For God So Loved 1

Scott

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One day Crickett Caleb and I went with another family to a Mountain that all the locals called mount sniffles…It is called this because it looks like a man with a big nose...It was in the spring and we were hoping to get some pictures of that wild flowers that grew on the mountain. We also hoped to drive to the top and take in the view and enjoy our time together.

One day Crickett Caleb and I went with another family south to a Mountain that all the locals called mount sniffles…It is called this because it looks like a man with a big nose...It was in the spring and we were hoping to get some pictures of that wild flowers that grew on the mountain. We also hoped to drive to the top and take in the view and enjoy our time together.

Scripture:

MARCH 10, 2019

Sermon Outline

It was a beautiful drive…a little tricky in some places but still beautiful…we were able to see several large patches of mountain wild flowers and even got some pictures of Caleb close to some small water falls.

There were several people act had the same idea as we did but many were coming back down the mountain having already spent most of the day on the mountain. However we kept going up. We were just above the tree line when we noticed that we had a flat tire.

INTRODUCTION

No big deal we would just pull off the path and change the time and head back down…so we thought…When we got out of the Ford Bronco to change the tire we found out we had not just one flat but two.

Apparently we had driven over a particularly sharp rock and the rock split both tires. So not only were they flat but the were both unrepairable.

For God So

So there we were at over 12,000 feet with two flat tires and no spares. Evening was coming on and non of us were prepared for spending a cold night at 12,000 feet. All the sudden being in the wilderness did not seem to be such a great idea.

As a matter of fact it was pretty scary as I thought about all the possibilities…We would either have to try to walk down the mountain which is not as easy as it looked. Or wait for hours or maybe even days before anyone would be back up or down these trails.

LOVED

Eventually we did get someone to take one of us down to a gas station to get a used tire and we ended up getting out of this predicament.

But suffice to say our time in the wilderness was not what we thought it would be. Instead of enjoying our time (which we did) we also learned how important it was to make sure we were always prepared for difficulties on the that trail no matter how safe we thought we might be.

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

As I look back on that time not only taught me how to be prepare for Mountain four wheeling it taught me the importance of keeping my wits, and staying calm in the face on uncertainty. While I did not go expecting life lessons my time on Mount Sniffles made me a better leader as well.

There seem to be two types of people in the world: those who love the wilderness, who camp, hike, hunt, and fish; and those who don’t, who prefer a Hilton with an indoor pool over a tent by a mountain stream. Some view the untamed wild as an opportunity for adventure, challenge, and exploration. Oth- ers view it as a beautiful sight to be viewed from the window of a chalet, where you don’t need to wear bug spray or worry about bears. When we approach this text about wilderness, we tend to bring along our preconceived notions and preferences about wilderness too: either it’s a vast and beautiful wonder, or it’s a challenging and desolate landscape to be viewed from afar.

I think most of us are willing to go on adventures that we can control but when we find ourselves in places and situations that require us to trust someone else we would rather retreat into things that we are comfortable with.

However wilderness adventures have the potential to leave us stranded with nothing but our thoughts and the presence of God.

This is why a lot of people are not fond of their wilderness adventures but these times have the potential to teach us things we would never have learned in times of busyness.

Today many of our wilderness times are not in the mountains or any other physical place…our wilderness experiences tend to be centered around seasons of life. Times of loneliness, depression, times of doubt, or other extreme times of uncertainty.

It is in these times of wilderness unfortunately that many of us not only have to deal with self doubt and pain but these also tend to be the times we are tested spiritual.

Jesus was tested or tempted in His wilderness experience as well. Temptation is a very real thing in our world and I am afraid that some have assumed that if one is tempted they are somehow in disobedience to God. This could not be farther from the truth.

If Jesus was tempted we can expect to be tempted as well.

We hate these times but if we are willing we can use these wilderness times to bring glory to God.

Wilderness for the Jews, however, would conjure up a very different image. The image wouldn’t be of camping, as much as one of journeying. It wouldn’t be of picture windows in mountain lodges, but of years looking out of tent flaps. For them, the idea of wilderness would bring up images of Moses and the exodus.

READ PASSAGE HERE (NLT)

Moses was led into the wilderness after killing the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. The wilderness for Moses became a place of refuge, until the day he saw a burning bush. Suddenly the wilderness became a place of calling, a place where God spoke, and he had the choice to answer. Out of the place of calling, the wilderness became once again a place of refuge, not just for Moses this time but also for the Hebrew people, who fled the oppression of the Egyptians.

Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness is a powerful passage that I have reflected upon often in my ministry. Just as Jesus was tested, I will face tests and trials often and learning from Jesus’ way of handling temptation will help me to be aware of when I’m thinking more of myself and less like Him.

Just as Jesus was tested, you and I will face tests and trials often and learning from Jesus’ way of handling temptation will help me to be aware of when I’m thinking more of myself and less like Him.

Temptation is a very real thing in our world and I am afraid that some have assumed that if one is tempted they are somehow in disobedience to God. This could not be farther from the truth. If Jesus was tempted we can expect to be tempted as well.

If Jesus was tempted we can expect to be tempted as well.

READ PASSAGE HERE (NLT)

Author, Henri Nouwen, wrote a book “In the Name of Jesus” and the temptations Jesus faced can be summed up in applicable language today:

In that same wilderness...God spoke again, through the Ten Commandments, calling his people to be a people of covenant relationship with him and with one another. The wilderness also became a place of provision, where the children of Israel were fed manna and quail, where water poured from rocks. This wild and untamed wilderness, however, was not just a place of refuge, of calling, and of provision. It was also a place of great temptation.

The Temptation to be Relevant:

“Jesus first temptation was to be relevant: to turn stones into bread. Are we not called to do something that makes people realize that we do make a difference in their lives? Aren’t we called to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and alleviate the suffering of the poor?

Jesus was faced with the same questions, but when he was asked to prove his power as the Son of God by the relevant behavior of turning stones into bread, he clung to his mission to proclaim the word and said, “Human beings live not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The Temptation to be Spectacular:

“Jesus was tempted to do something spectacular, something that could win him great applause. “Throw yourself from the parapet of the temple and let the angels catch you and carry you in their arms.”

But Jesus refused. He did not come to prove himself. He did not come to walk on hot coals, swallow fire, or put his hand in the lion’s mouth to demonstrate that he had something worthwhile to say. “Don’t put the Lord your God to the test,” he said.”

The Temptation to be Powerful:

wild and untamed wilderness, however, was not just a place of refuge, of calling, and of provision. It was also a place of great temptation.

“I will give you all the kingdoms of this world in their splendor,” the demon said to Jesus.

Around every corner the children of Israel were tempted to forsake the God who was performing miracles before them.

One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that leaders constantly give into the temptation to power—political power, military power, economic power, or moral and spiritual power—

Jesus, did not cling to his divine power but emptied himself and became as we are. What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible?

Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life.”

Jesus’ awareness of the ways the enemy tempted also prompted Him not to respond using his own words and own methods but the very words of God the Father.

They erected statues to worship, they grumbled about the food, they complained about the water. Ultimately, when they were told to take the promised land, they fell into the temptation of not trusting God, and they were forced to wander the wilderness for forty years.

These forty years of temptation and trial, of hope and promise, are what we see reflected in these forty days of Jesus’s wilderness journey. It is a time when he too finds refuge, calling, temptation, and provision in the midst of the wild.

Jesus’ awareness of the ways the enemy tempted also prompted Him not to respond using his own words and own methods but the very words of God the Father.

When we are letting the Word of God speak instead of our inner selfish desires we can overcome every temptations we encounter in the wilderness.

The enemy eventually gave up and left Jesus alone.

BODY

Jesus’ response to the enemy was an act of allegiance to God the Father.

When You and I stand firm on the Word of God and stay rooted in Christian Community eventually the enemy will leave us as well.

Adam and Eve’s response to the enemy reflects the desire for relevance, spectacular actions and power which ultimately led to their undoing and sin coming into the world.

Jesus’ response to the enemy was an act of allegiance to God the Father in realizing He was not greater than God and affirming His role faithfulness and obedience to coming to the earth to live among broken humanity and to eventually journey to the cross as a sacrifice that would conquer sin and death once and for all. There was redemption in Jesus not giving into the attacks the enemy kept presenting.

1. Wilderness Refuge

Temptation is never fun and it is not easy. Jesus had to surrender to this time in the wilderness to strip away any of the desires of his humanity in order to prepare him for the challenges to come.

Context: Chapter 3 talks of John the Baptist, who is described as a wild man who lives in the wilderness and talks about one coming to prepare the way. The image is of crooked paths being made straight.

When I was waiting on the kindness of strangers to get us out of our mountain wilderness I was

As the Lenten season approaches may we seek what it is we are to overcome temptations in our wilderness.

When I was stuck on the side of the mountain and that couple came to help us I had to trust that they actually would be able to help…I have rarely felt so powerless in that moment.

I was waiting for someone else to help our two families out of the wilderness. I had to resist that temptations to be a hero, or take matters in my own hands.

Some of us need to stop trying to be relevant, spectacular and Powerful. We need to simply be in the hands of God.

We are not called to be relevant…We are called to be obedient.

Context: Chapter 3 talks of John the Baptist, who is described as a wild man who lives in the wil- derness and talks about one coming to prepare the way. The image is of crooked paths being made straight.

As as a Pastor today who acknowledges the desire to be liked, to be relevant, to do spectacular things and to be powerful- the wilderness is not a place to be afraid but a place to welcome the moments of quiet and clarity that come when there is nothing left to do but to seek and listen.

We are not called to be relevant…We are called to be obedient.

We are not called to be spectacular…We are called to be available.

We are not called to Be Powerful but to be dependent…on God and each other

As the Lenten season approaches may we seek what it is we are to surrender.

Let us approach the Table of the Lord in an attitude of surrender of our desire for anything other than to be close to the heartbeat of God.

Wilderness, then, is not something to be avoided but, rather, is something that Christ enters into.

Let God lead us through our wilderness today.

Wilderness is not just a place of barrenness; it is also a place of promise.

The Holy Spirit is the one who leads Jesus into the wilderness.

Jesus enters into the wilderness in the company of the Trinity. He never enters it alone.

Jesus fasts for forty days while in the wilderness. Moses fasted for forty days and nights () as he prepared for the revelation of God on the stone tablets.

time of preparation for a divine revelation.

1. Fasting in the Old Testament was often preparation for divine revelation.

2. The fasting of Moses and Jesus parallel each other in such a way that it is clear that this is a time of preparation for a divine revelation.

We too can find refuge in the wilderness.

We are led into wild places of our lives. While we often resist these places, they can be times of refuge and formation.

As we lean into Lent, these forty days are days of refuge and reformation for us. A time to remove ourselves from the chaos of the world and prepare ourselves for divine revelation in our lives.

2. Wilderness Calling

a. Within the context of the entire chapter, it is apparent that Jesus is being led into public ministry through this time in the wilderness.

i. After he comes out of the wilderness, he declares that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to preach.

b. In the midst of the temptations, who Jesus is, is being reconfirmed.

i. Jesus never denies that he is the Son of God; rather, he reiterates that he is a humble servant devoted to the worship and service of God.

c. We can find our call in the wilderness.

We are brought back to images of Moses being called to free the children of Israel as we see Jesus called into the desert by the Holy Spirit.

In this season of Lent, we also prepare ourselves to hear the call of God in our lives. During these forty days, God might be calling you to speak freedom to others or to trust the Holy Spirit. Though it might not be through a burning bush, or days of temptation, be open to where calling might happen in the midst of these days.

3. Wilderness Temptation

Jesus is tempted in the wilderness. i. This might be the most obvious role of the wilderness. Jesus is there to be tempted.

He is tempted to meet immediate felt needs on his own and in his own way, by turning stones to bread.

i. He understands that there is more to life than just food.

He is tempted to succumb to celebrity and authority.

i. He understands that God alone is the one owed all glory and honor.

He is tempted to succumb to power.

i. He understands that we should not test God but instead should trust in the power of God, instead of depending on our power.

We too will face temptation in the wilderness.

Lent is a season of facing things that tempt us. This has been done through fasting from things we enjoy in order to draw closer to God. Things like sweets or coffee help us under- stand our propensity to fall to temptation instead of trusting God.

We can learn to stand firm against temptation through the power of Christ. 1. One of the ways we do that is through knowledge of Scripture, just like Jesus knew the

scriptures to stand against temptation.

4. Wilderness Provision

a. In the parallel Gospel of Matthew, it says that the angels attended him after the devil left.

i. In the midst of the wilderness, Jesus’s needs were met.

ii. This compares to the needs of the children of Israel in the wilderness; they did not need to leave the wilderness to be cared for. God cared for them even in the midst of the wilderness.

b. Jesus was given strength and words in the midst of his temptations.

i. The Holy Spirit continued to be present with Jesus, providing for him even in the midst of the hardest temptations.

c. We too can find provision in the wilderness.

We often think of the wilderness as a wasteland, but we are reminded through this text that God does not abandon us even in the midst of the wilderness.

When we are faithful to seek after God, we might discover during this season of Lent that God provides for us in ways we don’t always recognize in our day to day.

What ways is God providing for you in the midst of your wilderness?

Conclusion

The wilderness cannot be avoided, as much as we might try. We will find ourselves in the midst of the wild and untamed expanses of life at one time or another. The temptation is to avoid them, or to view them as places where nothing good can happen, but the wilderness can be a place of growth. It can be a place where we are restored, challenged, and called, and it can even be a time to see the provisions of God in the midst of scarcity. As a people, let’s walk into this time of Lenten wilderness with the expectation that God is going to walk with us through it all.