In The Mean Time – Part 3
Scriptures: Heb. 11:7-17; Psa. 37:23; 119:133; Phil. 3:14
Introduction
In 2008 I did a two part series I titled “In the Mean Time.” This message will be part three of that series although it’s being delivered seven years later. In 2008 I talked about some of the things we do when we are in transition from one purpose to the next; one situation to the next; and/or one place in our lives to the next. In those messages I told you that what we do in the mean time directly impacts how we go through something. The outcome of most of our situations are actually decided or influenced by what we do “in the mean time.” When I delivered the first two messages in 2008, my father was dying and my company was going through a layoff and I was in limbo as to its effect on my position. In 2008 I used that example of the upcoming layoff at my job in my message. During that time we were notified in August so we all had five months to prepare for the “what if.” Many people were stressed, angry, and immediately began looking for other opportunities. When I delivered those two sermons, I was in my “mean time” unaware of what would happen. What I did know was that regardless of the decision that my company made, God would take care of me. So while the decisions that were being made were out of my control, I filled my time seeking God’s wisdom and His kingdom. I did that then and continue to do so now because the Word promises me that if I do this, everything that I need will be provided to me. My job is to seek Him; His job is to take care of the rest – those things I need in this life. When I stop trying to do His job and start doing my job (seeking Him and His righteousness), things tend to fall into place. Having this understanding allowed me to sleep at night because it was not about me, it was about God.
So here we are seven years later and I am delivering part three of that series. My father is in Jesus’ presence and I am no longer with the company I was with in 2008. Things have also changed for this Church. For example, in 2008 we were meeting in a school. Today, we own this Church outright – it’s paid in full. In 2008 many of us were working somewhere else and we had more members than we do now because people had jobs here. In those “mean times we lost members as they moved to find new job opportunities.” We did not envision that in 2008, yet it still happened. I am sharing this with you so you understand that while we may have our plan it’s just that, our plan. But when our plan gets interrupted and we go through those transitions that I will refer to as “in the mean time” it is those times when we have to make a choice. Take a moment and think about some of the “mean times” you have gone through since 2008 and where you are today versus where you were in 2008.
This morning I want you to consider what you are doing “in the mean time” when there is uncertainty and you do not know what will happen. What are you doing “in the mean time” as you are going through? And finally, what are you doing “in the mean time” when you have come through? Just to be clear, we all have “mean times”, those times between where we are now and where we are striving to get to. Consider where you are now spiritually versus where God is trying to take you. Do you believe that God has ordered your steps? I will come back to this question, but first let’s spend a few minutes describing this “mean time.”
I. Facts About The Mean Time
Our mean times are often some of the hardest times that we will face. We often leave one place (physically, emotionally and even spiritually) to arrive at another place. While we are in transition our fears about the “what ifs” begin to play through our minds as we contemplate the possibility of not arriving at our next destination. While we are in our “mean time” we must exercise a level of patience that is often hard to find – let alone exercising the peace of God that has been given us. Because all of our faith levels are different and how we respond to situations is varied, none of our mean times are the same.
In 2001 I had a conversation with my older brother Barry. He had been laid off from his job. He was unemployed and chose to wait on God for his next steps. He had previously worked in public relations at Wright State. Well, in 2002 God did two things that changed his life. First God led him to go into the insurance business and second, he led him to his current Church. Now, 14 years later, he is partially retired (works when he wants to) with a steady income and has plenty of time to spend with the Lord. He is also on staff at his Church and is able to exercise the gift that God had placed within him having earned the respect and trust of his pastor to the point that he often fills in for him when his pastor is traveling. Fifteen years ago (prior to 2001) you’d be hard pressed to convince Barry that this would be his life. Selling insurance, to my knowledge, had never been on his radar and he was not a regular member of any Church. During his mean time – his time between being laid off and starting his new career, he spent time with the Lord. He sought His face. He sought His will. He understood what many people miss – that God had a plan for him and it might now match up with what he wanted for himself. He was open to go where he had not thought of going before and look how it played out? He knew little about the industry where God sent him and nothing about the Church where he is currently on staff. What he did know was that he was being led and if this is where God wanted him everything else would take care of itself – and it has! Barry believed Psalm 37:23 and 119:133.
Psalm 37:23 says “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” When we are willing to follow the steps that God has ordered for us, He will find delight is us. Why? Because during our “mean time” we are seeking His face and asking Him where He desires for us to be. It ceases to be about us – but about what He has planned for us. Psalm 119:133 says “Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” There is a song that says, “Order my steps in Your word, dear Lord, lead me, guide me, everyday, send your anointing, Father I pay, order my steps in Your word.” If we allow God to order/direct our steps, when are in the midst of our mean times, are responses will shift. Shift from the focus of the fear and what ifs to assurance and excitement of the next steps. The only way to walk in our mean time is to walk in the steps that God has ordered for us and that my friends take steps. Turn with me Hebrews 11:7-16.
II. Faith and Our Mean Time
Hebrews 11:7-16 says, “By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised: wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own. And if indeed they had been mindful of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.”
I want to point out some connections between those that we just read about in Hebrews chapter eleven as it relates to their mean time. In verse seven Noah was warned by God of things “not yet seen.” Based on this warning, he built an ark. In verse eight, Abraham was called and “went out, not knowing where he was going.” In verse eleven, Sarah conceived “beyond the proper time of life” when she initially believed it was impossible. With each of these individuals there was an unknown. They had a “mean time” where only God knew what was coming and when. They honored God in their obedience to Him and followed even though they did not have all of the answers. They left the answers with Him. Chapter eleven also speaks of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and a whole list of others from the Old Testament. What did they have in common – they all walked through a mean time where only God had the answer. Read their stories. God gave them what they needed when they needed it, but it came down to them trusting God.
Verse thirteen states that they all died in faith without receiving the promises – Jesus in the flesh. They claimed to be strangers in a foreign land – meaning that their walk with God separated them from the world. But here is what I want you to focus on. Verse fifteen and sixteen says “And if indeed they had been mindful of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.” For each of these individuals to make it through their mean time, they had to keep their minds focused on God. If they thought about going back, they would have done so. They had to keep their minds on what God had told them and where He was taking them.
So let me sum this up for you. You will enter a “mean time” at the point where you leave where you are and before you get to where you are going. The first key is to know when you should leave. You must decide to leave a situation when it is unhealthy for you. It could be a job, a relationship and even a church. The key is to know and to follow God when He tells you to leave. When God told Noah it was going to rain, Noah built an ark so his family could live. God told Abraham to go to a strange land – Abraham heard His voice and left. God told the Children of Israel that they would one day leave Egypt and when it came to past, they left. You have to know when God is telling you to leave and if you follow Him, without knowing the outcome but walking in faith with Him, you can be assured that He will take care of you.
The second key is once you know you have to leave, prepare yourself. Sometimes we enter in a mean time without being prepared. Sometimes we are thrown into a situation. But I believe that there is no situation that we can enter, even if it is on short notice, that God will not already have it figured out for us – if we spend our mean time with Him. During Noah’s mean time he was busy building an ark. He was in a mean time because he did not know when it was going to rain. At any point he could have given up. Can you imagine working on something for fifty to seventy-five years before you see the fulfillment of it? We get bored with something after a year especially when we do not see the final outcome. Noah spent his mean time doing what God had told him to do. When God told Abraham to leave, he gathered up his belongings and started walking. He did not wait for all of the answers or directions, he started walking. When we know we have to move, we have to prepare ourselves.
The third key is to stay focused on where you are going. What does this mean? It means that although we may not have all of the answers, we know God is taking us somewhere. We spend time with Him, seeking answers. Many times people will read self-help books written by man only to find out that it does not help them in their situation. Only God has even answer that we need – but we must decide to turn to him. As you are listening to me I can tell you that while I am flawed and make mistakes, He does not. It is hard to explain to people why we choose to trust God when religion has become what man defines it as. It’s not about having a relationship with God where you follow His command, it now about what makes us feel good about what we want to believe about our lives. I do not know about you, but it can get hard to remain focused on where God is taking us when those around you are questioning your beliefs. Hebrews 11:15 says that if they had been mindful of where they had come from they could have turned around. When God tell us we have to move, don’t look back. Keep your focused on where you’re going. Use you mean time to prepare for when you get there. Believe that you will get there.
The fourth and last key is when you arrive start preparing for your next journey. Most people love a good vacation, where you can go somewhere and get away from the stresses in your life. The same is true when we come out of our “mean time.” When we have reached the end and have arrived at where God wants us, we relax and enjoy the arrival. Sometimes we get so comfortable in the new place that we do not want to leave. I want you to know this morning that we must continuously move from one “mean time” to the next because our journey with God is about being where He wants us to be. Paul said “I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14) We will always be moving, from one mean time to the next. If we develop the habit of always seeking Christ first and staying in His presence our mean times will becomes times of patience and proof. Patience as we wait on God to direct us and proof the proof when He shows you His plan and fulfills it.
Conclusion
Remember the story I shared with you about my brother Barry? Well, I received an email from a friend of mine last week who asked me to change her email address for my sermons from her work email to her personal email. Why? She was leaving her current job to move home and go into business for herself. She asked that I pray for her. Right now she is entering in a mean time where there are definitely uncertainties, but she is walking in her faith in God. She has made the decision to step out in faith and go where she believes God is taking her. For some her decision could be viewed as foolish since she has a child to consider. But for other, her decision could be viewed as a leap of faith, one that will not only secure her future, but the futures of her child and future grandchildren. I am of this group. If she walks with God and follow His lead, she will be surprised at what He is going to do through her and for her. I say through her because she is entering into a business that will enable her to change the course of people lives. To her decision I say “Amen!!!”
What about you? Some of you are in a “mean time” that is changing the course of your life. You’re considering options and opportunities. You’re seeking change and not sure what those changes should be. If you take nothing else from this message, stop and go to the Lord. Ask Him to guide your footstep – to establish the path before you so that you can see it. Once you understand the path, start on it. Some may doubt you; other may talk about you, but stay focused on where God is taking you. You will always have critics and those who will speak against you – don’t let them rule your life. Follow God and He will take you where He wants you and you will know and have the peace that you are where He wants you to be.
In your “mean time” seek His face! When you’re not in a “mean time”, continue to seek His face! Why? Because if you’re not in one now, you will be soon.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
