Finding Hope and Strength in Life's Wilderness

Life is good. Life is good. Is it perfect? Not in the natural, but in Christ in us, he is complete. He is everything that we need. Why is that important? Because life isn't perfect, but he is. And that's a powerful thing to think about for just a moment. To think that the God of the universe who is perfect in all of his ways lives inside of us. If we're a believer in him, if we have place our trust in Christ, God within is a powerful thing. [00:46:25]

There have been some super highs in the lingering life of the last few years. There's also been some super lows. And guess what? We found out as we were sharing, we start talking. Uh uh and we're not the only ones. The last couple of years for all of you have been a similar story to ours. Some very amazing high highs. Some of you have have found a relationship with Christ in the last two years, and you're like, I never knew it could be this good. And some of you have faced the darkest, most difficult challenges of your life. [00:49:42]

Life is not perfect, but the one we serve carries us through in his goodness. We as a church have experienced some incredible highs and a few incredible difficult lows. individuals have been uh so many of you I've prayed with you and talked with you and some of you have just been inundated with attacks of the enemy or circumstances of life and you're and you're like pastor when is it someone else's turn. I don't know the answer to that. I wish it were. I wish I knew uh when the answer to that is um you know most of us are more than willing to give up our opportunity to suffer. [00:50:38]

But as I was sitting there and after reflecting on all the things and being so thankful for what God has done uh in touching our our granddaughter and leading our children uh in in just the next step in their lives, we're just so blessed and thankful. But it comes with a bit of a challenge. And you start swapping stories with people and you go, "Yeah, you're not alone in that." And we're not alone. And as I was sitting there just just saying, "Lord, what what do we say? What do we do as a body?" Because we've all faced it. [00:52:07]

And as I was reflecting on that, I couldn't get away from a passage of scripture that I want to share with you this morning. And so, this is not fitting in with any of the of the uh other stuff we've been working through. Paul did a fantastic job last week uh of sharing with us uh what does the Bible say about being a part of the church? You're it. We're it. Isn't it great? There's one of you that's excited about that. All right, Dan, we're so glad you're here this morning. [00:53:02]

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Now, I am a huge fan of the wilderness on my terms. I plan when I'm going to go and usually plan on coming back. Sometimes it's a longer walk than others. We'll just leave that right there. We do that to find a a solace. We find break. And honestly, it just it it is so good for my soul. And I know that Jesus is led into the wilderness here to prepare him for what was to come. He's led there. He's he goes on a 40-day fast. [00:54:22]

And sometimes we equate the struggles of life, the difficult moments, the wilderness times in our life as we always attribute that to the enemy. And there are times when 100% that is the truth. The enemy comes to steal. He comes to ste to kill. And he comes to destroy. Jesus says, "I've come that you might have life and life to the fullest or more abundantly." But the enemy will lead us sometimes into places that are very difficult and very lonely. And Jesus is intentionally led into the wilderness, but not by the devil. [00:55:29]

We live in such a world that is crammed so full of things and experiences and opportunities and moments whether highs or lows and we never have a moment long enough to actually hear his spirit speak to our hearts. Before the electronic inundation, not the electronic age, but before the electronic inundation of every part of our lives, it was not uncommon for people uh to sit quietly on their front porch. Our culture has moved. We don't have front porches anymore. We have back porches. We have patios and decks so that we don't visit with those coming by on the street or that they can't stop to see if we're home or not. [00:57:35]

But as we pick up the story, Jesus has just returned from the wilderness. And in verse 14 it says, "As Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit and news about him spread throughout the whole countryside, he was teaching in their synagogues and everyone praised him." There is an important phrase right there at the front of that and I hope you got it. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit. Now we know the outpouring of the Holy Spirit uh took place in Acts chapter 2 of the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus uh spoke in the Gospel of John. [01:00:00]

If you want to beat the enemy at his own game, fill your life with his spirit. We need the power of the Holy Spirit now more than ever before in my estimation. Our challenges are greater. Our influences are so many more diverse. And we need his spirit's presence to lead us. Jesus comes out of the wilderness full of the spirit of God. And let me tell you something, people, we've got to have his spirit. Amen. At Amen. And as at our network council, they explained and reminded us and emphasized to us the continuous need to daily seek his spirit's wisdom, strength, and guidance. [01:00:21]

If all you've got of his spirit is an hour and a half on Sunday mornings, you aren't going to make it. That leaves 166 and a half hours of your week that the enemy without walking in step with his spirit can come in, can rob, can steal, can destroy, can tear up, can break down, and all of the things that we as Christians are pursuing God for can be undone in a matter through a matter of neglect. Jesus was full of the spirit when he wrote these when he spoke these words and Luke records them. And let me tell you something, folks. You're not going to beat the enemy with your own efforts. [01:01:34]

Under the leading direction of his spirit, he can do what I cannot. And he can cross bridges and make ways in wilderness and see lives transformed. And I simply get to be the vessel through which his spirit travels. And I love that part. Let me tell you something. It's amazing. But let's keep going. In verse 16, he says, "He went to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day, he went into the synagogue, which was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written, 'The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.'" [01:02:44]

He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Then he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue was was were fastened on him, and he began saying to them, "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." I don't know if you understood context in that moment, but let me let me just paint it for you. Jesus is among many people teaching. And he's not really the featured speaker. [01:03:08]

Isaiah the book is full of prophetic language. When you begin to read it, you'll see that God revealed Jesus coming throughout the book. It's absolutely incredible. And for all of you guys on Wednesday mornings, you ought to be able to say this with me now. The prophetic books are what? They are now and not yet. They spoke to the time in which they lived, but they also speak of a coming time and when that lands in history. We've been waiting through that and man, I'm alive. I don't know if you guys have enjoyed it, but it's been an absolute blast for me. [01:05:57]

But in the midst of all that, he also spoke prophetically about what was to come. And we know that as the fulfillment, as Jesus claims here in Luke chapter 4, he's saying this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. It's absolutely incredible. And he says this uh as as we look at it, Jesus told them not or excuse me, Isaiah told them uh of the hope that was coming through Jesus. We can see he was speaking of Jesus. In fact, Jesus claims fulfillment here of the scripture. That's a pretty bold statement, but it's also a very accurate one. [01:07:05]

And this is the part that's so awesome to me. This is the part that the scriptures just make come alive to us because the hope that we have is not found in what's going on around us but in the one who lives within us. And this is the power of God that he speaks of. He gives hope to us today. He says, "I'll proclaim. The Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor." Guess what? There's some good news out there. Jesus loves you. Jesus cares about you. He was willing to lay his life down for you and you can have them for free. Isn't that incredible news? [01:11:23]

He says the oil of joy instead of mourning. Boy, let me tell you something. You've all walked through a season of mourning. Maybe it wasn't the physical loss of a loved one. Maybe it was a broken relationship and you're grieving loss. Maybe you had to let go of a dream that you were just sure God was going to lay out in this perfect plan and you had it all in your mind and everything turned to ashes. Isaiah is saying, "Oh, he's comes. He's coming, people. He's going to exchange the beauty for your ashes. He is he he is going to bring the oil of joy for the mourning of your heart." [01:17:01]

Grief and sorrow can be debilitating. People sometimes just choose to stop living when the grief seems to be so great. Oh, they might be taking breath, but they're not alive. Their hearts are burdened. And he has come to bring about a change. If you are in a season of mourning or grief or heaviness, he's come to trade you today. Joy for mourning. And then he says, "And a garment of praise instead of instead of a spirit of despair." [01:19:27]