sin. When I was little, my pastor taught me that the law was an SOS - shows our sin. When look at God's law, love God and love your neighbor, we see our sin plain as day. God tells us to be perfect and we fail at putting God first in our lives all the time. We also fail at loving others as we should. This is how God's law shows us our need for a savior.

That is what John the Baptist was doing in the wilderness. He was proclaiming God's law in his sermons. The true Advent preacher was preparing the way for the coming Lord by telling the people to repent. And so we too can listen to John's voice calling in the desert. That voice is telling us also to repent of our sins and understand that the baby who was born in Bethlehem had to come to this earth because we need a Savior from sin.

Now what is true repentance? It is not just saying, "I'm sorry, and going right back to that sin." Yes, you must feel sorrow over your sin. But you also must turn from that sin. Repentance is a change of heart - changing from sinfulness to godliness. It is fleeing from sin in your life.

Prepare yourselves this Advent season. Let go of those pet sins that you just can't seem to shake. Is it hard? Yes, otherwise they would not be pet sins they would just be someone else sins that you happen to visit occasionally. Let us repent of the sins we commit against God, our families, and others. Just remember that what is hard for you and me is a piece of cake for God. The Bible tells us, "Nothing is impossible with God." Listen to the true advent preacher. He urges us to repent.

As you are gazing down at the sermon lesson today, you may be wondering where we are. Well the first part of the lesson is mostly historical facts. They are important and good to know, but not essential to our focus today. The last part of the sermon lesson is the prophecy that John the Baptist fulfilled. Pastor Keller preached about that on Wednesday. Today we are focused on John the Baptist's message that is given to us right in the middle of the lesson. "He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

Every sermon must have the gospel and I pray that every sermon from this pulpit will have a clear gospel message in it. That is why John the Baptist urges us to receive God's salvation. He told the people that the coming Messiah would forgive all their sins. He did not tell the people that they had to work for their salvation. He did not point to himself as the one who would save them. He pointed to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

That was his basic message. It is pure message. It is a simple message. Jesus is the savior of the world. Believe in him. Your sins are forgiven. Through faith, you have eternal life in heaven. That is the gospel and all good preachers preach the gospel.

I also learned from my childhood pastor the gospel SOS - it shows our savior. Without Jesus, we would be lost in sin and death and hell. With Jesus, our sin is removed for eternity. And so in Advent, look forward to Jesus. We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. But let us not just get lost in the cozy little manger scene, with sheep, angels, Mary, Joseph, and the baby. May we always remember that the baby grew up and died on the cross for us? May we remember that the human being in the manger was also God and rose from the dead? May the savior's birth in Bethlehem point us to last day when the Lord will return to take us to heaven?

And may you turn to the Word and the Sacraments for gospel comfort and peace this holiday season and the rest of your lives here on earth. God's Word gives you comfort in daily Bible readings, sermons, and devotions. Your baptism gave God's forgiveness, a new life in Christ, and salvation to you. In fact, just as John's baptism offered forgiveness of sins, so does yours. In the Lord's Supper, you also receive forgiveness through the body and blood of Jesus.

And so listen to the true advent preacher to hear the gospel. Be comforted with his message as you prepare for the Messiah to come. You will realize how great the peace is in your lives. And when you do, you will be moved to become true advent preachers yourselves. Take John's message to others. It is a simple message. Repent and receive God's salvation. AMEN.