Timing Is Everything Series

Timing is Everything

CCCAG June 3rd, 2018

Scripture- John 7:1-13

I want us to take a bit of a journey this morning. I want you to imagine that God has given you a mission and a promise for your life. God has shown you that He is going to have so much favor, so much blessing, and so much influence that your life will change the spiritual condition of an entire city. God has shown you things in dreams, He has had well respected and proven prophets of God prophesy over you exactly how He is going to move in your life and fulfill this mission. He has shown you the end from the beginning and it is a glorious life of blessing and Kingdom purpose.

The only thing God hasn’t shown you is when.

It’s my opinion that the number one thing that derails people’s faith in the dream or the promises that God has given them is the time they have to wait.

Right now our area is in or finishing the planting season. The seed is in the ground, and now we have to face the heat of the summer waiting for that which was planted in faith to grow and produce the harvest.

The Kingdom of God is like that seed that is being planted. A good farmer knows that he can’t plant one day and expect the harvest the next day. Crops aren’t microwavable in their growth, and neither are God’s promises.

Spiritually speaking, planted seed represents this time of waiting- and this waiting time is meant to produce the disciplines of trust and faith.

How many people here love it when God makes you wait for something? Don’t raise your hands because then I’ll have to change the sermon to one about lying.

In my life, it’s probably one of the things I struggle with the most-not trying to help God out in ways that will eventually damage the fullness of the promise HE wants to give me.

God does this in all of our lives

One of the best examples from the bible-

Abraham is 85 years old. He is in prayer one day when God tells him that he will be the father of many nations. Abraham says, “That’s impossible God, I have no children and especially no son to carry on my name. Not only that, but Sarah and I have been collecting SSI for 20 years…and people don’t have children at this age.”

God assures him-You will have a son.

Abraham believes God. He builds a crib, adds a nursey room onto his tent, and waits.

And waits

1 year

2 years

3 years. His wife Sarah is getting impatient. She suggests that they help God out and use her servant Hagar to be the surrogate mom. Abraham follows Sarah’s advice, and Ishmael is born. Ishmael is the product of two humans trying to help God fulfill his promise, and is therefore considered to be the son of the flesh.

Ishmael’s presence brings chaos on the home. Sarah resents him, Hagar thinks she is now first wife, Abraham is caught in the middle wondering why he ever listened to Sarah instead of God.

Finally, 14 years after the initial promise, when Abraham is now 99 years old, God tells him he will be a father this time next year- this time God’s way.

The next year, Issac is born- the son of the promise. The blessing and gift of God that came in our Father’s timing and not through any effort on the part of Abraham or Sarah.

It’s critically important for us to learn that discipline of waiting. To many of us are settling for the pain and chaos an Ismael brings when God has Isaac’s just waiting to bless us.

Jesus shows us how to do that here in John chapter 7.

Prayer

Premise- Jesus waited on God’s Timing.

What I want to look at this morning is how we can do the same and avoid having any more Ishmael’s in our lives that rob our blessing or our future from the one that God has prepared for us.

Jesus shows us the way. We saw in the video clip we watched of John 7:1-13 that Jesus own brothers are telling him to go to Jerusalem.

If you are Messiah, why are you messing around here in the sticks? We don’t even have a Walmart Jesus, get to the big city and show yourself for who you are.

Jesus didn’t do that. HE answered them-

John 7:6 My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.

Jesus had a laser focus on God’s will, God’s timing, and God’s methods, and nothing could sway Him from deviating one inch from what God’s plan was.

How did Jesus do that? How did Jesus resist the urge to speed things along, or ride a wave of popularity straight into an earthly palace?