Sermon Central
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The Wilderness Syndrome
Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 31, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Our wilderness experience is a testimony of our divine companionship. In fact, it proves the reality of this companionship.
Some people think they have arrived when in fact they have only just begun their journey.
An Olympian athlete will spend years preparing and training for an event at the Olympics. That event may only take a few moments and then it is over. In some regards, it does not seem like it is really worth it.
Years and years of training for one brief moment of victory.
Some may look at the Christian life like that. And in some cases, it might be closer to the truth than anything else. But that brief moment is only possible because of years and years of practice and training.
(1941–1974), struggled in her singing career until she became part of a group known as the Mamas and the Papas. This group lasted less than three years and then they disbanded. Cass began her solo career and it was very rocky.
She went to London, married a barren and restarted her career. She was not very successful and the audiences were very slim. Then, it started to come together and the concert halls became packed and they gave her standing ovations.
She called Michelle Phillips after the final concert on July 28, (1974) elated that she had received standing ovations each night. She then retired for the evening and died in her sleep, at age 32, two months before her 33rd birthday, due to heart failure.
When she went to bed that night she thought her career was just starting but she never knew that that was her last concert.
In some ways, the Christian life is like that. We struggle and struggle and finally become victorious and then it’s all over.
When we delight in divine companionship, we believe that we have arrived. In a certain sense, we have but not the way we think.
Up until this divine companionship element of our Christian experience, our struggles have to do with the sin element in our life. I know we never truly get rid of that while we are here on earth, but there comes a point when we get beyond those struggles.
Unfortunately, many Christians do not get beyond those struggles. Many Christians do not know nor have they experienced this divine companionship that is so prevalent in the Song of Solomon. A relationship not based on desperation.
(NLV) “Who is this coming up from the desert, resting on her loved one?”
(KJV) “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?
What we have here is what I am calling The Wilderness Syndrome. One translation calls it the desert while the other calls it the wilderness. I am going to use the term wilderness because that is a little more to term.
This Wilderness Syndrome is a very important aspect of the Christian life illustrated in both the Old and New Testaments. Very many Christians do not understand this aspect of the Christian life today. We have the idea that the Christian life is just one smooth ride right into heaven. No facts or experiences, even suggest this kind of thing.
Theme…
Our wilderness experience is a testimony of our divine companionship.
In fact, it proves the reality of this companionship.
Up to this point, the relationship between the bride and the groom has been up and down while the bride is trying to figure out what it really means to be a bride. And she is trying to figure out her relationship to this groom.
This is a picture of our struggle in our Christian life. We struggle to find out what it really means to be a Christian and what our relationship to Christ really means.
By the time we have come to this point, we have dealt with all those relationship questions and have come to an understanding of our companionship with the groom or Christ.
Now comes the last stage of this that we call Christianity.
The wilderness is between Egypt and Canaan.
When Israel came out of Egypt on her way to the Canaan land, she had to go through the wilderness. This wilderness experience had a profound purpose for Israel.
This is the illustration that we have for us today.
When I come to the wilderness syndrome as it affects me as a Christian, there are three primary aspects that I need to understand.
I. The Trial Aspect
(NLV) “Who is this coming up from the desert, resting on her loved one?”
(KJV) “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?
This began when Israel left Egypt for the Canaan land. What they did not understand was the wilderness stood between Egypt and Canaan.
The illustration of this comes from when Israel left Egypt.
