Sermon: When God Puts You On Hold!

Sermon: When God Puts You on Hold!

Scripture: Acts 1:4-8, “Once when he (Jesus) was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Introduction: The disciples had been caught in a whirlwind of activity. They had experienced so many exciting moments in ministry, witnessing so many miracles and blessings. Then to live through the arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was almost more than their hearts and minds could take. Yet Jesus continued meeting with them and showing himself alive by many infallible proofs. The meeting before his ascension was different. Jesus puts their ministry on a temporary hold. What do you do When God Puts You on Hold?

I’m sure many of you have had the experience of making a phone call and then being put on hold for a while. You wait and wait until eventually even the nice music doesn’t seem to be soothing anymore. You wonder what is going on. You resist getting frustrated. Can anyone relate? Have you ever been excited about what is in your heart, but at the same time felt boxed in, trapped, on hold, or on a plateau in life? Welcome to the crowd!

These disciples knew they were destined to do greater things, expand the ministry and build the kingdom, but Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The Bible is full of people who were born for a specific purpose in life, but they went through periods where everything was on hold. Nothing remotely close to their dreams was happening in their life. Sometimes it seemed as if they were going in the opposite directions of their dreams.

Others faced such opposition or obstacles that, humanly speaking, made it impossible for them to experience their dreams. In the Bible you find many people who did not experience what God had for them right away, but eventually they did! Do you remember when Abraham’s life seemed to be on hold? Abraham who had the promise of a son and the older he and Sarah became the more impossible it seemed. Remember, Joseph who became a slave on his way to leading a nation and saving his family and his nation. What about Moses who needed deliverance before he could become a deliverer for God’s people. Then there was the shepherd David with a dream and a promise to be the anointed king of Israel. Job’s journey from afflictions to abundance was unwanted, unwelcomed and unexpected, but absolutely necessary. The list could go on and on to Hannah and her desire for a son or Mary, a young girl chosen to bear the Son of God or Ruth, the immigrate who moved from grief to joy and so many more. The disciples are placed on hold, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

1. When God Puts You on Hold, Let God be God! Psalms 46: “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

The disciples must let God be God. This is a time to exchange our thoughts for His thoughts, to cease from our own efforts and strivings and to submit to God even when we don’t understand what’s happening.

God is smarter than we are and he knows the next move. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

God knows the things we don’t know! Become convinced of this truth! God knows what comes first—He never gets the cart before the horse. Being on hold often means getting ready for what is next in your life. Being on hold may mean other people are getting ready so you can step into the future together. God works in the unseen first before He deals with the seen. God understand the invisible, spirit realm is more real than the visible realm we live in. God always starts change on the inside of you before He does it on the outside. Faith will change you before it changes your circumstances.