12 Ways to Wait on God

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 40:31 - but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Sermon Title:  12 Ways to Wait on God!

1.  Don’t throw in the towel!  1 Cor. 15:58 - 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

2.  Don’t pray for patience!  Rom. 5:3 - 3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

3.  Don’t talk too much!  Proverbs 18:21 - The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

4.  Encourage yourself!   1 Samuel 30:6- And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

5.  Get a prayer partner!  Matt 18 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

6.  Permit and admit your weakness!  2 Cor. 12:9 - But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

7.  Remember what God has already done!  Psalm 103:2 - Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

8.  God is not punishing you!  Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?                                                                        1 John 4:18  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

9.  God is at work!   2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

10.              Memorialize the moment!   Joshua 4: 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”               Genesis 26:25 - Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

11.              Worship while you wait!  1.  Worship while you wait!  Neh. 8:10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Psalms 73:17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

12.              Don’t give up on God!  Gal. 6:9 - 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.;                                                 Psalms 27:13-14 - 13 I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take hear    and wait for the Lord.

Spiritual Spinach!

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 40:31 - 31 but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Sermon Title:  Spiritual Spinach!

Point 1:  No matter how big your problem, your God is bigger!  Vs. 18, 21, 28; vs. 12-14 - 18 With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? 21 Do you not know?

    Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Vs 12-14 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d] of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?

Point 2: Be ready for the infusion of power. Vs. 29 - 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Point 3: Know your limits.  Vs. 30 - 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

1 Kings 19:4 - 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Point 4:  Live a life of hope.  Vs. 31 - 31 but those who hope in the Lord  will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Gal. 6:9 - 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Life Application:

1.  Don’t throw in the towel – hold on and keep moving forward

2.  Do not pray for patience, pray for power.

3.  Do not give up on God – Trust God no matter what. 

Do You - Doing Life

Pericope:  Genesis 2:18, 20 - 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (suitable) fit for him. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam[g] there was not found a helper suitable for him

Sermon Text:  Genesis 2:18b - 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for[e] him.

Sermon Title: Do You – Doing Life

Introduction:  Life is not easy! In fact, how many of you would agree life can be tough sometimes.  Sudden unexpected death of a loved one! Divorce!  Sudden Illness! Disappointments!  Disobedient children!  Bills! Unemployment!  Difficult supervisor/boss!  Betrayal of Friends!  These are but a few things that can make Doing Life hard. 

Point 1:  Take God at his word vs. 18a The Lord said….

Notice in the text its Gods idea because of God’s observation. God observes his creation is matched up perfectly.  Every creature has a mate.  Every creature has someone that looks like them, reflects their likeness, instincts, and even dislikes.  Everybody got somebody but Adam. 

  Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.  Paul goes even further and says God gave them over to themselves.  Romans 1:28 ESV And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 

TheMessage puts it this way - 28-32 Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing.

         

Let me ask you a question who are you doing life with?

Point 2: Take it from God is not what suits you, it’s who suits? Vs. 20b - 20 there was not found a helper suitable for him.

Vs. 19, 20a - 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.   

Let me ask you a question, who are you doing life with ____?

Point 3:  Take it from God when he fits you  22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made[h] into a woman and brought her to the man.

Gen. 3:15 - I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 

Let me ask you a question who are you doing life with?

So I have questions and you can use your notetaker to answer –

ü Are you doing life with Jesus by having a personal relationship with him?

q Yes   or    No

ü Are you doing life with others that strengthen your relationships or faith in God?

q Yes   or    No

ü Have you ever tried to do life on your own but failed?

q Yes  or    No

ü Do you feel like something is missing and you just have questions?

q Yes   or    No

ü Are you accepting Jesus as your Savior today?

q Yes    or    No    

ü Are you coming back to Jesus love by rededicating or doing life with him again?

q Yes     or     No

If you answered yes to either question, then complete the bottom with your contact info or get your connection card out of the notetaker and let us get more specific about your next step. 

Greater together covenant relationships

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 Sermon Text:  Gen 2:22 - 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[a] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Sermon Title: Greater Together: CovenantRelationships

Tonight we will study three vignettes so we can learn whether our relationships are godly and glorifying Jesus. 

First, Johnathan and David – 1 Sam 18:1 - 18 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.

  Their relationship was famous because it resulted in Johnathan defending David against his father Saul and David taking the throne from his friend.  

a) Johnathan and David had a covenantrelationship – 1 Sam 18:3 - 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself

o What is your relationship based on? All relationships have some form of covenant; work offer letter, orhandbook, marriage, marriage license and vows, friends, etc.  

o Good covenant or bad unspoken covenant - 2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.

o Amos 3:3 - How can two walk together, unless they have agreed to do so.  

o Exodus 23:32  Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

o Holy or unholy covenant 

b) Johnathan and David’s relationship cutacross bloodlines. 1 Sam 19:4 – 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. - 

• Matthew 12:48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 

• Jesus says this on the heels of Mary and his siblings looking for him.  History says at that time James his older brother didn’t believe he was the Messiah.  Jesus decided relationship cut across blood lines if they aren’t going in the same direction.  

c) Johnathan and David had commongoals.  1 Sam 20:4  4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”

• Are you and the person you are in relationship with going in the same direction?  What are you doing about it?  testing, treading or tearing away?

d) Johnathan and David hand a courageous relationship

SECOND – PAUL AND JOHN MARK – Acts 12:25 - 25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. ​

 him. This is one of the great mentoring stories of all time.  But a quiet event had a significant effect on the relationship between Barnabas and Paul: John Mark, one of the younger team members, deserted the effort and returned home.  As Paul and Barnabas organized their second journey, John Mark signed back on. But Paul refused to take Mark with them, so Barnabas had a decision to make: go with the highly effective and rising star he had launched or help another young champion whom others had written off. For Barnabas, the choice was simple – his career was marked by a refusal to abandon good people who needed sponsorship, encouragement and development. “Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus”(15:39) – and into obscurity.  History show Paul made a better choice about relationship.  Paul chose the mission over an unreliable relationship.  He chose destiny over dependability.  

a) Paul and John Mark relationship was not dependable. Acts 15:39 - 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,

• Are you connected to someone who is not dependable.  They are unreliable and they don’t keep their word.  What are you doing about it?  testing, treading or tearing away?

b) Paul and John Mark relationship caused a divide.  Acts 15:39 - 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,

• Paul was upset with Mark because he didn’t finish their missionary journey.  Mark couldn’t cut it.  Paul didn’t want quitters – Barnabas was ok.  

c) Paul and John Mark divided but were not divisive.  2 Tim 4:11 - 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

• At the end of Paul’s life, he asked for Mark to be by his side.  

THIRD – JESUS AND JOHN THE BELOVED – John 13:23 - 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

John served the Lord Jesus Christ, but he also played and hung out with Jesus.

a) John’s relationship with Jesus was at the cross. John 19:26 - 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[a] here is your son,”

• Do you have a relationship with Jesus that includes the cross?  Or is he just a great teacher, philosopher and not the crucified one who saves you from your sin.  

b) John’s relationship with Jesus was his belief in the empty tomb.  John 20:2 - 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

• Do you have an empty tomb relationship with Jesus?  Do you believe, have faith and know you have the victory because Jesus got up?

c) John’s relationship with Jesus could be seen in his everyday activities.  John 21:7 - 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

d) John’s relationship with Jesus was eternal.  

• Will you spend eternity with Jesus or will relationships get in your way. John 21:20 - Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)

Life Application:

1. Asses your relationships

2. Do you have a relationship with Jesus

3. Connect with others to build better relationships

4. Invite some of your relationships to Sunday in the Park 

SUNDAY IN THE PARK Be Our Guest!