Jesus: The Missing Peace (2)

Jesus: Our Patient Peace

If you’re in a hurry, there isn’t much that is worse than… Waiting. “I just love to wait”— said Nobody. Stop lights, slow traffic, lines at stores and even waiting for packages, deliveries, or for news from a doctor. All these “waitings” are almost impossible to bear. Especially when it comes to waiting on God.

We as Americans want what we want right away— We do not do “the long haul” very well. It’s a microwave society, rather than a crockpot.

You might be in that place right now. You are praying for something— you are asking God to bring a loved one back to Him— You might need a job. You are asking for God to heal your marriage. You believe that God can do it— but you are wondering if God is even listening.

If you’re feeling like God isn’t there— I hope to give you some hope today.

What is God doing in my waiting?

I foreshadowed it last week— with my little joke about praying for patience. “God make me a more patient person”… what does He do— does he just give you patience— probably not. He actually might give you a series of situations where you need to develop patience… The practice— the process— that’s what God sometimes offers. We then have a choice—

Today I want us to consider the nation of Israel, God’s people— and also specifically Joseph.

The humble carpenter, engaged to be married to his sweetheart Mary.

Let’s pick up our story back in Matthew 1:20-21

Matthew 1:20–21 NIV

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:22–23 NIV

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Joseph is given the message that the Messiah is coming.

Aren’t we blessed this morning that we have a God that is with us? Take a look around you and tell your neighbor— GOD is with you!

Some of you may not know the extra “back” story of this time period in history. God had promised to bring a Messiah— a savior to the nation of Israel. Like 400 years ago— and then “nothing”. For decade after decade— centuries had passed.

Joseph is given the answer to centuries of waiting!

I want to show you a couple aspects of how long God’s people had really been waiting. We talked about this a couple weeks ago— Jesus is truly the Promised Peace— He is exactly the perfect Peace that we need — but wow— this promise started way back— I’m mean as far back as is possible.

Back to the very beginning. It’s this weird little verse:

Genesis 3:15 NIV

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

That’s God the Father speaking to the serpent. The serpent represents the evil one— Satan, who has rebelled against God. This is the first time we see a prophecy including Jesus and his life/death/resurrection.

Genesis 3, God promises a descendant of Eve will destroy the devil.

God promises, way back in the 3rd chapter of the whole bible— the First Testament (as some people call it), that a savior will come from the lineage of Eve, and destroy our spiritual enemy.

Centuries past— People waiting.

Isaiah predicts the virgin birth seven-hundred years before Jesus is born!

700 years before Jesus was born:

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Wait, wait, wait--

What in the world is God doing while we are waiting?

What is he doing while we are waiting for healing, or reconciliation, or for guidance and wisdom— the answer?

Is God just messing with you? Because he can. Somehow he could do what you need, but he’s not doing it?

He promised that he would do it— but he’s not.

Is God just teasing? Is that cruel. It’s ok, to ask these most difficult questions. HOW LONG OH GOD>

Psalm 13:1 NIV

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

What is God doing?

To illustrate this, I want to point you to a time in history— that isn’t in the bible. Can you guess what that is? Think about it. A period of time, where there is no record --

“Intertestamental” period is the 400 years between the OT and NT.

It’s called the “intertestamental” period. That’s just a fancy academic word for the 400 year time period after the First Testament (Old T) ends, and the New Testament begins. 400 years of apparent silence from God.

Take a look at our pew bible for a minute— or your bible if you have it.

It’s pages 654 and 655. In some bibles that’s just an introductory cover page for the NT. Look at that. During this dark and quiet period, there were no messages from God— radio silence.

This made things super difficult, as you can imagine.

Nothing.

I’m guessing some of you feel that way right now. You’re praying, you’re asking. You aren’t even getting any response that God hears you.

I want to encourage you today:

Just because God is silent, doesn’t mean he is absent.

We learned this back in Esther— remember?

While we are waiting, God is working.

I want to show you through some scripture that God is working— and he has a promised, perfect, and patient peace to share with you today.

I want you to remember that God loves you— he has plans for you, and he will work all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes. That’s Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

28 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.

Just because we don’t see it happening— doesn’t mean he’s not doing anything! It’s bigger than what you can see.

I want to show you another set of verses that speaks of God’s timing and his plans:

Galatians 4:4–5 NIV

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

At the perfect time, at just the right moment. God sent his Son.

We see lots of great translations of this phrase: the Set time had come. It actually has a similar meaning to when the time comes for a baby to be born. “When the time was fully pregnant”. As someone who watched my wife be in that moment three wonderful times— you know you can’t force that time— and when it starts, you can’t stop it either. It’s is the perfect time.

Our daughter and son-in-law just had our first grandson. A baby boy named Ryder Charles Zimmerly. He was a little over due— and there was a tremendous stress in the waiting— after that due date… But at just the right time— he was born.

When did God fulfil his promise and send the Messiah? Just at the perfect time— When the time was just right.

Now that we can look back, we can see the “why” behind the “wait”.

His ways are always good.

How many love history?

You see— during that intertestamental period— God was silent, but history still was moving forward, and many people still made a record of it---

I want to quickly show you about five things that God was actually doing during that 400 year period of silence.

Five Historical Changes during the Intertestamental period:

Alexander the Great conquered the whole known world

It was the first time that there would be a common language for the world— Most spoke Greek

Scripture was translated to Greek.

Previously it was Hebrew, until about 280 BC

Socrates dies in 399 BC, but forms the “Socratic method” of learning and philosophy, which encourages questions.

63 BC, the Romans conquer the Greeks.

Romans build roads, governmental systems, communication

Diaspora is enforced, moving Jewish people all around the Roman world.

Add all these things up together— there were some major changes that occurred in the entire world during this quiet period— that historians will tell you that profoundly changed the way Jesus’ ministry would happen when he did arrive.

You can see some of the why behind the wait.

Everyone could - for the first time— read the bible in a common language.

They were encouraged to ask questions and inquire about things, rather than just having them handed down to them. Go ahead and ask questions of the God who was about to send the answer!

Out of seemingly nowhere— in the first time in human history, the good news of a savior could travel over roads and highways, letter writing, throughout the empire through citizens who were Jewish believers dispersed throughout the whole thing. First to the Jews then to the Gentiles.

In other words— while God’s people were waiting— God was indeed still working and preparing the world for the coming of Jesus.

IN the same way— while you’re praying and asking, and waiting… God is still working behind the scenes.

I know it’s hard—

Abraham and Sarah knew how hard it was to wait— God told them that they were going to have a son… And it didn’t happen right away— The estimate is that it took 25 years before they held their baby Isaac.

Joseph from the Old Testament, Jacob’s son with the cool colorful coat— He had a vision to rule and to serve people— that he would be a great leader---he waited for 13 years, much of it in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, before then moving all the way up to be second in command in Egypt.

A woman in Jesus’ time had an issue with bleeding— she sought out doctors to help her for 12 years before meeting the GREAT PHYSICIAN to heal her.

You need to hear this today—

God’s delay is not a denial.

Back to our friend Joseph here in Matthew-

God says to Joseph in this dream “Don’t be afraid to marry Mary.”

Matthew 1:21 NIV

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph stands as the example of a person who is handed a nearly impossible circumstance. “The girl I’m engaged to is pregnant— but I haven’t been close with her— An angel just appears to me and now I have to wait.” The promised Messiah is coming into my family---

The scripture says he did indeed marry her— but he was not intimate with her until that baby was born— and they named him Jesus.

Sometimes our answer doesn’t arrive because it’s not ready.

It took like 700 years of time passing since Isaiah spoke about this virgin— Joseph is married to that virgin. It was 400 years since Malachi’s last prophecy, which mentions someone coming who is like the great prophet Elijah—

Sometimes we are not ready.

Joseph was patient to realize that God was going to do something through him and his family— but God needed to do something TO Joseph first— to prepare him.

Maybe you are in the waiting— God is going to do something through you— but he also needs to first do something to you. That’s probably the waiting.

While you’re waiting— God is working.

Whatever is going on---Don’t waste the waiting.

He is drawing you closer through the waiting.

Are you waiting on God for something right now?

Don’t waste the waiting.

Isaiah 64:4 NIV

4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

When we wait on God— he acts on our behalf. Isaiah 64:4

He moves on your behalf. No one has seen him.

God’s ways are always good. You can trust him. He loves us, he cares.

What’s he doing in your life?

Christianity is a unique religion among all the other systems of the world.

In every other religious system, people are pursuing God through rituals, or duty— they are working to earn His attention, His approval, His blessing… They are working to earn God’s favor. If’ you do the right things— you get God’s approval— do bad things and you lose God’s approval.

Our faith is so different.

We serve a God who pursues US!

When the time was just right--- when the moment was just perfect- God sent his Son.

Not for the righteous— but for the sinners. Those of us who were sick.

He sent Jesus to set us free.

We serve a God who is pursuing you.

2 Peter 3:9 NIV

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Our God is patient. He is patient with me, he is patient with you. What if this God you are waiting for— is actually waiting on you?

I believe his timing is perfect. We see that now in history. Can you trust him— even though you may not be able to see the whole story right now?

Is he calling you back to a trusting, closer relationship with him again this Christmas season?

He’s crazy about you— and he’s pursuing you. He’s getting your attention, and he wants you to know he’s there— even in the waiting.

Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent. Evangelist Billy Graham

Lets Pray:

Build our faith, draw us closer. Help us to fully trust in you and find this promised, perfect, patient peace— especially in our waiting.