Recap:

Church, I want to bring you back to a moment 2,000 years ago. Jesus comes to the Jordan River, and John is baptizing there. Jesus tells John, “I need you to baptize Me.” And when Jesus comes up out of the water, the heavens open. The Spirit of God descends like a dove and rests upon Him. And then the Father speaks. Now, I need you to hear this. Before Jesus preaches a sermon, before He heals anybody, before He casts out a demon, before He performs one miracle, the Father makes a public announcement over His Son. He says, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

That is what I want to talk to you about. Have you been marked? I remember when I was a boy — just a young, knuckleheaded boy — and we were at some kind of family gathering. I was having a good time, acting foolish, entertaining everybody, just being a boy. And I could feel my dad’s eyes on me from across the room. He didn’t yell. He didn’t get up. He didn’t say one word. But I felt him. Finally, I looked over at him, and he locked eyes with me. And with that look, he moved me across the room. I mean, he moved my whole little carcass with his eyes. And I went and sat down right where I belonged. Why? Because I was his son. Nobody else could do that to me. But he could, because I belonged to him. He had marked me.

And that is what the Father does for His children. When God says, “This is My Son,” He is giving Jesus the power of identification. And when God marks you, He gives you identity. He tells you who you are and whose you are. You are not defined by your past. You are not defined by shame. You are not defined by addiction. You are not defined by what somebody called you when you were a child. You are not defined by the worst thing you have done. When the Father marks you, He says, “This is My son. This is My daughter.” And when you know you belong to Him, everything changes. When temptation comes, when the wrong crowd comes, when bitterness comes, when sin comes, you can say, “No, I don’t belong to that. I belong to Him.”

Then the Father says, “whom I love.” That is the power of confirmation. God does not say, “I love You because You performed well.” He does not say, “I love You because You accomplished something.” He does not say, “I love You because You made Me look good.” No. He says, “I love You because You are My Son.” That is what every child needs to know. That is what every man needs to know. That is what every woman needs to know. You need to know that the Father loves you, not because of what you do, but because you belong to Him. That kind of love gives a person value. It gives a person significance. It gives a person a sense of belonging.

And let me tell you something — there are a lot of people walking around today who have never been marked like that. They have never been touched by healthy love. They have never heard words of blessing. They have never known what it means to belong. I see it in prisons. I see it in recovery programs. I see it in broken men and broken women. So many people were labeled early. Bad boy. Troublemaker. Failure. Not enough. Too much. And they started living out what had been spoken over them. But the Father comes and speaks a better word. He says, “You are Mine. You are loved. You matter to Me.”

Then the Father says, “With Him I am well pleased.” That is the power of affirmation. Every child needs to know that their father is pleased with them. Not only corrected by them. Not only disciplined by them. Not only told what they did wrong. They need to hear what they did right. Catch your children doing something right. Look for it. Find something good to say. Find something to affirm. I don’t care if that child is difficult. I don’t care if that child is stubborn. I don’t care if that child is a junior high delinquent. Find something good and speak life over them. Because when a father says, “I am pleased with you,” something opens in the heart of a child.

I saw it in a young boy once through a program we started in a school. We taught children how to use tools. Some of them had never held a screwdriver. Never used a hammer. Never built anything with their hands. This one young man came from a family where the boys were guarded, closed off, emotionally distant. They didn’t want you in their business. They didn’t want you close. But this boy built a toolbox. And one day he showed it to me. He was proud of it. He had painted it. He had made it with his own hands. And then he smiled. That may sound small to you, but it was not small. That smile was his heart opening. That is what affirmation can do. When the Father says, “In you I am well pleased,” He gives us a sense of joy, fulfillment, and purpose.

Now, fathers, hear me. You have a responsibility to mark your children. A father helps define and model manhood for his sons. A boy needs to see what a man looks like. He needs to see strength under control. He needs to see tenderness. He needs to see responsibility. He needs to see faithfulness. And a father gives his daughter a safe and healthy introduction to the opposite sex. A daughter who is cherished, nourished, protected, and affirmed by her father learns what love should look like. She learns what to look for. But when there is no father, or when the home is filled with violence, anger, neglect, and pain, brokenness begins to feel normal.

And that is why the people of God must step in. Malachi says God will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. And in Luke, the angel says that John the Baptist will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. Who are the disobedient? I believe they are the unmarked. The broken. The wandering. The ones who never received identity, love, and affirmation. And who are the wisdom of the just? That is us. The people of God.

God wants to turn the broken toward His people. He wants His church to become a place where children, young people, men, and women can be marked by the love of the Father. There are opportunities all around us. Children’s ministry. Sunday school. Schools. Neighborhoods. Families. Mentoring. Reading programs. Places where you can show up and influence a younger life. No one in the house of God has the right to grow older and not influence someone younger.

So my brothers, my sisters, allow the Spirit of God to mark you. Hear the Father say over you, “This is My son. This is My daughter. I love you. In you I am well pleased.” And then become an extension of those words to somebody else.

Maybe you are here and you have never been marked by Christ. Maybe you cannot honestly say, “I am a son of God. I am a daughter of God.” That can change today. Jesus came to this earth. He lived a perfect and sinless life. He went to the cross carrying your sin, your shame, your mistakes, and your failures. He died, and God raised Him from the dead. And the Bible says that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. You do not become a child of God by performing better. You do not become a child of God by making more money. You do not become a child of God by simply attending church. You become a son or daughter of God by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

And when you do, the Father marks you. You are forgiven. You are loved. You belong. And from that moment on, heaven speaks over your life: “You are Mine.”

Group Questions:

Icebreakers

  1. What is one phrase, nickname, or encouragement someone spoke over you that has stayed with you?
  2. Growing up, who was someone who made you feel seen, known, or valued?
  3. Pastor Don told the story of his dad moving him across the room with just a look. Did anyone in your family have “the look”? What did it mean?

Opening Discussion

  1. Pastor Don centered the message around the Father’s words over Jesus: “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Which part of that statement stands out to you the most right now: identity, love, or affirmation? Why?
  2. Pastor Don asked, “Have you been marked?” What do you think it means to be marked by God?
  3. Why do you think it matters that the Father spoke identity, love, and affirmation over Jesus before Jesus began His public ministry?

Identity: “This is My Son”

  1. Pastor Don talked about the power of identification — knowing who you are and whose you are. How does knowing you belong to God change the way you face temptation, shame, insecurity, or rejection?
  2. What are some labels people carry that are not from God? How can those labels shape a person’s life?
  3. What does it look like practically to live as a son or daughter of God during the week?

Love: “Whom I Love”

  1. Pastor Don said God does not love us because we perform well, but because we belong to Him. Is that easy or difficult for you to believe? Why?
  2. Where do you tend to look for value or significance apart from God?
  3. How can the church become a place where people experience healthy love, belonging, and spiritual family?

Affirmation: “With Him I Am Well Pleased”

  1. Pastor Don challenged parents and leaders to “catch your children doing something right.” Why is affirmation so powerful?
  2. Who in your life needs to hear encouragement, blessing, or affirmation from you this week?
  3. Have you ever had someone speak words of affirmation over you in a way that helped open your heart? What happened?

Fathers, Spiritual Family, and Influence

  1. Pastor Don said no one in the house of God has the right to grow older and not influence someone younger. What does that statement stir in you?
  2. Where do you currently have influence over someone younger in faith, age, or life experience?
  3. What are some simple ways our group or church can help “stand in the gap” for people who have not been marked by healthy identity, love, and affirmation?

Personal Reflection

  1. Which of these do you most need to receive from the Father right now?
  • “You are Mine.”
  • “You are loved.”
  • “I am pleased with you.”
  1. What would change in your life if you truly believed the Father was speaking those words over you?
  2. What is one step you can take this week to become an extension of the Father’s love to someone else?