Waiting on God to move

Introduction

introduce self

dismiss children

Acts, the thriving church

Luke, theopholis, 60 ad

Last three messages were all in the first chapter and we are going to review them a bit today as we step into Acts 2.

Character-Person waiting on God

How many of you enjoy waiting for things?

I’m a millenial and we all now how my generation and those after me have an instant gratification culture that we grew up in.

We didn’t have to walk 15 miles uphill both ways in snow to turn the channel on a tv.

We didn’t have to order something from a magazine and wait weeks to get it. We have prime.

We have a desire to know something, we don’t have to go to the library, find the encyclopedia, go into it, and find the information we are looking for. We google it.

Truthfully many of us have become to instant gratification.

Remember the jg wentworth commercials? are they still on?

“I have a structured settlement but i need cash now. call jg wentworth, 877 cash now.”

first off, great marketing…i haven’t seen one of thsoe commercials in years and yet when i wrot ethat in my notes, I didn’t have to look it up at all.

We want things and we want them now.

God doesn’t operate that way though.

He is God, not the genie from aladdin.

Abraham and Sarah had to wait for Isaac to be born

The Isrealites waited in the desert 40 years

David waited to become king

Lazrus’ family waited on Jesus to raise him from the dead

and James wrote

James 5:16 “16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Effectual fervent prayer is persistent prayer, it means more than once, it means you are waiting.

Today I want us to see what it’s like to wait for God to move.

Problem-Don’t know how to wait well

I’m gonna confess to you, this is a lesson I personally feel like I am learning every day. It’s not one I’ve perfected for sure.

Whether it be our culture, our flesh, or what have you, we as people do not know how to wait well.

One pastor said: God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time. Patience is a form of faith. It says, 'I trust God. I believe that God is bigger than this problem, and I believe that God will bring it all together for good.'

We as adults find ourselves waiting like children when it comes to the things of GOd.

I remember when Evan was just a baby, not even 2, we were at a friends house in San Diego and they had some people over. The dad looked at his son after telling him to wait for a minute and the son responding poorly and said “Have patience. What is patience?” and they said in unison “Waiting without complaining.”

How often do we complain about the situation we are in that hasn’t been worked out how we wanted?

Maybe we complain to God. Maybe you complain to others and gossip.

Whatever the situation or problem you are facing in your life or we face as a church we must learn to wait well becuase it is in the waiting for the harvest the grain grows, not in the harvest.

Agitated-Impatient and make irrational or unbiblical decisions

What happens when your kids or you see a kid decide to not wait well?

They begin to become impatient and make irrational decisions.

We’ve all seen a kid have a temper tantrum. If not in person there are plenty of videos. Kids throwing themselves on the ground kicking and screaming and often, espcially where and how I grew there was a response we would give to that.

Thankfully God doesn’t treat us as harshly as we do others when we throw our temper tantrums…

I know what your thinking. Pastor I don’t do that. I don’t waller in self pity, I don’t throw myself on the ground kicking and screaming when waiting on God…that’s good but just because you don’t make the same irrational decisions that a child does, doesn’t mean your not making unbiblical and irrational decisions as an adult.

It’s not jsut you though, the Israelites did it too.

Exodus 16:2–3 “2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

The people were waiting for the promised land and had God’s provision, protection, and miraculous works take place right in front of them yet…in their waiting…thye were irrational and unbiblcal by murmering (gossipping, backbiting, slandering) the men God had called to lead them and saying “we should have died in egypt. Atleast there we we had full belies.”

What ar ethey saying? “We woudl rather be under the law, under the taskmasters of egypt, being whipped, beaten, and enslaved rather than suffer a little discomfornt in this time of waiting, in this time of change.”

The problem with this sentiment and view is that the Israelites didn’t see what God was doing. He was refining them, he was preparing them for the promised land, the had to become comfortable being uncomfortable and trusting Him by faith.

While the desert may be viewed as a punishment by some, It shudl be viewed as a time of preparation. it prepared them for promised land.

Solution-Wait well upon the Lord

They had to, multiple times, learn to wait well upon the Lord.

They had to to what the disciples did and wait together. THey had to find unity. They had to knock off the childish behavior and have their leaders and their followers refined by God.

Do you remember what Job said?

Job 23:10 “10 But he knoweth the way that I take: When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

God knows what you are waiting on. He knows what the church is waiting on.

God is going to work how God does…the question is not about Him working in these times, the questions arise around our waiting.

Guide-Disciples

The disciples received instruction from Jesus in Acts 1.

Acts 1:4 “4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”

And what we have been through in the past few weeks is an example of them waiting well.

Journey- Acts 1 and Acts 2:1-4.

It’s through an overview of chapter 1 and a quick introduction into chapter 2 that I believe we can see the early church waiting on God to move and be our example of how to do so well as an individuals and as a church family.

In acts 1 the disciples showed us how to

1. Wait with obedient expectancy

They were told to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise.

The Israelites were told to stay in the desert and wait for the promised land.

It’s in the waiting that we are shaped, we are refined, and as one pastor just said to me last tuesday, It’s in the waiting that “Change and transformation become our friend and not our mortal enemy.”

The nation of Israel that left egypt was not the same people or cutlure, that entered the promised land God had for them.

The apostles, only being 50 days removed from Jesus’ ascension were not the same that stood there.

50 days prior, by the way, that’s what pentecost means. 50 days after easter.

They were scattered. They had no unity. What they expected to happen didn’t happen.

47 days prior, they say the resurrected Jesus and in that short time…they were changed.

10 days prior they had watched that Jesus ascend to Heaven and stood there in what I can only assume was bewilderment and confusion.

Within that 10 days they came together in prayer, they transitioned leadership from Jesus to apostles who follow Jesus and nomiated a another one, and as we will see in Acts 2, they were of one accord, they were unified.

They left Jesus’ presence and were obedient becuase they expected Him to do what He said he woudl do and they made him their focus not themselves.

When we make ourselves the focus, we become like the Israelites, we become liek the child kicking and screaming on the grocery store floor because we didn’t our candy we wanted when we wanted it.

We do things to move our agenda forward. We will see later in Acts when Paul wanted to go to Asia and the Holy Spirit said no. What did Paul do? Try to manipulate the situation? Try to con his way into going to Asia? Tell the the holy spirit, i can’t beleive you won’t let me do what I want, when I want it, and how I want it.

Nope. He said…ok, and he went where he was lead.

obedient expectancy isn’t always being happy about being in the waiting. It’s not about waking up and enjoying the process. REfining is a hard tough process.

It’s about being obedient through it.

i found 4 things in my study that we should avoid in the waiting:

abraham and Sarah- don’t rely on juman wisdom

dont take matter into own hands- Israelites at sinai

guard against doubt and disbelief- believe god can

dont quench the spirit

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

All of which take place when we seek to care for things and dont’ wait on God.

The disciples were obediently expected by turning to GOd in prayer, by being unified together, and waiting expectantly for the promise to be fulfilled.

And, cna I tell you something. This statement is dustinology and I’m sure we can debate the finer points of it but here me out.

God doesn’t work through us when he is ready. He works through us when we are ready.

2. God works when we are ready

I believe God desires to use us for His glory at all times. However, I do not believe that we are always ready to be used by God.

Notice the disciples in Acts 2.

Acts 2:1–3 “1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”

When the day had fully come.

This wasn’t 51 days ago when peter cut off a soldiers ear

It wasn’t 50 days ago when Peter denied Jesus

It wasn’t within 50 days ago that Thomas had doubted Jesus

It was when they were ready to recieve the promise.

They weren’t fighting about who was at the right and left hand anymore. They had let go of their selfish ambition and desire for everything to be their way.

And when that time had come, when they were living as God desired them to, when they weren’t gossiping, when they weren’t backbiting, when they were together, then God moved.

Have you all ever seen that image, it’s silly pencil drawing cartoon of a guy with a stick and then on the ground, especially during football season, is a team’s logo or something that is failing or not doing anything? Ever seen that?

I’m afraid we think we are the guy with the stick and we are looking at God and saying “Well, are you going to do anything? Are you going to move?”

When in reality, I believe He is looking at us saying “I’d love to…but your not ready yet.”

What happens when we are ready though?

What happens when we have taken our fleh and crucified it? What happens when we die daily to the sins tha tplague so many of our lives and churches today?

What happens when we begin to love and forgive as Jesus did?

What happens when we realize the people around us are not the problem but are the solution God has provided to us to work together to solve the problem.

What happens we stop pretending to be Christians and start actually living as followers of Jesus?

God moves. and he moves in a way that only He can.

With the sound of a rushing mighty wind no one expected. The discipled didn’t have that on their planner that morning. The strategic plan of the apostels did not ahve “ok on pentecost, rushing wind, cloven tongues.”

A move of God cannot be manipulated, it cannot be concoted, it cannot be forced.

It happens when He sees we are ready.

The disciples were finally ready. They were ready to

John 14:12 “12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Did you know Jesus never spoke in tongues the way the apostles did? At least we don’t have it recorded.

Jesus never grabed a snake out of a fire and threw it back like paul does later in acts

Jesus didn’t preach and 3000 be baptized.

Now we know these things are only possible becuase of Christ and our faith in Him but nonetheless it stands to reason that this prophecy is being fulfilled in this passage.

The rushing wind comes and then cloven tongues appear above the apostles head.

Now this is where we have to udnerstand that it is most likely not fire that is over them.

I know what the text says Acts 2:3 “3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”

as of fire. The greek supports the same idea. Jus tlike the holy spirit was never a dove, He descended like a dove.

And it wasn’t until God saw the Apostle’s were ready.

LEt me ask you before we move on…

Are you ready? Are you sure?

There are some sneaky things that will prevent a move of God that I have to check in my own life that I’m going to ask you today:

How is your pride? Is your pride in check?

How are your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Can I tell you that over 90% of the relationship issues faced in churches today and probably in your life would be solved if you just went and spoke to the person you had a problem with. How do I know that?

Because that’s what JEsus said to do.

Matthew 18:15 “15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”

The problem with our udnerstanding here is that we will go with a symptom of the problem and not actualyl spend the time to determine what the real problem is. I learned this recently.

This text isn’t about saying hey you said something bad about me apologize for it.

This text is the sit down converastion that results in dtermine why a person said soething bad, it’s the humilty to receive and hear what’s said to you and willingness to respond as JEsus would.

How is your relatioship wtih Jesus? Is He real to you? Do you talk to Him? Do you listen to Him? Do you worship Him anytime outside of the 4 or so songs we sing on a Sunday morning?

God won’t move until we are ready and church family, I’m tired of waiting. But I can’t rush it. I hve to submit to the process God has for refining me and let Him do His work in His time.

And when we do that…

3. He always gets the glory

Acts 2:4 “4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Next week I’ll approach the spiritual gift of tongues in more detail.

This week I want you focus on that last part.

The Spirit gave them utterance as He enabled them.

They did something that was only possible with God. There was no one who could deny it and we will see that next week.

There was no chance that anyone but God was going to get the glory for it.

When they were ready, God moved, and God got the glory.

And it wasn’t, I don’t think, how they thought God would move. I can tell you in my life I often find myself seeing God do things and I have to sit bacak and go well…”but god”

I don’t know what your waiting on God for personally. It may be you are ready but the person’s heart your praying for isn’t.

It may be a medical issue and it could be your heart is ready but it isn’t God’s timing or will.

You could be waiting for God to bring revival in Bristol through Liberty, I pray he does, but maybe we aren’t ready. Maybe we need ot be refined. Maybe I as a pastor need to be refiend.

Resolution-In the waiting, ask Jesus “what are you refining in me?”

I don’t know what it is that you are waiting for but I know that when you are waiting on God to move, it’s not a time to twiddle your thumbs, it’s a time to hubmly submit more to the Holy Spirit, a time to be obedient, and faitfhully expect God to move…in His time.

Sometimes we focus too much on what is he doing this for? What’s the purpose?

Do you think the disciples knew the purpose Jesus meant was to be supernaturally filled with theHoly spirit of God to speak other languages, to heal people, to evangelise the utter most parts of the earth? They may have had an idea but I do not believe the specifics of the methods God woudl use were known.

In the waiting we need to be less focused on what could happen around us and seek to understand what God is doing in us.

Impact: Negative-impatience, hurt, never seeing God move. Positive-Move of God

Time of Response