Sermon Tone Analysis

“Church On the Move”

“Church On Fire Part 3”

PRAY

For the past couple weeks we have been in a series within a series.

Truth be told, I just keep seeing more that I want to unpack from the passage of Scripture I first read 2 weeks ago and reread this morning.

When we look at Acts 1:4-8 we see a significant event in the history not only of the Bible, but a significant shift in the way the Bible will affect the entire world.

Now not only will this tiny country affect the people directly adjoined to it, but from the smallest of communities in one of the smallest nations, a Savior, promised from almost the beginning of time will begin to affect the entire world.

In this passage of Scritpure we see the value of legacy.

While the message of the Savior will change lives over the course of the next 2 millennia, the nature of the Savior’s presence is about to change.

For 3 ½ years He has walked with them physically.

His presence has been very natural.

For the past month and a half the disciples lives have been rocked like never before, and that’s saying A LOT.

For 3 ½ years the disciples lives have been turned upside down.

They were told “Follow Me.”

In obeying that, everything they knew changed.

They left their families, their professions, their hobbies….they

left everything.

Then Jesus says, I know I’m only 33 years old, and you are all expecting something far different than what you are going to get.

NEVERTHELESS, this is the plan.

At 33 years old, I am going to die on a cross, be resurrected from the grave, return to give you some final instructions, then ascend to heaven.

THEIR LIVES WERE RADICALLY CHANGED!!!

This passage of Scripture is a major transition in the change!

So what do you do in the periods of transition?

Multiple times moving towards this point Jesus had informed, instructed, and even warned the disciples that this was coming.

He had promised that He was going to build a church, an organization that would change the world.

Along with the Promise to build the church, He gave the people Purpose.

Everything we are looking at and have been studying is moving towards the POWER that IS the PROMISE from the Father.

BUT, I made a statement last week that we can never forget…

POWER WITHOUT PURPOSE IS POINTLESS.

Repeat!!!!

That is why I am spending so much time getting to the POWER Part.

Even coming up to this point my plan was to really start preaching on the Power today, but God has continuously repeated a word in my heart…

WAIT!!!

Let me tell you that WAITING to preach what I want to preach is hard, but when God tells us to wait…

Well, when God tells us anything, IT’S BEST TO LISTEN!!!

What we never want to do is try to manufacture a resemblance of Power.

We don’t want to fake it until we make it.

What we DO want is for God to show up in such a miraculous way that we all leave with a WOW God epiphany.

We want to leave not only knowing that we have been in the presence of God, BUT THAT THE POWER OF GOD IS GOING WITH US.

If we look back to John 20:22 we see that The disciples had felt the Breath of God.

They had received a measure of the Holy Spirit.

The had been given the promise

They had been given purpose

BUT THEY STILL WEREN’T READY…

The Fact is no matter how ready we think we are, we’re not truly ready until God says so.

SO, I’ll repeat a question I asked earlier…

What do you do in periods of transition?

What do you do in those awkward times when you know you have just left something GREAT, or something GREAT seems to have just left you, and you are going to the next GREAT Thing?

What do you do in periods of transition?

The disciples had been with Jesus, but Jesus told them to WAIT for the Promise of the Father.

He didn’t give them a time schedule.

He didn’t tell them what the Promise would look like, feel like, or sound like.

He Just said wait!

When those periods of transition come into your life, let me encourage you this morning to do this very thing…

WAIT!!!

I. What to do when we are waiting on God.

a. Identify WHAT you are waiting on!

i. Abraham… Had to wait like 25 years for the Promise of a son.

Genesis 21:5 “Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.”

ii.

David…waited 25 years to become king.

He was anointed King in 1 Samuel 16, but it was in 2 Samuel 2 before that actually happened.

iii.

Acts 1:4 The disciples had been prepared before hand that Jesus would send “another”

The disciples were waiting on something very specific.

They were waiting on “The Promise of the Father.”

They weren’t waiting on PromiseS, but the Promise.

iv.

All of these KNEW WHAT THEY WERE WAITING FOR!

b.

Address it in Prayer

i. Matthew 7:7-11

ii.

John 14:13-14

c.

Recall Past Blessings

i. WRITE THEM DOWN!!!

ii.

TALK ABOUT THEM!!!

iii.

THANK GOD FOR THEM WHILE BELIEVING HE WILL DO IT AGAIN

iv.

When David was going to face Goliath, He recalled God’s faithfulness in the past to deliver him from the beast in the field. 1 Samuel 17:34-36

d.

Praise Him and Worship Him

e. Watch with Expectancy

f.

Have faith that He hears you Micah 7:7

II.

WHAT DO WE GAIN BY WAITING?

a.

We prosper Psalm 37:3-11

b.

We Exalt Him Psalm 46:10

c.

We Are Delivered Psalm 39:7-8; 40:1-2

d.

We are Saved Isaiah 25:9

e.

We are Strengthened Isaiah 40:28-31