Hook: When was the last time you heard an insincere apology? Why do people waste the words when they don’t mean it?

Book: No matter who was in the audience, John neither minced his words nor watered down his call for genuine change. He challenged people to go beyond words to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Genuine faith is visible. John’s urgency anticipated the coming of Jesus, whose judgment would separate people like wheat from chaff based on their repenting faith. This message eventually cost John his freedom and his life.

Took: Can you think of a friend whose repentance seems hollow to you? What could you do to be a John the Baptist in this person’s life?