It is all about repentance

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Christ had been to see John the Baptist who was His forerunner, and been baptized by Him. John was preparing the way for Christ’s ministry by calling the people to repent of their sins. When Christ left after his baptism, the Spirit led him into the desert for 40 days to prepare him for the ministry. There He fasted and prayed, and Satan himself came and tempted Christ in a useless attempt to get Christ to blaspheme God. Then the angels came and nourished Him, and helped him to regain his strength. Christ visited a few personally (Nicodemus & the Samaritan women at the well), and then headed into Galilee where he was welcomed. John had prepared the way, God had prepared the hearts, and Christ was to show them the way; a gospel of reverent fear of God, and the honor of him in the repentance of sin. Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people– 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Do you fear God? Do you fear the One who created you, who holds the power of life and death over you and every living creature? Do you grasp the power of God? If you truly begin to seek Him with your heart, He will begin to open your eyes and mind through your heart. When you begin to grasp and ever so slightly understand who and what He is, you will be moved to a holy, reverent, fear of Him. You will be moved to a respect that none other can claim; an honor that invokes fear in your heart of the One who now holds it. As an honor to Him you begin to understand what it means to sacrifice your life to Him, to repent of your sins past, present, and future, To repent daily of your failures and know that you are cleansed by the blood of Christ and given access to the Creator through that sacrifice. The knowledge that comes with a heart that sees God for whom He is, is a  heart that is guaranteed eternity with Him.

It was no coincidence that Christ began his ministry with a call to repent. In the providence of God, John had prepared the way and was removed for Christ to begin. John fulfilled his ministry and Christ honored him saying,  “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11). In that statement by Christ, he points to John as the greatest prophet to ever live, yet he also points out that the least of those in heaven is greater than he. Only through your humble repentant heart will you gain access to the kingdom of heaven also. The gospel is so simple; so simple we feel the need to complicated it. All one must do is to have a humble heart that seeks forgiveness of their sins through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave them as an extension of God’s grace to them. Nothing you can ever do will earn it, but you can accept the free gift from God in it.