2. 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give
you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a Son, and shall call
His name Immanuel.

3. “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son, and they will
call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is
with us.’”

5. Hardships
Uncertain
Alone
Hopeless

6. Even though I walk
through the
darkest valley, I
will fear no evil, for
you are with me;
- David

8. Wilderness
Experiencing
God

9. Wilderness or wild land
describesaplacewherehumanshavenopresence.
Itisuninhabitedorinhabited onlybywildanimals.It
includesforests,jungles,deserts,etc.
derivesfromthenotionof"wildness"—in
otherwords,thatwhichisnotcontrolledby
humans.

10. A tough time in which a believer endures
discomfort and trials.
The pleasant things of life are unable to be
enjoyed, or they may be absent altogether, and
one feels a lack of encouragement.
Often a time of intensified temptation and
spiritual attack. (spiritual, financial, or emotional
drought).
Spiritual Wilderness

11. Has been called a place of “temporary escape,
transformation”
The wilderness, not yet dangerous, is,
however, an isolated, quiet place
Spiritual Wilderness
It allowed God a chance to have a private
conversation.

12. 15 When Pharaoh heard of
this, he tried to kill Moses,
but Moses fled from
Pharaoh and went to live in
Median, where he sat
down by a well.
- Exodus 2:15
10 So now, go. I am
sending you to Pharaoh to
bring my people the
Israelites out of Egypt.”
- Exodus 3:10
“Temporary escape”
“Transformation”

13. 7 The angel of
the LORD found Hagar near a
spring in the desert; it was
the spring that is beside the
road to Shur.
- Genesis 16:7
9ThentheangeloftheLORD told
her,“Gobacktoyourmistress
andsubmittoher.”10Theangel
added,“Iwillincreaseyour
descendantssomuchthatthey
willbetoonumeroustocount.”
- Genesis 16:9-10
“Temporary escape”
“Transformation”

14. Why Do I Need
To Experience
Wilderness??

15.  Positive divine discipline, to proof of
God’s providential care,

16. EXODUS 13:21

17.  Positive divine discipline, to proof of
God’s providential care,
 It develop a relationship between
God and his people, trust through
communication facilitated by the
solitude and isolation of the desert.
 It is a test

18. 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into
the wilderness to be temptedby the
devil
- Matthew 4:1

19. Wilderness often follows
mountaintops.

21. Elijah

22. Elijah’s
Mountaintops

23. 1“Asthe LORD,theGod ofIsrael, lives,whomIserve,
therewillbeneither dewnorrain inthe nextfewyears
exceptatmyword.”
4Youwilldrinkfrom the brook,andIhavedirected
theravens tosupplyyouwithfoodthere.”
22TheLORD heardElijah’scry, andtheboy’slife
returned tohim,andhelived.

24. 19NowsummonthepeoplefromalloverIsraelto
meetmeonMountCarmel.Andbringthefour
hundredandfiftyprophetsofBaalandthefour
hundredprophetsofAsherah, whoeatat
Jezebel’s table.”
21 Elijah went before the people and said,
“How long will you waver between two
opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but
if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing.

25. 22ThenElijah saidtothem,“Iamtheonlyoneof
theLORD’sprophetsleft, butBaalhasfour
hundredandfiftyprophets. 23Gettwobullsforus.
LetBaal’s prophetschoose oneforthemselves,
andletthemcutitintopiecesandputitonthe
wood butnotsetfiretoit.Iwillpreparetheother
bullandputitonthewood butnotsetfireto
it.24Thenyoucallonthenameofyourgod,andI
willcallonthenameoftheLORD.Thegodwho
answers byfire—heisGod.”

26. …Then they called on the name of Baal from
morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they
shouted. But there was no response; no one
answered. And they danced around the altar
they had made.
29 Midday passed, and they continued their
frantic prophesying until the time for the
evening sacrifice. But there was no response,
no one answered, no one paid attention.

27. 30ThenElijah saidtoallthepeople, “Comehereto
me.”Theycametohim,andherepairedthe
altaroftheLORD,whichhadbeentorn
down.31Elijahtook twelvestones, oneforeachof
thetribesdescended fromJacob,towhomthe
wordoftheLORD hadcome,saying, “Yourname
shallbeIsrael.” 32Withthestones hebuiltanaltar
inthenameoftheLORD,andhedugatrench
arounditlargeenoughtoholdtwoseahsofseed.

28. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into
pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said
to them, “Fill four large jars with water and
pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did
it the third time. 35 The water ran down
around the altar and even filled the trench.

29. 37 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these
people will know that you, LORD, are God,
and that you are turning their hearts back
again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned
up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and
the soil, and also licked up the water in the
trench.

30. 39Andwhenallthepeoplesawit,theyfellon
theirfacesandsaid,“TheLORD,heisGod;
theLORD,heisGod.”
40AndElijah saidtothem,“Seizetheprophetsof
Baal;letnotoneofthemescape.” Andtheyseized
them.AndElijahbroughtthemdowntothe
brookKishon andslaughtered themthere.
46ThepoweroftheLORD cameonElijahand,
tuckinghiscloakintohisbelt,heranaheadof
AhaballthewaytoJezreel.

31. Elijah falls into depression and
desperation
Wilderness

32. However, in spite of
victory, Elijah entered a
period of wavering faith
and depression

33. 𝟏 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah
had done and how he had killed all the
prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a
messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods
deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by
this time tomorrow I do not make your life
like that of one of them.”

34. Jezebel
(Phoenician princess)

35. 3Elijah wasafraidandranforhislife. Whenhe
came toBeersheba (thesouthernmost major city
ofJudahinthedry,aridregion oftheNegev), he
lefthisservant there,
4while hehimself went aday’s journey intothe
wilderness. Hecametoabroom bush,satdown
under itandprayed thathemightdie. “Ihavehad
enough, Lord,” hesaid.“Take mylife;Iamno
better thanmyancestors.”

36. Protection &
Provision

37. Spiritual
replenishment
Physical rest

38. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to
Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and
hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the
Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook,
and I have directed the ravens to supply
you with food there.”

39. God doesn’t preach a sermon!
Doesn’t rebuke Elijah!
God tells him to eat and rest.

40. Allatonceanangeltouchedhimandsaid,
“Getupandeat.”6 Helookedaround,and
therebyhisheadwassomebreadbaked
overhotcoals,anda jarof water.Heateand
drankandthenlaydownagain.

41. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of
burning coals there with fish on it, and
some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the
fish you have just caught.”
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have
breakfast.”

43. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain
down bread from heaven for you. The
people are to go out each day and gather
enough for that day
13 That evening quail came and covered the
camp, and in the morning there was a layer
of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew
was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground
appeared on the desert floor.

44. God of 2nd
Chances.

45. 7TheangeloftheLordcamebackasecond time
andtouched himandsaid,“Get upandeat,for
thejourney istoomuchforyou.” 8Sohegotup
andateanddrank. Strengthened bythatfood,he
traveled forty daysandforty nightsuntilhe
reached Horeb, themountain ofGod. 9There he
went intoacaveandspent thenight. Andthe
wordoftheLordcametohim:“Whatareyou
doing here,Elijah?”

46. 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my
brother or sister who sins against
me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven
times, but seventy-seven times.

47. God Reveal
Himself In
Silence.

48. 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the
mountain in the presence of the Lord, for
the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great
and powerful wind tore the mountains apart
and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but
the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind
there was an earthquake, but the Lord was
not in the earthquake.

49. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but
the Lord was not in the fire. And after
the fire came a gentle whisper.

51. 1. Protection & Provision
2. God of 2nd Chances
3. God Reveal Himself
In Silence

52. “Bare heights of loneliness . . . a
wilderness whose burning
winds sweep over glowing
sands,
what are they to HIM?
Even there He can refresh us,
even there He can renew us.”
- Missionary Amy Carmichael

53. FCCMainSanMateo,Rizal,PH
December9,2018
6:30pmeveningservice