Call to Worship: Psalm 18:46 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! 47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, 48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. 49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.”
Songs: Thrive - Casting Crowns
Build Your Kingdom Here - Rend Collective Experiment
Glorious Unfolding - Steven Curtis Chapman
Glorious Unfolding - Steven Curtis Chapman
Scripture: Psalm 40
Song: While I'm Waiting - Travis Greene
Sermon: Wait!
Closing Song: Eagle's Wings - Shout To The Lord 2000
Benediction: Isaiah 40:27 “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope / wait in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
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Sermon: Wait!
The other day my daughter took me out to this great little restaurant called Beladi's Bakery in London. They had the best Baklava I have had. We both ordered the chicken Shawarma, also one of the best I have had. One of the options was a chicken skewer dish that they had to cook from raw. It also looked good but that would have been a 15 minute wait, meanwhile there was chicken on a spit looking wonderful, already cooked. Yes we could have waited but we had places to go and things to do. In this fast paced world we live in, waiting isn’t always what we like to do nor do we have time for waiting. I am sure if we had waited for the skewer, it would have been just as good as the Shawarma we had. One lady in line thought it was a little slow so she let everyone know by drumming here rather long finger nails on the counter along with a few obvious facial expressions. When it comes to food or cheap gas or a deal of some sort for example we will wait if our schedule allows for it. People will line up for a Tim’s coffee no problem or stand in line for a ticket to some concert for days yet most have a hard time waiting on the creator of the universe to answer in His time. North Americans do not like to wait so this fast paced society we live in caters to it, from our banks to fast food to funeral homes. The drive thru makes it easy. Yes I even read about drive thru funeral homes, which is obviously for those viewing! Today with the hand held of your preference you can have the latest news or order something from Amazon at your fingertips. The other day I was getting my tires changed and while I was waiting I was shopping for a trailer part. How great is that and I paid without having to go to the bank first.
But the speed of this era we live in has its drawbacks and it is not all great. One, time is going by at the blink of an eye. Two, people are so busy; they do not have time to focus on much of anything else other than themselves. What happens when God says wait and it doesn’t fit into our lifestyle or it takes too long or we decide we simply do not want to wait and look for another option. Waiting on God is much more than a food choice as it has eternal consequences. If we choose not wait, that means we disobey God’s word and then that means we don’t trust him or love him. God’s word makes it very clear that if we wait and obey his word, God will bless us. satan just like the world also caters to this disdain for waiting, so does satan. As we have seen, satan will uses his prophets and teachers to change the message of God and make it more palatable for people to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Who do you think those teachers are teaching for? Most people do not want to hear the word wait because they don't actually believe there will be a result if they waiting. The word wait has several definitions. One definition is the “time during which some action is awaited.” We wait and believe God is going to do something. Another definition says, “look forward to the probable occurrence of.” We are waiting for the pouring out of God’s spirit on us because the bible makes it very clear that if we wait, we will see God move.
Here is an example of how satan works. He uses his minions to do his work. I have shared this example before but this sums up how people think about waiting on God. Most people do not want to wait; they just want to do. I shared this quote sometime ago, which said, “to wait on God is an old testament concept. The last ones that waited were the 120 in the upper room. Now God waits on us. Green means go. When the light turns green you do not need a permit from the Secretary of transportation – You just go” This was said by Reinhart Bonnke, a false prophet. Now according to Mr. Bonnke, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts are not in the New Testament according to this quote. This basically negates the gospels as our example of what we are to do and the acts of which we are to be part of. The only time we are to go is when God sends us in his power to fulfill his purpose. This statement says that all are filled with the Holy Spirit, so we just go but you know this isn’t true, as you just have to look around us to see there is no power.
satan does not want you to succeed in your waiting. This lie that people think they have been filled has deceived millions of christians and now they walk around naked and powerless and live in desolation. Not only do we have satan trying to deceive us, we have people we know who don’t want you to succeed in your waiting. Jeremiah 20:10 “I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” 11 But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.” Most so called christians do not want your waiting to be successful because then they would have to change. 2 Kings 17:14 “But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God.” Waiting also means trusting as we saw in Psalm 40:4 “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” Many have turned away to follow other gospels because they refuse to wait. But God said wait, so you believe there will be a result to your waiting. Hebrews 6:15 “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” James 5:7 “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”
Since there is no power available, then we have to go back to the command of the Lord and wait which is the New Testament by the way. Luke 24:45 “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Acts 1:3 “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
To be witnesses to the ends of the earth, you must be filled with witness. Peter said Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” To go to the ends of the earth you must be filled with power and you must be sent. Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Too many people unfortunately have been successful from an earthly perspective and then everyone thinks that is how it is supposed to be. Also many false gospels and their prophets have gone out into the world to deceive. 2 Peter 2:18 “For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.” They go in their own strength and do what almost anyone could do whether in the church or out of the church. Then after they go in their own strength they give glory to God. But that is not what being sent in power is. You wait till you are clothed with power, then you go and do works of God that are beyond what your hands can accomplish. Exodus 34:10 “Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you.” Jesus said, John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Jesus sends his disciples in power. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” This was but a taste of what was yet to come. Acts 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” Acts 6:5 “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; 8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.” This is what disciples of Christ should look like. 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” These both go together and Ephesians 2:19 “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
For the most part the church does not wait on God because they want desperately to build something with their hands. For generations the building plan has been handed down to us. This is what church looks like they told us but upon investigation into God’s word that is the wrong plan. Yes David handed the plans to his son but the plan is different now. Acts 17:22 “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.” But it might not be your hands that do the building. You would have thought that David would have built the temple but he was told. 1 Kings 8:19 “Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.” God’s plan will look a whole lot different than your plan. Who would of thought that God would have used King Cyrus to rebuild the temple? You never have to worry about money when God is the one sending and building.
God said in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God knows exactly what is going to happen and often we will not know until it happens which is called faith and trust. The problem for most in the waiting is they can’t see God at work so they incorrectly assume that God is no longer present and therefore they should carry out the work themselves. Waiting can be excruciating! You may have had to wait for some news and it seems like an eternity before it comes but what happens if God’s plan takes longer than you think it should. When we look back at King Saul, he was told to wait a specific number of days; seven. So in his case he disobeyed when he knew exactly how long to wait. But he began to look with his eyes and did not trust in God’s word. 1 Samuel 13:5 “The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” Saul began to look at what the enemy was doing not at what God was about to do. Saul said to Samuel “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time.” Samuel did come at the set time but Saul didn’t wait because he set his own time when Samuel should have came. We must wait until the exact timing of God’s plan!
When Daniel had his visions of the end, there is this verse that tells us to wait. Daniel 12:11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” So the directive here for us is to wait and then wait longer and you will be blessed. If what you think should happen at the timing you think it should occur then wait longer. But know as David knew Psalm 27:13 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” We must wait for God’s plan to unfold unlike the Israelites who refused to wait. Psalm 106:13 “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.”
So yes we wait and yes it is hard as the enemy storms against us but God said wait so we wait. Honestly I almost cancelled the service yesterday, as the mental warfare was almost too much for me. Actually the whole week has been like this but we persevere and hold on to God’s word because God said wait. Do we really want to miss out on God’s glory because of our own timetables? God’s grace is amazing as described in 2 Samuel 22:17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 130:1 “Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.” We read earlier from Psalm 40:1 “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
God does not leave us on our own while we wait but it can feel like it. satan wants you to think that God will not keep his promise to you and get you to do things on your own. There are many men and women doing missions here and abroad in the name of the Lord that God has not ordained. Jeremiah 23:21 “In days to come you will understand it clearly. I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. 25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? 30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.”
We have a choice to wait or not as God loves us enough to give us that choice but do we love him enough to wait? Many will go thinking that they are filled with the Holy Spirit yet they only go in their own strength and do what their hands can make; there is no fire; there is no hammer. The only way there can be fire is to be clothed with power from the Holy Spirit just like Pentecost. By the way just because a speaker is powerful doesn’t mean they speak with fire from God. Yes many have followers but that doesn’t mean they are ordained to speak or go. Our waiting can feel never ending as if God isn’t going to keep his promise and like Saul we can make the worst decision of our lives by doing it ourselves in our own strength. We read earlier from Jeremiah and this it how it can feel waiting on God. Jeremiah 20:7 “You deceived me, LORD, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. 9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. 10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” 11 But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause. 13 Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.”
Job also tells us this during his time of perseverance. Job 23:1 “Then Job replied: 2 “Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 3 If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! 4 I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say to me. 6 Would he vigorously oppose me? No, he would not press charges against me. 7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him, and there I would be delivered forever from my judge. 8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. 9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. 10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 11 My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. 13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. 14 He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. 15 That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him. 16 God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. 17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.” Job also said, Job 19:25 “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
Our commitment to waiting on God is about our faith trust and hope. It is not based on what we can see. Hebrews 1:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” When Elijah was going to battle with the prophets of Baal he said to the people 1 Kings 18:21 “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.” The people wouldn’t commit till they saw. For most God’s word is not enough. John 20:29 “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Last week we talked about the centurion who had great faith. He did not even need to come into the presence of Jesus to believe. He had faith Jesus would do as he said he would. I believe Jesus healed his servant because he was a man of faith. The Jews on the other hand thought the servant should be healed because the centurion was a great man. Luke 7:3 “The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.” Faith isn’t about what we can see nor is waiting. God said to wait, so we wait. We do not wait because of what we see; we wait because we trust in the promises of God’s word. Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”
Do you do I love God enough to wait for his word to be fulfilled? Will we honour God with our trust so that we will be able to cross into the land of promise? Numbers 20:12 “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” By your waiting it shows that you trust God. Be aware that satan knows this is working hard to get you to turn away and do it yourself or just give up. Yes the way is is filled with hardships but the path is straight and God is guiding us. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Exodus 15:2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” 2 Samuel 22:33 “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Revelation 3:7 “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.”
So do not give up. Be strong and courageous and God will give us the land. 2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
