Waiting on God
Notes
Transcript
Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” ; Acts 1:4 “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;” – For the next few weeks, I am going to attempt to preach from the series “Wait Until.” Waiting on God!
God's idea of waiting: The apostle Peter wrote, "that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years." An economist once read those words and got very excited.
"Lord - is it true that a thousand years for us is just like a minute to you?"
"Yes."
"Then a million dollars to us must just be a penny to you."
"Yes."
"Lord, would you give me one of those pennies?"
"All right. Wait here a minute."
The hardest thing God asked us to do is to wait and there's nothing more confusing; nothing more painful; nothing more troubling; than waiting on God because what happens when we wait is it exposes our belief or lack thereof; it reveals our bitterness; it magnifies our weakness; it amplifies our pain, but here's the good news; waiting on God strengthens us like nothing else.
No one likes to wait. in traffic, in lines, in holding patterns, in grocery stores, for the doctor, for a spouse, for a baby, for retirement, for sermons to get over, or for Jesus to return.
We don’t like waiting. We feel better, more valuable, have more meaning if we are DOING something – If we’re busy. I have found out that busyness is not productivity.
“Busyness can often lead to neglect.” We are so busy doing other things that we fail to spend quality time where it is most lasting. If we are not careful, we become a person “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Schemers without strength, religion without relationship.
Waiting means that we are going to trust that God knows what He is doing.
Waiting is not just something we have to do while we get what we want. Waiting is the process of becoming what God wants us to be. What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for.
He’s building our confidence in Him; He’s building our patience; He’s building our intimacy w/Him; He’s building our sensitivity to His voice.
When Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem, he was telling them that this was a means of experiencing his peace, his prosperity, and his power. In waiting they would catch the wind of God's Spirit. In waiting they would see God move. Let me tell you one thing today that Waiting on God does.
Waiting on God increases your strength
Sometimes we struggle to remember that it's good to wait for the Lord. It isn't easy. It goes against the grain of our quick-fix society. But, there's a hidden benefit in waiting. In times of waiting my soul is revived and my spirit is renewed. I can draw strength from the Lord while I wait.
Waiting, biblical waiting, is not a passive waiting around for something to happen that will allow us to escape our troubles. Waiting does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It is not a way to evade unpleasant reality.
Those who wait are those who work because they know their work is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58. Those who wait on God can go about their assigned tasks, confident that God will provide for their life’s work the harvest to their hard work. Waiting is the confident, disciplined, expectant, active, and sometimes painful clinging to God. It knows that we will reap a reward.
If we wait, in patient trust, remembering that God is in control doing his work increasing our strength, we will experience the move of God on our lives and in our church.
Wait is the power to escape the force of the temptation - 1 Cor. 10:13.
Wait is the power to resist the enemy - James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Wait is the certainty of daily new mercies – Lamentations 3:22-23 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
Wait is the hope to see the goodness of God – Psalm 27:13–14 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
Wait is the ability to rest in the Lord - Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
Wait is the faith to believe we can soar - Isaiah 40:28–31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Wait is the confidence that God’s will is best – Luke 22:42-44 “saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
We may face spiritual battles; we may have to deal with life problems.
Impacting Homelessness:
We are looking for volunteers for the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter!
Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm (can be shifts of 9am-1pm or 1pm-5pm)
Also opportunities on Tuesday and Friday nights 6pm-8am.
If you don’t have the time to come and serve another opportunity is providing lunch for approximately 20 people (this is for families so think child friendly!) It would need to be dropped off at the shelter in South Anchorage between 11am and 1pm.
We are also collecting shelf stable food items to stock the pantry.
Amy Christopher - 907-350-1405
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Register for your Bible Study Group - Share Jesus Without Fear starts this Wednesday at 6:30PM in the sanctuary; groups start on the 9th
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