Beyond the Wilderness 2025

Beyond the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Beyond the Wilderness Title Slide

Good morning and welcome to worship on this beautiful day that the Lord has made! Today is the day that we often celebrate the Baptism of the Lord or The Wilderness Temptation of Jesus… and by the Scripture you have just heard, you know we are looking at the latter. I know Jesus was just born 3-weeks ago and now we are looking at the beginning of his adult ministry, but that is the way our Scriptures go. Oh, there are legends and stories of Jesus’ childhood. Ann Rice put together a novel from these stories called, “Out of Egypt” and it contains all kinds of cute stories of Jesus making birds out of mud and breathing life into them… or raising a bully from the dead. But none of those legends and stories are scripture and none of them are verifiable. Simply put, it is a work of fiction. The truth is, we don’t know much of Jesus life between his birth, his visit to the Temple when he was 8 days old, the Wise Men visiting him when he was about 3 years old, their leaving Bethlehem for Egypt, their return after Herod the Great’s death, and his visit to the Temple when he was 8 years old. The story of Jesus' life pics up some 25 years later when he was baptized in the Jordan and stepped into the wilderness.

And, that is where we pick up today as we look at life beyond the wilderness.

<Prayer>

(Beach Paradise)

Sometimes our journey takes us to unexpected places.

How would you like to be paid to vacation along the Pacific Coast of Central America? Several years ago, while I was in the U.S. Army Reserves, my Water Purification Unit was sent to El Salvador for humanitarian aid work rebuilding the schools, roads, and bridges after hurricanes ravaged the country.

These were my boots on that journey. You know, the wilderness makes an impact on us, and there are certain markers that take us back to those days. The jungle boots do that for me.

As you can imagine we were excited to be a part of rebuilding a country and at the same time have a chance to see the Pacific coast and mountains of Central America. However, prior to our departure, we found out about the active communist party and guerrilla warfare that was still taking place at times in the mountains, precisely where we were to be working. When we arrived in country, the beauty we expected was quickly erased as we landed at

The San Salvador International Airport.

As we taxied past the airport and to the military hanger we were met by armed guards who escorted us off the plane and quickly into a hanger where they told us about possible snipers looking for American targets. It was hot, smelly, dirty, and far from a Pacific Paradise we expected. We were crowded on an old charter bus to head to the airbase.

(Communist Party Logo and Pupuseria)

On the way I saw some of the most poverty-stricken sites I have ever laid eyes on as well as Communist slogans and logos everywhere we turned. We saw buildings made out of scraps, raw sewage draining down the side of 2 story buildings into creeks, and children playing in the same creeks while their mother was washing their clothes only yards away.

(15th QM Team)

When we got to the airbase where we were to await transport to our mountain paradise things didn’t get any better. We were to stay in an old hanger that had been converted into a barracks. During the day the temperatures reached over 115° in the hanger and only cooled to about 80° at night. It was miserable and we couldn’t wait to get to the mountains where we would spend the rest of our time in the cool mountain air. Until we learned that we were to purify water from Lago Muerto, Dead Man’s Lake. As we were caravanning to Dead Man’s Lake we discovered that it was a lake in the mountains between El Salvador and Guatemala where a fierce battle had taken place and thousands of soldiers had been dumped during the civil war that had plagued the country only 8 to 10 years earlier.

(Dusty Roads)

As we drove across the country and approached the mountain paradise that we expected, we found more of the same conditions we had seen earlier. Homes made from scraps, a malaria hospital only minutes from our camp, pigs so skinny that you would think there was no meat on them, free-range chickens running all over the place, and children playing in the streets with no shoes and ratty clothing.

(DML Shower)

At our camp large spiders were seen crawling over our towels at our makeshift latrine, soldiers were stung regularly by scorpions, and we were on a constant lookout for snakes.

(Tent City at Dead Man’s Lake)

The cool mountain air only came around at night, the rest of the time it was hot, dry, dusty and smelly. The lake site where we were to purify water from was actually a sewage dump site for the local community. A pipe was constantly draining putrid liquid into the lake.

Our mountain paradise had become a place of trials. The paradise we expected had become a wilderness, a desert. It was a place where I was confronted with the possibility of death from the enemy and from the elements. It was a place where I had to confront my own complacency. It was a place where I wrestled with following through with the mission I had been given or giving in and just sitting back while others did the job.

Jesus spent time in the Wilderness too. We just heard the Scripture from Matthew read.

(Beyond the Wilderness Title)

The scriptures tell us that Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. Many have translated the wilderness to be the desert or a ‘desert place where sin and death abound’. Some have even stated that it may have been a cemetery for the poor. No doubt, it was a place of danger and it is where Jesus went to prepare for his ministry. He fasted in this place and taught his body discipline. He would have spent time remembering his past and looking toward his future. He would have reflected on the things he had learned and refined his mind. He would have spent time in prayer, building a relationship with the Father and strengthening his spirit. According to Matthew it was at the end of this time, when Jesus would have been his weakest, that the tempter, Satan, came to him and offered him the world.

Isn’t that how it is with us though? When we are at our lowest point, when we have been working our hardest and are tired, when we have given our all for something and seem to have nothing left to give, when our boss is getting on our nerves, when we have just had a fight with our parents or our spouse or our boyfriend or girlfriend, when we are alone and lonely… that is when we are confronted with that temptation.

That temptation to pull into the bar and give up on sobriety… what will it hurt, right?

The temptation to say yes to that co-worker that keeps flirting, even though the ring on our finger reminds us that we shouldn’t…

Log onto that website one more time that we know we shouldn’t, but who will it hurt?

Just once, take a little money out of the petty cash box, since we’ve worked so hard and we deserve a little extra.

Isn’t it when we are at our weakest that we receive that temptation? That is what happened to Jesus. He was at his weakest and yet he withstood the temptation.

I have always been taught that the point of the temptation was to show the humanity of Christ and to give us an example of how to withstand that temptation. In experiencing the temptation, we do see as Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have a “High Priest who understands our weakness and has been tempted as we yet without sin”.

It is obvious that Christ uses scripture to withstand and overcome the temptations that were before him. We should do as Christ and follow what Psalm 119 tells us and “Hide God’s word in our heart that we may not sin”. By having God’s word in our heart we can recall it when we need the strength to withstand the temptation.

But I think there may be more to it than that. I think that there is more to this story. Look at the scripture that Jesus quoted, Deuteronomy 8:3, (Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word from the mouth of God) 6:16, (do not put the lord your God to the test) and 6:13 (Worship the Lord your God and serve only him). These were the words of Moses as he led the people of Israel through the wilderness. If we compare the stories of the wilderness of the Exodus from Egypt and the wilderness temptation of Christ, we can see a correlation.

· Jesus fasted for 40 days before the temptation, just as Moses fasted 40 days prior to receiving the 10 commandments.

· Jesus was tempted with bread, not only for his body but for many. The text tells us that the temptation was to turn the STONES into bread. He could have fed many with this miracle. The Israelites received Manna in the wilderness and expected to see a Messiah that would supply them with bread from heaven again, just as God did during the wilderness. Jesus could have given them what they wanted instead of what God intended.

· Jesus was tempted to test the faithfulness of God, just as the Israelites continually tested God’s power of deliverance while they wandered in the desert before entering the Promise Land.

· Jesus was tempted to worship another besides God, just as the Israelites were tempted and failed when they worshiped the Golden Calf while Moses was receiving the 10 commandments.

It appears that the authors of the Gospels understood that in telling of the temptation, they were showing that Jesus was able to withstand the temptation that the Israelites failed to resist while in the wilderness and by doing so Jesus was able to restore the Israelites and all of mankind to God as no other could.

So, in the temptation, Jesus shows us to resist sin by taking scripture into our lives and having it make a difference in us. He showed us that he is able to restore mankind to a right relationship with God by overcoming the sins that separated us from God.

However, if we stop with this lesson alone, I think we miss the main point of the story of the temptation. The temptation didn’t stop when he left the wilderness; Jesus was constantly tempted to not follow through with his mission. After overcoming the temptation in the wilderness Jesus went out into the world and ministered to everyone, gentiles and Jews. 12 hours after overcoming the temptation in The Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was on the cross for us. The fact that Jesus overcame all these temptations is a great feat for all of us who are covered by the salvation that he offered, but the lesson to learn is that it was not in the wilderness that Jesus made a difference. It was in the wilderness that Jesus received the strength to stand in the world, complete his ministry, and be nailed to the cross. It was beyond the wilderness that Jesus fulfilled his mission. It was in leaving the wilderness that Jesus made a difference in our lives. Jesus used the wilderness to prepare for what lay ahead of him, beyond the wilderness.

We have wildernesses in our life too. We have times when we are overcome with stress and feel alone that we can strengthen our bodies. We have times when we are in school, learning and studying that we can sharpen our minds for what God has for us. We have times when we are battling our temptations that we can sharpen our spirit. And let’s be honest here… we have been through a wilderness as a church. COVID, Disaffiliation, and some of the challenges we have faced since have been a time of wilderness. It is in these wilderness times that we grow and find the strength to accomplish our mission for God... God is calling us beyond the wilderness!

(Base Camp 2)

While I was in the mountains of El Salvador at Dead Man’s Lake, swatting Malaria infested mosquitoes, watching for spiders, scorpions, and snakes… I never understood the beauty of where I was. I had finally made it to my last day there and was about to fly out. As the mechanic I had all my gear plus the tools and equipment all packed up in my footlocker, rucksack, and a duffle bag. We loaded our gear up on the back of a hummvee and rode to the base of a hill where the Blackhawk was to land. As we approached the bottom of the hill we saw the helicopter approach and we had to rush to make it in time. I struggled up the hill with my gear as others struggled with all their gear.

(Black Hawk Exit)

It was like running a 100-yard dash up a steep hill then straight onto the Blackhawk.

When we finally got on and buckled in, we were all out of breath, sweaty and smelly but thankful to be leaving that God forsaken mountain place. But when we took off our perspective began to change.

As we took off we looked down to see where we had been. We were on top of a huge majestic mountain surrounded by lush jungle.

(Mountain Paradise)

The lake we were beside was huge and stretched for miles. It was beautiful, clear and pure. As we flew over, we could see the hydrilla and grass growing in the water. We could see waterfalls where one part of the lake flowed down the mountain into another part of the lake. We could see that we truly were in a mountain paradise, we just had not seen it because we were to busy focusing on the desolate God forsaken wilderness that we thought we were in.

As we travel this journey of 2025 and find ourselves in our own wilderness at times, whether they be in school, work, or relationships, let us all remember that we will come through the wilderness and though we may not see it at the time, there is great beauty in the wilderness where God has allowed us to be. Let us all do as Christ did: learn discipline, reflect on our past and future, strengthen our spirit, and reach out to others. As we do this, we will be preparing for what lies ahead just as Christ prepared for what was ahead, “Beyond the Wilderness”.