GoD's WorK - God's Puzzle Solved

Real Repentance179had to be done before they were baptized. So, John challengedthem with the words:Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves[notice what The Pharisees and Sadducees say], wehave Abraham to our father: for I say unto you,that God is able of these stones to raise up childrenunto Abraham.John tells these prominent religious figures that they were of anunrepentant mind. They knew they were the children of Abraham,so consequently, they felt they already had the promises guaranteedto them. They reasoned, that since they already had thepromises, why would they need to repent (change their ways)? Intheir own estimation, they didn’t see the need to repent so theydidn’t change their ways. That was the problem. Furthermore,when you see no reason to repent, you don’t see (the need for)Christ, The Messiah. So, they had blinded themselves from thetruth.Focus On The MessiahThe entire Old Testament focuses upon The Messiah. The Purposeof The Old Testament was to provide the history of the propheciesabout The Messiah. That was the whole reason for The OldTestament. A more full explanation about The Law (“nomas,” inGreek) is given in Hebrews 10:1. It is The Torah, or The FirstFive Books of The Old Testament, which tells “the story” aboutThe Messiah. The religious leaders had studied The Scriptures,and yet they could not understand the underlying theme behind“the story” being told. In other words, they couldn’t see Christor God. First, they needed to understand there was an importantreason for them to repent. They had to show fruit or evidence that