Faith in the Wait
Pastor Albert Almore
We kicked off 2023 with a series titled, "BUILD.” It’s a study on the book of Nehemiah that we’re slowly but surely making our way to. Nehemiah is known for building, rebuilding the wall for God’s people as we’ll take a look at in the weeks to come. But before we get there, we’ve been tasked with these questions:
WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO BUILD?
WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO START?
WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO RESTORE?
When I say build we’re not limiting that to an actual building or edifice. In fact,
Our vision here at Motion Church is to:
BUILD PEOPLE
BUILD COMMUNITIES
BUILD THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Anytime you’re talking about building something, whether it’s your purpose you’re looking to build, a dream you’re looking to build, or a generation as we learned last week from pastor Holden, one thing that it’s going to require is FAITH.
We’ve been charged, warned if you will NOT TO DISMISS THE CONVERSATION OF FAITH. We came to this conclusion by way of Hebrews 11:6 where it says,
“But WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6
Even deeper than that, after Jesus visited His hometown, Matthew 13:58 concludes by saying,
And He did not do many miracles there because of their LACK OF FAITH. Matthew 13:58
As we look at the definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1 it says,
Now faith is THE SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
Have you ever thought about that before? FAITH IS A SUBSTANCE. That word substance is also translated and viewed as, "ASSURANCE.” To have assurance means to be CONFIDENT, CERTAIN, or to have a POSITIVE DECLARATION. FAITH IS A SUBSTANCE.
I believe with everything in me that they’re two thieves that set out day by day to rob you of your substance. They’re two thieves that set out day by day to rob you of your faith. Those two thieves have a name.
📝 The two thieves that set out to rob you of your substance of faith are TIME and DETAILS.
When allowed time and details will rob you of your SUBSTANCE. When allowed time and details will rob you of your assurance and your confidence that you once started with. If I had to pick the most depleting of the two, I would have to go with TIME.
📝 The greatest enemy to your confession of faith is the confession of time that says, "I THOUGHT BY NOW.”
I thought by now I would’ve…
I know it doesn’t feel comfortable to admit this, but has the thought ever crossed your mind,
"I thought by now God would’ve came through.”
If that thought ever crossed your mind before, what if I told you that you’re in good company? David himself thought that same thought and journaled it in Psalm 13:1. It reads,
“O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?”
Psalms 13:1
I know it’s hard to admit, but have you ever been there before? I want to preach a message this morning from this subject….
FAITH IN THE WAIT
When it doesn’t happen WHEN you thought it was going to happen, let your confession be, "I will remain in faith in the wait!”
When it doesn’t happen HOW you thought it was going to happen, let your confession be, "I will remain in faith in the wait!”
FAITH IN THE WAIT
What do you when the promise doesn’t come with a timeline?
What do you do when the promise, unlike Amazon, doesn’t come with a delivery date?
I know it’s not easy church but….
📝 Don’t WASTE the wait.
While you’re waiting, use your time wisely.
While you’re waiting, trust the promise giver.
Here’s what I know to be true…
📝 God, our PROMISE GIVER, is a PROMISE KEEPER.
While you wait, have faith in that! Even though, David’s journal entry in Psalm 13 started off a little rocky, it ended in full faith. Even though Psalm 13:1 said,
“O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?”
Psalms 13:1
By the time we get to verse 5 it says,
"BUT I TRUST in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.”
Psalms 13:5
“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because YOU HAVE rescued me.”
Psalms 13:5
In other words…
YOU HAVE before, and YOU WILL again. David transitioned to FAITH IN THE WAIT.
Later on David would go on to write in Psalm 40:1,
“I WAITED PATIENTLY FOR THE LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.”
Psalms 40:1
While you’re waiting, trust the promise giver.
📝 Trust that God is PREPARING YOU, for what He’s promised you.
The Bible says something interesting in 2 Samuel 5:4. It says,
“David was THIRTY YEARS OLD when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all.”
2 Samuel 5:4
This is interesting because in 1 Samuel 16:13 says,
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”
I Samuel 16:13
Anointed as a boy to be the next king. We know that he was just a boy because when word reached Saul that David wanted to fight Goliath the giant, King Saul said in 1 Samuel 17:33,
““Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! YOUR’RE ONLY A BOY, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.””
1 Samuel 17:33
Anointed as a boy to be the next King, but he didn’t become King until he was thirty. He was anointed, and appointed, but David had to wait. David had to prepare for what he was anointed for.
You prepare for what you’ve been promised by praying Psalm 25:4,
“Show me YOUR WAYS, O Lord; Teach me YOUR PATHS.”
Psalms 25:4
You prepare for what you’ve been promised by praying Psalm 86:11
“TEACH ME YOUR WAY, O Lord; I will walk in YOUR TRUTH; UNITE MY HEART to fear Your name.”
Psalms 86:11
God hasn’t forgotten His promise to you, He’s preparing you for what He’s promised. One of the greatest prayers you can pray right now is…
📝 PREPARE ME O God, for what’s already PREPARED.
While you’re waiting, trust the promise giver.
📝 Trust that God is teaching you PATIENCE.
📝 Things from the KINGDOM OF GOD require patience.
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like A FARMER who scatters SEEDon the ground.
Mark 4:26
Kingdom things are like seeds, and seeds take time to grow unlike microwaveable things. The Kingdom of God is like a farmer.
📝 God isn’t into ELECTRONICS, He’s into GARDENING.
Here is another story Jesus told: “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like A FARMER who planted good seed in his field.
Matthew 13:24
Trust that God is teaching you patience, and that it’s well worth it. James 1:2-3 says,
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith PRODUCES patience.”
James 1:2-3
“But LET PATIENCE HAVE ITS PERFECT WORK, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
James 1:4
📝 When God teaches you patience it isn’t for PUNISHMENT it’s for PROMOTION.
Therefore, let patience have its perfect work. The moment you began to understand this, is the moment that you begin to pray like David did in Psalm 25:5,
“Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; ON YOU I WAIT ALL THE DAY.”
Psalms 25:5
While you’re waiting, trust the promise giver.
📝 Trust that God is DEVELOPING your faith.
God wants your faith to be in Him, and not in things.
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, BUT WE TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD our God.”
Psalm 20:7
“They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”
Psalm 20:8
I believe that the goal and the development is to get us to two types of faith:
📝 EVEN IF faith.
📝 GIVE and TAKEAWAY faith.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.
Daniel 3:17
But EVEN IF He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”
Daniel 3:18
“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.”
Job 1:20
“And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. THE LORD GAVE, AND THE LORD HAS TAKEN AWAY; Blessed be the name of the Lord.””
Job 1:21
I know it’s not easy, but we must have faith in the wait.
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight BY FAITH, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Romans 5:1
“BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH, Christ has brought us into this place of UNDESERVED PRIVILEGE where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Romans 5:2
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us DEVELOP endurance.”
Romans 5:3
“And endurance DEVELOPS strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
Romans 5:4
📝 The longer THE WAIT, the greater THE DEVELOPMENT, the greater THE ASSIGNMENT.
“He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.”
Isaiah 40:29
“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,”
Isaiah 40:30
“BUT THOSE WHO WAIT ON 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.”
Isaiah 40:31
WILL YOU BE ONE OF THOSE?
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