Waiting...

Title:  Waiting...

Focus Statement:  

Pride Seeks Control; Humility Waits for Power; Obedience Advances the Mission

Function Statement:  

We rid ourselves of pride, and walk humbly by...

Trust God’s timing - in ministry, in family, in personal decisions, in everything.

Serve - not where you want, but where God has placed you.

Pray intentionally - releasing your vision of what God should do, while waiting for the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s will / purpose for your life

Seek holiness daily - actively seeking alignment with God’s will.

Tweetable Phrase:  

We’re called to trust God, not control outcomes

Main Text:  Acts 1:1-11

Supporting Text:  

Acts: 1:4,7: Psalm 27:14 / Habakkuk 2:3 / Psalm 37:7

Acts 1:4: 1 Corinthians 12:18 / 1 Peter 4:10 / 1 Corinthians 7:17

Acts 1:14: Matthew 6:10 / 1 John 5:14–15 / Psalm 143:10

Acts 1:20-26: 1 Peter 1:15–16 / Romans 12:1–2 / Ephesians 4:22–24

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  

Matthew 18:1–4

Benediction:  

Philippians 2:3–8

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

How many of you like admitting that you don’t know something?

Or, how many of you like asking other people for advice?

I struggle with admitting that I don’t know something, and it manifests in all kinds of ways.

For instance, if we were talking and you use a word that I don’t know the meaning of, something inside of me isn’t willing to stop the conversation and ask you to define it.

Or, if I feel something with my body that isn’t right; my ancle hurts, my knee doesn’t feel right, or I get a spot that doesn’t look right. I have zero urge to call the doctor and see if it is something worth worrying about. I have a less than zero of an urge to actually go to the doctor to get it checked out.

Or, if something around the house breaks, something inside of me refuses to call a professional.

I have this deep seeded, irrational, belief that I should know and be able to figure out everything.

It is ridiculous to even say out loud, even more ridiculous to believe, but it’s true.

And somehow I’ve convinced myself that it’s fine.

If I don’t know a word you use in a conversation or place you reference, that is what my cell phone is for. After the conversation, I’ll look it up, then I’ll know what you were talking about, and I won’t have awkwardly broken the flow of our conversation.

This was a huge issue when I first moved down here

There were so many places that people would reference, and expect I know where they were, I was lost

I felt like if I stopped every conversation because I didn’t know the place being talked about, I’d never get through a conversation

So I had google maps always open on my phone and got a crash course in Kansas Geography over the first few months we were here

Last summer, I noticed a weird colored dot on my leg. It didn’t hurt, but was new and clearly wasn’t supposed to be there. I use Dr Chat GPT and found out it was a spider bite from a Brown Recluse. Feeling a little worried, I did a little internet research. I found that only 1 out of 10 brown recluse bites end up being serious, so I rolled the dice. I didn’t call the doctor. I decided to keep an eye on it. I took a picture of the growing purple spot every day, and keep consulting Chat GPT to see if it had gotten to a point where I should be concerned.

It took 10 days and the purple spot getting to the size of a baseball before I finally messaged the doctor

I sent him the 10 days worth of pictures I took and an explanation of what was going on

I’m sure it was a memorable e-mail based on his response asking why I hadn’t reached out sooner

Luckily after 10 days the spot started getting smaller

Even after almost a year, it hasn’t gone away, It is still the size of a pea, but I think I’ll survive

I mentioned briefly the story earlier, but when we moved into the house, the backyard came with an outdoor kitchen...and a broken grill

Andrea and I decided to replace the grill with a griddle so we could have smashburgers

I was convinced this would be an easy job...famous last words

When we started demolition of the old built in grill we found lots of rotted wood

Nearly the entire kitchen would need to be replaced from the inside out

But undeterred, I am still convinced I can fix it myself

I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and have a plan that makes sense to me

We’ll see how it goes over Memorial day weekend when I plan on actually doing the work

For some reason, I don’t like admitting that I don’t know something, need advice, or need help.

WE - Tension

Anyone else with me on this?

Anyone else just hate admitting that they can’t do something themselves and need someone else?

We have our Cell Phones for general questions.

We have AI for health concerns and writing e-mails with the correct tone.

We have YouTube to teach us how to do anything we need to do.

But...Is this the way we’re supposed to live?

Is this the best way to live?

Is this the way God created us to live?

I’m only speaking for myself, but I think my struggle to seek help stems from PRIDE.

It feels good to not have to rely on other people.

If feels good when others come to me for help.

But Jesus doesn’t call us to life isolated lives, refusing help from others, and PRIDEFULLY believing that we can solve every problem we run into.

In John 17:20-23, before Jesus was arrested and crucified, He prayed for all believers (including us). He prayed

John 17:20–23 “20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

We were meant to be one with each other.

We were created to live in community, to build relationships, and rely on each other in the areas where we need help.

Today we are going to start a new series walking through the entire book of Acts.

As we have just celebrated Easter and the gift that Jesus gave us through the sacrifice He made for us on the Cross, we are going to see how the disciples responded to Christ’s death and resurrection, how they came together and formed the early church, a new community focused on living the life that Jesus called them to during His 3 years of ministry, and what God is calling us to do as a church, through their example.

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Acts 1:1: Sanctuary Bible Page # 882]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text - HEAD

Pride

Please join me as we start at the beginning of the book of Acts, Acts 1:1.

Acts 1:1–2 “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.”

For some context, the book of Acts was written by the Gospel writer Luke. If you remember from the Gospel of Luke, Luke was a doctor, not a disciple. He was a scientist, who researched everything that he could find about Jesus, Jesus’ followers, and the church and based on his research he wrote these two books.

The Gospel of Luke was the story of the life and deeds of Jesus Christ.

The book of Acts was the story of the birth of the Church through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Whereas the other three gospels were written by eye witness disciples, the book of Luke and Acts were written by a scientist, a skeptic, someone who has questions, conducted interview, did research, and came to his own conclusions.

I personally find great comfort in the fact that these books weren’t written by an eye witness disciple. For all the people that I’ve met and talked to who have questions about Jesus and faith in God, these book provide a perfect starting point for someone who has questions themselves. These books tell us that it is okay to have doubts, okay to question, and gives us comfort that Luke, a doctor, who did the a rigorous investigation on behalf of Theophilus, came to the conclusion that everything Jesus did in scripture is true.

If you have doubts, or questions, don’t ever be ashamed to ask them, to seek answers, and to as Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15, “always be prepared to give an answer for the hope you have”.

If you have questions and want to talk, please let me know, I’d love to talk with you.

Luke continues, in verse 3.

Acts 1:3–6 “3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?””

Now remember what the disciples had been through.

They followed Jesus for 3 years

They saw miracles

They heard all Jesus’ parables and teaching

They got to ask any question they wanted of Jesus to understand those parables and teaching

They saw Jesus get arrested

They saw Jesus crucified

They saw sun go dark for 3 hours, noon to 3 PM, during Jesus crucifixion

And they had walked with Jesus for 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead, hearing Jesus’ final lessons, and receiving the mission Jesus gave them

Yet, they were clueless.

After hearing everything Jesus taught and told them they were to do after He left, they still wanted a political revolution.

They wanted Jesus to overthrow Rome and put Israel back in power.

Instead of seeking to OBEY GOD’S WILL, they wanted God to BLESS THEIR WILL

And this is PRIDE

Pride is about wanting control.

Pride is about wanting God to do what we ask, instead of seeking to do what God asks.

And the Bible is not very favorable to PRIDEFUL thinking.

Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction

Proverbs 11:2 - When pride comes, then comes disgrace

James 4:6 - God opposes the proud

Proverbs 16:5 - The LORD detests all the proud of heart...they will not go unpunished

The first thing we can learn from the book of Acts is that we need to do everything we can to remove all PRIDE from our lives.

Pride seeks control, Faith requires surrender

So...

Where are you?

Are you like the disciples, PRIDEFULLY asking God to bless your plans, rather than praying for God to show you His will?

Humility

If we’re supposed to root out all PRIDE from our lives, how are we to live?

Micah answers that question.

Micah 6:8 “8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

We are supposed to WALK HUMBLY with God.

So how do we walk humbly?

In the remaining verses of Acts 1, we’re given 4 things we can do to WALK HUMBLY.

Trust God’s Timing

Starting back in verse 4:

Acts 1:4–7 “4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”

The first thing we need to do to WALK HUMBLY is to:

Trust - In God’s timing

Jesus just came back to life,

taught the disciples for 40 straight days,

and gave them the Great Commission to and make disciple of all nations.

I can’t imagine how fired up they would have been to go and get started.

Yet...Jesus tells them to wait.

And not just to wait, but wait, because they NEED HELP.

They are to wait for the Holy Spirit, whose job is to remind them, guide them, and teach them everything they’ll need to fulfill the mission Jesus gave them.

But they have to wait, and Jesus doesn’t tell them how long they have to wait.

It’s like Psalm 37:7 where we’re told to:

Psalm 37:7 “7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

This doesn’t feel like great advise.

I think we can agree, waiting is not fun.

Where are you currently waiting for God to give you a next step?

Where has God told you to be still, and wait patiently?

The good news is that waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing.

Pray intentionally, seeking God’s will

Picking back up in Acts 1:8, we read:

Acts 1:8–14 “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” 12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

The disciples didn’t just sit there and do nothing. They prayed.

The second thing we need to do to WALK HUMBLY is to:

Pray - Actively and intentionally seeking God’s will for your life

Back in the discipleship series, we talked about prayer.

We talked about the ACRONYM P.R.A.Y. (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield)

We talked about how Jesus directly told to ask for whatever we need.

But, that comes with a caveat.

1 John 5:14–15 “14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Praying is not begging God to do what we want.

Praying is earnestly seeking God’s will for our lives and asking God to make His will a reality, not our wants.

That’s why the Lord’s prayer includes “Your will be done”

And when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion, “not my will, but yours be done”

What do you do while you wait for God?

Do you sit idle, waiting for God to make the first move?

Do you do what you think is best and hope that God blesses your actions?

Or, do you pray, seeking God’s will and asking God to make His will come true for your life?

But to WALK HUMBLY we are called to do more than PRAY while we WAIT.

Seek holiness daily - active alignment to God’s will

Jumping ahead to Acts 1:20, we read:

Acts 1:20–26 “20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: “ ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “ ‘May another take his place of leadership.’ 21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.”

We don’t just PRAY for God to disclose His will to us, but we OBEDIENTLY ACT on the disclosures that God has already made.

The third thing we need to do to WALK HUMBLY is to:

Seek holiness daily - actively aligning our lives to God’s disclosed will

The disciples had the Old Testament.

They had the prophesies that described what they were going through.

They knew what God had already said He wanted to happen.

They OBEDIENTLY ACTED on what they knew to be God’s will.

They elected a new disciple to replace Judas.

God calls us to do the same.

When we’re waiting; trusting God’s timing, and praying for God to show us His will for our lives...

...we are called to act on what God has already shown us to be His will through His written word.

Paul, in Romans 12:1-2 puts it plainly:

Romans 12:1–2 “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What has God already called you to do, that you haven’t done?

God doesn’t normally give you the next step, until you complete the step He already called you to take.

What are you waiting for?

Before we end there is one more thing I think God has for us.

Serve where God has placed you

Going back to verse 4:

Acts 1:4 “4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”

The forth thing we need to do to WALK HUMBLY is to:

Serve - Where God has placed you

The disciples were commissioned by Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations.

Who knows what they were thinking?

Maybe they had already mentally packed their bags to go out to the corners of the Roman Empire.

But...it wasn’t God’s time for them to leave Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 7:17 says that:

1 Corinthians 7:17 “17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.”

We may want and be waiting for a BIG CHANGE in our lives.

We may be miserable where we’re at and PRAYING for God to intervene and change our circumstances.

We may be doing our best to SEEK HOLINESS in our lives.

We may want out of our current circumstances as fast as possible.

Sometimes, God calls us to stay where we’re at, even if it’s not what we want, because He has bigger plans for us.

Sometimes we need to HUMBLE ourselves and serve God exactly where we are, even if it is the last place we want to be.

YOU - Takeaway - HEART

Is there a little bit of the disciples in you right now?

Are you looking for a change in some aspect of your life, but God is asking you to wait?

Are you PRIDEFULLY seeking God to bless your plans, instead of HUMBLY seeking His WILL?

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action - HANDS

Jesus addressed the topic of PRIDE directly.

In Matthew 18:1, we read:

Matthew 18:1–4 “1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

This is the picture we’re given of HUMBLE SUBMISSION to God; a little child.

Jesus doesn’t give age ranges, but based on my experience, I think Jesus was talking about children ages 4-5.

During years 2-3, they are developing their personalities; a time universally described as terrible - so probably not those years.

Once they hit year 6 and enter Elementary school they are already being influenced by other kids, other adults, and generally consider themselves too cool to listen to their parents.

But years 4-5 was the sweet spot.

Children look up to their parents, actively listening to every word they say

They want nothing more than to please their parent, willing to do anything asked without question

They do ask questions, but accept the answers given, assuming that the parents are smarter and have their best interests at heart

We are called to be like these children.

Trusting - that God’s timing is best for us

Praying - asking God to show us His will for our lives

Seeking Holiness - by actively working to align our lives to what we already know of God’s will

Serving - exactly where we are, trusting that God has us there for a reason

So as a church, what can we, as The Light KC, learn from Acts 1?

Pride Seeks Control

Humility Waits for God

Obedience Advances God’s Mission

So, let’s learn from the disciple’s failure, and this week remove any PRIDE we have in our hearts, Humble ourselves, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, not only seeking His will, but committing to act upon it, no matter what it is.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Philippians 2:3–8 “3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

This week...

Let’s purge all PRIDE from our lives. Giving up our plans and need for control.

Let’s seek to WALK HUMBLY

Trusting in God’s timing

Praying, asking God to reveal His will for our lives

Seeking Holiness by acting on the steps God has already called us to take

Serve where God has placed us. Not looking ahead, but obediently doing everything God calls us to do

Let’s live out Jesus’ call to have the faith of children

Listening to every word that comes from God; Bible, Holy Spirit convictions, or through people God has placed in our lives

Doing whatever God asks without question

Know that God loves us and has our best interest at heart

Let’s commit to taking the next step of faith that God calls us to, no matter what that is

Quick reminder...

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30 PM - Programming for all ages

Final week of the marriage group

Sign up for financial peace, we need a final head count - starting Wednesday April 22nd

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How can you identify moments in your life where pride might be hindering your ability to trust God's timing?

What are practical ways you can humble yourself when waiting for God's direction in your life?

What specific areas in your life do you feel God is calling you to serve, even if they are not where you want to be?

How do you balance seeking God’s will with the desire to control the outcomes in your life?

In what ways can you actively seek holiness in your daily actions while waiting on God's promises?