The Water & The Wilderness | Robert Madu | James River Church

[Music] well today is the last Sunday of our sizzling summer in terms of special speakers I mean James River come on it's always sizzling isn't it come on but you know we have heard from world-class speakers every single week and it's been amazing the messages that we've heard and this morning we're blessed to have a man who could be anywhere in the world today tonight is going to be a Lakewood Church in Houston but this morning Robert Madhu is in the house so Robert come on up come on let's give them a big James River welcome Robert Madhu [Applause] hallelujah come on if you love Jesus why don't you give him a big hurry this morning in this place a man a man you may be seated in the presence of the Lord don't get comfortable you might be back up again come on somebody anybody excited to be in the house of God this morning I tell you you look like you've been sizzling all summer you look like it and I am as I always say Red Bull excited and Express so elated to be back at James River Church I told Pastor John in the back I will keep coming here to y'all get sick of me coming I'm telling you and even when you get sick of me I'll be holding on science and hey I will preach for free for food help a brother out cuz man I love this church I love what God is doing I don't think there's been a time that I've come and I hadn't heard a testimony or a report of how you're expanding grabbing new territory how God's favor is just been lavished upon you help me know you're a part of an amazing church you know that right like this is this is extraordinary it's unbelievable and I pray you never take for granted what God is doing here and never take for granted the leaders God has given you - Stuart this vision I think they're the best of the best come on they are a heroes - my wife and I they are hashtag goals for us and I want you to help me thank God come on for Pastor John and Debbie y'all are blessed with the most incredible pastors and people on the planet come on I don't know how much we love come on across every campus come on let's not know how much we appreciate you and thank God for you amen amen and God's gonna do something awesome in here today did you come with some expectation come on I am NOT here by myself my wife sends her love she is with our two kids under two but I am here with my father Robert Madhu senior my dad is here it's his first time joining me so help me think out for my dad amen you heard me preach before I say all the time you know he is the reason that I'm african-american like for real like for real he's from Nigeria he came to America like Eddie Murphy in a movie and met my mom who's American which is why I am African American a smart class I'm telling you I'm african-american and shoutout although people watching online in West Campus hey I'm excited about this word I want to jump straight into it do you have a Bible with you come on got a Bible waving in the air like you just do care awesome some of your Bibles are glowing a man charged up your Bible last night I want to look at two passages of Scripture today Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17 and also Matthew chapter 4 verses 1 through 11 Matthew chapter 3 13 through 17 in Matthew 4 1 through 11 once you have it why don't you say yeah you're still looking for say hold on don't wait for me I'll give you some time look what it says it says then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him saying I need to be baptized by you you're coming to me but jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him when he had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased it's exactly how God sounded that day by the way you're welcome in the next passage I want to look at Matthew 4 111 and it says then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and when he had fasted forty days forty days and forty nights how many thankful we're doing to Daniel fast for 21 and not forty come on now forty days and forty nights this that's a long fast so long fast and I'll up on the Bible is just blatantly obvious it says after the forty days and forty nights he was hungry I bet he was says now when the tempter came to him he said if you are the son of God command that these Stones become bread but he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God then the devil took him up into the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of God throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands they shall bear you up unless you dash your foot against the stone jesus said to him it is written again you shall not tempt the Lord your God again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he said to him all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship Me and jesus said to him away with you Satan for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God him only you shall serve then the devil left him and behold angels came and ministered to him can you say Amen this morning I want to preach not long probably about six and a half hours just from this thought the water and the wilderness the water and the wilderness would you help me preach you just look at your neighbor get in their face get in their personal space and just say neighbor it's about the water and the wilderness come on find you another neighbor in case that one was stuck up come on find shoes come on look at somebody else a other neighbor you must second option but I want you to know it's about the water and the wilderness come on if you believe God's gonna speak to you today would you give us some praise up in fear hallelujah come on let's pray father I thank you for your word God I know the grass withers the flower fades but it's your word that shall stand forever holy spirits speak to us today so clearly so powerfully that what we leave here will say it was so good to have been in the presence of the Lord and somebody who loves Jesus say a man say a man again James River Church this year I will celebrate and commemorate twelve years of full-time ministry twelve years of full-time ministry for the last 12 years I've had the incredible privilege and opportunity to travel around the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ for 12 years now it's hard for me to believe that it's been 12 years because I started coming to my church in Dallas when I was just three years old I preached my first sermon when I was 16 scrawny single and still living at home with my parents now I am happily married 32 got two kids under-21 mortgage six chest hairs I'm a grown man now things have checked and in my 12 years of traveling there there's a question that I'm often asked on the road and it is a question that is based on an assumption and it generally happens on a Sunday like this when I'm traveling my father somebody will inevitably come up to me and say Robert how long has your father been pastoring or Robert how long has your dad been preaching and to their shock I have to tell them my dad is actually not a pastor my dad is a firefighter for the last thirty years my father Robert Madhu senior has been fighting fires for the city of Dallas 30 years shout-out to all the firemen call all the officers all those who serve come on let's make some noise for them that's what I'm talking about give honor to what honor is dude thank you for your sacrifice amen 30 years firefighter Robert Madhu senior now my father and I we have the same name different vocations same name different callings but that is really imperative for you to note this morning because in the unlikely event that your house should catch on fire and for whatever reason you were to be trapped inside of that house that caught on fire and for whatever reason you can only call one Robert Madhu to get you out make sure you call the right one okay make sure you call the right one now don't get me wrong both of us will want to see you get saved right neither one of us want you to experience the flames some of you get that tomorrow however how we accomplish that objective will be totally different okay my father Robert Madhu senior who's the fireman he is going to grab a firetruck and a ladder and go into the house on fire and he is going to rescue you from the flames my approach is gonna be a little bit different okay I'm just gonna grab a microphone and I'm gonna stand out stand outside a considerable distance away from you that's trapped in the fire and I'm just gonna encourage you and say something like consider it pure joy and my brother whenever you face various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance in the fire right now but you're coming out because no weapon formed against you shall be able to prosper in a fire and dependable they were in the fire too but if God got them out [Music] not me that is a true story people I have a preacher not a firefighter but in all seriousness some of my greatest memories as a child is when I would go visit my dad when he was working at the fire station as a young boy I visit my dad at the fire station you don't understand a fire station to a young boy is absolutely amazing people does like Disneyland without the ticket prices it is a Legoland without the lines I remember running around the fire station as a kid and I'm trying on the uniform and pretend driving the fire truck and hitting the siren my friends at school would be like hey Robert I got a new fire truck for Christmas I'm like that's cute I Drive one hashtag dream bigger and some awesome memories but I will never forget I will never forget one day as a kid I'm visiting my dad at the fire station pretend driving the fire truck and all of a sudden without warning I hear on the intercom engine 26 five alarm fire engine 26 five alarm fire and immediately my father went from laughing at me pretend driving the truck to saying in his Nigerian voice son up now he picks me up throws me out of the fire seat to my mom all of a sudden firemen started coming out of the crevices and the corridors of the fire station like ants escaping an ant bed that had just been stepped on I saw two firemen that were playing ping pong they threw the paddles in the air and started putting on their gear one fireman was eating a turkey sandwich he stopped a mid by it and jumped on the truck and in no less than three minutes the same fire truck I was pretend writhing was now racing out of the parking lot and the same siren I was pushing for my entertainment was now being pushed for an emergency because time was of the essence and destiny was on the line and that will never forget the look on my father's face and the immediacy of the moment as he had to quickly transition from a moment of fellowship with his son to now racing to put out a fire that he didn't start I share my childhood experience with you today a feeble attempt to accurately articulate what is happening in Matthew chapter 3 with Jesus baptism and Matthew chapter 4 with Jesus temptation because in Matthew chapter 3 he is enjoying the fellowship with his father but in Matthew chapter 4 he is racing to a five-alarm fire and I need you to feel the whiplash of our Savior as he has to make this transition from Matthew chapter 3 to Matthew chapter 4 let me parent that like a pause here and explain something about the Bible that we hold how many know there was a time where there were no chapter verses and chapter numbers in your Bible and although the chapter numbers and verses are helpful sometimes they can be a hindrance and you're really getting the context of the text that you're reading so if you're not careful with our text today you'll do what I've done for years which is to read about Jesus baptism in Matthew chapter 3 pause for a commercial and coffee break and the read about his temptation in Matthew chapter 4 and you will look at them as isolated independent events but I submit to you today that these are not isolated independent events these are events that have to be looked at interdependently because they give us insight as to what the life of a believer looks like and gives us biblical blues clues as to what happens when you are on the journey to become who God has called you to be I'm just telling you today that there was a connection between what happened in the water and what happened in the wilderness maybe I read the wrong scripture this morning and I shouldn't read Matthews account I should have read Mark's account because look at how mark puts it in mark chapter one he says it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan and immediately coming up from the water he saw the heavens party and the spirit descending upon him like a dove then a voice came from heaven you are my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased immediately no chapter break mark says immediately the spirit Rove him into the wilderness and he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan and was with wild beasts he goes from the water to the wilderness thing is that immediately that irritated me because I'm trying to figure out how one moment he's being baptized the next moment he's in a battle one moment he's in total community the next moment he is in isolation one moment he hears a voice from heaven the next moment he hears the voice from Hell one moment he's getting a word in the water the next moment he's in warfare in the wilderness some of you have been where Jesus has been well one Sunday you're experiencing the power of God but on Monday it's like the enemy attacks the same thing you experienced on Sunday all of a sudden you're simmering and sizzling this summer but all of a sudden in the fall it's like the enemy comes to take all of your sizzle and have you simmering does anybody know what it's like to transition from the water to the wilderness that's where the tension is in the transition from the water to the wilderness why is it on the pathway to your purpose on the route to your destiny that the GPS system God's positioning system always tells you start on water Road and then make a sharp right turn into the wilderness the water and the wilderness before I talk about the wilderness I really want to spend some time talking about the water and I need you to understand this morning that Jesus baptism was a big deal how many know it was a big deal this is an epic moment this is like that scene at the beginning of the movie that if you miss because you were putting some extra butter on your popcorn you may as well just go home and wait for it to come out on Netflix because you will be confused the entire movie his baptism was a big deal about it intriguing that only two of the four Gospel writers feel the need to talk about Jesus birth only two of the four Gospel writers talk about Jesus birth that's Matthew and Luke mark and John don't even discuss Jesus birth come on you know you're gangster when you skip Christmas okay they just don't even discuss his birth but yet all four Gospel writers felt it was incumbent upon them to talk about his baptism and his temptation all of them talked about what happened in the water Jesus baptism was a big deal his baptism was a big deal because the Bible says when he got baptized immediately the heavens opened up immediately the heavens opened up you know when the heavens open up something is about to happen something is about to shift whenever the heavens open up whenever the heavens open up an announcement is about to be made how many you gather this Sunday morning because you want to see the heavens open up over your life come on over what God has for you something happens when that happens begin to open up y'all do know the next time the heavens open up a trumpet is gonna sound and we are gonna be caught up it took meet our Lord and our Savior because this earth is in our home heaven is our real home something happens when the heavens open up I'm telling you I know Jesus baptism was a big deal because of who showed up at the baptism for the first and only time in all of Scripture the entire Trinity Father Son and spirit make a cameo appearance at the exact same time because you got God the Father making a declaration in heaven you have God the Son in the water and you got God the Holy Spirit descending like a dove come on you know when the whole Trinity shows up something is about to happen Jesus baptism was a big deal oh I know his baptism was a big deal because of what the father was declaring over the son the father was declaring something that every human heart wants to know the father was declaring a transcendent truth that has to be the anchor in your soul whenever the enemy comes against you the father was declaring something that you have to know that you know that you know and that truth is this I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased oh y'all gonna make me say it by myself come on I want to interrupt this regular scheduled sermon so you can engage in a verbal exercise would you just declare this say I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me say like you believe that thing say I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me how many know that is some good news right there that God in your heart it will change the way you hold up your head it will change the way you walk in a room to know that you are loved you are a child of God and he is pleased with you I'm tell you every morning you get up before you brush your teeth you all just look at yourself in the mirror and preach to yourself with your stanky breath and just say I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me if you're considering getting a face tattoo I wouldn't but if you still want to I know what you should put on your forehead but I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me and they say what name should I put on the drink you want to tell them I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me come on somebody give God some praise I'm a child of God in these please me what if you filtered every comment every circumstance in your life through that transcendent truth what if you one time just cut off your smart device that's making you stupid and because you didn't get the likes you wanted on Instagram or Facebook just declare to yourself I'm not living for likes I am loved I am a child of God and he is pleased with me that truth will change your life forever and that's where most believers stop they stop right at the water experience because the water is all about your identity the water experience is about you knowing who you are and who you are understand that the father made this declaration over the son before he did a miracle he hadn't done anything yet he had moon walked on water he had taken the two fish and five loaves and made the first Red Lobster he hadn't healed anybody yet and yet the father are still saying you are loved you were my son and I am pleased with you how he hadn't done anything I know because it has nothing to do with performance everything to do with his proximity that he is my child you are loved and I am pleased with you and that's what most believers stop like wow I'm loved I'm a child of God and he's pleased with me we stopped at the water but I feel the need to warn you that right after the water you're gonna walk into the wilderness right after you hear the voice of heaven hear me you will hear the voice from Hell and it messes believers up because we think after we've gotten the approval of heaven we shouldn't have an attack from the enemy that's what messes up a lot of us believers because we think that the approval of Heaven absolves us from the attack of the enemy so you have believers that are confused and as a consequence we have relegated the approval of God to a better house a better job a better car and it's all about blessing and don't get me wrong I believe God wants you to be blessed come on how many know God wants you to be blessed he wants you to be blessed I don't think he wants you to have enough I think he wants you to have more than enough but the life of Jesus is proof positive that the approval of heaven does not absolve you from the attack from the enemy as a matter of fact hear me for many of you the reason you're facing the battle you're facing right now is simply because God is pleased with you that's why you're facing the attack because God is pleased with you you understand it is the smile of heaven that attracts the scowl of hell oh come on that'll tweet it is the smile of heaven that attracts the scowl of Hell so what you got the smile from heaven don't be shocked or surprised when you get the scowl and have to go from the water to the wilderness I'll be honest with you I don't like this transition of the water to the wilderness I think we should have our water experience in the wilderness you know I'm saying like I think this text will read a whole lot better if it started off in the wilderness and a Satan comes up on Jesus and declares if you are the son of God then let the voice from heaven come and interrupts Satan men sitters and go what do you mean if the son of God he is the son of God and I already declared it saying you know what saying you better put some respect on Jesus name you better put some respect on his neck you know what I wish God was just gonna let there be water in the middle of the wilderness and then all of a sudden a pool of water shows up and the entire Godhead father son and spirit take Satan by the neck and just starts drowning him in the water tell me what you mean if he is the son I wish you would say if one more time the enemy's lifeless body is floating in the water then you call John the Baptist and say we're ready for the baptism now I just think it would read better like that but it's not the way it works God will not give you the water in the wilderness he always takes you from the water to the wilderness the water to the wilderness the water to the wilderness the water to the wilderness the water to the wilderness the water to almost safety you hear my voice tomorrow morning the water to the will to this the water to the wilderness I find intriguing they don't even know what I was preaching but do you know what's behind me some water and some wilderness the water and the wilderness for water and the wilderness this is God's system this is how he works he takes us from the water to the wilderness you do know that John the Baptist baptized people in the butt when they asked John who he was he said I am a voice crying out in the crying out prepare the way of the Lord what is the way of the Lord he takes you from the water to the wilderness the water to the wilderness the water to the oh now I'll see while the children of Israel had to go through the Red Sea cuz you know the Red Sea is composed of and they had to go through the water because the water is about your identity and Pharaoh thought they were just lays but no Pharaoh they're not slaves they are my children they are and I am pleased with him and there was no stronghold that can hold them down they must be set free and right after they went through the water they didn't go to the promised land they'd walk straight into the wilderness they were in the wilderness 40 years Jesus was in the wilderness 40 days there's always this transition in life from the water to the wilderness you know what I might be bringing my own presupposition to this biblical passage but I told you earlier I have two kids under to pray for your boy and because I do have two kids under two their birth is not too distant of a memory to me and I submit to you that even the way we enter the earth is just a microcosm and a mirror of this transcendent truth of going from the water to the wilderness oh come on do you remember how you were born right you remember how you concede you were conceived in your mother's womb right identity confirmed in the womb were having a boy or having a girl and you remember when you were in your mother's womb you were surrounded by so much so that when your head got too big and your birth was imminent your mama looked over the dining room table and said oh my water just broke and do you remember your first birthday do you remember what happened when you first entered the earth remember how you came in the earth did you come in dancing no did you come in laughing no did you come in singing no did you come in rapping started from the belly now I'm here no no no do you remember you remember how you came in the earth this is how you came in the earth that funny awesome newborn parents look at a baby screaming and crying gone [Applause] and then look at Moscow map and I am convinced if you could translate the cry of a newborn baby the caption would read what you mean welcome to the world don't you mean welcome to the you spend all your life grappling with the complexity of the wilderness that you were born into I've learned to be quick to love not quick to judge because you don't know the wilderness that some people were born into surrounded by the wilderness I need you to see today that the same spirit that descended on Jesus in the water it's the same spirit that led him into the wilderness it's the same spirit so this is not necessarily about the wilderness as much as it is about who was waiting in the wilderness this is about the enemy this is about Satan who was waiting in the wilderness for Jesus waiting and didn't clear his throat until after he had fasted forty days he was just there waiting watching something to me does he wait he watches Denny attacks she was just waiting in the wilderness didn't even say anything just watching Jesus hmm 15 day fast Oh 25 days on the fast you are the son of God go Jesus go Jesus go oh 40 day fast oh you're done fasting now I'll attack why don't you turn these stones into corn bran right after just watching and waiting that's how he does to you he's just watching and waiting looking for the opportunity to attack you just watching and waiting for a moment to come against you is so funny I was watching a Discovery Channel once and they did a special on snakes and I almost changed the channel because I don't do snakes but I'm glad I didn't because they told me that snakes I'll never forget it on one of the only animals watch this that don't blink this is a snake people they don't blink just watching waiting for a moment to attack at the right time oh I watched another special they did on snakes and they talked about a lady who had a pet snake a pet snake the animal that Satan chose to manifest through this is her pet and she encountered a problem because her pet refused to eat stop eating so she took her snake to the veterinarian she said something's going on I would feed it rats at one point it would eat but for the last few months my snake is not eating veterinary says really looks at the snake looks at the woman she's ma'am can I ask you something by any chance have you been sleeping with your snake lady goes well yeah I have she said the snake is not poisonous he's a Python but he's not poisonous in his cage is right next to my bed so sometimes I let him slither out and just kind of curl up next to me when I sleep in iron it's nicer okay another question ma'am as you've been sleeping with your snake have you ever woken up in the morning to your snake stretched out beside you the lady goes yes this morning I woke up and the snake was stretched out right next to me veterinary says hmm she's mam I have some good news and I have some bad news she says the good news is your snake is not sick she goes oh thank you Jesus she goes the bad news is your snake is not eating because it's preparing to eat you she goes yes she says the reason your snake refuses to eat is because it's preparing its digestive system to swallow you she said the reason you wake up to your snake stretched out beside you is because your snake is sizing you up and it's trying to see how big it needs to get to swallow you home and I think that's how some believers act as a relates to the enemy and you're totally oblivious to the fact that God is not that the enemy is not happy with what God is doing in you and through you trying to destroy everything that God wants to manifest in your life but how many are thankful that the enemy could keep on watching but greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world and no weapon formed against you shall prosper here's the challenge of life is how are you gonna handle the temptations of the wilderness after your water experience how are you gonna handle the temptations of your wilderness some of you like Robert how dare you ask is such a question I mean I've been come to this church for years I'm very spiritual I floated in here today I had communion and manna for breakfast what do you mean temptations of my wilderness I'm in church today I know but this is the water tomorrow you're going to work that's the wilderness I want to talk to some young people who's so excited cos God did awesome things in your life this summer and you're jumping up and down and you're dancing are you dabbing and you're so excited about it but can I tell you in a few weeks when school starts you are walking right back into the wilderness how are you gonna win the war in the wilderness all that was my introduction I'll give you four very quick points to show you how to win the war things you must know in the wilderness number one you must know where you are where you are where are you I need you to see that this is at the beginning of Jesus ministry John the Baptist has just announced that he is the son of God and right after that announcement right after his inauguration comes temptation the enemy is trying to stop him before he ever gets started you know you're gonna face a battle when you're at the beginning of something anytime you get ready to start something expect an attack starting a family expect an attack starting a business expect an attack the enemy wants to kill you before you ever get started some of you wonder why you grew up in such a hellacious environment it's because the enemy knows what God was gonna do in you and through you and he tried to destroy you come on somebody knows what I'm talking about he tried to destroy you before you ever got started he attacks at the beginning you must know where you are I believe that Satan was attacking Jesus throughout his ministry but there were times that the attack was more intense it's intense right here at the beginning I think you that the tap was more intense in the Garden of Gethsemane when he's wrestling with the will of the Father and you can hear almost here the enemy breathing down his neck going you're gonna go to the cross for all of them and they might not even accept you and here's Jesus wrestling in the Garden of Gethsemane to the point his sweating blood because the attack of the enemy is strong in that season he did it again when he was on the cross this time through a person saying he saved others why can't he save himself where are you if you don't know where you are you will not know your pathway to victory how many know all wildernesses are not created equal come on what Tim shoe does not tip me what tense that person does not Tim this person your temptations comes in different seasons of your life how do you know what Tim shoe at 13 is not what Tim shoe at 30 come on what Tim shoe when you're single is not what Tim shoe when you're married come on when I was dating my wife we were just dating I had strong temptation the temptation was to be a man of God and to be pure and my wife is fine it was strong temptation that was the temptation when I was single now I'm married come on I think the temptation now I'm married hello somebody now the temptation is just to have a date night in the first place with two kids on the two who are assaulting my sleep every day know where you are if you don't know where you are you won't know your pathway to victory number two you must know the word is your weapon oh the word is your weapon with every attack of the enemy what was Jesus response it is written it is written it is written it is read not it is tweeted not it is hashtag not it is oh it's in a sermon that Pastor John preached like six weeks ago hold on let me download the pocket no no no it is written it has to be the word that is in you the word is your weapon against the attack of the enemy come on somebody your word is your weapon you got to start using that weapon I've found it intriguing that in the water the word comes over you and the wilderness the words got to come out of you it's got to come out of you and if it's not in you you will not have an attack to fight against the enemy you tackle temptation with the truth of God people erroneously quote John chapter 8 verse 32 and they say the truth will set you free the truth will not set you free the truth when I said you free that verse says you will know the truth and the truth will set you free the only truth that will set you free is the truth that you know if you don't know it you won't have anything to come back against the enemy I think the best way to illustrate this is I'm gonna forget when I was in Israel and had a conversation with a camel I had a good conversation with a camel I think they have a picture of it and at a great conversation with this camel and I was talking to this camel about how in the world he survives in the wilderness that he lives I'm like yo camel you live in hot arid conditions how do you survive and the camel said something very interesting to me he said Robert whenever I sit down to eat he said I am able to ingest large amounts of water and vegetation at one sitting he said I'm able to ingest so much that I could even store it which is the humps on my back you were riding on so he says because I'm able to ingest large amounts of water and vegetation he says I'm traveling through the wilderness it doesn't matter how hot the external conditions are all I have to do is reach back and pull from all the water and all the vegetation that I stored when I took the time to sit down and take in that which would nourish me and as I pull back for what I have it sustains me in the midst of the wilderness come on that's a picture of a believer that's why every morning you get up you got a feed on the Word of God because when you step in the wilderness you'll have something to pull back from the word is your weapon number three you must know what is at stake what is at stake can I tell you Church can I tell you why I love Jesus so many reasons I love them but one reason I love Jesus is because he made decisions with my destiny in mind he made decisions with all of humanity's death the need in his mind and most people think he just did it on the cross and getting up from the grave but I submit to your savior was thinking about you in the water and in the wilderness he was thinking about you in the water here's how I know I'm reading this text not gonna wait a minute why is Jesus being baptized why in the world is the Son of God taking time to be baptized you do know what baptism is right baptism is an external representation of an internal commitment saying that when I go in this water the old me is gone and dead and when I come out of the water I am resurrected with Christ and the new me is coming up ready to step into all that God has for me why in the world is Jesus being baptized this is the spotless sinless Lamb of God there's no old hymn to go down in the water he is perfection why is he being baptized I love it because it's some frustration with John because John's comes up to when Jesus comes to John he's like 20 minute nap times me what why do you want me to baptize you that's what John is so confused come on this baptism makes no sense this is Steph Curry asking you for three-point shooting tips come on this is a Dale asking you for voice lessons come on this is Donald Trump asking you for spray tanning tips this doesn't make sense like baptize him Dennison what Jesus says understand he said this we ought to do this to fulfill all righteousness you understand Jesus did not come just to die the death we were supposed to die he came to live the life we were supposed to live so he says John this is all about my obedience and for those who are coming after me he says John I know you're tripping about it because I created you and I even created the water you're about to put me in but we have to do this because this is not about me this is about those that are coming after me that they can have hope and know that you don't have to be stuck in your condition of sand come on somebody that there is hope that there can be an do you so I have to be obedient even while I'm in this water he was obedient in the wilderness you understand that if Jesus turned those stones into bread and ate the bread he would have been no different than Adam that gave in to the temptation when he ate from the tree Jesus had to win that battle in the wilderness so that we could have hope that no matter what the enemy is launching against us how many no we're not fighting for victory we're fighting from victory because Jesus Christ already wanted when he was obedient in his life and in his death know what's at stake hear me you can face your temptation when you know what's at stake how do you know you have to win the war in your wilderness because it's not just about you it's about your children and your children's children's children your legacy is on the line you have to win the war in the wilderness number four not old you have to know where you are not only have to know that the word is your weapon and what's at stake but you know must know where your help comes from you have to know where your help comes from the Bible says that after the enemy stopped all his temptation that angels came and ministered to Jesus in the midst of that wilderness how many know if Jesus and needed some ministering to after his fight in the wilderness how much more do we need some help in the wilderness that we're facing and you know the way you get some help is when you look up to the hills but what your help comes from and you say God I need you I cannot do this in my own strength and how many were faithful but if you resist the enemy he will flee and God will come in Oh by yourself come on would you just get up on your feet and and just begin the plank come true come on his name is victory [Music] come on let's do more surprise in this place today come on

Channel: James River Church

Views: 8,660

Rating: 4.8983049 out of 5

Keywords: Robert Madu, James River Church, sermon, Jesus temptation, Matthew, Book of Matthew, Matthew 3, Matthew 4, online sermon, pastor robert madu, robert madu sermons, social dallas robert madu, robert, madu, best sermon, best sermons, dallas, jesus, god, church, church online, online church, christian, christianity

Id: 7qB64wtv19o

Length: 42min 25sec (2545 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 30 2017