RE: Waiting

**they were amazing! They braved cannibal headhunters, faced down misguided Japanese mini-sub warrior who thought the war was still going, survived a meteorite, and somehow kept their clothes spotless and immaculate despite literally every day wear. But the thing they always had, no matter how many times they tried and failed, was hope. No matter what, they were ready week after week, from September to May between 1964 and 1967 (98 times altogether), to try one more time. they never gave up. And because they never gave up, Professor Roy Hinkley must have developed 1000 patents for everything from helicopters to ham radios—all made with nothing but bamboo and palm fronds! And on average, 10-12 Million households had a weekly dose of Gilligan’s craziness.

And that same hope not only was the key to their successful rescue in 1978, but again in 1979—because, well, they ended up back on the island after their 1978 rescue. Yep, the same island.

the great thing about hope is that it can keep you going through just about anything. And the terrible thing about hope is that, when you don’t know how to hold onto it, it can often slip right away.

For the crew on Gilligan’s Island, each week they had a script, each time they knew exactly how things would turn out, and each day of filming their desperate failed attempts at rescue, they got in their cars, drove off the lot, and went on with their terribly convenient lives. But in real life, it’s not so easy.

The Great Casualty of Waiting is Often a Reduction of Hope

My mind stuck in the 70’s—Cf Grease--”Stranded at the Drive-In”--

Problem really comes when not satisfied w/ teh way things are, but feel powerless to do anything about it.

All that’s left—give in. And it’s that passive acceptance that—sometimes is emotionally healthy adjustment—but is so often a loss of something powerful inside.

Passive Waiting Becomes Active Training in Diminished Living

leaving [negative] sentiments in place is daily rehearsal of defeated disposition

Daily experience becomes daily prediction

What used to be unacceptable eventually becomes normal

Cf. Sensory Adaptation (https://www.thecut.com/2014/08/why-cant-you-smell-your-own-home.html) (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-sensory-adaptation-2795869)

(dark - to - light; new watch/ring; hot tub / cold swim; crying baby; speaking of babies-- smell—note difference when telling people ?perfume vs. solvent)

Today we start a new series—one been eager to get into

Trends in America continue in an unencouraging direction (church, next generation, “non’s”, violence, suicide)—and in spite of economic and employment data being off the charts good, America’s unhappiness and anxiety indices are at an all time high as well.

Something about

Church attendance is at an all time low, and teen violence, unhappiness, opioid addiction, and mood disorders / anti-depressant prescriptions are at an all time high. What if there is a connection. But my thing today isn’t to rail against statistical trends. rather, it’s to take a look at what causes peopel to drop out, and how can we help people get back in. And when I say that, I don’t really just mean church. I mean any major component of a healthy life that somehow, without meaning to, people tend to drop out of. First it’s emotionally dropping out. then it’s actually dropping out.

the OT book of Ezekiel is one of what we call the Major Prophets of the OT. It’s called that because it’s big—___ chapters big. It was written by the prophet himself, who was actually a priest during one of the more critical periods in Israel’s history...

[map, dates, kings, oppressors] (?draw? ?whiteboard? ?animated PPT slide?)

Ezekiel 1:1–3 ESV

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

It Can Be Easy to Confuse How Obvious God Is With How Active God Is

30 years (thought it was going to be so good…) (CF. Josiah…) (like 1776, or when Kennedy was inaugurated, or the day Steve Jobs announced the iPod…)

Pics of each

show pic of prison wall hash marks

more dates than any other (counting every day—imagine hash marks in a prison (you feel every day)

5th year—really thought this would be short-lived—would be temporary thing—few months later, go back home--

You can relate—a bad day is one thing—a bad month starts to sink in—but when it moves into years…; arthritis or some chronic pain; arguments in marriage that just become the norm—lose confidence

And when you are expecting that becasue God cares He will act, and he doesn’t, what does that mean

It’s not that you actually think… but you think it without thinking about it

Psalm 137:1–4 ESV

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

The Difficulty is In Substituting A God-Feeling for Faith in God

problem of sentimental faith (from last week)

negative sentiment drives how we participate

negative sentiment is self-reinforcing (how you handle today shapes whet you have to work with tomorrow)

Remember “sensory adaptation”—the unacceptable becomes normal--

“Friends in Low Places” lyrics

And here is the real kicker--

The God of Heartaches often Starts as the God of Hype

Note what brought all this about—not their sadness, but their hype--

God does two things--

gives vision of exalted glory

gives a message of sober warning

Before the terrible sadness of the last 5 years, they had been hyping God for the previous 30—not all, but some—and the number was growing

Ironically, it was still happening—rather than hear from God ...

Ezekiel 13:2 ESV

“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’

Ezekiel 13:3 ESV

Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

Ezekiel 13:6 ESV

They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the Lord,’ when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.

they weren’t trying to do wrong—they thought they were doing right—they believed teh messages they were giving—AND teh messages were HYPE

Note the thing God gave Ezekiel—a scroll… then--

Ezekiel 3:4 ESV

And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.

*** They were prone to heartache because they had bought into the hype—and when teh hype was gone, so was the hope

And a loss of hope leaves you with little else to help you forward

what you experienced in those early days—that came to mean “God” to you

Principle at work in marriage—you marry the one you fell in love with, but it only works if you eventually learn to love the one you married

Early days of TV evangelism, became widespread…faith healers…thrilling teachers…

But we inadvertabtly do it sometimes too—like King Davild last week—we get our dance ahead of our devotion

Problem with worhsipping a Hype god—when the hype is gone, so is the God

When you identify God as a feeling, not only will you follow the feeling, you will also miss God by dismissing feeling-less following

Trauma in modern Christianity of sensationalism

Compounded by growing number of peopel who are teaching a concept of Christianity and worship that sets people up fro the Hype God—telling people to disengage mind to get to God—can’t think yoru way to God, you must transcend your thinking to experience God

True enough, takes more than your thinking, but so untrue that it leaves your thinking behind. Spiritual power in your life won’t go around your thinking, it will renew it and bring it along

1 Corinthians 14:15 ESV

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

1Co 13:15

Ezekiel 13:2 ESV

“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’

Ezekiel 13:3 ESV

Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

Ezekiel 13:6 ESV

They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the Lord,’ when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.

1 Cor 13:15

Psalm 19:7–8 ESV

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 8:6 ESV

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

1 Corinthians 2:16 ESV

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Hebrews 10:16 ESV

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

So there were a bunch of faith leaders that were trying to stir up the crowds—and there was one faithful messenger among them who was trying to give them the real thing. only when they quit imagining God and making him fit their desires and expectation could he really help them

Note the thing God gave Ezekiel—a scroll… then--

the very very sad part of this is—enough of the leaders back in jerusalem believed the fluffy teachers, and tehy thought God would help if theyt fought back, and instead they king got fed up and completely demolished the city—that was avoidable

Ezekiel 3:4 ESV

And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.

You Can’t Have Both Hope and Hype at the Same Time

Cf. Elijah:

1 Kings 19:11–13 ESV

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

*** I want to call you back today--

maybe you have been half-hearted… maybe you have judged how well you worshipped by how much you felt… maybe you have given up prayer because you don’t feel the force—you want a Yoda moment, and you’re just little Luke…; maybe you made some commitment to god… maybe Bible reading, maybe tithing, maybe …; maybe you’re feeling stuck in a lousy marriage-…; maybe you ...

What I am convinced of is that there are a whole bunch of people in this room whose flame is down to a flicker, and you have just been waiting for God to move, and eventually you quit waiting for something and just started waiting.

Your passive waiting became active training—30 years down the road and you don’t even feel like the same person. Five years into the thick of it and you just feel the moan inside.

You don’t know how to try again.

And I believe that is becasue you forgot how to actively wait

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

** Such an encouragement for so many

notice—waiting includes walking, running, and even soaring like an eagle!

I call it Active Waiting—renewak waiting

Active Waiting is Spiritual Renewing

try one of these

Active Waiting is Selective Remembering

Active Waiting is Intentional Community

Active Waiting is Spiritual Fitness

Active Waiting is Maximizing Opportunities

*** Through these things you may actually come out for the waiting and into a new day of living

But it’s for sure—this is how you re going to be prepared for a different movement of God

They had practically speaking, dismissed God as a realiztic part of life

So AMONG THEM, God gave teh prophet NEW VISIONS of His glory (read this—throne, angels, craze wheels, spiritual creatures)

you’ve got to know this about your situation—God is with you where you are--

Psalm 94:14 ESV

For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;

And this is HUGE—wherever God is, all of God is there!

The Invitation of Faith is to turn Waiting into Something More

Cf. Jesus on Cross--

Our word—excruciating—means intensely painful—comes from the latin word for cross—it signals the worst kind of pain imaginable—teh pain of hanging on a cross—it’s about the pain, but it’s also about the lingering pain, b/c the cross was as much about torture as it was death—it was just about the slowest, most painful way to kill a person… you just hang there, whooting pains and bone-stretching aches—waiting to di.

Amazing—in that waiting, Jesus managed to arrange fot His mother’s care when He was gone, forgive a thief and get him into heaven, convince a skeptical Roman military officer that he was the Son of God, and secure the forgiveness not only of teh people standing around him mocking Him that day, but millions of people who would hear the echo of His call coming to use generations later.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus turned 6 hours on a Roman cross into 2000 years of wrldwide empowerment for every follower who is willing to wait like He did.

I don’t know what you’re going through, or how long you’re going to be there. I do know this—you were never meant for passive, visionless waiting. you were meant to wait with a purpose. And the way you wait is not only going to help bring about the next step in God’s plan for your life, but also it’s going to create healthy things in you.

But maybe today the most important thing is, in the middle of your aches, your uncertainties, your tiredess, your faltering steps and weak breathing, you may realize taht you have no idea how you can do any of this because you simply don’t have the resource inside. And that is exactly where so many of the people in thios room around you were the day they called on Jesus!

...

Jehovan Shammah

Wherever God is, All of Him is There

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