First Sunday of Lent
Message: Three Voices We Do Not Have to Obey
Scriptrue: Deuteronomy 8:1–3; Romans 5:12–19

Good morning, church.
Today is the First Sunday in Lent.
Lent is not mainly about trying harder.
It’s not a spiritual self-improvement project.
Lent is a season where we slow down
and pay attention to what is shaping us.
And today I want to talk about something very simple:
There are three voices we hear all the time—
and in Christ, we do not have to obey them.
Not because we are strong.
But because Jesus is faithful.
And grace is real.

The Wilderness
Deuteronomy says God led Israel into the wilderness.
And then Moses says something surprising:
God humbled them.
God let them hunger.
And God fed them with manna.
Why?
“So that you might learn
that one does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the Lord.”
The wilderness was not punishment.
It was formation.
God was not trying to break them.
God was teaching them how to live.
The wilderness has a way of revealing things.
When life is comfortable, we don’t notice what we depend on.
But when things feel tight, uncertain, fragile—
the voices get louder.
And usually, they sound like this.

Voice #1: “If I get enough, I’ll be okay.”
This is the bread voice.
It says:
“If I just finish this…”
“If I just earn a little more…”
“If I just fix this problem…”
“If I just have enough…”
“Then I’ll finally be okay.”
Bread is not bad.
Work is not bad.
Security is not bad.
But when bread becomes ultimate,
it becomes our master.
I feel this voice in myself, honestly.
Living as a PhD student and a pastor, I hear it constantly.
“Just one more thing.”
“One more email.”
“One more meeting.”
“One more revision.”
Then you can rest.
The truth is, the work never really ends.
There’s always something else to do.
And if I listen to that voice,
I don’t rest.
I just keep running.
That’s the bread voice.
And Deuteronomy says gently but clearly:
You do not live by bread alone.
You need bread.
But bread is not your Savior.
And in Christ, you do not have to obey that voice.

Voice #2: “If I can control it, I’ll be safe.”
This is the control voice.
Romans 5 takes us back to Adam.
Adam’s problem wasn’t just breaking a rule.
It was choosing autonomy over trust.
It was saying:
“I will decide.
I will secure myself.
I will protect myself.”
We still hear that voice.
“If I plan everything carefully…”
“If I prepare perfectly…”
“If I manage every detail…”
“Then I’ll be safe.”
I hear that voice too.
In ministry, I can think:
If I prepare enough, nothing will go wrong.
If I manage well enough, no one will be disappointed.
But life doesn’t work like that.
People get sick.
Weather changes.
Plans shift.
Sermons don’t always land the way we hope.
And I’m reminded again:
I am not God.
Control is exhausting.
And the gospel does not promise control.
It promises something better.
It promises that we are held.
In Christ, we do not have to control everything to be okay.
We don’t have to obey that voice.

Voice #3: “If they approve of me, I will matter.”
This is the approval voice.
It says:
“Be impressive.”
“Make sure they like you.”
“Don’t disappoint anyone.”
“Say the right thing.”
This voice is powerful.
And if I’m honest, pastors hear this voice a lot.
“Did they like the sermon?”
“Was that good enough?”
“Did I fail someone?”
When I’m tired, that voice gets louder.
But approval is fragile.
People’s opinions change.
And you cannot build your identity on shifting ground.
Lent reminds us:
Your identity is not something you perform.
It is something you receive.
You are loved before you succeed.
You are named before you impress anyone.
And in Christ, you do not have to obey the approval voice.

The Deeper Issue
Bread is good.
Planning is wise.
Being appreciated is human.
The problem is not the thing.
The problem is obedience.
When these voices become ultimate,
they shape us.
They form us into anxious people.
Restless people.
People who are always trying to earn peace.
That’s what Paul is talking about in Romans 5.
Through one person—Adam—
a distorted way of being human spread.
But through one person—Jesus—
a new humanity begins.
One built on trust.
On obedience.
On grace.
The Gospel
The gospel is not:
“Try harder not to listen to those voices.”
The gospel is this:
Jesus has already obeyed the Father.
Where Adam grasped, Jesus trusted.
Where we bend under pressure, Jesus stood firm.
Where we chase bread and control and approval,
Jesus chose trust.
And Paul says:
Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
Grace overflows.
So Lent is not a season where we earn God’s love.
Lent is a season where we learn to live
as people who are already loved.

So What?
When you hear one of these voices, pause.
Name it.
“That’s the bread voice.”
“That’s the control voice.”
“That’s the approval voice.”
And remember:
In Christ, I do not have to obey.
Reduce one habit and redirect it to giving.
Not to prove yourself.
But to make space.
This is learning love.
And when love is learned,
it becomes sharing love.

Closing
Three voices we do not have to obey:
Bread is not your Savior.
Control is not your refuge.
Approval is not your identity.
Jesus is.
And because Jesus is faithful,
you are free.
Free to trust.
Free to rest.
Free to give.
Free to live by every word
that comes from the mouth of God.
Amen.