KEY SCRIPTURE
Psalms 42:1-2
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
Matthew 26:36-42
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
PRAYER
Father,
This world can be painful, grueling, frustrating, and often disappointing. There are times when I feel like I just can’t take one more step, one more challenge. I cry out to you Jesus – Why?
Help me to remember that this difficult, sin filled world is not my home. You are my home. Your Kingdom is my home. Give me courage to live through the challenges this world brings, and fill my heart with the hope of your Kingdom come.
In Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
SERMON NOTES
One of the common problems for modern readers of the Bible is it’s easy to overlay our experiences of something onto the pages and stories of the Bible.
This is why it is so helpful to try our best to understand how the original audience of the Bible understood, experienced and saw the world.
For the people in the Bible both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Desert was dreaded not because it was boring but because it was a dangerous threat.
The desert was also called the wilderness.
But this is where God chooses to call and form His people.
Examples from the Old Testament:
- Adam and Eve
- Abraham
- Moses
- Israel’s exodus from Egypt
Examples from the New Testament:
- John the Baptist
- Jesus
14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.—Hebrews 4:14-16 (the Message Bible)
Jesus’ time in the wilderness was different than those of the Old Testament. God’s people failed the testing and temptations in the desert, IJesus did not*!
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.—Psalms 42:1
As the deer, who can’t make it another step without a drink of water to survive, that’s how desperate my soul is for you God!
2a My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?—Psalms 42:2
There will be times in your life where the only thing that can quench that can sustain you must be God - Jesus is your Oasis!
2b My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”—Psalms 42:2
My tears have been my food!
Midbar (Hebrew) - means Desert but also mean To speak
Some of the most powerful encounters with God happened in the desert
- God made his covenant with Abraham in the Desert
- God revealed Himself and His name (I Am Who I Am) to Moses while he was tending sheep in the desert.
- God gave His Law (The Torah) to His people in the Desert.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.—Romans 8:26-27
What leads to the wilderness? Sometimes it’s your sins, sometimes the sins of others, sometimes life circumstances.
God leads you into the Desert Wilds to do something in you.
Souls begin to enter into this dar night when God draws them out from being beginners.—St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul
Just because you can’t see God, or hear God, doesn’t mean God is not there. You may feel abandoned but God’s presence it’s always there.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths of Sheol (or what feels like Hell), you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.—Psalms 139:7-10
Any kind of real, lasting transformation happens through the struggle and the pain in the wilderness.
7 A friend loves at all times but a brother is born for adversity!—Proverbs 17:7
Sometimes God brings you through the desert because He wants to move your relationship from the JV to the Varsity!
The wilderness is where God reveals.
The wilderness is where God sifts through your life.
The desert wild is where you learn to get real with God.
Often when lead to the desert by God, He’s preparing you for something
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”—Matthew 26:38-42
The Devil is full of temptation
- He will tempt you to take things into your own hands and power.
- He will tempt you to worship anything other than God.
- He will tempt you to test the Father’s love for you and your identity by tempting you to test the bounds of God’s love.
But if you see the desert for what it is, a gift from God, it will deepen your relationship with God. You’ll discover the only thing that will carry you through the time in the desert is not human strategy or grit. It’s faith! Walking by faith in God alone!
Sometimes we’re given the desert, but sometimes we choose it.
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