Jesus & The Wilderness - God Only Knows #2

[Music] [Music] wilderness is a place in biblical rhetoric where there are no viable life support systems grace is the occupying generosity of god that redefines the place walter bruggeman both pride and despair are forms of self-absorption and the christian must try to steer between them hard though it is malcolm guite to be commanded to love god at all let alone in the wilderness is like being commanded to be well when we're sick or to sing for joy when we're dying of thirst to run when our legs are broken but this is the first and greatest commandment nonetheless even in the wilderness especially in the wilderness you shall love him frederick buechner the desert may initially seem barren dull and colorless but eventually our perceptions start to change here we empty ourselves of our own obstacles to god in the space of this emptiness we encounter the enormity of god's presence the aromas teach us that the desert becomes the place of a mature repentance and conversion towards transformation into true radical freedom laura swann the desert is a blessing disguised as a curse a study in contrasts marlena graves we must go out into the desert of some kind your backyard will do and come into a personal experience of the awesome love of god brennan manning when we want to let the life of christ make a revolutionary impact on our life we go to the desert eugene peterson i have told you these things so that in me you may have peace in this world you will have trouble but take heart i have overcome the world jesus oh man those are such fantastic quotes and again that reminder of take heart in this world you'll have troubles but i have overcome the world has been like a go-to for me for many many years so like i said welcome to part two of our series god only knows where we're taking time to lean into like what is god saying to us in the present moment certain certainly across all of our parishes like i said hearing from local parish pastors but also here in the live stream with our teaching team taking time to lean into like what is god saying to me right now or how has god been reminding me of the journey that we've been on now i've had these regular rhythms in faith in my life of like joy and desert of joy and desert of hope and peace and desert of hope and peace and wilderness and um one of the times that it hit me um the deepest i was it was the late 90s um i was a first year university student i had moved from like ontario all the way out west and i was not super sure of what i wanted to do with my life i kind of had an idea of um where i thought things might land for me so i thought i might be a high school teacher or a teacher of some sort i knew i was wrestling with faith and my you know family of origin and the fam the um christian tradition that had been passed down to me i was just like yeah i'm not i'm not really sure i'm not sure what i believe i'm not sure if i would actually call myself a christ follower or a christian in the sense that i've understood it growing up and so i thought like you do often when you're a young adult well what if i just like leave all this behind go as far away as as possible and like seek out truth and so i enrolled in a christian university and about halfway through my first year i just absolutely hit a wall i remember sitting in my dorm room uh like i said four thousand kilometers away from all of my family and friends everything that i grew up knowing uh in a ice like literally the desert in saskatchewan where the university was at the time sitting in my dorm room thinking like who am i like what do i want to do what do i believe who do i trust where are my friends what are my values like what is my identity and god only knows if i'll i'll make it through this and then coupled with you know learning a number of new theological things about god that i'd never heard before a family tragedy of a good family friend who passed away from cancer and then just feeling completely isolated i remember sitting in my dorm room one night and thinking i'm i'm done like i can't do this anymore like god where are you what is this all about like where do i go from here smack dab in the wilderness for me so i remember going out to the pay phone that was in our residence at the time in the middle of uh the hallway of my dorm room when i called my dad and it was really simple but honestly like gracious conversation just like that i think i uh i just think i'm done i don't know who i am i don't know what i believe i'm really struggling i just feel alone so i think i need to wrap this up i think i need to come home there's a lot of things that my dad could have said he could have said well no we you know you've paid for this you've committed to this you're gonna do it and instead he was just very gentle loving and said i understand but like i understand what you're going through if you can stick it out stick it out to the end of the year there's only a few more months to go and then we'll sort this out as a family like when you get back home but know that love you mom and i are you know praying for you we're here for you don't feel shy call whenever you need to so maybe you've had the same experience you know maybe you've gone through times in your life um where you've felt all of those things who am i what do i believe what do i trust in what is my identity what do i think about god what do i think about my family how do i navigate through this trauma religious or otherwise that i've been through that has like really been devastating to my own uh sense of self-awareness and identity what do i do when i'm in the darkness when i'm in the wilderness and when i'm in the desert maybe hopefully on the tail end of a global pandemic you have tuned into this live stream and as you're hearing my voice you're thinking i am there right now i am smack in the middle of a desert or a desert season right now in fact let's make this like a two-way street let's make it interactive if you can grab a piece of paper and a pen or even just like grab your phone and take it out i want you to write something down and you're going to hold on to that through the rest of the teaching we're going to come back to it at the end take out a piece of paper pen or your phone and or even in the margin of your bible and write down something you're facing or thinking right now that you're like yeah god only knows how this will turn out something that you're facing or thinking right now that you find yourself navigating like yeah god only knows how this will turn out take like 10-15 seconds and write that word or phrase or idea or issue write it down right now and keep it in front of you i'll do the same all right so you have that idea or word or phrase or mental cue uh in front of you take out your bibles or open your bible on your phone and turn to matthew chapter four and we're going to be reading through verses 1 to 11 matthew chapter 4 verses 1 to 11. and if you're brand new to faith if you're investigating this whole church thing for the first time if you take like and you have a bible or if you're on your phone just look for the word matthew the name matthew and then scroll four numbers to the right uh chapter four and we'll be reading through that i'll also make mention that we will hopefully uh have time for some q a so that we can like dialogue what uh what we're learning about questions we have so make sure that you're sending in your questions to ask at themeetinghouse.com ask at themeetinghouse.com all right let's jump into our text this morning in matthew chapter 4 verses 1 to 11. you'll see it there on your screen and we're going to read it together then jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil for forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry during that time the devil came and said to him if you are the son of god then tell these stones to become loaves of bread but jesus told him no the scriptures say people don't live by just bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of god then the devil took him to the holy city jerusalem to the highest point of the temple and said if you are the son of god if you are the son of god jump off for the scriptures say he will order his angels to protect you and they will hold you up with their hands so that you won't even hurt your foot on a stone and jesus responded the scriptures also say you must not test the lord your god next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory i will give it all to you he said if you'll kneel down and worship me get out of here satan jesus told him for the scriptures say you must worship the lord your god and serve him only and then the devil went away and angels came and took care of jesus holy smokes a fascinating section of scripture um and i know in my experience like i've read this a lot of times and maybe growing up in the church or in you know different religious um frameworks you've read or heard about like jesus goes out into the desert and is tempted that's a weird story and we skipped past or i've skipped past and gone like right to the sermon on the mount jesus like first and biggest body of teaching but actually if we pause and understand the context the story behind the story some scholars and i would suggest that this is actually jesus first sermon and so if you back up uh one chapter earlier in matthew chapter three what do we read we read the story about this dude john the baptist jtb to be short john the baptist he's out in the desert he's removed himself from the institution the geographical location of the apex of religion and has called people to repent to turn around to change their way of thinking to go the other way that this is not where god is come out to the desert repent and be baptized which was a symbol of cleansing of like emptying yourself of um the baggage the sin the offenses that you'd created and being cleansed by god symbolically through the water being raised into a new life and he says the kingdom of god is near the kingdom of god is near now john the baptist was a radical reformer and what do we read that he's calling anybody who will come into the desert away from the holy city to be baptized to enter into this new way of thinking all the while saying the kingdom of god is near and who appears on the scene imagine this if you're jtb john the baptist and jesus the messiah this rabbi comes walking through the desert through the crowds we can imagine and asks to be baptized now john the baptist is like no no it tries to deter him says like i don't even i shouldn't even be like touching your scandals much less baptizing you you should baptize me behold that like the son of god is here you should be baptizing me and jesus like no this is the way that it needs to go this fascinating scene john the baptist in the wilderness calling people to repent and god made flesh the incarnate god jesus comes out in the desert and says you're doing something right here i want to give my stamp of approval i want to be baptized and my ministry will begin and so we know the scene or maybe you haven't heard it before jesus is baptized he's lowered into the water and the jordan comes back up out and we read that the heavens open and there's a voice from heaven the voice of yahweh god the father that says this is my son and him i am well please listen to him this is my son and him i am well pleased listen to him and then matthew's gospel records that the spirit of god descends like a dove and rests on jesus fascinating scene that starts this whole thing off seemingly on the right foot jesus gives a stamp of approval to john the baptist that religion is insidious and is not helpful to to human thriving and human connection to god repent baptize and let's start this new thing now if you're part of the crowd at the time if you're a good jewish boy or girl teenager young adult adult old person whoever you are and you've heard the rumblings of messiah and this person arrives as baptized you hear the voice of god and you see this like settling of the spirit on jesus you're like knuckle crack let's go the party starts now like this is our messiah this is the one who will restore israel to the rightful place on the throne of the earth this is the messiah who will overthrow the romans let's go let's go let's go and the beautiful picture of jesus knowing the human condition at the time entering into our suffering doesn't mount a giant horse and you know sheath his sword and you know say let's ride off into the sunset and conquer our enemies instead jesus moving on into chapter four jesus uh heads out into the desert by himself jesus heads out by himself into the desert probably not far from where he'd been baptized remember john the baptist baptized him in the desert was calling people out into the wilderness because this is where you know you meet the truest form of yourself in the truest form of god when you strip down all of this baggage jesus goes out in the desert and he does what he fasts it's the only record that we have in the new testament of jesus actually uh fasting of taking a long season of fasting he fasts for 40 days and 40 nights jesus led by the spirit goes out into the wilderness and fasts for 40 days and 40 nights now maybe for you right now and certainly as like a good god-fearing jew where would you have heard this before well moses and elijah right moses fasts for 40 days and 40 nights and at the end of that experience up on the mountain with god he's given the tablets like the the 10 commandments what it means to be fully human and what it means to be fully human in community and connection with god this is how you do it and then elijah fleeing evil and power the power structures of his day in first kings elijah is led out into a wandering wandering in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights so immediately and upon hearing the story you'd your ears would be perking up going something different is going on here matthew's gospel is trying to communicate exactly that this is the new exodus this is the new exodus the kingdom of god isn't somewhere in the future the kingdom of god is here on the scene now and then unlike the other two stories jesus is led out into the desert to be tested now if you look at your bible um the the header might say tempted or if you you know in the niv it says let out into the desert to be tempted and it actually doesn't really do justice to the word the the greek word is uh perrazzo which means um it's like a combination of like being tested to do good taking a test to do good so in the same way like in our um current context you wouldn't like take my my daughter got her license a little while ago and so you know when she had her first test it wasn't like you know the you know the ministry was like oh we're going to tempt you to drive poorly we're going to tempt you to fail this test instead it was a test to do what is good to prove that you are worthy that you are um you know worthy of the calling and so while we might read jesus is tempted and that has a really pejorative connotation on in mind it's actually the opposite in the greek rendering jesus is led out into the desert into the wilderness to test to do good he faces a test to do good not attempt to do wrong but a test to do right payrazzo perrazzo now three or four three out of four of the gospels um tell the story so it's a repeat story which means that outside of the wilderness of this experience jesus would have told his disciples his first followers the story right out of the gate not not a sermon of conquering and of conquest but instead of like the first thing i did is endured suffering you know this is a god who is among and with you a god who takes on the suffering who empties himself of all of the um you know characteristics and powers of god and becomes fully human and goes out into the desert to be tested three out of four gospels tell this story this is the first as one scholar that i read this week put it this is the first real sermon of jesus jesus telling his people okay you want to be part of the kingdom of god you will have to learn what it means to suffer and to endure to go into the desert into the wilderness and know that god is still there with you and then even in the face of like brutal temptation or testing even in the face of satan the accuser you are not alone and you can do what is right and that god is reconciling the world through you through us through this new kingdom reality so jesus is led out to the desert not far from uh you know where he was baptized and what do we read happens is so crazy he is tempted by the drum roll please the devil okay hold up jesus is tempted by the devil in the wilderness i mean talk about being kicked while you're down at the end of his fasting period 40 days 40 nights the devil comes to him and and pushes him through these tests now when you hear that word uh so i'm rewinding to like 19 20 year old jimmy who is super dowdy super angsty when i hear the word devil what like that conjures up all sorts of images uh and pictures in my mind maybe the same for you when you hear or read that word tempted by the devil that's probably one of like four things like a red devil figure sometimes like cartoony baby red horns long tail random farming equipment pitchfork uh or a gargoyle like a you know really uh medieval like demony lizardy looking thing or maybe a demon maybe a big scary thing with like broken wings and very dark and black or maybe uh tipping my cards here now the like emperor from star wars like that's the image that's conjured up for me but regardless we have this like singular he image that comes to mind when we think about the devil testing tempting jesus and what the scriptures actually teach is that um this is not like a he him when it refers to satan it's a it the so this is a creature created somehow by god that hates god is anti-god but that is also anti-human that hates god as anti-god but also anti-human it's a force it's this like existential force of like i oppose what is good i'm the ruler over the kingdom of earth not you and then he puts jesus to the test now fascinating um test one what do we read verse three to four uh it's food right so jesus has been in the desert in the desert for 40 days 40 nights he is obviously hungry if you've ever fasted before you know what the end of a fast feels like you're just kind of like achy weary and that's the first thing that the accuser the adversary hits with and so he sneaks onto the scene and says like well hold on like you're hungry just tell these stones to become bread you can do it now where have we heard this before where have we heard this before pop back to genesis chapter one there's a serpent in the garden and the first thing that the serpent tempts with is like flesh is like the desires of like our bodies like you must be did god really say like was god super clear on that was his email really succinct saying you shouldn't eat the app he didn't really say that same scenario over again here with jesus you know you're hungry if you really are the son of god verse 3 to 4 prove that god can provide prove that god can provide and so here's what we read after fasting 40 days and 40 nights he was hungry jesus is hungry the tempter the adversary came to him and said well if you're the son of god tell these stones to become bread consumption what does jesus do jesus doesn't offer just like a a generalized you know pithy uh contemporary wise statement he actually refers back to the bible all three of his answers come from the book of deuteronomy the law he refers back to his bible he knows it it's a root source for him the written word he refers back to correct temptation and he says this it is written deuteronomy 8 it is written man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of god so test one can god provide are you willing to break this discipline to just get through the easy get the easy answer the easy switch jesus says no it's not just that it's not just what we put in our mouths that makes us healthy but we live on every word on any every instruction on the character of god who can be trusted which takes us to test number two that the adversary the accuser puts in front of him can god be trusted number one can god provide number two can god actually be trusted where have we heard this before same thing the serpent in the garden so right away as a good jewish boy or girl a disciple you'd be like oh man this is the genesis and exodus experience all over again except jesus is making his way through it did god really say so test two then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple if you are the son of god calling in to question his identity right away if you are the son of god he said throw yourself down for it's 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 one stone referring to psalm 91 i think it is and jesus hits right back with deuteronomy 6 16 jesus answered him it's also written nice try it's also written do not put the lord your god to the test so satan the adversary this demonic force that hates god hates jesus and hates humanity and does not want anything to do with humanity's connection with god tempts jesus with his vision of religious power and so jesus is like obviously in a vision state satan takes him in this vision uh to the top of um the temple quotes a well-known bible verse at the time and says like are you serious like relax throw yourself down you know you say you can save others save yourself where have we heard this or well where will we hear this again again matthew 28 won't you be protected like can god really be trusted you should put it to the test because i'm not sure it'll happen prove it to anyone to everyone prove that god will make your life turn out great save yourself or make god do it prove it prove it prove it can god be trusted and be trusted i'm not sure jesus comes back to the written word and says it's also written like don't put the lord your god to the test god has already passed this test we know that he is good don't put god the creator of all of the cosmos in your side pocket as like a circus trick it's not do not put the lord your god to the test so number one can god provide number two can god be trusted and the number three probably the most significant part of the test can god really be god is god really who he says he is now satan's same thing uses the same trick instead of taking him to the apex of the religious institution and construct of the day he takes him to this high mountain again in a vision and shows him all of the kingdoms of this world and satan maintains that like he is as the adversary the accuser the opponent the king over it's all his to give lying right out of the gate all his to give takes him to a very high mountain says all this i will give you if you will bow down and do what worship me show me that i am your god that this is your god that consumption the pursuit of power and wealth and control that's the real god at play jesus comes back and says get behind me satan or away from me satan where have we heard that before for it is risen written worship the lord your god and serve him only deuteronomy 6 and then the devil left him and angels came and attended to him so here's the test number one can god provide number two can god be trusted number three can god really be god jesus all three times obviously would have had to do some self-reflection but all three times uses people's understanding of god the written word at the time to correct he goes back to the bible and quotes it back at the accuser the adversary and so even thinking today like how we navigate wilderness this is such a helpful resource if you have not been able to get into a discipline of like bible reading read through just like the sermon on the mount so read chapter four chapter five chapter six and chapter seven and make note of how god is speaking to things that stand out for you and things that are helpful so what do we learn from this experience we learned that the wilderness testing is actually about self-sacrifice self-giving love and loyalty to god giving up the lure of power and preferential life and safe passage and the accumulation of just stuff for love for the laying down of power giving it up for others to serve that's what the kingdom of god is like the way up is down the way to lead is to care for and serve and matthew again is telling the story of this wow this is the new exodus this is god redeeming us from the slavery that our predecessors engaged in and entering us into new life and jesus goes even deeper here this is god redeeming us from the interior the internal slavery that weighs us down but the reality that we are free we are free and that the kingdom of god is here is not there somewhere else in the past or in the distant future the kingdom of god is here and now and this is how jesus begins his ministry is the first thing that he tells his disciples of like okay you're ready to follow you'll be tested it's what i went through right out of the gate you will be tested prepares them for the same thing that his kingdom comes through not lording power but through grace mercy love forgiveness suffering and the laying down of power so what's the message then for us today as i've navigated through and i'll be honest like this season for me um even though like i so vulnerable time story time with jimmy even though i've had many years of like navigating my faith and i think maturing in my faith uh i still go through wilderness of doubt i have some good friends that have like this gift of faith or just rock solid rock steady and i'm not that person i've been the person who's like yeah but yeah but i wonder if oh what if i'm wrong but there have been some helpful examples as i've navigated my faith journey my interior life that have helped me to work through process through and be reminded of god's presence and love for me even in the wilderness so remember that thing that you wrote down at the beginning that thing that uh you know is holding you up or feels like you're suffering that one phrase idea or issue that you're like oh man god only knows how i'll get through this you know maybe it's a new sense of normal stability and hope uh certainly on the tail end of a hopefully tail end of a global pandemic lots of us are feeling that way as i read through matthew 4 again even like going through it again last night i find that there are three things that continually in my life rise to the surface things that i regularly wrestle with number one fear number two trust number three faith number one fear what will happen what will happen am i really in control how do i get myself in control i never want to be surprised i don't want to be caught off guard i don't want to live with this like existential dread of like oh my goodness what if what if what if what if what if so fear what will happen to trust am i enough like am i good enough am i doing what i should be doing am i in the right spot or am i just faking it will i make it or do i just continue to fake it and then three faith like who uh do i trust what can i trust do i believe in in god do i trust god do i believe in my community and my friends and my family what if i'm wrong what if i screw this up what if there's a question that comes in someday that just ruins this whole thing again story time with jimmy these are the three things that i regularly in those desert seasons that i come back to fear trust and faith what will happen am i enough and what can i trust but like i said as i read through matthew 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 reminded of the grace and love and commitment covenant connection that jesus has with us when i find myself overwhelmed by fear i am reminded that i am deeply loved i'm reminded that i'm deeply loved very familiar passage and you can write these down if they're helpful there's like three sections of scripture that are regular go-to's for me second timothy 1 verse 7 remember that we've been given not a spirit of fear not of timidity or insecurity but of of power of love of self-discipline and self-control the spirit dwells within us we have a community that's surm that surrounds us jesus has gone before us and love really is that like foundation that we can rest on so when i am um you know defaulting or tending to drift towards fear i remind myself of the love of god made perfect in jesus when i find myself wrestling with um trust or or doubt or asking myself like what's going on what is happening i can take courage so when i'm defaulting to doubt i can remind myself that i can take courage like jesus said in this world it was the last quote this morning you will have troubles put that on your live edge wood you know wall installation in this world you will have troubles but but take courage for i have overcome the world that jesus has overcome the world jimmy and is changing the world in and through me through us take courage take courage take courage it's okay to doubt but don't stay there move towards courage trust trust in the god that loves you and then when it feels like i'm alone or stranded in the desert when i feel isolated just by myself being reminded that i am part of a community that i can orient myself towards community john 13 34 is another favorite of mine love one another as i have loved you so faith isn't just about like our quiet space our quiet time our alone interior processing certainly that's part of it as a spiritual discipline but even more so the one another's one and others one and others of the bible love each other as i have loved you be with and for each other know that your faith in god should be outward focused outward focused know that you're surrounded by a spiritual family which is what we should be as the church the gathered ones called out together the spirit lives in us community surrounds us and jesus uh like even the example at the end of that section jesus is what he's not left alone he doesn't go through the test and that's a wrap he hears the you know utter silence of god instead and so crazy verse 11 he is surrounded by ministered to attended by angels they come and feed and care for him it's a reminder too that by his spirit whether it be like you know something i read in scripture or an encouragement from a friend or just the reminder of the sense that like i'm part of something that's bigger than just myself and part of a community is such an encouragement to me in those desert spaces and hopefully as you take that you know that image or that phrase of that picture you can be reminded of like oh yeah that's really who i i am i'm a person that's loved by god and meant to love others i'm a person that um you know is should be infused with courage and i can rest on the courage of others even when i feel down and i am not alone in this i have a community of grace mercy of inclusion of care spiritual family that surrounds me and walks with me even in the desert all right let's let's pause right there i want to share one more story before we wrap up but i also want to take some time for a q a if there are any questions let me just take a look talk amongst yourselves all right couple questions maybe we'll just do yeah i'm sorry i'm so long-winded we'll do one jimmy why would yeah why would god so there's a few questions here why would god test us yeah absolutely it's a great question i mean uh so jesus actually refers to this in deuteronomy in chapter six uh there's a depending where you're coming from it can sound kind of or feel kind of eerie like god disciplines those he loves now again depending where you're coming from when you hear those words what does that conjure up for you for me oftentimes god disciplines god spanks god hits god grounds god punishes god takes away my ipad god says i can't watch this much tv god says i can't have a so-and-so from the fridge like that can be our orientation towards discipline but again that tends to um occupy space in our mind of like tempting towards what is evil instead god's discipline his his character is one of love of grace mercy of holiness for sure but one that like loves us as his kids and so when you know why would god test or discipline well it's actually to take us to test us towards move us towards create a trajectory pathology rhythms in our lives that move us towards good and so when you hear or read or experience seasons in your life where um you're like man this just is very very difficult be reminded that god is not trying to slip you up god is not trying to screw you over god is not trying to to like write a really difficult test so that you will fail the opposite is true god is testing shaping refining you sometimes and that can feel really difficult refining you towards what is good that the kingdom of god is not near it is here that god is reconciling the world through jesus and through so don't be afraid of testing that doesn't minimize the difficulty that that can be but that's why we do it together led by jesus infilled by the spirit and convicted by the spirit but then also embedded in community embedded in community we can walk through discipline and these shaping tests together we are not on our own great question great question all right so remember my opening story as a first year university student feeling utterly alone confused super douty feeling like i was going through like the wilderness the desert um i remember one of the moments that things started to turn around for me now you would think as a pastor sitting here in front of you you'd think that it was like oh you know the sky is opened up i heard the voice of god in perfect english say to me jimmy this is what i have for you that's what god sounds like by the way just kidding um or like i read some section of scripture that just like gripped me and the holy spirit illuminated or i experienced some miracle or none of that actually happened none of it what did happen my miracle my uh jesus attending to me in the desert was uh nelson was a good friend of mine who's been like a lifelong friend well for 20 plus years now nelson who just looked acted smelled like jesus and so in our dorm a residence there was like a common room and at the end of especially on the weekends at the end of the night we would all kind of collect in this like large common room or like couches and people were playing cards and whatnot and uh there'd be like lots of people in there just chatting and kind of dialoguing what they went through and i was just low like i remember this moment in particular i'm just like watching everybody talk to each other and i had friends for sure but i wouldn't say i was transparent with like what uh what was going on in my inner world and nelson this dude who was like an older student i think he was fourth year when i was first year he would be like right in there laughing along and like conversing with people and then he would always end the night by saying all right brothers uh gonna go spend some time with the lord now and everyone would high five like ah nelson's so hilarious and off he would go and i was like what a weirdo like what a strange like you're going to like do you ever is god your roommate and your what are you talking about and like night after night after night this would happen nelson would be like fully engaged in our community having conversations super personable guy uh just such a loving generous extroverted dude and then he would down the night all right gents gonna go spend some time with the lord and then finally i had to press in i was just like like what's that what what is he doing so i waited for him to say it he's like all right gents this friday night and spend some time with the lord there's two exits to where like our common room was and then my room was kind of here and he was down the hall and i followed him out the door i'm like nelson nelson nelson my name is jimmy he's like yeah jimmy nice to meet you yeah i've seen you around how's it going i'm like hey man uh if i'm honest not great like i really feel just alone like i've got friends i'm extroverted um but i just i feel like i'm not honest with myself and i'm not honest with like people around here i don't know what i believe i don't feel super secure right now and like where i'm headed in the future and certainly like where how what god is in my experience right now and you mentioned like you know night after night that you go and spend some time with the lord what do you do and he was just like oh yeah actually nobody's asked me that before uh it depends he's like my regular discipline is to like read a little bit of the bible um journal a bit and then i'll put on some music or i just sit and process or i'll kind of like pray out loud and sometimes they're like really loving poetic prayers and other times they're like really angsty like god what are you doing where are you and hearing nelson say that was just like a bomb to my soul i'm like you can you can do that my goodness because the religious tradition that was passed down to me was like read your bible pray every day the end like that's how you get close to god uh and so i was like hey man i awkward follow-up question could i watch and he's like what like could i just come watch how you do it and he's like yeah totally and he goes into the bathroom and i'm like oh okay i guess i'll wait out here while he goes to the bathroom he comes up but he goes out the other door and like walks down his hallway and closes his door to his room and i hear like click i'm like freaking guy i was serious so i go over to his room i knock on his door he unlocks the door opens and he's like hey i'm like hey what's up i'm like i asked you if i could come watch and you said yes he's like oh you're serious dead serious deadly serious yeah oh okay come on in now again i would love to tell you that something miraculous happened nothing did but it was such a gift to have a brother who was further ahead than me who had navigated um you know these wilderness experiences but that was also willing to invest in me so we this was a regular pattern regular pattern where i would like connect with nelson in his room and sometimes it was like really heartfelt and gentle other times i just had like rapid fire doubt questions but nelson never went away nelson was like those little angels that attended to me uh like jesus in in the desert just like i'm here for you i'm with you no matter what happens like this friendship will never end he just modeled jesus to me he just modeled jesus to me so more so than all of the other things that i've mentioned you know these helpful verses which are helpful navigating through scripture are helpful uh journaling i'm a journaling a journaler it's been helpful to me more so than any of those things do you know what the most helpful thing in these wilderness season seasons have been friendship spiritual friendship so as you think about your own wilderness journey as you hold up that like image or phrase or issue where you're like god only knows how i'll get through this i think that's the most important question is like who is your nelson who is your nelson who is the person uh that hopefully like has the gift of faith and encouragement instead of the gift of sadness and doubt like i've had like i've had that is just like tried tested and true there with you now maybe you've fallen off a little bit with that person like when i say that you know exactly who it is but you've kind of like fallen out of the rhythm of connecting with things opening up maybe this is the time to go for that walk to re-engage or even text that person right now and say you're that person i just need you or maybe you're not in a season of wilderness maybe you are watching this and you are a nelson you are that faithful brother or sister who just like exudes god has the gift of encouragement and faith we need you we need you and so maybe there's somebody right now that as you wrote down that you know phrase or word or image or maybe it was a name you know as a nelson you should probably reach out and connect we need each other brothers and sisters especially like on a good day for sure but especially in the wilderness we need to experience the love grace mercy gentleness love of god through each other through spiritual friendship now maybe for you if you're checking out the meeting house for the first time we have home churches that happen through the week all online maybe that's your next uh your first step or maybe you're checking us out for the first time you're like yo relax i don't think i'm comfortable doing that yet just say hi in the chat and say like i need to chat and lisa or any one of our parish pastors or home church elders would love to connect with you i would love to connect with you shoot me an email jimmy.russianthemeetinghouse.com let's be there let's be nelson's for and with each other so friends as we wrap up may we be people who endure the wilderness who aren't surprised by it who aren't put off by it may we be people who endure the wilderness who walk in grace and continue to do what is loving and good in a world that is suffering and in those times where we're suffering and we feel just like scorched in the wilderness may we be reminded that god does know and that god is with us that god is with us let me pray jesus it is such a gift to be part of a spiritual family that is led and infused with life and energy and vitality through you through your spirit thank you for this example in scripture of wilderness of desert of testing uh the reminder that we don't just have to put on a good face that we can be our real and genuine selves and you accept us as your kids you love us as your kids you journey with us as your kids in high times and in low times in desert wilderness times with a thing with that we wrote down jesus may you speak whether in our hearts and our minds or through a conversation with a friend or through a word of scripture this week may you speak may we hear the voice of god that says these are my kids whom i love in them i am well pleased we pray these things in jesus name amen well we're going to wrap up in just a few things as we do and then we're actually going to wrap up with a good old-fashioned benediction which i love benedictions but just a reminder for this series there is no after party we'll resume the after party in our next series and absolutely if i haven't mentioned already i think i have but if i haven't happy father's day families we hope that you get to enjoy some beautiful sunshine wherever you find yourself and are just reminded that god is with you and that god loves you so now for a benediction and you'll see it here on the screen brothers and sisters may the power of god the love of jesus the care of the spirit and the encouragement of our community go stronger in us even in the desert may we be reminded that jesus has conquered the terror of fear has conquered the empty pursuit of power and points us towards other centeredness and peace through the power of the spirit at work in and through us and may we be people who represent and realize the kingdom of god among us here and now even when it feels like the desert and so together we receive these words and so together in jesus name we pray this and amen amen grace and peace enjoy the rest of your day hi i'm bruxy thanks for tracking with the meeting house teaching if you want to see more videos by us just click right here if you want to see what our youth and our kids are learning you click here and if you want to be notified anytime we post a new video to make sure you don't miss a teaching then you subscribe by clicking right here thanks again for tracking with us

Channel: The Meeting House

Views: 637

Rating: 4.7142859 out of 5

Keywords: jesus, jesus tested in the wilderness, jesus tested by satan, why was jesus tested by the devil, jesus and the devil, jesus and the desert, jesus christ, jesus of nazareth, god only knows, the meeting house, the meeting house teaching, jimmy rushton, TMH teaching, TMH livestream, jesus and the wilderness, jesus in the wilderness, love of god, jesus tested, jesus tested in the wilderness mark, jesus tested in the wilderness luke, jesus sermon, who was jesus?

Id: svpETXvpFAU

Length: 48min 9sec (2889 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 21 2021