Wilderness Journeys

Sermon for March 1, 2009 The First Sunday of Lent Mark 1:9-13 A.  Famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody used to start many of his crusades by holding up a drinking glass, and asking the audience "How do I get the air out of this?"  Invariably someone would answer, "Pump it out," but then Moody would remind them that doing so would break the fragile container.  When a few more guesses had been exhausted, Moody would take a pitcher of water, and slowly fill the glass to the rim.  Holding up the glass, he would tell the audience that there was indeed no air in it.  To empty the glass of air, one must fill it with something else.  And so it is with the Christian life – to empty you and I of self-centeredness, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.   B.    The infilling of the Holy Spirit is the central action in this morning's passage of Scripture.  "As Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw Heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove."   If part of this reading sounds familiar, it should; we visited the baptism scene back in January.  But added to it is the description of Jesus' temptation in the Wilderness, found in verses 12 and 13.  Mark's telling of Jesus' encounter with the devil is the Reader's Digest condensed version of the story – Matthew and Luke give many more important details.  But we are going to stick to Mark's version today, because he has his own unique truth about Jesus to convey. In a nutshell, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, described in verse 10, is key to understanding Jesus' Temptation in the Judean desert (that's what a Wilderness is).  The Spirit enters Jesus, possessing Him completely and filling him with God's own power and authority, like the water filling the glass in Moody's story.  If you recall the last time we visited the baptism passage, in Mark's telling of the events, everything that happened is described as something Jesus "saw," with no corroborating testimony from John or the crowd of others gathered at the Jordan.  As Jesus comes up out of the waters of the Jordan, the heavens are "torn open".  The Greek word that we translate here as "torn open" is the same word used at the end of the Gospel to describe the tearing of the Temple curtain separating the people's court from the Holy of Holies when Jesus died.  Since only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year, this tearing of the curtain signifying that Jesus' death on the Cross provides direct access to God.   This particular tear in verse 10 is a tear in the firmament, which separates earth from Heaven.   In the OT, the firmament is that part of Creation that you see when you look up.  It's blue in the daytime, unless it is cloud covered, and at night the stars are the Light from Heaven shining through holes in the firmament.  Rain is water coming from Heaven through these same holes.  Now I know this is not very scientific, but Scripture is not meant to be scientific.  It means to tell us truths about God. Firmament separates God's realm from the earthly realm.  Being torn open, like the curtain in the Temple, means we now have direct access to God through Jesus Christ.   The voice described in verse 11 clearly comes from heaven itself.  "You are my Son, whom I love.  With you I am well pleased."  God identifies Jesus as His beloved Son. Now the word "beloved" in both Greek and Hebrew traditions, can just as easily be rendered as "only."  Jesus is not God's favorite Son, he is God's only son, unique and without comparison in all the universe.  But only Jesus hears the voice and sees the descent of the Spirit like a dove.  The other people will have to learn who Jesus is by His death on the Cross, much later on in Mark's Gospel.   Now obviously Jesus is God's only and beloved Son, because immediately after the baptism, He becomes the object of Satan's special attention.  It's important to notice that the baptism and the temptation are intimately tied together by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is baptized.  He is identified by God Himself as the beloved One with Whom God is well pleased.  He is infilled with the Holy Spirit (the Greek word here can either mean Jesus is filled from within by the Holy Spirit, like Moody's glass of water, or has the Spirit rest upon Him, like the prophets of the OT did.  But it is clear that Mark means the former.).  Jesus, filled and led by the Holy Spirit, is sent out into the Wilderness.   But since it is the Spirit that drives Jesus out into the wilderness for this 40-day test, it goes without saying that this internalized Spirit of God is still with him during all these trials.   Now in the OT, the Wilderness has two special implications.  It is desolate ground, hot, dry, and inhospitable.  The Wilderness, first of all, is where people encounter tribulation and forces hostile to God.  It is a place where God seems to be absent.  Remember when the people of Israel escaped from Egypt, and wandered in the Wilderness for 40 years.  The Book of Numbers tells us that the Wilderness was in many ways a nightmare place – the people encountered little food, little water, and deadly animals, such as poisonous snakes.   And in verse 13 we see that the same is true for Jesus; in the Wilderness, Jesus encountered "wild animals," symbolic for tribulation.   But the Wilderness has another implication.  The Wilderness is the place where people find God.  That same Wilderness that brought hunger and thirst and deadly animals also brought Mt. Sinai and the 10 Commandments.  God is in the Wilderness, even though at first it seems like He's not.  Jesus was driven out by the Spirit into the Wilderness because God wanted Him there.  He had to confront Satan.  It was a test of strength between the Son of God and the Devil.  And of course, Jesus passed the test with flying colors, as we read in Matthew and in Luke.  As an additional sign of his continued "beloved" status, the gospel writer also carefully notes the presence of ministering angels attending to the divine Son's physical needs during this time.  Jesus had to struggle with Satan throughout those 40 days in the Wilderness, but He didn't struggle alone; He had the presence of God to strengthen Him.  Sometimes we have to go through the Wilderness' of life.  The Wilderness is a place of hardship, but it is also where God is found.  God is close as our very breathing in the Wilderness, because the Wilderness is the place where God can use tribulation to become like a refining fire in our lives.  Even the Crucifixion is proof that God can use harsh means to effect redemption in our lives.   C.   The truths this passage means to convey are obvious.   1.      Sometimes we have to go through the Wilderness to find the Lord.   People (and myself included, so I'm not pointing fingers!) often think that when they go through the Wilderness times of life, that God can never be found.  God must be unconcerned about me and my problems.  Or maybe He's powerless to do anything about them.  Or maybe He just doesn't care!  When faced with a severe, life-threatening illness, or the loss of a loved one, or when faced with a disrespectful child or an unfaithful spouse, it's easy to get the idea that God simply doesn't care.  Now, no one can explain why life is filled with trial and tribulation.  Sometimes it's because of our own doing.  But very often, hard times are thrust upon us by outside circumstances.  And these times are probably the greatest impediment we will ever face to experiencing a closer relationship with God.   But paradoxically, without such times we can never grow in our faith either.  God doesn't cause tribulation, but God can transform it.  When we experience the faithfulness of God Whose love can transform both our circumstances, and us then we are drawn closer to Him.  When there is hope, we seldom think about God.  But when life seems to be closing in around us, we tend to turn to God for help.  And when we do, God can bring good out of what is bad, and spiritual transformation out of what is stagnation of the soul.   Even Jesus wasn't immune to tribulation.  He had to go through the Wilderness.  He had to be tempted by the Devil, as preparation for His future ministry, a battle that He won hands down.  And at the end of Mark, the Devil struck again, manipulating circumstances to put Jesus on the cross.  Even the Master felt the loneliness of pain and tribulation without God – "My Lord, my Lord, why hast Thou forsaken me?!"  But the pain of the Cross led to the glory of Easter and the reality of eternal life for sinful humanity.  God can bring good out of evil.  And God uses tribulation to help us grow as disciples.   Consider this past week.  On Wednesday, little gray crosses of ash smudged above the brow signal the beginning of Lent.  Lent is the 40 days preceding Easter, the Great Fast, a time of prayer and penitence -- and it starts with dust and ashes.  Jesus' time in the wilderness for forty days is, in fact, our model for Lent.  Like Jesus, we seek to spend a special time – a span of forty days –preparing, reflecting, praying, readying ourselves, knowing the hard path that comes and anticipating the joyous Easter celebration that follows.  Lent is meant to be both positive and negative.  On Wednesday the leaves from last year's Palm Sunday palms were reduced to cold gray ashes.  On Sunday we hear about the arrival of a living, soaring dove of Spirit, slipping out of heaven and into our world.   On Wednesday the church proclaims a 40-day period of solemnity and fasting.  On Sunday Jesus proclaims, "The kingdom of God has come near."  On Wednesday we are marked with the ashes of our finitude and mortality.  On Sunday we see the promise of eternal life as Jesus rises up out of the baptismal waters.  Lent is a time of ashes, for acknowledging the bad smell of a corrupted humanity in the air. But without that smell in our nostrils, we might fail to notice when the wings of the Holy Spirit start beating the sweet, fresh air of Christ's redeeming love into our lungs.  Sometimes, you see, we have to go through the Wilderness to find the Lord.       2.      We have the gift of the Holy Spirit in times of temptation.  The great Good News of the cross is that God does not love us because we are all that nice or neat or socially acceptable or easy to like.  God does not save us because we believe the right things, say the right things, or do the right things.  The Good News of the Gospel is that "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!" God loves us -- ordinary, everyday, standard-brand sinners that we are -- and offers us the extravagant gift of his forgiveness and grace.  And to prove it, He has given us His Spirit as a down payment, of a greater glory that is to come when Jesus returns, and as the presence of the Living Lord now, guiding us, poking us, prodding us, and counseling us how to be more like Jesus in all that we say and all that we do.   I've got news for you -- we are not always going to say things and act the way a Christian should speak and act.  The Spirit will chastise us when we are wrong, through our consciences, and lead us on the right path.  In prayer and Scripture study, we can bring our problems to the Lord, and receive leading and guidance.  The Spirit will warn us when we are going down the wrong path.  And, thank God, we will be forgiven if we approach God with a repentant heart.  Jesus won a victory over Satan in the Wilderness because the Spirit strengthened Him, guided Him, and ministered to Him.  Being tempted is not a sin.  Yielding to temptation can lead to sin.  Being aware of the presence of the Spirit and inviting Him in is an antidote to temptation.   How can I be more in tune to the leading of the Spirit?  During this season of Lent, try giving up a few things, and see if we can't hear God's voice more clearly.  Here is a list that I found in preparing this morning's message:   Ø      GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, "In everything give thanks."  Moaning, groaning, and complaining are not Christian disciplines. Ø      GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion. A few minutes in prayer WILL keep you focused. Ø      GIVE UP looking at other people's worst attributes. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first. Ø      GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting or to offer a smile. Ø      GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love.      Ø      GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! They're too heavy for you to carry anyway. Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God's grace be sufficient. Ø      GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit someone who's lonely or sick. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the "tube?" Give someone a precious gift: your time! Ø      GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We're called to be stewards of God's riches, not consumers. Ø      GIVE UP judging others by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ.   All we have to do is to invite God's Spirit in, and He will be more than happy to oblige us.  Let me close with a story: The citizens of Feldkirch, Austria, didn't know what to do. Napoleon's massive army was preparing to attack. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which was situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was hastily summoned to decide whether they should try to defend themselves or display the white flag of surrender. It happened to be Easter Sunday, and the people had gathered in the local church. The pastor rose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength, and apparently that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord's resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us." The council accepted his plan and the church bells rang. The enemy, hearing the sudden peal, concluded that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to defend the town. Before the service ended, the enemy broke camp and left.   Let us make this a Holy Lent, by knowing that God is with us, and will never leave us, even in times of trouble and hurting.  Rededicating ourselves this Lent to God will give us a whole new perspective on what God is doing with our lives.  Amen. Keith Almond P.O. Box 4388 Leesburg, VA  20177 703-344-3569 almond_keith@yahoo.com