THE POWER OF THE WAITING ROOM - ACTS 1: 12-14

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 1)

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

BIG IDEA: Greater awaits those who wait in faith!

HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF IN A WAITING ROOM?

YOU’RE IN THIS ROOM - WAITING!

WHILE A LOVED ONE IS IN ANOTHER ROOM RECEIVING CARE...

WAITING ROOMS TYPICALLY HAVE COMFY CHAIRS - READING MATERIAL - A TELEVISION SET TO SHOWS YOU DON’T LIKE....(((AND PEOPLE)))!

EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS WAITING - HOPING - PRAYING!

DURING MY 26 YEARS OF PASTORAL MINISTRY, I’VE BEEN IN COUNTLESS WAITING ROOMS, AND HERE’S WHAT I’VE WITNESSED:

PEOPLE PRAYING FOR ACCESS! THEY WANT GOD TO SHOW UP IN THEIR LOVED ONES ROOM TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND HEALING...

PEOPLE PRAYING FOR SUCCESS! THEY WANT WHATEVER IS BEING DONE TO BE DONE CORRECTLY!

WAITING ROOMS AREN’T WEAK ROOMS!

THERE’S POWER IN THE WAIT!

HEAR ME WHAT I SAY!

WAITING ON GOD IS BELIEVING THAT GOD WILL EVENTUALLY SHOW UP!

WE WAIT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN!

IS THAT WHERE YOU FIND YOURSELF TODAY? WAITING?

YOU’RE BELIEVING GOD WILL SHOW UP IN YOUR SITUATION; IN YOUR LOVED ONES SITUATION!

YOU’RE BELIEVING GOD’S PROMISE THAT HE’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!

YOU’RE BELIEVING GOD’S PROMISE THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVED GOD - WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE!

THERE’S POWER IN THE WAIT!

NOT LONG BEFORE COMING TO GREATER, NICOLE AND I SUFFERED A MISCARRIAGE…IT WAS AN INDESCRIBABLE PAIN FOR HER (AND ME).

AND I REMEMBER HER SUBJECTING HERSELF TO THESE PROCEDURES TO HELP HER BODY SUSTAIN A FUTURE PREGNANCY…

I REMEMBER, BECAUSE WITH EACH PROCEDURE, I FOUND MYSELF IN THE WAITING ROOM...

PRAYING - HOPING - BELIEVING THAT THIS PROCEDURE WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD...

AND AFTER ALL THOSE WAITING ROOMS - ALL THOSE PROCEDURES, THE DOCTOR SAID, “I’M SORRY, BUT THERE’S NOTHING MORE I CAN DO!”

HE SAID THAT WE’D NEVER BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN ANOTHER PREGNANCY.

NOW, THE TRUTH IS, I ACCEPTED THE DOCTOR’S REPORT, BUT NOT NICOLE!

SHE KEPT BELIEVING...

SHE KEPT WAITING...

SHE KEPT PRAYING...

OH BELOVED, WHEN THE DOCTOR SAYS, “THERE’S NOTHING MORE I CAN DO...”

REMIND YOURSELVES THAT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...

UH GOD…I KNOW THAT BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED - WE CONCEIVED!!!

AND THAT’S WHAT THIS PASSAGE IS TEACHING ALL OF US TODAY: THERE’S POWER IN THE WAIT!

DON’T ALLOW TIME TO DESTROY YOUR HOPE!

WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!!

THE PEOPLE

THESE WONDERFUL - BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN OUR TEXT: PETER, THOMAS, BARTHOLOMEW, MATTHEW, JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS, SIMON THE ZEALOT, AND JUDAS THE SON OF JAMES - ALONG WITH THE WOMEN, INCLUDING MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS, AND HIS BROTHERS!!!

THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE...

THEY’VE WITNESSED JESUS’ TEACHING AND MIRACLES...

THEY SAW HIM PERSECUTED...

THEY WITNESSED THE TRIALS...

THEY SAW HIM CRUCIFIED...

THEY SAW HIM BEING REMOVED FROM THE CROSS AND PLACED IN A BORROWED TOMB...

THEN, THEY SAW HIS RESURRECTED BODY AFTER THE THIRD DAY...

THEY SAT WITH HIM, SUPT WITH HIM, LISTENED TO HIM...

THEN THEY STOOD AS HE ASCENDED, AS MIRACULOUSLY AS HE DESCENDED...

AND NOW THEY WAIT!!!

WE HAVE THE PEOPLE - THOSE WHO WALKED WITH CHRIST, ALONG WITH THOSE WHO CAME TO CHRIST...

THESE PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE THE CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH...

NOTICE WHAT THE TEXT SAYS ABOUT THESE PEOPLE: WATCH VS. 14 - A CLAUSE - THEY WERE UNITED!

THERE’S UNITY IN THE WAITING ROOM!

WHY? BECAUSE WITH EVERYTHING THEY’VE GONE THROUGH - THE TRAUMA - THE PAIN - THE LOSS - AIN’T NO TIME FOR FOOLISHNESS!

THERE’S TOO MUCH AT STAKE!

IT AIN’T TIME FOR DIVISION!

IT’S TIME TO WAIT....AND TO WAIT UNIFIED!

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus.

"These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold."

"Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?"

THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ARE UNIFIED, BECAUSE THEY ALL DESIRE THE SAME THING - THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER - THE POWER FROM ON HIGH - THE HOLY SPIRIT.

AND THEY REALIZE THAT THERE IS AN EXPECTATION FOR THEM TO STAND TOGETHER...

CHURCH, THERE’S AN EXPECTATION FOR UNITY...

NOT UNIFORMITY - WE AIN’T GOT TO LOOK ALIKE OR THINK ALIKE.

BUT WATCH THIS: IF THE SPIRIT IS WORKING IN US, THEN HE (THE SPIRIT) WILL UNITE US IN THIS WORK!

THE TEXT SAYS THEY WERE UNITED!

BUT NOT ONLY THE PEOPLE...

VS. 13 SAYS WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN JERUSALEM, THEY WENT TO THE ROOM UPSTAIRS....

UH HA - ALSO THE PLACE!

THE PLACE

THIS ROOM UPSTAIRS IS THEIR WAITING ROOM...

NOW, IT’S ALSO THE ROOM OF THE LORD SUPPER - THE ROOM IN WHICH JESUS REVEALS HIMSELF - POST RESURRECTION...

OH GOD, AND IF I DON’T GET TOO AHEAD OF MYSELF AND HAPPY, THIS WILL BE THE ROOM IN WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT FALLS UPON ALL THOSE PRESENT...

THIS UPSTAIRS ROOM IS A SPECIAL PLACE...

THIS ROOM WAS BIG, BUT MORE IMPORTANT, THIS ROOM WAS BLESSED!

BELOVED, DO YOU HAVE YOUR PLACE? I MEAN REALLY...

THE PLACE YOU GO TO MEET WITH GOD!

SEE, HOW YOU GONE WAIT ON GOD, IF YOU AIN’T GOT NOWHERE TO WAIT ON GOD?

EVERY ONE OF US NEEDS THAT PLACE!

IT AIN’T GOT TO BE BIG.

IT AIN’T GOT TO BE FANCY.

IT JUST NEEDS TO BE BLESSED...

IT’S WHERE YOU GO WHEN IT’S TIME TO GO TO WAR...

IT’S WHERE YOU GO WHEN IT’S TIME TO FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY...

IT’S WHERE YOU GO WHEN YOU NEED TO MEET WITH HIM...

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 1)

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.

JESUS MODELS FOR US THE NEED TO COME APART BEFORE WE COME APART...

PLEASE ESTABLISH YOUR PLACE IN YOUR HOME.

LET ERRBODY KNOW THIS IS AND WILL BE YOUR PLACE TO MEET WITH THE LORD...

WHEN YOU’RE THERE, THEY OUGHT KNOW THAT WHATEVER IT IS, IT CAN WAIT...

AWWW, CHURCH, ALSO THIS RIGHT HERE - THIS - 7031 FORNEY ROAD IS OUR CORPORATE PLACE!

YES, WE VALUE OUR VIRTUAL COMMUNITY! WE LOVE YOU AND NEED YOU...

BUT PLEASE DON’T MISINTERPRET: THIS IS OUR PLACE!

OUR CORPORATE PLACE WHERE WE GATHER TO GO TO GROW...

OUR CORPORATE PLACE WHERE WE STAND UNITED...

OUR CORPORATE PLACE WHERE WE GATHER TO LAUNCH OUT!

AWWW, THE PEOPLE - THE PLACE…FINALLY,

THE PRAYER

I LOVE HOW THE NET BIBLE INTERPRETS VS 14: ALL THESE CONTINUED TOGETHER IN PRAYER WITH ONE MIND...

WHEN YOU’RE IN THE WAITING ROOM:

WE PRAY TO: FATHER FOR THE SPIRIT TO COME!

WE PRAY FOR: THE FULFILLMENT OF CHRIST’S COMMAND (WE ARE TO GO).

WE PRAY TOGETHER: IN UNITY AND WITH ONE MIND, WE PRAY FOR US TO DO ALL THINGS TOGETHER!

While very ill, John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, called to his wife and said, "Read me that Scripture where I first cast my anchor." After he listened to the beautiful prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, he seemed to forget his weakness. He began to pray, interceding earnestly for his fellowmen. He prayed for the ungodly who had thus far rejected the gospel. He pleaded in behalf of people who had been recently converted. And he requested protection for the Lord's servants, many of whom were facing persecution. As Knox prayed, his spirit went Home to be with the Lord. The man of whom Queen Mary had said, "I fear his prayers more than I do the armies of my enemies," ministered through prayer until the moment of his death.