Alliance Bible Church - Mequon, Wisconsin - Lessons from the Wilderness - Part 6

Relational conflict, financial struggles, physical ailments, and spiritual opposition all characterize life in the wilderness. But that doesn't mean life is purposeless. We'll explore two critical truths God gives us to help us thrive in the wilderness: who we are and what we're here for. Wilderness wanderers... 1) Who we are 2) What we're here for Text: Exodus 19:1-8

Duration: 38m
Broadcast on: 23 Jul 2023
Audio Format: other

Relational conflict, financial struggles, physical ailments, and spiritual opposition all characterize life in the wilderness. But that doesn't mean life is purposeless. We'll explore two critical truths God gives us to help us thrive in the wilderness: who we are and what we're here for.

Wilderness wanderers...
1) Who we are
2) What we're here for

Text: Exodus 19:1-8

(upbeat music) - This message is brought to you by Alliance Bible Church located in Mequon, Wisconsin. Our vision is to captivate generations with a satisfying gospel of Jesus Christ. For more information about Alliance Bible Church or other resources, please check out our website, myabc.church. - Exodus 19, that's what we're gonna be today folks, you gotta Bible, get 'em open, Exodus 19. I want you to picture for a moment the whole group in this room, every one of us, in an actual wilderness, an actual wilderness, a literal physical wilderness, let's say it's hundreds of thousands of square miles, let's say it's size of Texas, Alaska, whichever one you wanna do. Now we would do everything we can to get out, I'm sure we would write messages in the dirt, we'd send up signifiers, we'd scream, we'd walk, we'd run, we'd hike. But what would we do if after months or years of failed attempts to navigate our way out, we come to the realization that we're not getting out, we're not getting out. The wilderness is where we will be the rest of our lives. Attempts to flee are futile.

How would our thinking processes change? I would imagine that instead of strategizing and escape, we'd start strategizing for long-term survival, I'm sure that would be on our list. But I also think something deeper would settle in. If we're not escaping this, if what's around us is our life and there is no life outside it, what are we supposed to do and who are we supposed to be? Because you can't tether the answer to those two questions to something outside the wilderness, that's not happening. The extent of your existence is now in the wilderness, you cannot conceive of a life outside it. Christian, your entire life is lived this way.

And guess what, you won't get out until Jesus calls you home. You won't and can't escape until then. So what are you supposed to do and who are you supposed to be? The Lord knew that Israel faced the same fate. Many years of wandering the wilderness and looking backwards, he knew they had no hope of escape. But God equips them with an incredibly deep sense of identity that is meant to anchor them to something transcendent. And I think that word for them then is a word for us today. God has provided for us in Exodus 19 a deep sense of identity that is meant to anchor us, you, me, to something transcendent.

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