22nd February 2026

Message 22/02/26 – Lent 2 – Martin Mowat

Readings: Genesis 4:1-10 & Matthew 18:1-9

As you know, we're in the season of Lent: a time of reflection and examination, imitating Jesus' period of fasting, prayer and testing in the wilderness that we talked about last week. To use this time to prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter, we are journeying with 24-7 Prayer and the Lectio 365 app.

So the basis of both our sermons and our Wednesday afternoon Bible studies is material provided by Lectio 365, by Pete Greig in other words, and I am at the receiving end of it as much as you are. If some of it sounds a bit scripted, you’ll understand why.

We are exploring the story and wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, men and women of the fourth and fifth centuries who pursued God by retreating from cities to the silence and solitude of the desert, passionate men and women who allowed God to use the wilderness to shape their lives and characters. As we look at our own lives, we hope to emerge from this season of Lent with a greater passion for God.

This week we are exploring the way the wilderness exposes our sin, not an easy subject I know, and how it intensifies our passion for holiness.

The Bible takes sin far more seriously than we often do ourselves. … The wilderness, however, is a place where distractions are removed, and which allows us to see how sinful we truly are. Lent provides a valuable opportunity to do an honest audit of the condition of our hearts, and of the places where we struggle with distorted desires and passions.

The warning of God to Cain in our first lesson was to be aware that sin was "standing at the door". Are we aware of what is standing at our door? Probably not in all honesty, so we need to ask the Spirit to reveal those things to us.

We are all in this together. John said in his first epistle “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) so nobody should feel ashamed; everyone has something to be working on in this series.  We may even surprise ourselves.

Let’s just hold onto that thought for a few moments and move on to how we might develop our passion for holiness.

There’s a tension here. 

In the Bible Romans 3:23 tells us very clearly that “All people have sinned and fallen short of God's glory”.  Three chapters later Paul warns that “the consequence of sin is death and separation from God” (Romans 6:23). 

That’s the bad news, but it also tells us in Hebrews 4:15 that “Out of love, God sent his Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life” and in 1 Peter 2:24 “to die in our place on the cross, bearing our sin and offering us forgiveness”. “Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death and opening the way to new life” says Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and “Salvation is a gift of grace, not something we can earn” he says in Ephesians 2:8-9. 

So the good news is that anyone who repents, believes in Jesus, and confesses him as Lord is forgiven and made new (Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9-10). Through Christ, we are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
and given the hope of eternal life (John 3:16).

So yes, we have forgiveness, but that doesn’t absolve us from addressing “the sin that so easily entangles us”. That’s what the writer of Hebrews said. After he had listed all the heroes of faith in chapter 11, he starts of chapter 12 by saying ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow wearyand lose heart.

Sin's desire is to "devour" us. The deceitfulness of sin is that it promises abundant life, but ultimately delivers the opposite. Overcoming sin can feel hard but the promise is that it ultimately leads to the abundant life God has promised.

Those Desert Fathers and Mothers can feel extreme to us today, but what they demonstrated was such a desire for holiness that they were willing to go to profound lengths to overcome sin. Where could we be inspired and provoked by their example to desire holiness? Where could we take steps to actively wrestle against the sins we struggle with?

Overcoming sin is not simple or straightforward. We all know that, and the reality is that it will be a lifelong battle. But an ever-increasingly Christ-shaped life is one that is worth the cost.

The language that the Bible uses for opposing sin is active not passive: “throw off everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles” we just heard in Hebrews 12, “gouge out your eye” says Matthew, “resist the devil” says James, “put to death the things of this world” says Paul to the Colossians, and to the Corinthians “flee from sexual immorality”.

Before Gregory the Great famously named the "Seven Deadly Sins", the Desert Fathers and Mothers spoke about what they called the "Eight Thoughts": eight deep-rooted patterns of the heart that every believer must wrestle with. 

So, in practical terms, let’s think about how we might take some small but active steps towards combating each of them this week:

• Gluttony - fast one meal in the next week and replace that time with prayer.

• Lust - Become mindful of the shows you are watching and the time spent on your devices.

• Greed - lean into generosity every chance you get this week. Could you forego buying something for yourself, and gift that money to someone else?

• Anger - Practise breath prayers this week as a way to calm your inner world or take time to pray for those people who frustrate you. For example:-

·       “Lord, have mercy” (Matthew 15:22)

·       “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39)

·       “God, here I am” (Isaiah 6:8)

·       “Father, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)

·       “Holy Spirit, speak; I am listening” (John 16:13)

·       “Know that the Lord is God” (Psalm 100:3)

• Dejection - Start a gratitude journal: begin each day this coming week by naming ten things you are thankful for.

• Acedia (Apathy/Listlessness) - Commit to prayer walking each day this week.

• Vainglory (Boasting) - Fast any posting on social media this week which showcases admirable aspects of your life.

• Pride - Be honest with someone you trust about this week's talk and the areas of struggle you are dealing with.