The Land without Boundaries

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When i was a teenager , i use to love walking around my neighborhood where we lived we boarded broad river and harbison state forest so a-lot of natural areas of exploration. So many times i would be walking the trails and see something interesting off trail and go investigate.

I found cool caves and once behind my house i found a make shift tree house that i added on until one rainy day the weight of a feather knocked it down, once even an area with some old unused sewer concrete pipes. Reinforced concrete pipes. With a few chairs around it and a little dug out campfire area and we would get off the bus go up to this area and act a fool.

See adventures generally start off with an interest to see whats over a hill, or under a bridge. Whats that colorful thing in this distance. OR maybe even a myth or legendary story a kid would tell on the bus that would leave us searching the woods or an area for some fascinating structure.

Into the unknown we would go.

Those were the days. Anyone else experience that childhood?

Well this is part of who we are.

See Humans have this drive to explore the unknown, we want to discover this whole universe, push the boundaries of our limits and then push even further to see what we are fully capable of

This exploration is how we discover new depths and happen upon hidden treasures.

This isnt part of our fallen man, its part of us that God has planted. Our entire person Body Spirit and Soul wants to be on a course of some sort of exploration.

See what ive found interesting in my own life any maybe you can relate to this as well.

i Enjoy going into the wilderness i enjoy journeing into the unknown when im in charge.

But someone else is leading me i dont want to go.

If a friend of mine who i know has no since of direction is taking me into a wilderness area im not sure if i can trust him.

lets get serious with this now when The Holy Spirit begins to walk me into a wilderness area its not that i dont trust Holy Spirit.

Its that im now not in control.

God uses the Holy Spirit to walk us into many a different areas in our life’s.

We’re okay with being taken to the mountain top. Because we can have a refreshing of God’s awareness, we can be in wonder and awe with a mountain top experience.

Or when God takes us through the garden, Where we see new creation in our lives, we see a place of wholeness and Gods fruitfulness.

Even when H.S. takes us down by the water where he refreshes my soul, when we get nourishment and peace while we build this trust with God.

But what we dont want is For God to take us into the Desert place or the Wilderness.

God uses different accesses of terrain to shape and cultivate who we need to be to receive the promises of tomorrow.

over the next few weeks we are going to look at some of these different stories to better familiarize ourself with walks that God may be taking us on. Today were going to start with a place we all love to be....The Wilderness....

So what is the wilderness.

We can define

wilderness is the exploration of the unknown and untouched.

Last week we talked a little about a wilderness spot.

See the wilderness in the OT is often referred to as a desert place.

This desert isn’t what we know it as with sand for ages. But the desert in Judaea was rocky dry with little water and nothing inhabited it.

Last week we had a conversation about a weakness. Or rather we talked about what we do with the fragile, sensitive parts of our lives.

For some its a secret sin we dont want anyone to find out about. Its not that you want to be stuck in this sin but its exactly that. you’re stuck. In this circle of death. You get caught up and find yourself masking who you are in the cover of shame.

For others

We mentioned that we all have weaknesses, some that cause limitations in what, where, or how we can do things. Those of you also, Though a course of fragile moments cover up life in a cloth of shame.

Your weaknesses, weather self inflicted or naturally dealt. Are God’s strongholds. You are God’s people. You are His children. those things have no power over who you are. But God takes our weaknesses and creates in us new life. Even though us God brings New Life to those around you amen!

Lets look at a few moments where God sends his people out into the unknown

Genesis 12:1–4 NIV

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

I will Make you....and i will bless you

I will Make you....and i will bless you.

God instructs abram hey go…go where i send you. So abram gathered his belongings and went.

Notices that if you keep reading where Abram was sent.....was a place of famine....

Sometimes the place we are designed to go isnt the blessing but its the making of one.

This word wilderness is one we are familiar with but dont want to be apart of. We generally dont want to be in a place like the wilderness. Especially not spiritually speaking.

When we think of biblical wilderness we general have the image of people wondering around in circles with no place to go.

The wilderness is dry, desolte, uninhabited place. Not something that we want to partake. Escpecially if we have just recieved a calling from God.

Abraham went from a famine, to family seperation, to a entire cities desolation, into another test and trial…so on and so forth the story continues but we know that because of Abrahams persistance and faithfulness an entire nation was born.

A nation that was promised a land that out would flow milk and honey.

I dont know about you but i work hard day and night not to provide for my family a place of contentment. But i want to provide a place that can produce milk and honey in abundance. I love my Wife and I love my Children enough to pray blessings over there lifes and future families and generations to come that could prosper from the work ive done here.

Its interesting that in the bible when you see wilderness times in the bible they often are right after mountain top experiences.

We expect Holy Spirit to show up but we arent ready for the growth he brings us. When we go into the desert wilderness where nothing survives but the truth, we tend to fall away or run out of a the wilderness with the last bit of strength we had to survive another day..

Mountain top Experience met with Wilderness experience

This same thing happens with Jesus.

Jesus in Mark 1 9-13

Mark 1:9–13 NIV

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

What happens in the wilderness.

First we have to understand nothing survives the wilderness.

In the Israelites days the Wilderness looked like this

Picture here

Its a land of endless amounts of nothingness.

The wilderness is a few things. Its a land without food, scarce on water, no rain fall, which all of these things would mean no permanent settlement could be formed here.

We cant stay in the wilderness without Gods’ supply.

Wilderness doesn't produce so people back then would avoid traveling through a wilderness. Even if that means to completely by pass from town to town all the way around .

Jeremiah gives us a perfect definition of a wilderness.

Jeremiah 2:6 NIV

6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’

So this is the wilderness in the bible what does this look like in me and you?

Some of us may have been living our best life things are going great and then you found out someone wasnt being honest with you and suddenly you are in a wilderness.

You thought spouse was being faithful, and your spouse wasnt, So now youre in a wilderness,

maybe your in a financial wilderness, you keep trying and trying to get out of this hole and you feel so desperate and whatever you do it doesnt seem to work

youve tried to talk with people and they seem like they dont understand, you feel alone, you feel spiritually dry.

See here we feel alone when we are in the wilderness.

So why and what do we do in the wilderness.

The wilderness drives you to be dependent on God!

Jesus in the passage we just read. Was just baptized and when he emerged from the water He saw the heavens torn open. And God speaks openly and publically to his son. Saying YOu are my son, whom i Love, with you i am well please.

A father to a son what better words can you hear. Not just an affimation of love from a father. But Jesus See’s the Glory of God tear open the sky and then anoints his son with the power of the Holy Spirit.

What a Mountain top experience for then what comes next Mark describes as immediatly Jesus is driven into the wilderness.

We just painted a picture of the desolation of a wilderness area.

So really fast we are going to look at 2 things that happened to Jesus and can expect to happen to us in the wilderness areas of our lives.

1). Wilderness gets Testy

In your grumbling becomes his purpose.

When jesus was walking in this desolate wilderness for his 40 days he became weak. Not eating any food, He starved his earthly Body and broke down so many different ways.

When you and i fast the same vulnerability becomes evident.

We get hangry the first few days, we get aggravated the next few days, we tend to shut down emotionally after a certain lapse of time without the physical nutrients our body is saying we need.

these are symptoms of our body crying for help. throwing error codes through different emotional and physical attributes.

This same thing happen to all of the lot of the Israelites as they were lead from oppression into freedom towards promised lands....but the journey had just began and they started grumbling.

Exodus 16:2–3 NIV

2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Israel may have been in a wilderness but God provided.

What they missed is found in after sight.

Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Most important thing we can do inside of a wilderness season is meditate with him in the Word.

The test in the desert are there for you. See the test we may face inside of the wilderness arent test of pass or fail. but they are test that brings us to our knees.

The point of the wilderness is for us to become spiritual aware.

To be spiritual aware is to be alive in christ.

Colossians 1:13 NIV

13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

To be spiritually aware opens our eyes to the reality of our sinful condition, being all the more acceptated of the grace of God. and Seeing the lies of the enemiy.

in Spiritual awareness we can know the Love of God, and experience the comfort from God in the Holy Spirit.

So wilderness isnt just for us to know God. But for us to be found in God.

So we can be Spiritually prepared for the Spiritual Battles that are at war around us.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The Test that ultimately bring us to our knees help us

The test in the wilderness is how fast do we get on our knees.

From sin to how fast we kneel

from upside down world to how fast we can get on our knees

See this is what seperates us from others. Our response to being dependant upon christ.

2). Wilderness brings Separation

The uncertainties of the wilderness create a need for God and a dependence upon God.

God lets you do without, so you can come to know Him as your provider.

God lets you be lonely. So that you can come to know Him as your friend.

God lets you be frightened and worried, so that you can come to know Him as your peace.

God lets you be weak, so that you can know His strength.

In the wilderness usually we venture off alone. Jesus didnt have his disciples. Matter of fact he had yet to fully start ministry before he was pulled off into the wilderness.

Saul on his way to damascus met jesus personally, this encounter changed his life forever. We know this lead to Saul’s conversion to Paul. But there is a time frame before this. Saul visits ananias where he hears the gospel and receives not only physical sight back but spiritual insight.

Spiritual Insight comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We must know that facebook memes dont count as spiritual insight.

Come on now im guilty as well. You sit back and read something from your christian friends daily devotional and your have a sigh or a wow thats good moment. that aint it my friends.

Saul takes a trip after meeting with aninias to arabia where he stayed for 2 1/2 years where he learned from Jesus.

Spiritual Insight takes you to depths you cant even imagine.

However first we must decide that you know what God brought me into this wilderness and he knows the way out.

While you are sitting in the wilderness you mind as well learn from it.!

In the separation God sets you up for preparation.

When God takes you into the desert place he withhold the very thing you held to a higher standard then him.

If you depended on your job more, then maybe your job has disappeared, so now you have to depend on Him.

Maybe you began to focus on your own strength to much, so he amplified a weakness in you so you can focus on the fact that your strength is in Him.

If we can have the Worship Team.

3). Wilderness brings you to surrender.

inner struggle.

will it be to the enemy or will it be to God.

We must surrender to God instead of the enemy. We must cry out Lord have your way in me.

The rotation and buisness of life can consume you really quickly. Its easy to fall into a natural schedule of falling in line.

God wants to break that bad habit in your life. Its not that is a sin, Its that its God is a jealous God. He wants all of you. He loves you enough to walk with you and guide you to fruitfulness.

In the wilderness God pulls the inner struggle out of us. The things we havent dealt with or seen in a long time.

This happens as God continues to reveal himself to Us. We know the more of God the less of us has to be the result. So when God gets closer our hidden gems begin to become unraveled.

In the wilderness is when we need to come to a complete surrender and hand in everything we can.

In the Wilderness God reveals himself, In the darkness he is your light

In the maze he is your guide

In the wilderness God separates you from outward influences of the world.

as well as separating you from the things and the people that you have learned to depend on.

No matter how much you complain and grumble, no matter how many times you fail or fall. God is there.

Through-out the entire Old testament we See God instilling on israel hard times. Mostly consequences for actions and some of preparedness to recieve promises.

But we need to look at the old testament in new light. Because the Character of God is revealed.

Our character is revealed in the wilderness. our true natural character. And God wants to help you. he loves you.

In the prodigal son God is the father.

He is waiting for you now. In the middle of the wilderness God is waiting for you. In the middle of the weight baring down on your sholders he is waiting.

Allow yourself today right here and right now to depend on the Father again. Stop trying to control the movements of the father. And control your own. by releasing a total surrender to the Father.

Worship Team please.