Preaching Text: Mark 1:9-13

Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of a new Exodus; now God is leading his people out of slavery to sin and death, rather than from slavery to Pharaoh. It turns out that Exodus is a process, and in between our exit from bondage and our arrival into glory, we face a journey that is sometimes difficult. 

Lent is an opportune time to examine what we believe about ourselves and what we believe God thinks about us. 

Our temptation to return to slavery (similar to the Israelites’ temptation to return to Egypt) often stems from a failure to trust in God’s goodness and his boundless love for us. God does not merely tolerate his children. He speaks over them the words he spoke over Jesus: “You are my beloved” (Mark 1:11). Because of Jesus’ work, we have the privilege of being called God’s children (see for example John 1:12, Rom 8:16, 1 John 3:1).  

These next six weeks are not about punishment, or beating ourselves up, or trying to get a taste of what we “really deserve.” They are about an extra focus on hearing and seeing God’s truth about his children, that we are his beloved son or daughter. We take on a little bit extra so we can be exposed to that truth, and we clear a little away so that it easier to take it in and let it resonate. 

Taking It Home: How might have you “mis-believed” the truth about God? What might change in your life if you more fully believe that you are not merely accepted by God, but his beloved daughter or son?