JanBeek

In the Wilderness

The sermon title at church today was “In the Wilderness.”
The message by our interim pastor, Brian Conklin,
was inspired by Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[a] by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[b]”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^[c]”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[d]”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’^[e]”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Here are the sermon notes I took as I listened to today’s message:

It’s no accident
That Jesus ends up
In the wilderness

It’s a place of clarity
He spent forty days –
Forty days and nights there

These forty days of Lent
Are our chance, like Jesus,
To stand up for our beliefs

What happens in the wilderness
Doesn’t stay in the wilderness
Jesus rejects political power

The promise of the Gospel
Is that God has gone –
He has gone ahead of us

Like our Lord Jesus,
We venture into the wilderness
It’s a place that propels us forward

In seasons of disorientation
We wander without a clear end in sight
We feel alone, but God is ahead of us

Instead of feeling overwhelmed
Accept Jesus’ inspiration
Let God catch and shape us

Gain inspiration in the wilderness
It comes when we walk with Jesus
May we gain clarity of purpose

May we walk with courage
May we wander with a clear end in sight
And let the wilderness propel us forward.

Amen?
Amen!!

What’s your wilderness experience?

Love ya,
JanBeek