Sermon Tone Analysis

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

waiting recap

Delay of creation, the delay of man, the delay of Eve, the delay of the rainbow, the delay of Abraham and Sarah, the delay of Joseph sold into slavery, the delay of Moses coming off the mountain, the delay between Malachi and Matthew (400 years) the delay between Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and second coming.

COVENANTS

Our God is a promise-keeping God of perfectly-timed delay

Sin is what sinners living in the flesh do in times of delay.

Wait is what spirit-filled sinners do in times of delay.

The benefits of waiting on God: it leads to expectancy, hope, trust, patience and reveals our character.

Our ability and willingness to wait reveals our character

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Delay of Jesus - not a delay

Three things to do in the waiting: be diligent, be spotless, and be at peace.

be diligent (do the things you need to do while you wait), be spotless (confess, repent, repeat.

Leopard/sinner - Jesus is our supernatural spot remover.)

Be at peace: fist shaking at God means you are at war with God.

You won’t win.

Surrender and be at peace with the wait.

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Waiting without humility is not waiting

humility is inevitable, we humble ourselves or God does it for us.

Humility is linked with repentance and God’s favor.

Two small things you can do to humble yourself while you wait:

1. Be thankful for what you have (What has Jesus provided?)

2. Be okay with your situation not changing (Is Jesus enough?)

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God is waiting for you to wait

Stop taking action on your own.

Stop panicking like a whirling dervish.

Stop drinking sewage to avoid feeling thirsty.

Thirst for more of God.

God is waiting for you to trust

trust: Who is more trustworthy and just than God?

And yet who is more merciful and gives more grace than He?

God is waiting for you to repent

repent.

Take action in your waiting and trusting.

Smash the idols you have been worshipping in place of God.

If you don’t smash the idols in your life, they’ll smash you.

Humpty Dumpty with a wall addiction…your life just keeps falling apart.

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Read Sheliah’s letter

What to do when He answers (and when He doesn’t) -

Proclaim His greatness (tell of His wondrous works)