The wilderness is not just a natural, wild place; it's when we're dislodged from our familiar and put into strange places off our usual map. The prophet Malachi and the song of Zechariah speak to God's promise for God's people in the wilderness. Do you remember being in the wilderness?
Stories in scripture often depict God's people in the wilderness; the Exodus wilderness wandering, Elijah's flight into the safety of the wilderness, and John the Baptist ministering in the wilderness, and Jesus' temptation in the wilderness are all examples.
However, the wilderness is more than a remote, inhospitable location. It is when we lose our familiar and comfortable, having been dislocated into a place we don't really want to be, but must cope with nonetheless.
When God's people are in the wilderness, God stands ready to provide deliverance for the faithful.
In Malachi's time, God's people were experiencing wilderness in their separation from God and from God's justice. His prophecy announces that the messenger is being sent who will proclaim the day of the coming of the Lord.
Luke's story of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, relates a song that acknowledges the wilderness present for God's people, and how his son John will prepare the way of the Lord to come and bring God's kingdom sovereignty to liberate God's people and bring new life.
Get the whole story in the sermon video below and see how God comes to the faithful when they encounter the wilderness.
Stories in scripture often depict God's people in the wilderness; the Exodus wilderness wandering, Elijah's flight into the safety of the wilderness, and John the Baptist ministering in the wilderness, and Jesus' temptation in the wilderness are all examples.
However, the wilderness is more than a remote, inhospitable location. It is when we lose our familiar and comfortable, having been dislocated into a place we don't really want to be, but must cope with nonetheless.
When God's people are in the wilderness, God stands ready to provide deliverance for the faithful.
In Malachi's time, God's people were experiencing wilderness in their separation from God and from God's justice. His prophecy announces that the messenger is being sent who will proclaim the day of the coming of the Lord.
Luke's story of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, relates a song that acknowledges the wilderness present for God's people, and how his son John will prepare the way of the Lord to come and bring God's kingdom sovereignty to liberate God's people and bring new life.
Get the whole story in the sermon video below and see how God comes to the faithful when they encounter the wilderness.
| 12-09-18-sermon.mp3 |
| 12-09-18-ff-answers.pdf |
| 12-09-18-pathways_in_the_wilderness.pdf |