Power in the Wilderness
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
Intro: Praise group and thankful for the opportunity
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Pray.
Things in my life are so busy right now. I have so many things in the air that I am trying to keep going. Life with the kids, no sleep, doctorate stuff, working on book project, travel, etc. There is no open space in my calendar. Maybe you can relate. If my wife was here she could give an even better illustration of keeping so many things in the air.
(Show picture of family)
Corrie Ten Boom would often say a striking commentary on this kind of life….
“If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.”
Truth is we are busy and we are distracted.
Sermon from DR AJ Swoboda a professor and scholar at fuller seminary sharing about the differences between WW2 and Vietnam. Drug abuse and spousal abuse difference
WW2: yes there was this victory over the evils of the world but they had time to wait and space to process
Sermon from AJ Swoboda a professor and scholar at fuller seminary sharing about the differences between WW2 and Vietnam.
Vietnam: from the battlefield to the living room in 48 hours.
They had space to stop and process. Our culture, Swoboda claims, has done away with “space”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, famous poet:
“Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush a fire with God. But only he who sees will take off his shoes. The rest will just pick blackberries.”
Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush a fire with God. But
We have so many distractions in our life. So many things we balance, so many demands, but also so many wastes.
We have so many distractions in our life. So many things we balance, so many demands, but also so many wastes.
Cell Phone Usage:
Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush a fire with God. But
only he who sees will take off his shoes. The rest will just pick blackberries. -
The typical cellphone user touches his or her phone 2,617 time every day, according to a study by research firm Dscout. But that's just the average user: The study found that extreme cellphone users — meaning the top 10% — touch their phones more than 5,400 times daily.
only he who sees will take off his shoes. The rest will just pick blackberries. -
Over 2.5 hours and an average of 75 sessions.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
In his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer talks about the dangerous cycle of being too busy:
It may be the case that
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
(1) Christians are assimilating to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload, which leads to
(2) God becoming more marginalized in Christians’ lives, which leads to
(3) a deteriorating relationship with God, which leads to
(4) Christians becoming even more vulnerable to adopting secular assumptions about how to live, which leads to
(5) more conformity to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload. And then the cycle begins again.
The Wilderness
The Wilderness
I want you to see something in scripture that is blowing me away that John Mark Comer helped me see.
Look at again....
Read
We know from Matthew a little more detail about this journey into the wilderness:
Spirit leads him into wilderness, after 40 days and nights of fasting, he is hungry….uh yeah. That is what happens my my wife Lauren needs to eat....she gets Hangry.
That is when the Tempter shows up. How convenient.
Often thought this is exactly when the devil would show up, right?! When youre hungry, tired, and in the wilderness.
However the word used there for wilderness is not what we think. It is not even desert in the way we think of it. See the wilderness, or greek word, Eremos, The word could mean quiet place, disserted place, it could mean the lonely place. Uh it is the quiet and lonely place.
Friends, I need you to see something....Eremos is actually a place of strength. Jesus is stronger there. More Dependent on God, isolated from distractions, no one to pull him in other directions. He is focused after fasting and praying with God. This is where he is most powerful.
is actually a place of strength. He is stronger there. Dependent on God, isolated from distractions, no one to pull him in other directions. He is focused after fasting and praying with God. This is where he is most powerful.
Jesus Returns to the Wilderness Continually
Jesus Returns to the Wilderness Continually
Ok back to .
Ok back to , let me drive this home....I want you to see Jesus actions in the gospels.
Ok back to .
Jesus has been in this super ministry day. Crazy stuff going on. It is a marathon day. Call his disciples and brings them on board, he drives out an impure spirit. Then verse 29…. Read about the Crazy day.
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Mark 1:29-
Now look at verse 35….
Now look at verse 35….
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:35
He did not sleep in and recover. He did not grab brunch with disciples. He did not wake up early cause there was still sooooooooo much to do. But he got up and went to a solitary place.
He did not sleep in and recover. He did not grab brunch with disciples. He did not wake up early cause there was still sooooooooo much to do. But he got up and went to a solitary place. Do you know what that word is for solitary. Eremos. The place of power. He just came out of 40 days of this. His tank should still be full.
Do you know what that word is for solitary here? Eremos. The place of power. He just came out of 40 days of this. His tank should still be full but he still went back there. Why?
Well let me close with a few thoughts:
1. Power in the Wilderness
Don’t think of Satan being in the Wilderness…think of the power to fight Satan coming from time in the wilderness. The solitary place is where power for spiritual warfare comes from. The solitary place is where the ability for ministry comes from. The solitary place is the anointing of the Holy Spirit is activated in your life.
2. Identity is found in the wilderness
If you read on the disciples find him after that morning alone…hey man everyone is still looking for you!!!!! What you did was awesome. Jesus, reply, let us go somewhere else.
First, Identity, the grand entrance of the mission of God in Jesus, in Mark’s gospel it begins at baptism there. We know that God’s mission is at work long before this moment but in Mark it starts right here. Identity is proclaimed in the baptism....
And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1
But it is in the wilderness with the Father that those words change from proclamation to acclimation. Head knowledge to heart knowledge.
First, the grand entrance of the mission of God in Jesus, in Mark’s gospel it begins at baptism there. We know that God’s mission is at work long before this moment but in Mark it starts right here. Identity is proclaimed in the baptism....But it is in the wilderness with the Father that those words change from proclamation to acclimation. Head knowledge to heart knowledge.
3. Mission is found in the wilderness
If you read on the disciples find him…hey man everyone is still looking for you!!!!! What you did was awesome. Jesus, reply, let us go somewhere else.
If you read on the disciples find him after that morning alone…hey man everyone is still looking for you!!!!! What you did was awesome. Jesus, reply, let us go somewhere else.
Out of the quiet place comes identity. Awareness of who he is. When you abide in God, It becomes more clear who you are
The other night I was teaching on this a little with prayer and worship night. And the room started talking about how hard it was to have a quiet time. Listen I showed you those little monsters earlier and the idea of quiet time in the morning in the way it once was is impossible, but this is more than a little quiet time with Jesus Calling. This is about abiding in God. It is about removing distractions. It is about putting your phone down. Turning the radio off on your commute.
As you begin this day and this jump into ministry, what is most important for the church and those you serve will be your time in the wilderness. It is where power comes from, it is where identity is formed, it is where mission is launched.
Read
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.