Make Him Known - Pt 1

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Starting at Repentance: The Shepherd’s First Call

The gospel begins not with self-improvement but with a U-turn. Repentance isn’t merely feeling sorry—it’s abandoning old paths to walk toward Jesus. Like a runner at the starting block, alignment matters: a heart turned toward God positions us to receive His power. Without repentance, faith becomes cosmetic—like dressing up a corpse. True life-change starts when we admit our deadness and cry, “Create in me a clean heart.” The Shepherd’s voice calls us to drop every distraction and run His way. [40:37]

“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. […] The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
(Mark 1:4, 15, ESV)

Reflection: What direction is your life currently facing? What would it look like today to take one step toward Jesus instead of away?

Day 2: Nets of Security: What Are You Clinging To?

Nets symbolize comfort zones—the habits, mindsets, or crutches we grip for safety. For the disciples, nets meant income and identity. For us, it might be control, pride, or even good things we’ve made ultimate. Jesus’ command to “follow me” requires open hands. Clinging to nets tangles us; releasing them frees us to catch kingdom purpose. The call is immediate: delay breeds excuses. What nets keep you from wholehearted obedience? [50:05]

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
(Mark 1:17–18, ESV)

Reflection: What “net” have you mistaken for security? How might surrendering it today create space for God’s provision?

Day 3: Death to Disguises: Makeup Won’t Fix Deadness

Repentance isn’t a spiritual makeover. Like morticians applying cosmetics to corpses, we often mask decay with church attendance or moral effort. True change begins when we admit, “I’m a dead man preaching to dead people.” Only Jesus’ resurrection power rewires our desires. David’s raw prayer in Psalm 51 models this: no self-justification, just desperate dependence. What masks are you wearing to hide areas where you still feel lifeless? [43:10]

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”
(Psalm 51:10–11, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to perform spirituality instead of confessing helplessness? How can you invite God into that place today?

Day 4: Valley Walking: Shadows and the Shepherd’s Tools

The Shepherd doesn’t avoid valleys but equips us for them. David’s psalm shifts from “He makes me lie down” to “You are with me.” Valleys expose our need for His rod (correction) and staff (guidance). Oil—symbolizing the Spirit’s comfort—soothes wounds the world can’t see. Walking through darkness isn’t failure; it’s where we learn His presence is enough. What valley are you facing, and how might God be using it to deepen your trust? [59:25]

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
(Psalm 23:4, ESV)

Reflection: What fear or pain in your current “valley” makes it hard to sense God’s presence? How might His rod or staff be active there?

Day 5: Go Tell: Confession Fuels the Fire

Repentance isn’t private. Jesus told the healed man, “Go home to your friends” (Mark 5:19). Our stories of rescue—messy edges and all—ignite hope in others. Like missionaries following a scarred guide, we lead best when we admit, “I know the way because I’ve been lost too.” What testimony have you bottled up out of shame or self-sufficiency? Your confession could be someone else’s starting line. [01:11:17]

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together […] but encouraging one another.”
(Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV)

Reflection: Who needs to hear your story of repentance and rescue? What’s one step you can take this week to “go tell”?

Sermon Summary

Mark opens with no wasted time because the Great Shepherd has arrived. Mark shows Jesus changing lives all around Him, while the disciples watching Him are getting changed too. The Christian walk is not about getting fixed once and for all before heaven. It is about seeing Jesus change other people while He keeps working on the heart that follows Him.

The gospel starts at repentance. John proclaims a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins, and Jesus comes saying, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Repentance is not just feeling sorry or changing a thought. Repentance turns around. It says, “I cannot keep going this way,” and it starts walking toward Jesus. Without repentance, a person is just putting makeup on a dead man. Godly sorrow does more than grieve sin. Godly sorrow produces a different direction.

David’s cry, “Create in me a clean heart,” shows that repentance reaches the mind, will, and emotions. David knew ugly failure, deep sin, and real forgiveness. God does not minimize sin, but God also does not throw away the person who comes broken before Him. The Father keeps His eyes on His children, and that presence pushes back fear when the heart is trembling in the dark.

Jesus calls fishermen to drop their nets immediately and follow Him. Those nets were more than fishing equipment. The nets could be security, comfort, shame, addictions, comparison, family patterns, pride, or whatever keeps a person tangled up. One person’s net does not look like another person’s net, but every net that draws a heart away from God must come down. A person cannot catch what God is calling them to if they refuse to let go of what they are clinging to.

Psalm 23 shows the Shepherd leading, restoring, protecting, correcting, and anointing wounded sheep with relief. David shifts from “He” to “You” in the valley of the shadow of death because pain makes the Shepherd’s nearness personal. The rod protects, and the staff corrects. A cold heart stops sensing correction, but a heart alive to God still welcomes His hand turning it back toward life.

James calls believers to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. The starting point is identifying the net, praying against it, and taking one step at a time in the tracks of Jesus. Repentance leads to following, and following leads to confession. Mark 5:19 gives the destination: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” Jesus came down the mountain to make a way, and His people follow that way and tell somebody what He has done.

Key Takeaways

1. Repentance turns the whole life around. Repentance is more than being upset about sin or ashamed of consequences. It is a real turning of the mind, the will, and the feet toward Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not merely help a person feel bad about the old road. He gives supernatural power to begin walking a new one. [42:08]
2. Every heart has a net to drop. Nets can look like addiction, comfort, pride, comparison, family baggage, or the need to stay in control. A net becomes dangerous when it keeps a person from following Jesus fully. Jesus does not call people to manage their nets better. Jesus calls them to leave them and follow. [55:35]
3. The Shepherd meets people in valleys. Psalm 23 does not promise that believers avoid the valley of the shadow of death. David finds that the valley changes “He” into “You,” because the Shepherd becomes deeply present in grief, pain, and loss. God’s correction and protection both become comfort when the heart knows He is near. [59:25]
4. Following Jesus requires personal obedience. A person cannot spend all day measuring another person’s net while carrying their own. Jesus gives each believer a path, and His feet make the way secure like a deer climbing impossible rocks. Faithfulness often looks like one more step in the tracks Jesus has already made. [67:41]
5. Repent, follow, then go tell. Confession is connected to repentance because a changed life cannot stay hidden forever. Jesus sends redeemed people back to friends, families, workplaces, and communities with the story of what He has done. Somebody may hear the gospel through a life that only Jesus could have changed.

## [71:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[36:46] - A Journey of Change in Mark
[38:20] - Jesus Changes the Disciples Too
[39:14] - Come and See, Follow, Go Tell
[40:37] - Repentance Is the Starting Point
[42:08] - Repentance Means Turning Around
[45:27] - Godly Sorrow Produces Change
[46:16] - David’s Cry for a Clean Heart
[48:45] - The Father Has His Eyes on You
[49:40] - Drop Your Nets and Follow Jesus
[52:57] - Getting Uncomfortable With Old Ways
[55:35] - Different Nets, Same Call to Release
[57:22] - The Shepherd in the Valley
[60:48] - Be Doers of the Word
[62:06] - Identify What Is Holding You Back
[65:09] - Let Go to Catch God’s Calling
[70:33] - Keep Stepping in Jesus’ Tracks
[71:17] - Repent, Follow, Confess
[73:25] - Jesus Is the Only Way
[73:59] - Prayer of Repentance and Salvation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Mark 1:1-20
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. [40:37]

Psalm 23:1-4
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. [59:25]

Mark 5:19
And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” [01:11:17]

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. [46:16]

James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [01:01:47]

Observation questions

In Mark 1, what words and actions show that repentance involves more than feeling sorry about sin?
What did Simon, Andrew, James, and John leave behind when Jesus called them, and how quickly did they respond? [49:55]
In Psalm 23, what does the Shepherd do for His sheep before David speaks about walking through the valley?
What change takes place in David’s language in Psalm 23 when he reaches “the valley of the shadow of death”? [59:25]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says, “Repent and believe in the gospel,” and then calls fishermen to follow Him. How do repentance, faith, and following Jesus fit together in these verses? [45:06]
A fishing net gave the disciples a way to work and provide for themselves. What are some reasons security, comfort, family patterns, shame, or comparison can become “nets” that keep a person from following Jesus freely? [50:48]
Psalm 23 says that both the Shepherd’s rod and staff bring comfort. How can protection and correction both be expressions of God’s care for His people? [01:00:04]
James warns that hearing without doing can be self-deception. What might it look like for someone to agree with God’s Word but keep refusing the change God is calling for? [01:02:11]

Application questions

What is one “net” that may be holding you back right now—an old habit, need for control, comfort, bitterness, comparison, pride, fear, or something else? What makes it hard to put down? [01:02:11]
Repentance means turning around and walking toward Jesus, not only being sorry about the old direction. Is there a specific change in your words, choices, relationships, or routines that would show a real turn toward Jesus this week? [42:08]
Jesus called the fishermen, and they left their nets immediately. Is there an area where you have been delaying obedience, making excuses, or waiting for a more comfortable time to obey? What could one faithful next step look like? [55:35]
David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart.” Is there something in your mind, will, or emotions that needs to be brought honestly before God rather than hidden or managed on your own? [47:25]
The Shepherd is especially near in the valley. Where have you experienced pain, grief, fear, or uncertainty that could move your prayer from talking about God to speaking directly to Him? [59:35]
Rather than measuring another person’s net, what would help you keep your attention on the path Jesus has set before you? [01:07:12]
Jesus sends changed people back to their friends to tell what the Lord has done. Who is one person in your life who may need to hear a simple, honest part of your story this week? [01:11:54]

Sermon Clips

36s

#ReleaseToReceive

“We're tangled up in what we once had and what we once thought and what we want knew and what we once did, and we get tangled in our nets. And and that's what he's saying in Hebrews. He said, and before that he says, we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. There's a whole there's a whole sermon in that, but we get tangled in the nets because we don't identify what they are. And then number two, you know, you can't catch what God oh, this is good. This is so good. I couldn't have come up with it. You can't catch what God's calling you to if you won't let go of what you're clinging to.”

40s

#DropYourNetNow

“But some of us and here's what the bible said, immediately. Immediately, they dropped their net. And some of us need to quit making excuses why we can't go the other way and say immediately. There is a heaven to gain and there is a hell to shun. And we need to immediately drop our nets in Jesus' name. Life is too short to take a chance with your soul. I'm consumed with the soul of man, and you say, man, you're getting fired up this morning. Oh, what we all are to be. It's what I pray for.”

27s

#RepentAndLive

“And if we don't have repentance, all we're doing is putting more makeup on a dead person. It's the gospel of repentance that brings us to life. It's the gospel of repentance that does something in our heart that says, oh, God. Oh, God, help me. I am a dead man. And I I love what the preacher said. I'm a dead man preaching to dead people. And the idea of this repentance is a dying to yourself.”

34s

#BreakTheCycle

“It's time to grow up and say, you know what? Maybe my way is not the right way. Maybe just because I was raised this way don't mean it needs to belong to me. Maybe because there was a curse in my family doesn't mean I can't that Jesus can't reverse the curse. Just because I've been bound in addiction doesn't mean I have to stay in addiction. Just because my mom and daddy had problems don't mean I'm a have the same problems. I don't have to put up with it because god has put something down in me that's greater. He that's greater than me, that he that's greater that's in the world.”

28s

#RepentAndTurn

“And this idea of repentance is saying, no. I'm not gonna do that anymore. You know, really the truth is is it this is a hard thing. Repentance isn't just saying the sorry for where I've been, but it's turning toward the Jesus that is leading you. Because the bible says godly sorrow worketh repentance. I've seen people that were sorry for what they've done, but they're not sorry enough to change the behavior.”

37s

#StartWithRepentance

“I don't know about you, but I don't know where I'd be. I'd probably be dead or in prison if twenty one years ago the Lord didn't visit me and he arrived. But but the starting point is so important. The starting point, what he talks about is repentance. So the starting point is repentance. Well, three of you agree with me this morning. The starting point is, see, if you don't start right, you're not going in drive. And and I know it may not be popular, and it may not be you you don't hear it all the time, but the starting point of the gospel is repentance.”

40s

#CalledNotQualified

“Every one of these disciples, these were Jewish disciples. Every single one of the disciples that Jesus spoke to would have went through a school, and they would have went through the school of Hebrew. And when they wouldn't be able to pass the test, then they would be rejected from the school because they weren't smart enough, and then they would have to go to work for their father. Come on somebody. That's good right there. But do you know that Jesus does not call the qualified, but he qualifies the called? See, sometimes their net, what it was when he said, throw down your net, it was their security.”

21s

#IdentifyYourNet

“But you gotta identify it. You gotta today, I want you to ask yourself today, what is holding me back? What's holding my marriage back? What's holding me back from witnessing to my kids? What's holding me back at my job site? What's holding me back? Because if you don't learn to identify what it is, you can never pray against it in Jesus' name.”

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