Handling
Delays in Your Life
Using Delays
for Good – allow yourself to get more prepared
Exodus 32
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
DATE: 2 Nov, 2008 AM
PLACE:
I.
Introduction - Whose Schedule
Are We Living By? (Isaiah 64:1-4)
A.
Have you ever felt as
if God was not following your schedule?
B.
We often become
impatient because we have our own ideas about what and when things should
happen.
1.
We need to remember
that God is the one who controls time.
2.
He created it, He is
outside of it and when He acts within it, He is working out more than just
our plans and wishes.
C.
Everyone lives by some
kind of a schedule. Are you living on God's timetable, your own, or someone
else's? Impatience is our
D.
In Isaiah 64:4, God
offers a wonderful promise for those who are
driven by time. It says that God
acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. How would you like to rest
in assurance that the God of this universe is acting for your good? Wouldn’t
that make every delay worth it?
1.
Psalms 25:5 Lead me in
thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I
wait all the day.
2.
Psalms 27:14 Wait on
the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I
say, on the LORD.
3.
Psalms 37:7 "Rest in
the LORD, and wait patiently for him: .."
4.
Psalms 130:5 "I wait
for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."
5.
Isaiah 40:31 "But 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."
II.
Message
A.
We Are Impatient By Nature
(Exodus 32:1)
1.
I would not mind being
patient if I did not have to wait. Be honest, some of you don't enjoy
waiting either.
2.
Waiting on God is
never easy (Psalm 69:3)
a.
Waiting on God to
answer to prayers
b.
Waiting on God to meet
our needs
c.
Waiting on God to
revenge our enemies (Proverbs 20:22)
3.
There are Many
Examples of Impatience
a.
Peter praying for 10
days in the upper room before Pentecost – got impatient, and starting
electing a new Apostle – made it hard on
b.
Abraham fleeing to
c.
Saul gave up on
waiting on Samuel to come in 1 Samuel 13:8,9, and it was the beginning of
the end of king Saul’s kingdom! All because of impatience!
4.
Everything that is
wrong with us, God intends on changing and correcting! Including our
impatience.
5.
So, guess what God
uses to change our impatience??? He uses delays!
6.
This
B.
Waiting is Part of Believing
God (Exodus 32:2-8)
1.
2.
If you DO trust God,
you will be willing to wait on Him, no matter how long He takes to act
a.
Psa 130:5 I wait for the LORD,
my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
b.
Just like a farmer waits on his
crops to grow
c.
So should a young lady, waiting on a
godly young man
d.
So should a young man, wait on God
to bring along a godly young lady
e.
So should a parent, working on their
children, be ready for a long battle
3.
God makes lots of
promises, and expects us to believe Him, no matter how long He takes to
answer them
a.
Example would be in
Noah’s day
1)
Promised rain – lots
of it
2)
It
3)
But, the rain DID come
b.
Example of the first
coming of Jesus
1)
Promised in Genesis
3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
2)
Not fulfilled until
4,000 years later.
4.
Impatience ALWAYS results in sin
a.
When you are trusting
God, you are willing to wait
b.
When you are
impatient, you are rather yielded to whatever promises to give you what you
want the fastest!
1)
The yielding to sinful desires – it
is easier and easier to sin these days
2)
The giving in to sinful influences
3)
The obedience to false gods – bad
friends
c.
In the end, it fills your mouth with
gravel, and
5.
Impatience ALWAYS results in costing
the believer
a.
It cost Aaron his chance to get into
the Promised Land
b.
It became a bitter memory to
everyone (Ex 32:19,20)
c.
It cost the people sickness and
troubles (Ex 32:35)
d.
It was the beginning of the end of
the road for those
e.
And so, their impatience was just a
symptom of unbelief!
f.
And it is the same with all of us!
C.
It is More Important for God to
develop Your Patience than to Answer Your Prayer
(Ecclesiastes 7:8; James 1:2-4)
1.
God will take all the time He needs
to produce Patience in the Believer
a.
Forty more years in the wilderness
b.
Forty more days in mount Sinai
c.
He is not in a hurry – because He
KNOWS He is going to finish the job! Not worried at all!
2.
The Christian MUST Learn to Wait
patiently on the Lord
3.
That means:
a.
To pray, and believe that God will
answer, in His time
b.
To witness, and believe that God
will save as soon as that person yields
c.
To live Biblically, even though it
may seem that it is not working out right, believing that God’s word
d.
To honour your boss, your husband,
your parents knowing that God will bless you in the long run
4.
Listen to the Scriptures:
a.
Psa 25:5 Lead me
in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do
I wait all the day.
b.
Psa 27:14 Wait
on the LORD: be of good courage, and he SHALL strengthen thine heart: wait,
I say, on the LORD.
c.
Psa 37:7 Rest in
the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who
prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to
pass.
d.
Psa 37:9 For
evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall
inherit the earth.
e.
Psa 40:1 I
waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
f.
Psa 62:5 My
soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
D.
Why Wait on God?
1.
Because God is working out a perfect
plan (Isaiah 64:4)
2.
Because God is Taking You Somewhere
– as he did
3.
Because God is Changing You for the
Better – and it takes Time!
4.
Because Only God is Worth Waiting
For!
a.
Isa 40:31 But
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.
b.
Jer 14:22 Are
there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the
heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will
wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
c.
Lam 3:25 The
LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
5.
Because Delays are
Never Setbacks for a Christian (1Corinthians 15:58)
a.
Never forget that our
labour for the Lord is not in vain.
b.
Our efforts, works,
labours for the Lord are gifts to Him
c.
So is our patience a
special sacrificial gift to His great name
6.
Folks, trying to rush
God, is like trying to rush a washing machine! You can’t skip any cycles and
get clean clothes!
E.
Realise, that the Lord Waits on
Us (Isaiah 30:18; 2Peter 3:9).
1.
He waits on us to
quiet down – so He can speak to us
2.
He waits for us to
start obeying – so He can bless us
3.
He waits on people to
humble themselves and pray, so that He can answer us
4.
He waits on people to
see their need to get saved, so that He can finally, reach down and save
their souls (2Cor 6:2)
III.
Conclusion
A.
Whose Schedule Are We Living
By?
1.
Everyone lives by some
kind of a schedule. Are you living on God's timetable, your own, or someone
else's?
2.
Impatience is our
indicator of just how little we live on God’s schedule!
3.
In Isaiah 64:4, God
promises to act on behalf of those who wait for Him.
B.
We Are Impatient By Nature
(Exodus 32:1)
C.
Waiting is Part of Believing
God (Exodus 32:2-8)
D.
It is More Important for God to
develop Your Patience than to Answer Your Prayer
(Ecclesiastes 7:8; James 1:2-4)
E.
Why Wait on God?
1.
Because God is working out a perfect
plan (Isaiah 64:4)
2.
Because God is Taking You Somewhere
– as he did
3.
Because God is Changing You for the
Better – and it takes Time!
4.
Because Only God is Worth Waiting
For!
5.
Because Delays are
Never Setbacks for a Christian (1Corinthians 15:58)
F.
Realise, that the Lord Waits on
Us (Isaiah 30:18).
G.
What are YOU waiting
for?