The Wait Before We Celebrate

Introduction

We are officially 15 days away from celebrating the most important birth to ever take place in all of history. Everybody is pretty focused on that day and all the excitement is becoming more and more vocal around us.

If we aren’t careful though, we could spend all of our time focused on the event and miss out on the really important stuff that happens during the wait.

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah gave that prophecy 700 years before Jesus ever made it into the manger in Bethlehem.

700 years!!!!

That means approximately 20 generations passed before the promise of a Savior given to Isaiah would be fulfilled.

Generations were generally considered to be around 35 years, the time between infancy and full adulthood (meaning having babies if their own).

So for 20 generations God’s people waited and waited. There are some Jews today that deny Jesus as their Messiah and are STILL waiting for Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled!

That means they have been waiting for over 77 generations for the promise of God to be fulfilled!

Perhaps that is a contributing factor that could tell us why there are a mere 2 million Orthodox Jews still practicing their faith today as opposed to the whopping 2.38 billion practicing Christians in the world today.

The point is this; some people will lose their way during the wait.

Some people will miss all the important things God is doing to prepare them for the actual arrival of the promise.

And still other people will create such a false narrative in their head about the promise that they won’t recognize it as the fulfillment of God’s Word.

Losing Focus

From the very beginning of God’s creation, mankind has had an absolute inability to stay focused on the things of God.

Every year we watch Christmas movies that remind us of what this season is really all about.

We also watch other Christmas movies that focus on other things and distract us from the true nature of Christmas; the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

God in the flesh!

He who takes away the sin of the world!

Proverbs 4:20–27 NKJV

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

If we will keep our eyes stayed upon the Word of God, listening to the instructions, performing the actions we are given; then we will live in such joy that anything else in the world will become ridiculous to us.

A cheap substitute for what everyone is REALLY looking for and REALLY needing!

And its happening more and more as the time grows nearer for Jesus to return in the SECOND ADVENT!

Don’t let the word advent throw you off. Some people hear the word and think that it is irrevocably linked to teachings they do not subscribe to.

The definition of the word Advent is simply the arrival of a notable person. In our context, it just so happens that we are talking about the most notable Person that has ever or will ever live!

Luci’s job is to distract you from that one fact right there. Its all about Jesus. Nowadays people are scared to death to say Merry Christmas for fear of offending somebody.

I’ve already had a couple of instances where people have said Happy Holidays to me and I always reply the same way…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NKJV

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Prep Work

Anyone that has ever had to paint a house knows that most of the job is the prep work that takes three quarters or more of your time getting every surface prepared so that it is ready to receive the paint. And then there is the taping off and covering every surface you DON’T want paint on…

In other words, its a process.

We understand that in the natural mind, but why not in the supernatural things?

I am convinced that religious people are their own worst enemy when it comes to receiving the promises of God.

We hate preparing in the way the Lord wants us to prepare.

We don’t want to fast

We don’t want to pray

We don’t want to give of our time, talents, and resources

Ephesians 5:15–17 NKJV

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Redeeming the time denotes action that must be taken on our part.

But why?

Why do we need to do all these things?

Isn’t Jesus coming back whether we do them or not?

Is my little bit really going to move the needle in the work of God?

In whatever manner we live we are sowing seeds that will have a spiritual product at some point.

Galatians 6:7–10 NKJV

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

In other words, you’re going to get out of this exactly what you put into it.

We could spend our time complaining that things aren’t going according to our plans. The fact is that we should be more attentive to God’s plan, and His plan should be adopted AS our plan!

Why?

“In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

God is preparing us for the party, for the arrival of the promise.

The reward is being ready for what is coming, what God has ordained from the Creation would happen.

How many people enjoy being caught off guard or being unaware of what is happening?

This mindset can be applied to everyday life, yet is especially important this time of year.

God wants to prepare you and I to share the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that doesn’t know they’re dying without Him!

He wants you and I to stand in the unshakeable confidence that He is for you and not against you.

He wants you to be able to answer the world when they see you going through tough things for the Lord’s sake.

When they ask you why you do what you do, you answer as Paul did to Timothy

2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

2 Corinthians 4:7–9 NKJV

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

Looking For The Wrong Thing

Humanity has always, and will always chased things that led to their own demise.

Their are some people that seem so thick headed and stubborn that they will ultimately walk willfully into destruction because of their pride.

Some people want to see what they want to see and will not allow themselves to be convinced of any other truth, even if given by the Holy Spirit Himself.

2 Timothy 3:1–7 NKJV

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The immediate verses after this bear acknowledgement

2 Timothy 3:8–9 NKJV

Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

How many people even know who Jannes and Jambres were?

They were not named in Moses’ writings of the Exodus, yet their testimony remained among the Hebrews over a thousand years after God released them from Egyptian bondage.

Exodus 7:11 NKJV

But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

There will always be those that disapprove of the truth we bring as servants of the Most High God in the Name of Jesus the Messiah.

But that’s not our problem, it will be theirs.

Conclusion

To sum up all that we has been spoken this morning I just simply want to admonish you to enjoy the wait before you get to celebrate.

It is in those times of waiting that God will direct our focus on what is right and needful.

It is in those times of waiting that He will have us doing the prep work to be ready for the arrival of the promise.

It is in those times of waiting that God will use us to help bring others to the truth that have been looking in the wrong places.

Drugs

Alcohol

Religion

Immoral Relationships

Prideful Arrogance

Church, we really do have the answers. They are written right there between the covers of your Bible. If there was ever a time to use what you have been given, its now

Matthew 10:7–8 NKJV

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.