12/16/2023
Topic:
We find God in our Wilderness
1. How do we know we are in the wilderness
2. A place of preparedness:
3. A place of Transformation:
Text:
Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b] 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”[Malachi 3:1]
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make
straight paths for him.’”(Isaiah 40:3)
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching
a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean
countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their
sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild
honey. 7 And this was his
message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose
sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”
1.
How do we know we are in the wilderness:
a.
It is season of wilderness (Place where you meet God)
b.
The wilderness is a locale for
intense experiences:
i.
of stark need for food and water
(manna and quails),
ii.
of isolation (Elijah and the still
small voice),
iii.
of danger and divine deliverance
(Hagar and Ishmael),
iv.
of renewal, of encounters with God
(Moses, the burning bush, the revelation of the divine name, Mount Sinai).
v.
We are told here on our text today;
it was a place where John the Baptist meet God so as many others.
c.
Our spiritual wilderness varies:
i.
some is a place of devastating loss,
1.
loss of loved one.
2.
loss of a job
3.
loss of our home
4.
separation from a relationship
ii.
for some is a feeling of emptiness, weariness, and
unworthiness.
iii.
These experiences can last for days to years or
multiple times. Unfortunately, some of these experiences may lead to a
permanent lost of faith.
d.
Fundamentally, the wilderness can be filled with
questioning God’s mercy, Grace and love. This is how you know you are in the
midst of your wilderness.
i.
It helps us to identify it as is so we can approach it
accordingly.
ii.
Psalms 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to
the mountains where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the
maker of heavens and earth.
e.
We often wondered into the wilderness because of our
behaviors: Jeremiah 2:5 What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless
idols and
became worthless themselves.
i.
But the good thing here that we acknowledge that
we are in our wilderness so we can look where our helps come from as in Psalms
121 (self-actualization that we are in the wilderness)
f.
Our normal way of life has been interrupted and does
not work anymore:
i.
One of the interesting things I found when the
Israelite wonder in the wilderness: they complaint to Moses that they missed
the meat and fish they ate in Egypt while they were enslaved in Egypt. As we struggle
through our wilderness experience—we often wish that we go back to the old way
g.
Our relationships seem to be broken and fixing those
relations often ushered more difficulties than what we’ve gone through.
h.
Our wilderness sometime cannot be understood unless we
zoom-out to see the it from macro level – see the entirety of our Journey which
include eternity.
2. A place of preparedness:
a.
Paul spiritual
wilderness: Not that I speak in
respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and
in all things am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me. Philippian
4:3-5
b.
In the
wilderness, we learn to trust God. As the Israelite were led and guide by the
pillar of light (an Angel). John here becomes the one whom prepared and led the
way for Jesus.
c. Wilderness is a place of Exile. And you shall remember the whole
way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that
he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart,
whether you would keep his commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2
d. What wilderness are we in:
i.
I am a CEO and I am in the
wilderness because I lack spiritual direction
ii.
I drive a Bentley and I am in the wilderness because I
am trying to fill my life with stuff
iii.
I never go broke and I am in the wilderness because I
don’t have quality relationship with my family
iv.
I leave on the street and I am in the wilderness
because I’ve lost hope
v.
my wife and my kids are doing fine and I am in the
wilderness because I want more than what I have at home
vi.
God I never go hungry and I am in the wilderness
because of feeling unworthiness
vii.
One thing we have in common is PAIN, Desolation, wilderness
is a necessary part of our journey – some are more intense than others
e.
God teaching us –
put priority in its proper place. Let God fix our broken vessel before we ask
him to pour in. God cannot pour blessing into a broken vessel.
f.
Our text
today is telling us that a voice
of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make
straight paths for him.’
i.
We often asked for things in our
lives but yet we can’t sustain those blessings because we are broken—Jesus is
here to fix us before he can pour into us.
g.
Our wilderness is
our setup to success. Our failures built us opportunities of learning. We
have to look at this as our set up to enter God’s dimension. There are many
portals in our wilderness:
i.
Portals are
being open up
ii.
Right know
you are being introduce to a portal
iii.
When you met
that person that witness to about Christ – portal
iv.
The
wilderness is a portal to God’s dimension
1.
Remember
Satan has portals too
h. Discouragement and failure are two of
the surest steppingstones to success.
3. A place of Transformation:
a.
What take us out
from the wilderness is what we learned during our wilderness journey. “And we
know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those
who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Roman 8:28
b.
Oue Text today: John
baptize with Water but Jesus baptize us with the Holy Spirit , v. 8 I baptize you with[e] water,
but he will baptize you with[f] the
Holy Spirit.”
c.
Temptation: When Jesus spend time in the Wilderness: The enemy came at
the moment when Jesus was physically spent. Jesus had fasted for forty days
prior to this trial. Surely he was physically exhausted. In this place of need
the enemy approached. He began by questioning Jesus’ identity. He said, “If
you are the son of God….” This is often the core question Satan asks of you
and me. He tries to question our identity. “Are you actually a follower of
Christ?” he asks. “Are you actually a son of God? If you are, then why do
you feel the way you do?”
i.
Our identity as Christian will be
challenge
d.
At the Cross, he was asked: “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild
it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come
down from the cross.”
e.
This how we are tested in our
wilderness: Are you a follower of Christ? This
give us the opportunity to re-affirm our faith. If you are being asked or
challenge about your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? It is your moment to
re-affirm your faith, No matter how deep is the valley, how baren is the land,
or how hot or cold is the temperature—through all these things, Christ is my
Lord.
i.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort
me.” Psalm 23
f.
This is an amazing testimony by the Psalmist:
i.
Though we are in the midst of the shadow of death, He is with
me
ii.
My enemy is upon me, He is with me
iii.
I am weary, He comfort me and led me beside still waters.
iv.
Evil upon me, I will fear not because he is with me
v.
The burden of
this wilderness is too much, He lay me down in green pastures.
g.
Our maturity is
forged through the wilderness. He is repairing our broken vessels and we are
transformed into God’s dimension.
h. Story of
the metamorphosis: A young boy came across a butterfly
cocoon and brought it into his room. He watched, over the course of hours, as
the butterfly struggled to break free from its confinement. It managed to
create a small hole in the cocoon, but its body was too large to emerge. It
tired and became still.
Wanting to help
the butterfly, the boy snipped a slit in the cocoon with a pair of scissors.
But the butterfly was small, weak, and its wings crumpled. The boy expected the
insect to take flight, but instead it could only drag its undeveloped body
along the ground. It was incapable of flying.
i.
The final exit from the butterfly’s
cocoon is also the most grueling part of her transformation. In
order to escape her cocoon, she must struggle to free her body with its brand-new
wings from its safe place of sleep. The struggle is at times so intense that
the butterfly may seem near death, but it is critical at this point that no one
comes to rescue her. The struggle for her exit pushes the necessary liquid from
her body back up to her wings which bring those wings to life.
She needs to do it by
herself. You see, the struggle to open her cocoon is what builds the strength
in her wings. Without the struggle, the emerging new butterfly lacks the
strength to fly and embark on her new journey in the world. Without this
self-sustaining strength, she will perish quickly. Again, she needs to do it by
herself.
j.
You see Christ has gone
through the wilderness for us, from His baptism to the temptation and onto the
cross and resurrection, he has prepared the way for us.
k.
Our wilderness is
a place of Transformation where we find God. We must find the God’s portal.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise you as we bow our heads but lift
up our hearts in gratefulness.
God, we thank you for the Gift of another day to experience
your Love and Goodness.
We thank you for all the eternal Blessing in our lives.
We rejoice in the simple things that bring joy to our lives
Thank you for families and the people in our lives that bring
us happiness, a sense of hope, and support
We are grateful for loved ones and friends that has enriched
our lives
We are grateful for your love and forgiveness
We praise you for your unconditional Love toward us
Whatever paths we have taken in life, you still seek after us
Whatever decisions we have made in life, you still long after
us
Whatever choice we have made, you still chose us.
Our Journey has taken us through the wilderness but we take
comfort knowing that You are our refuge and strength.
Lord you are the source of all goodness and mercy
Lord help us to live with a heart of gratitude
Let our words and our actions shine as your love shine on us
Lord today we seek your wisdom and your guidance
Please show us the Godly path to eternal life.
Give us the understanding to make Godly choices.
Help me follow your will as you guide our step and pave our
path
So that we may walk in accordance with Your purpose for our lives
Grant us the wisdom to always choose your will in every life
intersections.
We pray for clarity and peace, for Love and joy, and most of
all you Christ to dwell in each our hearts and minds.
Help us to trust in your wisdom knowing that your plan is the
greater of all plans
Give us the courage to step out into the ocean of your grace
Let us let go of all things that cannot be covered by your
blood
The blood of Jesus is our protection
From the cross flow the source of all Godliness
From the Cross flows all of eternity
Increase our faiths so that we may walk with unwavering and
unshakable determination to never turn our backs from you, God.
Give us the courage to be faithful people that inspire others
so that they may see Christ in us
Grant us the wisdom to let go of our own understanding but to
see everything as Christ see it.
Father, we ask for your forgiveness and your Grace to cover
us
We ask for your boundless mercy to continue foster our
wounded hearts
Help us resist the allure of sin so we can consistently walk
with you according to your Love, grace, and mercy.
Fill us with your holy sprit so that we overcome those dark
spirits those of the devil that are watching us waiting for opportunity to
destroy us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we repute all forces that intend
to bring harms to our soul, all ungodliness that seek out to destroy us.
Only in the name of Jesus, we cry out for all things will be
withered away but only the words of God will endured forever.
For you and your words are our shield and fortress. Let no
enemy come against us. If Christ is for us, who amongst else can be against us.
God deliver us from the snare of the enemy, cover us with
your blood of victory for we are your people.
We battle fears, depression, mental illness, anger, and other
sprits of the darkness—you already grant us the victory on the day that you
rose from the dead.
Today, Lord, we claim your victory as we stand against to
sprits of the darkness.
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