This sermon explores understanding and embracing God's appointed time for us, and using it to courageously impact others for His glory.
Good morning, friends! I'm thrilled to be standing here today, ready to share something that's been stirring in my heart. It's a message that's not just close to my heart, but I believe, it's also close to God's heart. It's something that can change the way we see our lives, our purpose, and our impact on the world.
Opening Scripture Reading – Let's start by reading from the book of Psalms, chapter 102, verse 13: "You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come."
Isn't that powerful? The idea that there's an "appointed time" for God's favor, a set time for His compassion. It's not random, it's not by chance. It's appointed. It's set. And that's what we're going to be talking about today - understanding, living in, and impacting others in our set time. As one of my favorite Christian authors, A.W. Tozer, once said, "God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity we plan only the things we can do by ourselves." God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. That means He's looking for people who are ready to step into their set time, people who are ready to let Him work through them in ways they could never achieve on their own. And that's what we're here to talk about today.
The Psalmist tells us that there is an appointed time for God's favor. This isn't a random act, but a specific moment that has been set aside. It's a time that's been marked out, designated, and reserved. This idea can be a bit hard to grasp, because we're so used to thinking in terms of our own schedules and plans. We think about what we have to do today, this week, this month. But God operates on a different timeline. He sees the whole picture, the beginning and the end. And in His wisdom, He has set aside specific times for His favor.
Now, what does it mean for us to understand this set time? It means recognizing that God has a plan and a purpose for us that goes beyond our own understanding. It means trusting in His timing, even when it doesn't make sense to us. It means being open to His leading, even when it takes us in unexpected directions. It means being willing to wait on His timing, even when we're eager to move ahead.
A. The first aspect of understanding your set time is recognizing that it's not about you; it's about God and His plans. This can be a hard pill to swallow, especially in a culture that tells us to focus on our own desires and ambitions. But the truth is, our lives are not our own. We belong to God, and He has a purpose for us that goes beyond our own plans and desires. This doesn't mean that our desires are unimportant or that we should ignore them. But it does mean that we need to submit them to God and trust that He knows what's best for us.
B. The second aspect of understanding your set time is trusting in God's timing. This can be one of the hardest parts of the Christian life. We want things to happen on our timeline, according to our plans. But God's timing is not our timing. His ways are not our ways. He sees the whole picture, while we only see a small part. This means that there will be times when we don't understand why things are happening the way they are. There will be times when we're frustrated and confused. But in those moments, we need to trust in God's timing. We need to remember that He sees the whole picture and that He has a plan.
C. The third aspect of understanding your set time is being open to God's leading. This means being willing to follow where He leads, even when it's not where we expected to go. It means being willing to step out in faith, even when we're not sure where we're going. It means being willing to let go of our own plans and expectations and trust in God's plan. This can be scary, but it's also incredibly freeing. When we let go of our need to control and plan everything, we open ourselves up to the incredible adventure of following God.
D. The fourth aspect of understanding your set time is being willing to wait on God's timing. Waiting is hard. It's uncomfortable. It's frustrating. But it's also a crucial part of the Christian life. Because while we're waiting, God is working. He's preparing us for what's to come. He's shaping us and molding us into the people He wants us to be. And when the time is right, He'll open the doors and lead us into the next step of our journey.
God has appointed a time in which His favor and compassion are uniquely poured out upon us ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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