Don’t you just hate to wait? I do. Patience is not something that I am exceptionally good
at and as a matter of fact is one of the main areas in my life that God is having to work
overtime to bring into line with His will and plan for my life. Christmas is the worst when
it comes to waiting. Some of us are as fidgety as a five year old at a doctors office at this
time of year. Someone said that “good things” come to those that wait? Do they really?
Sometimes I wonder!
I don’t think that I am alone in my impatience. There’s the guy who was grumbling and
grousing in the line at the grocery store. And, the lady who honked at me and said hello in
a rather strange way when I slowed to turn into the mall parking lot the other day. And of
course we cannot forget those that have to jump in front of us in line at the store in order
to stand there as the clerk has to do a price check on register one because the bloomers
that they were buying for Aunt Bessie had no price tag. I am sure that in some way you
are a lot like me and just hate to wait, you don’t care to stand in line, or desire to sit in a
“waiting” room, or wasting time standing around and simply hanging out. And, I thnk
that you will agree that we have kindred spirits all over town, especially at this time of
year.
Waiting, I have never been especially good at waiting. But, it’s the season for waiting.
And, it’s just exactly what an over-scheduled, over anxious, over-committed soul like me
needs right now. Waiting is the antidote to a world gone mad in the holiday rush.
That is why advent and this season in the life of our church and in the life of our world is
so important. Advent means waiting. Well actually advent literally means coming. We
are waiting on the coming of the Lord. At Christmas, we wait to celebrate an event that
has already happened - the birth of the Christ child, Jesus. During advent, we wait for an
event that is yet to happen - the second coming of that same Jesus as Lord and King.
regardless of which we recall first, it’s all waiting.
You know as much as I hate to wait -- I’ve discovered something remarkable about
waiting. There is much that God cannot do in my life unless I wait. There is much God
will not do in my life, until I wait. At least as important as the things for which I wait is
the work God wants to do in my life while I wait.
With this amazing thought in mind, I want to focus on a passage of scripture this morning
that might at first glance seem strange for this time of year. But I assure you that it has
everything to do with what we are going through as we approach Christmas and the
celebration of the birth of Christ.
I Thessalonians 5:16-24! This is good council for all who wait, for the Thessalonian
Christians were waiting - they were waiting for the Lord to return. They just knew that
He would come back very soon. However, there was a problem. Some of the members
of the church were dying and those who remained were surprised and terribly disturbed by
this. Had they misunderstood the Lord’s promise to return. Was it all just wishful
thinking, was he ever going to come? Paul wrote to assure them that those believer’s who
have died would not be left out of the great day of Christ’s return. In fact, they will be
raised from the dead to meet Him. Then, those who are still alive will join them in Christ’s
Presence. The things that Paul says in this passage are intended to strengthen and
encourage folks like you and me - folks who are waiting on Jesus. Join me as I begin in 1
Thessalonians 5:16.
***READ SCRIPTURE***
This is a bunch of stuff isn’t it? There’s a whole lot that Paul seems to be requiring. But,
before we get overwhelmed by the size of it all and before you simply hit the off switch on
your mind this morning - I want to crumple it up like a ball of Christmas wrapping paper
and give it to you in a size you can handle. Here it is, are you ready? ------ Waiting on
Jesus can have an amazing effect on our lives!
1. Waiting For Jesus can Help Us Experience The Transforming Purposes of
God!
I can remember one late winter’s day when I was about 7, my grandmother had taken a
cousin and me to the grocery store. When the shopping was done and the brown paper
sacks were in the car, we headed home. On the way, grandma had to stop off at another
store for a few minutes, so my cousin and I stayed in the car. Well Grandma took more
time than she thought, so what was about to happen was all her fault. Back then, they put
prizes in laundry detergent boxes as an incentive for people to buy. Well, we had two
giant boxes of soap because Grandma bought everything in bulk. Well I had discovered
that you could pop the ashtrays out of the doors in the back seat and when you looked
down into them you could see a big black hole. So, we popped both ashtrays out, opened
both boxes of soap and began to pour in the soap. Before we knew it, the boxes were
empty and we had a nice little coffee cup and a nice little salad dish. It was then that we
realized what we had done. I know that we have not been together long, but trust me on
this: There is no way to make a soap box look and feel like it ‘s never been opened once
you’ve poured all the soap down an ashtray hole in a car! It was all Grandma’s fault
anyway! You can get into a whole lot of trouble while you wait! Especially if there is no
purpose in your waiting.
Paul points out three things that will give our waiting on Jesus a purpose. He says, “Be
joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,...”. Be joyful! Be
prayerful! Be thankful! Sounds like a good strategy for Christmas doesn’t it?
First he says, “Be joyful - always” Man! Who does he think I am? With all the hassles
and troubles and disappointments in life, how can he expect me to be joyful all the time?
If it’s the kind of joy the world tries to work up, he can’t. This joy isn’t something that
can be turned on and off like a faucet. This joy is something that happens when you
recognize the hand of God in whatever is happening and realize that in any and all
circumstances He is at work on behalf of His people. On behalf of you and you and me.
This is a joy that comes in knowing that God is in control of all circumstances of life and
that He will indeed do exactly what Paul assured the Christians in the book of Romans,
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have
been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son...”
The key to joy is found in the words of that old familiar Christmas song: “Joy to the
world-- the Lord is come.” Only by His coming into your life can you experience the kind
of lasting joy that Paul talks of here.
Then, Paul says, “Be prayerful. Pray without ceasing”. This is the way to draw on the
inner strength that God provides. Now, Paul isn’t telling us that we should always be on
our knees, with our heads bowed, and our hands folded. There are certainly times for
that, and most of us could benefit from more of that kind of praying. However, Paul isn’t
pushing that sort of prayer here. He’s talking about prayer that acknowledges our utter
and complete dependance upon God and the total dependability of God in all
circumstances.
He wants us to continually be in a spirit of prayer -- because we have God’s ear at all
times. A Christian can turn to God at any moment of the day, in any circumstance, and be
in one-to-one communication with the one who created the universe. Most of us know
how frustrating it can be, waiting to see Santa to tell him what we want for Christmas.
But there is no waiting to tell our requests to God!
Third, Paul tells us to: “Be thankful. Give thanks in all circumstances”. Notice that
Paul didn’t say, “Be thankful for all circumstances.” He says, “be thankful in all
circumstances.” There’s a difference. There is just no way to be happy and thankful for
everything that happens to us.
You lose your job, how can you be thankful for that? They diagnose cancer and I’m
supposed to be thankful that, No way! A close relationship is crumbling right before my
eyes and I am supposed to be thankful, yeh right!
Why should we, as Paul says, “Be thankful in all circumstances.”? Let me give you one
good reason why: When a Christian is faced with a difficult situation, he/she is
being given a chance to glorify God!. If you never have any difficulties -- if you never
face any trails or pressures -- how will anyone ever see that you have an invisible means of
support? How will anyone ever know that you have a reliable source of strength? How
will anyone ever discover that God is who you say He is in your life?
Notice how Paul ends verse 17, “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” “Be
joyful. Be prayerful. Be thankful. This is what God wants for you -- His will, His desire,
His purpose -- in Christ Jesus.” It suddenly dawned on me as I was preparing for today
that what Paul says here is the way to keep things in their proper perspective this
Christmas season. While you wait: Be joyful. Be Prayerful. Be thankful. Allow God
to work in your life as you wait!
There’s another amzing effect that waitng on Jesus can have in our lives.
Waiting For Jesus Can Help Us Remain In The Holy Prescence of God!
Paul moves rapidly in verses 19-22 to tell us how to respond to the guidanceand
leadership that God gives us. “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies
with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” This all
sounds complicated, but actually only two things are here. He says, “First don’t ignore
the Spirit’s prompting. And second, don’t despise the Scripture’s wisdom.”
The Spirits prompting always comes in two areas: Stop doing what is wrong and start
doing what is right. If you are a Chrsitian, you should be familiar with that inner feeling
that says , “God wants you to do this’, or “God wants you to stop doing that”. Those are
the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. In fact, they are the prime evidence or indicators
that you are a Christian and that God’s Holy Spirit lives in you. Paul tells us to give into
those feelings. When the HS prompts you to do something, do it. If you don’t, he says,
you’ll “put out the Spirits fire” and when you do put out the fire, the prompting may not
be as strong the next time and you may not know what God is urging you to do. That is a
very comforting feeling for me when I know that God is “up close and personal” with me.
HE is right there, right then. WOW! And guess what? He is right here, right now and is
speaking softly to some in this room. Saying to you that you may have never given your
heart to His son and that if you were to die today, that you would die and be eternally
seperated from Him. Hear His prompting this morning and act upon it!
Then, he says, “Don’t treat prophecies with contempt.” or “Don’t ignore the Scripture’s
wisdom.” When the Word of God is proclaimed and the mind of God is revealed -- pay
attention!
“”But,” he adds, “Test everything.” Don’t swallow it all -- hook, line, and sinker. Be
discerning. What am I talking about here, you may be wondering, simply this, there are
people all over the place and maybe even some within this church who will tell you what
God wants you to do. However, much of it is counterfeit, it is not real. Paul says, “Be
careful. Test it. Make sure it is God’s truth before you gulp it down.”
How do you test it, then? The main way to see if what someone is telling you is from God
is to be sure that it squares with the Scriptures. Nothing that is truly from God through
the HS will ever contradict anything that God has said in His Word! If it contradicts
God’s Word all you have is a load of baloney.
Now lest you think that I am saying that you can simply ignore all people who share God’s
Word with you please listen to me now. Anytime God’s Word is preached or shared, pay
close attention. For through that Word God may be speaking directly to you! And when
God speaks directly to you, your life will never be the same again.
While you wait on Jesus this Christmas season - don;t ignore what the HS is prompting
within you and don;t ignore the wisdom of the Sripture. Remain in the presence of the
HS.
There’s another amazing effect that waiting for Jesus can have on our lives. Waiting For
Jesus Can Help Us Rest In The Keeping Power Of God!
Paul is about to end his letter, so in verse 23 he begins to pray, “May God Himself, the
God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be
kept blameless at the coming of our Lord JC. Let’s look at what He prays for us.
First, he prays that God will “sanctify us through and through”. the word sanctify means
literally “to make you holy”. The great thing about this is that it is a gift. It’s something
that has been done for us - and given to us. When we placed our faith in JC, the Bible
tells us that we passed from death into life. In Colossians 2:13 Paul says, “When you were
dead in your sins -- God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” Notice
something: we didn’t do it, God did it!
Look at what else Paul prays for us. “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept
blameless at the coming of our Lord JC.” This isn’t something that just happened in the
past. It’s an ongoing process in our lives. God is continually working in you and in me
to make us into what He desires, if we allow Him to! Paul says it another way in
Phillipians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” There is no doubt in Paul’s mind that
God will keep us and continue to work while we wait for the Lord’s return.
Do you catch what Paul is saying here? Maybe you will when you hear what Jesus says
about those who put their faith in Him. He calls us sheep and he says, “My sheep listen to
my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are
one.”
There is no need to fret and fuss about it. IF God holds you in His hand you are safe --
not just for now but for eternity! Rest in the keeping power of God.
Now, before we go, I want to take a good look at the wonderful thing Paul says, there in
verse 24. This is the bottom line, This is the firm foundation upon which our faith is built.
He says, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” If you ask me this is the
Christmas message! This is all we really need to udnerstand. This is the Gospel in three
easy steps. God is the One who calls us; He is faithful; He will do it! God is the one
who calls us; He is faithful, He will do it!.
If all there is, is what’s here and now -- if all I’ll ever be is who I am today -- I can’t afford
to wait. I’d better get busy and grab everything that I can get my hands on. But, if all
eternity will someday be mine -- waiting isn’t just the best thing to do -- it’s the only thing
to do!
And so, we watch, we listen - we wait. There is much that God cannot do in our lives
unless we wait. There is much God will not do in our lives until we wait. At least as
important as the things for which we wait is the work God wants to do in our lives while
we wait.
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