Untitled Sermon

Mark 1:9–11 NRSV

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Sermon Prep.

God Spoke so that the audience could hear, not just Jesus.

used for coronation of Kings of Israel

The Gospel opens with a statement that Jesus is the son of God

Why does God say he is please with Jesus at this point, instead of later on in Jesus’ ministry?

Identity - When I first moved here I was wrapped up in being known as a wedding photographer. I was striving to be the best.

Identity - Parker and I used to compete to see who could wear the most nike checks

Identity - prayer to be the best bass guitar player / rock climber to bring God’s glory? (my kingdom) - I’m sure Josh Bingham has done this.

Is it any wonder or surprise that Jesus identity is question and challenge in his wilderness experience directly after his true identity is revealed?

As you learn in more to your identity as children of God, heirs of God, in the family of God the world is going to temp you (your own fear will temp you) to believe that you’ll do better and be safer if you identify yourself with something else.

Calvinistic theology that states

Jesus is *beloved and *pleased

Beloved is used all throughout the new testament, not just God speaking to Jesus, but it’s used by Paul to speak of individuals as his beloved, and also to the whole church in Romans one () , the beloved in Rome. or he also refers to beloved children, in the epistles of Peter and James in reference to the church as a whole (, ).

God’s Pleasure. Eudokeo. “Do not be afraid good flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” , God wasn’t pleased with most of the people who were apart of the exodus of Egypt , “My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back. But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.”

God is pleased anytime we decide to live in faith that

Summer of Best Dressed Preperation because I wanted to be voted best dress superlative

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IDENTITY SERMON. Identity leads to...

Outline

Everyone here was a cool kid in high school, I just couldn’t make the cut growing up.

Parker and I since birth

Nike Check Story

Best Dressed Story (disc golf / swimming pool) (should have gone for most attractive

Comical after coming to faith 

Best Bass Player

Best Rock Climber

Do y’all have any silly prayers like that you’d be willing to share? Come on Josh, I know you do.

Why did I want to be best dressed or why did I say these prayers? I wanted to be someone in the world’s eyes and at best someone in the world’s eye with the hopes that God could use it, but really it was just my flesh. At base level I suspect I just wanted acceptance and love.

TODAY I WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR IDENTITY. Who Are We and how can we use our identity to operate in the world?

I really struggled off and on in my 20s and even my early 30s to truly believe and accept that God loved me and cared about me. Depression. Anxiety. Failing to live up to my own expectations. Perhaps I inherited a performance based perception of love from my dad, or maybe the church taught me that I was just a lowly sinner saved by Grace. I would fall into shame and despair when I couldn’t live up to the person I wanted to be

A part of me believe that y’all don’t struggle with that because … education.

Turn to

Mark is moving fast. Leaves out information that Matthew, Luke and John include about Jesus’ early life. All we get is in vs 1. “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God.” Immediately the reader have a concept of Jesus.

Then we see John Baptizing in the wilderness

And in vs 9 we learn that Jesus is from Nazareth, a town small enough that it’s not mentioned in OT or by Josephus.

READ

Vs. 11 - You are my beloved Son, with whom I’m well pleased.

Jesus’ identity from God - is a beloved son, whom God is pleased in.

Now it makes sense to me that God would affirm his love for Jesus, because he is his son (prodigal father), BUT WHY did he say he’s pleased, and why here? Why not - after miracles, after the temptation, while Jesus is on the cross. Let Jesus do something first! That’s not how it works in the world - hired for a job.

Back in 1999, I was 17, I was living a rebellious, crazy life.

Black out drunk on vodka - beat up, bloody

Shoplifting from stores

Davy calling me a sinner

PCB or Acquire the Fire.

Casey Bernal Story

I sat down and felt God prompting me to open the Bible.

Why did he choose to speak that at that point in my life? I hadn’t gone to Bible College, served him in Asia, etc…

To deal with first part - Beloved. It’s not just Jesus who is identified as beloved. Paul, Peter, John, and James use the same term as beloved children, beloved servant, beloved brother and sisters. The new testament - through words and deed expresses God’s love for us.

But what about pleased. Is God pleased with us?

. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” ///, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

It’s Jesus’ faith, not his works. It’s my faith, not my works. It’s your faith that is pleasing to God.

Purpose of Faith? 

Mark is quoting two separate scriptures here in vs 1.9-11. I’d like to look at one of them.

. - Coronation/Installation of Kings. “I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son: today I have begotten you.” - Kings adopted by God when they are installed.

Mark ties into this great by just stating the fact - Jesus is God’s Son, and hinting that he is the new King.

, , ““Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

Who is the servant? Israel, Remanent, Jesus, us?

(VERSE 6/7) Comparisons with Jesus’ ministry 

• He will bring forth justice to the nations

• He will open the eyes that are blind

• He will bring the prisoners out from dungeons and darkness.

He could only live out this type of justice, through his faith, because he knew his identity 

We even see these acts in () Jesus reads the scroll of Isaiah at the synagogue

It’s utterly important if we want to continue to usher in God’s Kingdom and justice to the nations that we KNOW OUR IDENTITY.

The world will happily give you an identity.

You’re an illegal immigrant, you’re a depressed person, you’re a computer programer, you’re a doctor, you’re a high school drop out, you’re an alcoholic, you’re a invalid, you’re a college graduate, you’re best dressed etc.

People live out their identities.  

You’re a doctor - praise you

You’re an illegal immigrant - you don’t get helathcare, you dont get to drive, you can’t vote, you can’t be protected by labor laws

My oldest sister stuck in depression because that’s how she sees herself - that’s what doctors have told her.

Right after God speaks and tells Jesus, “You are my beloved son, with whom I’m well pleased,” what happens?

Driven out into the wilderness where he is tempted by the Devil, who does what? Challenges Jesus’ Identity.

If you’re the son of God, then —- turn this stone into bread, / throw yourself off the temple.

The rest of the gospels are people challenging Jesus’ identity,

Isn’t this Joseph’s son,

The carpenter

Isn’t he from Nazareth? What good can come from Nazareth?

Story about my life as an electrical helper (barista, pizza maker), community and Joanne and Rob, beating Joanne, God asking me to tell Rob about him, and Rob sobering up and God saving their marriage.

Continue on knowing you’re loved by God and that your faith in following him is pleasing to him. He takes delight in you.

Let’s pray.

Actual Sermon.

I know that all of you grew up as the cool kids in your high schools, but I just wasn’t that fortunate. I really hung in there until around 4th grade, but for whatever reason after that I began to slide in my popularity and increase in my insecurity. And pretty much all the way through high school I was grabbing at straws to fit in somewhere with the cool, popular kids. I was right there on the edge too, but I just couldn’t quiet get back in that circle.

It’s crazy, Matt Parker and I have literally know each other since before we could talk or walk. Our mom’s used to push us around the neighborhood in strollers.

In middle school he and I would meet up at 7am to walk through the woods to our school. And we would take pride in trying to outdo each other be counting up who was wearing the most Nike Check marks. I know, this seems super lame, but at the time if felt super cool.

We’d have them on our shoes, our socks, shorts, backpack, shirts and hat. Parker basically always won because he had these stupid sweat basketball sweat bands for his head and his wrists. In hindsight I’d say he lost because he looked pretty dumb wearing those to shcool. We weren’t playing sports.

Later on in high school I during the summer between my junior and senior year I was determined I would win the best dressed superlative my senior year. But I needed some practice. So during the summer I would wake up, put on a button down shirt and slacks, and then walk to our neighborhood pool where Matt Parker was the life guard. He would make fun of me and then I would change into my board shorts to swing.

Sadly - I didn’t win any superlatives. So why was I doing these things? I needed to feel some type of identity? Who am I? Who was I? I just wanted to be identified as cool and popular. Big fail

What’s comical is that after I came to faith when I was 17, my ego came with me. I prayed some serious silly prayers out of earnest selfishness.  

I’m gonna share a couple of those stupid prayers with you, and if you have had a similar experience, I would love to hear a couple of y’all share,

After I came to faith I was a full on ENFP Christian Youth Group Kid. I started playing bass guitar in our youth group band, and one night with all of my heart I prayed, “God, if you’ll make me the greatest bass player in the world, I’ll use my gift to glorify you.” --- Do you think he answered that? -- Well, you’ve never seen me play the bass have you.  And a couple years later I got into rock climbing, and I got really into it, I was traveling around to competitions and meeting lots of other climbers and I prayed, “God if you will make me the greatest rock climber in the world, I’ll use my status to preach to other climbers for you.”

What about y’all? Any of you ever said a ridiculous prayer like this?

So why was I praying these prayers? Sure I wanted to be used by God, but I wanted to him to use me according to my desires, not his. I wanted to be someone. I wanted to be identified by a worldly Title or position.

That’s what I’d like to chat about today with y’all, is our Identity. Who are we?  

There is a huge part of me that believes that y’all are way more mature and advanced in your ability to see yourselves correctly and further along in your theology than I was at your age. You are surrounded by such great teachers, resources, and are learning to read scripture critically. I did go to a Bible College also, but honestly it doesn’t compare to the education you’re receiving here.

That to say, I really struggled throughout my 20s and into my early 30s with coming to terms with my identify as a loved Child of God. And I pray that perhaps none of you struggle with that, but on the off chance that you do, that’s what I’m talking about today.

For me I came from a theological background that preached grace, but really wanted me to live by rules.  And when I couldn’t live up to those rules, I would just spiral into shame and disappointment. 

If you want to turn with me, let’s read . Feel free to take a moment to scroll there. From classes here you’re probably already aware that the writer of the gospel of Mark is writing to get to the point. So he leaves out a fair amount of information that the other synoptic writers and John include. We don’t see any of Jesus’ childhood, we just know that he is from Nazareth, a tiny enough town that it’s not even mentioned in the Old Testament. And the opening line of Mark sets the stage for the readers, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Off the bat we know Jesus is God’s son. Then we learn about John baptizing in the wilderness. And then we start in verse 9.

READ

Here we are at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Not only do we as readers know that Jesus is the son of God, but we also see that God loves him and is pleased with him.  

I have some questions about this text. Namely why does God say he is pleased with Jesus? And why does he say it here instead of somewhere else in the gospel?  By instinct it seems to me that it would make more sense for God to speak to Jesus later, after the wilderness, or after some miracles, or while he is dying on the cross to let Jesus know he is pleased with him. But that’s not what we see. We see it right here at the start of the story.  You are my beloved son, with whom I’m well pleased.

Back in spring of 2000, I was 17, and I was was flirting with the idea of following Christ. The previous November I had hit a bottom partying hard with a group of lifelong friends and realized they didn’t care about me. They were another circle I was just trying to fit into. I had blacked out drinking Vodka and while I was out they didn’t take care of me, so when I came to I was bleeding and bruised from falling over so much.  However, I didn’t really have many other friends so I occasionally hung out with them. So Spring Break of 2000 they invited me to go to Panama City Beach with them. - Which to me was a dream - more alcohol and girls. At the same time a friend of mine from high school named David Johnson, who I got to know because of homeroom assignments - Jones / Johnson.  At school he would hear about my partying or shoplifting (yes, I used to shoplift) and he would look at me and say, “Sinner.” - Weirdly enough, I knew he loved me. Now around the same time as spring break he invited me to attend a teenage christian conference called Acquire the Fire in a city I’d never been to before called “Nashville.” May parents told me I could only go one trip - either Spring Break in Panama City (DUH.) or to the conference in Nashville. It was a stupid simple decision for me. The Beach. But for whatever reason, the night before David’s youth group boarded the bus to Nashville I felt God press on me that I had to go on that trip. And then I broke down crying, called up Davy, and the next morning boarded the bus.

At the conference one of the speakers was the father of Casey Bernall. Any of you know her name? She was the girl who had been shot in April of 1999 at columbine after one of the shooters asked her if she believed in Christ. Her father spoke for a while and then said, “Cassie wanted to be a missionary, but now she can’t go. Who is going to go for her? Who is going to go in her place?!” And I got real emotional as a 17 year old ENFP, and I stood up and screamed, “I’ll go!” Then I sat down and felt God say, “Open your Bible.” Now preface, I had a Bible with me. I can’t say I had ever read it before. So I opened it and just started reading where it opened (Now I know i’m not the only person who has done this. You just point somewhere and start reading taking it as God speaking to you.) 

And I landed on . “You are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” And then of course I just started crying because apparently that’s what I do when I get too much of any feeling.

To this day, I really do believe it was God who spoke to me through this. I had zero context for that scripture. I didn’t know this passage was around Jesus’ Baptism, or that it was even God speaking to Jesus. At that point it was God speaking to me. And if it was God speaking to me why did he choose to speak that at that point in my life?

: And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

I do want to look further into the context of the text, but first I want to make the claim that God wants us to know that 1. He loves us as his children and 2. That he is pleased with us before we ever do anything for him other than say “yes” to faith in Him. This is what I see in this story of Jesus. Jesus hadn’t accomplished anything yet other than show up and receive John’s baptism. I believe he is taking a step in faith here and God is pleased by that. The next thing we see is he is immediately lead out into the wilderness by the Spirit where he is tempted by the devil and then he returns from the wilderness to start his ministry.

For me, either through interactions with my parents or maybe through my early years of the church and Bible College, or both, I picked up some subconscious theology that unless I was doing something great in this world, and by great I mean great before the eyes of God and men then I wasn’t good enough. I just couldn’t believe that I was loved and accepted by God if I was making mistakes and not living up to some bar of perfection that got put on me.  I frequently felt like a failure.

At this point in my life it seems very simple for me to see that God loves every person on the planet because they are his creation. And multiple places in Scripture it reads that we are God’s children, sons, daughters. Jesus’s brothers and sisters. It’s just a fact that God loves his creation. And various writers in the new testament - Peter, Paul, James and John - all refer to individuals and groups of Christians as Beloved children, beloved friend, beloved brothers and sisters, Beloved servants.

It’s one thing for a Father to love all of his kids, no matter what. I’m not a dad, but I can’t imagine a scenario where a father’s heart could not love their child. But it is a different thing for a father to be proud of ,and pleased with their children.

It wasn’t until a few years ago when I was looking back on the time that God spoke to me back in 2000, “You are my beloved son with whom I’m well pleased did I realize that God affirmed me before I ever put works to my faith. All I had at the time that I stood up and said, “I’ll Go!” was my faith to trust God and follow him. 

It’s because of Jesus’ faith, my faith, and your faith in God that he is pleased with us. It’s our faith that pleases God.

But what’s the purpose of faith? Is it just to make us feel good and fuzzy when we worship God? I mean, I do love the peace and feeling the presence of the Lord.

is a reference to a couple different verses in the old testament. The first is . This wording is a formula that was used when a king was installed in office.  may have been used at the coronation of a new king.  reads, “You are my son, today I have begotten you.” - and in these cases it would have been taken as the newly installed kings were actually adopted on as God’s son. The gospel writer is surely connecting this idea, the Jesus is God’s son, but also the new king in town. And next, reads, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” I’ll read it again, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Okay, so there are some similarities here right. We see that God is taking delight in this servant, and that he is putting his sprit on him. This is exactly what we see here in Mark. The Spirit descends like a dove on Jesus and God is please with him.  

Does anyone know when Isaiah was preaching? Around the 8th century, so basically 700ish BCE. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah is essentially the prophet Isaiah rebuking the Rulers, Kings, Priests and other prophets for their corruption () of Israel and letting them know they are about to be cut down by Assyria and that one day Babylon will also one day carry off God’s people. By the time chapters 40 and onward are written it seems that the Israelites are already living in captivity and exile and scripture now starts to describe how God will restore Israel through his servant. Three are several chapters on this servant and we see a glimpse into this servant in chapter 42.  We don’t know exactly who the authors of are claiming is the servant to come, but a lot of scholars would claim the Servant is Israel themself or perhaps a remnant people from Israel. Mark uses the passage to Identify Jesus as the servant. Whether the Servant is Israel, a remnant, Jesus, or even us as God’s chosen people (or all of us) what’s important is to see what this servant does. And I think only faith can lead us to do these things.

• He will bring forth justice to the nations

• He will open the eye that are blind

• He will bring the prisoners out from dungeons and darkness.

These are thing that Jesus does and Jesus even claims these things over his ministry in when he reads the from the scroll of in the synagogue.

It’s of utter importance the we know and believe our identity as God’s beloved children and that God is please with us when we are living in faith, not by the things we do or see accomplished (or don’t do or don’t see accomplished).

When Jesus was tested out in the wilderness. What was tested? His identity. In Matthew we read that Satan says twice, “If you are the Son of God, then command these stones to become loaves of bread / throw your self down.” (JESUS RESPONDS WITH SCRIPTURE - “One doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. / Do not put the Lord your God to the test.)

But when we are living by Faith we will help bring forth justice to the world, we will help open the eyes of the blind, and we will help set captives free. 

If we don’t know our identity the the world will give us one and we will take it up. Either I’m a bass player, I’m a photographer, I’m a depressed person, I’m an alcoholic, I’m a doctor, I’m a whatever. The people of Jesus’ day wanted to give him the identity of being the son of Joseph and a carpenter.  

As we continue to learn God’s word together and grow in our recognition of who we are as God’s children and how pleased he is with us as we live in faith we can live out God’s kingdom in this world more and more.

I’d like to close with short story. When I was 22 I was working as an electrician’s helper, not even an electrician, but a helper. But at the same time I was living with three other guys who loved God. We prayed and studied God’s word together frequently. We also shared meals with our neighbors, tried to meet their needs, spend time with them, and we would invite them over for weekly prayer and worship nights.  At one point our weekly prayer and worship night was bringing around 60 people including one of my favorite neighbors Joanne, who was a proclaimed Buddhist Christian. She was 40 years old and married to a guy named Rob who was an alcoholic. Multiple times, over the course of months, she would leave our house and when she got home Rob would beat her because he was drunk and assumed she was cheating on him. One time I heard an ambulance going down my street at midnight, so I hopped out of bed, put my pants on, and I chased it down the street to Joanne’s house where I found her sitting on the ground with her hip out because Rob had beat her.  My friends and I spent a lot of time praying for Rob during that season. And one day I was at work, and I felt God say, “When you get home from work today, I want you to go tell Rob who I am.” That day, I got home from work and before I could even change out of my clothes Joanne knocked on my door and said, “Rob wants you to come and tell him about Jesus.” It blew my mind. I spent the next two hour explaining who I knew Jesus to be. And it ended with Rob giving his life to follow God. Then he began joining us at our weekly gatherings and coming around more. Three months later he told me had been sober for 90 straight days, a thing he hadn’t accomplished before as an adult.

I don’t know where Joanne and Rob are now, but I know in that season of life God used the faith of an electrician’s helper along with my roommates her were coffee baristas and pizza makers to bring salvation into a couple’s marriage. 

Continue on knowing you’re loved by God and that your faith in following him is pleasing to him. He takes delight in you.

Thanks and let’s pray.