We live in a generation where waiting is viewed as a waste of time, but learning to wait is one way we grow:
The question isn’t “IF’ we’ll wait….but “HOW” we’ll wait.
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).
Wait means “to expect, to look for, to serve” (like a waiter at a restaurant)
This is a powerful and encouraging passage: if we wait on the Lord, we will be strengthened, soar like the eagles, and not grow weary. But what does it really mean to wait? We are not called to “take up the cross of Salvation” so we can then live our lives sitting on the couch. Rather, as believers in Jesus Christ, we have been invited to a wonderful lifetime journey – a journey which is sometimes difficult, but one always filled with adventure and purpose.
Waiting can actually be a time of preparation.
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Amplified Bible
11 But as for you, [a]O man of God, flee from these things; aim at and pursue righteousness [true goodness, moral conformity to the character of God], godliness [the fear of God], faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.
Notice all the words of action: flee, pursue, fight, take hold. This is definitely a call to actively move forward in our journey of faith; a call to move toward a life as God intended it to be lived!
So, do we wait, or do we fight and take hold?
Do we rest and hope in the Lord, or do we flee and pursue?
The answer is a simple, but absolute, YES!
We are called to a life of action, to a life where we “bear much fruit” (John 15:8); but we must learn to “act” while waiting and trusting God for every result.
Actively Waiting Does 4 Things:
Draws us closer to God
Points others (who are watching us) to the Gospel
Reveals where we are placing our trust
Offers opportunities to witness God at work in and through us for our eternal good and for His glory
Matthew 5:13-14
Amplified Bible
13 “You are the [a]SALT of the earth; but if the salt has [b]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
14 “You are the LIGHT of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Jesus said that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. Being salt and light IS NOT OPTIONAL. Jesus did not say you can be…or you have the potential to be…He said you ARE. Everyone who has trusted Christ for salvation and is born again is the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
ARE YOU WORTH YOUR SALT???
What are the characteristics of salt that caused Jesus to use it in this context?
- Some think that its whiteness represents the purity of the justified believer.
- Some say that salt’s flavoring properties imply that Christians are to add divine flavor to the world.
- Some believe that Christians are to sting the world with rebuke and judgment the way salt stings and open wound.
- Others believe that, as salt, Christians are to create a thirst for Christ.
Salt, however, has another vital purpose – it stops decay.
As a disciple of Christ, you are to serve as a PRESERVATIVE, stopping the moral decay in our sin infected world.
You have a purpose!!!
13 “You are the [a]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [b]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
When salt is contaminated it becomes corrosive and poisonous. Contaminated salt cannot even be used for fertilizer on the field, so it has to be thrown on the road.
When we have allowed disobedience, carelessness, and indifference to rule our lives, we have become contaminated salt and have lost our saltiness. We need to confess our sin and let the Lord restore us to the purpose for which we were called.
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells His disciples, “You are the light of the world”.
As “salt”, the Christian is to counteract the power of sin. As “light” we are to illuminate or make visible.
Philippians 2:15
Amplified Bible
15 so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],
A beacon is bright and unmistakable in its purpose. It warns of danger. It directs to safe harbor. It provides hope for those who have lost hope.
***It is not OUR light, but the REFLECTION of the Light of the world, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, that people will see in us.
ARE YOU WORTH YOUR SALT???
How do We remain Salty?
We must remain in the True Vine!
John 15
Amplified Bible
15 “[a]I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
In the OT, makes the claim that Israel is the vine of the Lord. Jesus is saying here, “I am Israel.” All the promises and all the hopes of Israel in the Bible have been transferred to me.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].
The Greek verb for “takes away” can also mean to “lift up”
A non-blossoming branch must be lifted up to ensure the cut must be as close as possible. In this light, we can see that the cutting is not done far away, but hand-to-hand.
When God prunes us, this is done in an intimate way!!
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above-spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].”
God is cutting away the non-fruit bearing sucker vines that will never bear fruit and yet absorb life-giving nourishment (habits, friends, relationships, jobs, hobbies, etc…)
God’s pruning process is His way of removing everything from our lives that isn’t beneficial and directing the flow of spiritual power in order that His plans for our lives will be realized.
God’s process has a purpose: “so that you will bear more fruit!”
3 You are already clean because of the Word which I have given you [the teachings which I have discussed with you]. 4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5 [b]I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
“Vitally united” means - in a way that is extremely important, or necessary for the success or continued existence of something:
8 My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.
John 13:35
Amplified Bible
35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”
There are Two Kinds of Waiting – 1) passive waiting and 2) active waiting.
Give Example:
-Passive Waiting - doesn’t require much energy or attention. It requires NO COMMITMENT on our part. “If God wants me, He is all-knowing and he knows where to find me.”
-Active Waiting - is living a life with an EXPECTATION. This waiting involves prayer, worship, mission, the Bible, and intentionally living a life that is pleasing to God.
-to quietly TRUST, to patiently WAIT, to actively KNOW, to confidently ACT ON THE FAITH THAT HE IS THE ANSWER TO EVERY PROMISE – even when the answer isn’t always clear
Isaiah 40:31
Amplified Bible
31
But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not grow tired.
When we actively wait, it doesn’t mean that it will be easy and there will not be any obstacles in our path.
The woman with the issue of blood, searched for 12 years to find her cure.
Once she found WHO the healer was, she had to ACTIVELY PURSUE Him. She had every opportunity to say why she couldn’t get to Jesus, but SHE PUSHED THROUGH.
Also, our good intentions are not good enough. The men that brought their friend to Jesus could have easily said, “well, we tried but the crowd is just too big. Better luck another day”. That is not what they did. They PUSHED THROUGH an obstacle and made a way to Jesus.
Never give up and never back down! Push through and actively pursue Jesus with ALL you have!!!
Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work. “Oswald Chambers”