Wait Patiently

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Next week we are meeting here at 6:00 and going to go to Gateway for a combined service

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Sunday Funday

QOTW

What was something that you had to wait a long time for but it was worth the wait?

Worship

Freedom

Goodness of God

Introduction

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Good things happen to those who wait”?

We live in a world where everyone seems to be in a hurry.

We feel the pressure of making sure that our pace in life is always maximum speed.

Some people think that being patient means someone is lazy, leads a boring life, or simply doesn’t care.

When we’re asked to wait for something, we tend not to like it.

We can grow more impatient as a result. But waiting is part of God’s plan sometimes.

Waiting patiently on God is of high value—and for a good reason.

God doesn’t always answer at the snap of our fingers, and most of the time, there is a waiting period after we ask Him to act on our behalf.

This builds endurance in us as we learn to trust Him while we wait.

We’ll see why waiting for God’s timing is important in our discussion about Lazarus and his sisters who waited for Jesus.

Group Activity: Patience Game

Today, I’m going to test your patience. All you have to do is sit on your chair facing me, put your hands on top of your head, and be nice and quiet. Go ahead and do that now.

Looks like you’re ready. Now here’s what you’ll do. I’ll start a timer. Your assignment is to stand up when you think two minutes has passed. If the timer goes off and you’re still sitting down, you’re out. The last person to stand before the timer goes off is the winner.

For some of you, two minutes felt short, but for others, it felt like a long time.

That’s how waiting on God to answer our prayers can feel too.

Waiting patiently is not always the easiest thing to do, but developing these qualities in our life is worth it.

Sometimes God will require us to have patience and wait for His timing.

It’s hard, but we need to learn to trust Him, even when our waiting seems pointless.

In our Bible story about waiting, we read about an incredible event with Jesus and some of His closest friends.

Jesus got a message that His dear friend Lazarus was sick. Lazarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary, knew that Jesus could heal their brother.

They probably expected Jesus to come right away. But instead, they were forced to wait.

Watch for the mixture of emotions and reactions from Jesus, His friends, and the crowd as the situation plays out.

Although we don’t always like waiting, with God there is always a bigger purpose.

See if you can discover what God’s purpose might be in this situation with Jesus and His friends.

Why the Wait?

John 11:1–7 NIV

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Some of you may already know how this story ends. But for now, let’s imagine we’re there as this story unfolds.

Jesus and His disciples were out doing ministry when they got a message from Mary and Martha that Lazarus, their brother and Jesus’ dear friend, was sick.

Mary and Martha probably thought Jesus would drop what He was doing and hurry to them.

They knew Jesus was more than capable of healing Lazarus, but His lack of immediate response may have suggested that coming wasn’t a priority.

Verse 4 tells us that Jesus already knew the fate of Lazarus.

Jesus hinted to His disciples that all of what was happening would bring God glory.

Jesus could have left immediately and even healed Lazarus while he was sick. But because Jesus didn’t, Mary, Martha, and those with them would be part of something greater.

Imagine telling someone you deeply care about to wait when they really need you.

For most friends, this response wouldn’t cut it. People would tell you to hurry to see your friend. So, what was the reason for Jesus’ waiting?

Four Days Later

John 11:20–27 NIV

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Four days later, Jesus finally arrived, but His dear friend Lazarus was now dead.

Martha rushed to meet Jesus, while Mary stayed home.

Martha wanted an explanation from Jesus. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Jesus is on our side and loves us when He seems to ignore us.

We seem to forget all that Jesus has done for us and others when we’re waiting on Him.

In our impatience, we can miss what God wants to do in us as we wait.

Jesus Wept

John 11:28–35 NIV

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.

Remember, there were other people present besides Mary and Martha. People were standing nearby, watching and observing everything.

They even followed Mary when she went to meet Jesus.

The same is true in our life. When we’re waiting on God for an answer, we must remember others can see how we respond to God.

Although Jesus knew the outcome, He was still fully human. Jesus expressed compassion like we might.

In moments of waiting, Jesus waits with us and feels our pain also.

Everyone Waited for God’s Glory

John 11:36–45 NIV

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

At the scene of Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus told people there to roll away the stone at the entrance.

Martha and Mary had been waiting for Jesus to help, but now they thought it was too late because they believed death was final.

They couldn’t understand why Jesus wanted the tomb opened. Even Martha questioned Him.

Remember that when we stand firm in our faith, there will always be people who will question us about our waiting.

We might even question Jesus in those moments!

Our faith may start to shrink when we don’t see Him doing something we asked.

But in the end, everything starts to make some sense. Their wait made sense when Jesus raised Lazarus back to life.

Jesus had delayed responding for a reason. As a result, the people who witnessed this miracle turned to Jesus.

Sometimes Jesus asks us to wait in order to reach others.

We can be a witness of His love while we’re waiting on God to move in our situation, too.

Ending - Call Katie up

Wait on God’s timing for the answer to your problems.

Waiting patiently on God to move or respond can be really hard.

Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to arrive before their brother died. In the natural, all they could see was the finality of Lazarus’s death.

They grieved and questioned Jesus about why He hadn’t come sooner.

After all, they seemed to have a relationship with Jesus that was strong enough to be honest with Him and express their doubts and questions.

Like them, we can see waiting as God’s delay.

But waiting can be for our benefit, too. The things that God can do in our life when we wait on Him can help us grow and bring Him glory.

Remember, people watch how we respond as we wait on God. They watch our life as we live out His Word.

Our waiting can be a way of showing others our complete trust in God.

In our desperation and impatience, we can miss what God is trying to teach us through waiting.

The time spent waiting doesn’t mean that God is idle or ignoring us. Waiting teaches us to rely solely on Him and to trust in His power and sovereignty.

Waiting allows God to show up and demonstrate His power and authority. The problem for us is that we want to be in control. We often think God should respond quickly or in a certain way.

But as we trust and wait on Him, we will see that He always has things under control. We are to surrender our will for His perfect one.

Salvation Opportunity

Just as we wait on God, He also waits on you and me to follow Him and give Him our life.

God desires a relationship with each one of us for all eternity. He sent Jesus to die for our sins, and He offers us forgiveness in return.

If you have never accepted God’s forgiveness, today is a great day to do that. You don’t need to wait any longer.

Is anyone here that we can pray for who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus or wants to renew their relationship with Him?

Prayer

God, waiting on You is not always easy. We know that when we feel You are delayed or not answering us, it doesn’t mean You are not with us. Thank You for teaching us how to trust You more as we wait on You. Thank You for always stepping in on time. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.