Lifescape

A World of Landscapes• Filled with scenes

• Different places

• Different times

• God created earth with variety

• God created it so we can understand us

Landscapes of the Bible• The Bible is full of landscapes

• The stories place characters in places

• These places have special meaning to us

Landscapes of Your Life

• Your life has ups and downs

• Your life has periods of drought

• Your life has times of abundance

• Your life sometimes has perfect direction

• Your life may be confusing and lost

What Is Your Lifescape?

!e Garden

• First landscape in the Bible

• What does the garden represent?

• Closeness and walking with God

• All of our needs supplied

• No shame or sin

!e Garden

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life

and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Genesis 2:8-9

!e GardenA river watering the garden #owed from Eden;

from there it was separated into four headwaters. !e name of the $rst is the Pishon; it winds through

the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.!e name of the second river is the Gihon;

it winds through the entire land of Cush.!e name of the third river is the Tigris;

it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2:10-14

!e Garden

!e LORD God took the manand put him in the Garden of Eden

to work it and take care of it.Genesis 2:15

Is !is Your Lifescape?

!e Mountain

• It is a place of sacrifice

• It is where we meet with God

• It is where we gain perspective

• It takes effort to get there

• It is not somewhere you can stay

• It provides perspective and direction

!e Mountain

!e LORD said to Moses,“I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,

so that the people will hear me speaking with youand will always put their trust in you.”

!en Moses told the LORD what the people had saidExodus 19:9

!e Mountain

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. !en Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God,

and they stood at the foot of the mountain.Exodus 19:16-17

!e Mountain

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in $re. !e smoke billowed up from it like

smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.

!en Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.Exodus 19:18-19

!e Mountain

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

“All this I will give you,” he said,“if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is wri%en: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

Ma!hew 4:8-10

Is !is Your Lifescape?

!e Desert

• The place of separation from God

• The place of wandering and confusion

• The place of trial and temptation

• The place of preparation

• The place of learning the hard way

!e Desert

Some wandered in desert wastelands, $nding no way to a city where they could se%le.

!ey were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

!en they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

Psalm 107:4-6

!e Desert

!en Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. A&er fasting forty days and forty nights, he was

hungry. !e tempter came to him and said,“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is wri%en: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Ma!hew 4:1-4

Is !isYour Lifescape?

!e Promised Land

• The place of rest and abundance

• The place of becoming a people

• The place of fighting for the promise

• The place where God desires us to be

• The place where fruit and grain is grown

• The place of increase and wealth

!e Promised Land

Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a

land #owing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.

Deuteronomy 6:3

!e Promised LandBy faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would

later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations,

whose architect and builder is GodHebrews 11:8-10

Is !is Your Lifescape?

!e City

• The place of settlement

• The place of refuge and belonging

• The place of fame and fortune

• The place of prominence

• The place where we are glorified

!e City!en the devil took him to the holy city and had him

stand on the highest point of the temple.“If you are the Son of God,” he said,

“throw yourself down. For it is wri%en: He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will li& you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

Jesus answered him, “It is also wri%en:Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Ma!hew 4:5-7

!e City

You are the light of the world.A city on a hill cannot be hidden

Ma!hew 5:14

!e City

Instead, they were longing for a be%er country –a heavenly one. !erefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:16

Is !is Your Lifescape?

!e Valley of Death

• The place of desolation

• The place of absolute despair

• The place where you feel dead

• The place of no hope

• The place of no life

!e Valley of Death!e hand of the LORD was upon me,

and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORDand set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

He led me back and forth among them,and I saw a great many bones on the #oor of the valley,

bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”      I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

Ezekiel 37:1-3

!e Valley of Death!e LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil, for you are with me

Psalm 23:1-3

Is !is Your Lifescape?

Knowing Your Place

• There are many lifescapes or places in life

• If you know the place you are, you can:

• know how to get out of that place

• know how to stay in that place

• know how to live your life

• know what verses to read

Knowing Your Place

• To get back to Eden, we have to realize that we can’t do things on our own

• To get out of the desert, we haveto stop grumbling and believe in God

• To stay on the mountain, we must sanctify ourselves and spend time with God

• To stay in the city, we must avoid getting prideful and not be ashamed of God

Knowing Your Place

Mountaintops are for the view and for the inspiration,but fruit is grown in the valleys

Billy Graham

Knowing Your Place

!ere is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul;we search for its outlines all our lives.

Josephine Hart

Knowing Your PlaceLife is like a landscape.

You live in the midst of it but can describe itonly from the vantage point of distance

Charles Lindbergh

What Is YourLifescape?

What Is YourLifescape?