If you use any or all of this message--would you be willing to fire off a quick email to:pastorjerryvargo@juno.com? I would like to have an idea of how often my sermons are actually being preached to strengthen the Body of Christ. Thanks!
"Waiting--The Place of Expectation"
Pastor Jerry C. Vargo
Calvary Christian Chapel
I. Introduction.
A. Waiting! We all hate it—but I wonder why?
• Is it because we are impatient?
• Is it because we worry while waiting?
• Are we self-centered and believe we should not have to wait?
B. I suppose there are a thousand reasons. Yet, today—I want to impart God’s perspective of waiting. I hope to see all of us leave with a fresh understanding of waiting.
C. Let me start by washing us with the Word of God in the book of Psalms…
Psalm 25:3
"Indeed, none of those who wait for Thee will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed."
Psalm 25:5
"Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day."
Psalm 25:21
"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for Thee."
Psalm 27:14
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."
Psalm 119:114
"Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Thy word."
D. Now, I think the answer to the question, "Why do we hate waiting," has it’s roots in a basic understanding of waiting.
E. Track with me now—we think of waiting in a passive manner. "Well, I can’t do much about it—I guess I’ll just have to WAIT."
F. We think of it as Killing Time or Wasting Time. But all of these ideas are inferior to God’s plan for waiting.
G. God’s plan for waiting is a combination of RESTING, PATIENCE, and WAITING!
Psalm 37:7a
"Rest (to be silent, to be still, to wait, to be dumb, to grow dumb) in the LORD and wait (to look for, to hope, to expect—to bind together, to collect, to be collected) patiently (Khool—to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), i.e. (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain) for Him…"
So, my definition of waiting is characterized like this…
"Waiting is to be so confident in God that whether you are resting in silence and stillness, feeling overwhelmed or dumb, or dancing in circles (even if it’s painful), you have decided to collect your thoughts, admit it hurts, and look for and expect God to intervene for you."
WAITING SHOULD BE A PLACE OF EXPECTATION!
Quote
Second only to suffering, waiting may be the greatest teacher and trainer in godliness, maturity, and genuine spirituality most of us ever encounter.
-- Richard Hendrix
G. So, we can wait Our Way or God’s Way.
II. Body.
A. Let me mention what will happen when we wait our way…
1. We Lose Perspective.
A. Job had it rough. Listen to his perspective on waiting:
Job 30:26
"When I expected good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then darkness came."
B. We become irrational. Our thought lives wander.
C. We often don’t have anything good to say during the wait. We become…
1) Gloomy
2) Fatalistic
3) Pessimistic
2. It Produces Frustration, Unrest, and Anger.
A. Once again, listen to Job:
Job 30:27
"I am seething within, and cannot relax; Days of affliction confront me."
B. “Seething” refers to the internal organs. It seems to carry the idea of being tense. Maybe this is where we get the saying: “My stomach is in knots!”
Application
How do you feel when someone cuts in front of you at the store? How about when someone brings 37 items to a 15-item line? You know what I hate? When the tape runs out!
3. We Become Depressed.
Proverbs 13:12a
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick...”
4. It Can Produce Ishmaels.
A. Look at Genesis 16:16-17:1.
B. Getting ahead of God can lead to SILENCE—and therefore prolong the waiting!
C. Abraham waited 13 years to hear from God!
Quote
People seem to believe that they have an inalienable right to be happy--"I want what I want and I want it now." No one wants to wait for anything and, for the most part, no one has to anymore. Waiting is interpreted as pain. – Kim Hall
Transition: Remember, waiting and reacting the wrong way will lead to more pain. How much better to wait God’s way.
"Waiting is to be so confident in God that whether you are resting in silence and stillness, feeling overwhelmed or dumb, or dancing in circles (even if it’s painful), you have decided to collect your thoughts, admit it hurts, and look for and expect God to intervene for you."
Waiting God’s Way…
1. Results in Hope!
Proverbs 13:12
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Psalm 130:5
“I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."
2. Results in an Unshakable Life.
Psalm 62:1-2
My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken (to be overthrown or fall)."
A. Often the waiting is accompanied by God’s silence. Why?
Application
Often, the silence is simply because God can trust us. Do we always have to have a visible or audible answer? Think of the agony of “waiting” that Martha and Mary endured after sending word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Jesus waited two days!
My point is this…As we are silently trusting God…He may be silently doing something that we cannot perceive.
3. It Results in Greater Desire for God.
Isaiah 26:8-9a
"Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early…"
NKJV
4. It Results in a Greater Trust of His Timing!
A. God always takes us to the edge it seems. Our wait often seems unbearable…UNTIL afterwards.
B. Afterwards, we see the wisdom of His Timing.
Two types of time:
1) Chronos
2) Kairos
Example: John 5:1-9 (38 years worth of waiting at the Bethesda pool).
III. Conclusion.
A. How many of you have been waiting for God to do something for a long, long time?
B. Have you waited Your Way OR God’s Way?
We usually want to give God the full instructions on how to deal with us.
Quote
Don’t bother to give God instructions; just report for duty.
-- Corrie ten Boom
