“Christ in the Wilderness”- Mark 1:12-13

Scripture

• Mark 1:12–13

About this sermon

We will never be able to fully grasp the depth of what is revealed to us in these verses. It is not uncommon for God to tell us that something was so, but not explain for us all that it meant. That’s what we have here, and wherever that happens we have to be careful. There’s a danger in dealing with mystery. We either want to go too far and speculate in realms where we will never have the answers on this side of glory, or we want to play it too safe and shy away from what God HAS revealed and not take in what would be helpful to our souls (We see that sometimes with the subject of God’s sovereignty). This morning I don’t want to err in either direction. Let’s take it all in carefully. In three of the four gospel accounts the Holy Spirit saw fit to let us know that at the very outset of the public ministry of Jesus He was led out into the wilderness where He was tempted by the very one who tempted Adam in the very beginning. What Adam lost for us through temptation and sin, Jesus had to win for His people on a different battle field but against the same foe. It’s the same battle field in that it is this earth, it is a different battle field in that it was no longer a paradise. Despite the fact that we will never fully grasp all of the threads of redemption truth that flow through this scene, there is one thing we should grasp. We should grasp the fact that Jesus had to do this in order to save us. Jesus engaged in nothing that wasn’t purposeful and needful. Jesus saved us by His life as well as by His death. Jesus saved us by His active obedience as well as His passive obedience. He saved us by how He lived as well as what He suffered. He conquered Satan in the wilderness and that was a part of conquering him on the cross.

Topics

• Suffering & Trials
• Jesus Christ