February 18, 2024 "We Don't Choose Our Wilderness"

ReNew Ames Messages

Jesus in the wilderness, tempted by the evil one. Okay, I've preached on this like six times between Matthew's story and Luke's. But a different angle today. This is always the story that begins Lent, and we need the lessons in this story because of what it says about Jesus. 1) We need the Jesus of the wilderness. Jesus knows anxiety, knows depression, knows social isolation, knows hurt, knows pain. We need to know that Jesus knows this. Because as we make our way through this wilderness world, how can we make it unless we have a God who knows the way. 2) Jesus didn't choose this. The Spirit led him there. We don't choose our wilderness. I'll give a few examples of this. Does God want us to suffer? I don't think so. But this story tells us that God is ready to shape us and mold us even in the wilderness. 3) The wilderness can last a long time. Forty days and nights! What did that do for Jesus? What can it do for us? Maybe Jesus needed to experience the reality that God's love would hold even in the wilderness - that the Father's love is and always will be an "always and no matter what" kind of love. And with that knowledge, when the tempter came he found that he wasn't at his weakest, but at his strongest. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 https://www.bible.com/events/49215871