WHEN GOD SAYS, "NOT YET"

Rev. Juliet Schimpf By Rev. Juliet Schimpf    Rev. Juliet Schimpf  is the Minister of  First Baptist  Church in Perth, Ontario: http://www.firstbaptistchurchperth.com/

_______________________________________

LINK to CFRA broadcast of Sunday, November 30 ^th, 2014) 

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/27287/good_news_133_nov30.mp3

 _______________________________________

Broadcast Notes:

************************************************************

 HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD: 

 

'When God Says, "Not Yet"'

How do I hear God’s Voice?

How do I make plans for my life?

How do I know if I’m in God will?

Sometimes God says, “No”;

Sometimes God says, “Go”;

Sometimes God says, “Go slow….”…..in other words, “Not yet!”

THE BIG PRINCIPLE

OUR JOURNEYS ON EARTH AS CHRISTIANS CAN BE SUMMED UP AS A BATTLE BETWEEN FLESH AND SPIRIT.

GALATIANS 3:3  “ARE YOU SO FOOLISH?  AFTER BEGINNING BY MEANS OF THE SPIRIT YOU ARE NOW TRYING TO FINISH BY MEANS OF THE FLESH.”

ONLY THE SPIRIT CAN SAVE US:  BY GRACE ALONE, THROUGH FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE.

BUT THEN, SOMETHING CURIOUS HAPPENS, WE START TO TRY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS IN THE FLESH.

WE ARE SAVED BY THE SPIRIT; BUT WE TURN TO THE FLESH.

PAUL IS SAYING, “START WITH THE SPIRIT, FINISH WITH THE SPIRIT”

THE STUFF OF WAITING AND PATIENCE IS ALL ABOUT THE SPIRIT.

GALATIANS 5:22-23  “THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS PATIENCE…”

WE NEED TO BE SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIANS, SPRIT-FUELLED CHRISTIANS, AND SPIRIT-FOCUSED CHRISTIANS

1.       THERE ARE NO DRIVE-THROUGH BREAKTHROUGHS 

·         WE LOVE DRIVE-THROUGHS:  BANKS, FUNERAL HOMES (DRIVE-THROUGH VIEWINGS), RESTAURANTS….

·         A MAN NAMED ABRAHAM, AT AGE OF 75, GOD ASKS HIM TO LOOK AT SKY….THOSE STARS SHALL BE NUMBER OF YOUR DESCENDENTS…..YOUR WIFE SHALL BEAR A SON…..

·         AGE 75 PROMISE IS GIVEN

·         ABRAHAM’S WIFE IS OLD…. PROMISE SEEMS RIDICULOUS…..BUT BIBLE SAYS, 2 COR. 1:10 “ALL OF GOD’S PROMISES ARE YES AND AMEN IN JESUS CHRIST”

·         IF HE GIVES A PROMISE; HE SHALL FULFILL IT; IF HE PUTS A PERIOD, DO NOT PUT A QUESTIONS PERIOD.

·         10 YEARS LATER (ABRAHAM IS 85), AFTER WAITING 10 YEARS, SARAH COMES ALONG….

·         SARAH PRESENTS A “DRIVE-THROUGH BREAKTHROUGH”

·         GENESIS 16:  “THE LORD HAS KEPT ME FROM HAVING CHILDREN…. PERHAPS I CAN BUILD MY FAMILY…..I’M NOW GOING TO TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS”

·         TRANSLATION:  I’M GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM…. CLEARLY GOD HAS FORGOTTEN TO ME

·         GENESIS 16:2 “GO AND SLEEP WITH MY SLAVE…HER NAME IS HAGAR”

·         GENESIS 16:4…..ABRAHAM SLEEPS WITH HAGAR, AND SHE CONCEIVES…..LOOKS LIKE SARAH FIXED THE PROBLEM

·         SIN ARRIVES:

o   VERSE 4:  SARAH’S HEART BECOMES INFECTED (SARAH BEGAN TO DESPISE HAGAR…..HATRED)

o   VERSE 5:  SARAH AND ABRAHAM’S RELATIONSHIP INFECTED… BEGIN TO FIGHT…ABRAHAM REPLIES, “DO WITH HAGAR WHAT YOU THINK IS BEST”

o   VERSE 6:  SARAH MISTREATED HAGAR…..

o   CHILD TO BE CALLED ISHMAEL (WILD DONKEY OF A MAN AND LIVE IN HOSTILITY TOWARD ALL HIS BROTHERS)

2.      A DELAY IS NOT A DENIAL

·         SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN PRAYING SO LONG FOR SOMETHING

·         A DELAY IS NOT A DENIAL

WHY WOULD GOD DO THIS TO US?

1.  HE IS READYING US TO RECEIVE HIS BEST….

·         WE THINK THAT GOD IS BUSY GETTING THE BLESSING READY FOR US;

·         GOD IS ACTUALLY GETTING US READY FOR THE BLESSING

·         GOD IS MORE INTERESTED IN THE SANCTIFICATION (PROCESS) THAN THE DESTINATION

2.  GOD IS PREPARING THE CIRCUMSTANCES…

3.   GOD IS PROTECTING US WHILE WE WAIT

3.      WHERE SIN ABOUNDS; GRACE ABOUNDS MORE

·         SOMETIMES WE SACRIFICE THE BEST FOR THE MERE GOOD

·         ROMANS 5:20  BUT WHERE SIN ABOUNDS, GRACE ABOUNDS MORE

·         GOD COMES BACK TO ABRAHAM WHEN HE IS 99 YEARS OLD

·         THAT IS 24 YEARS LATER

·         GOD’S GRACE ABOUNDED…..BECAUSE HE KEEPS EVERY PROMISE

·         WHEN ABRAHAM IS 100 YEARS OLD, ISAAC  IS BORN (25 YEARS AFTER INITIAL PROMISE)

CONCLUSION

·         WE ARE WAITING ON THE PROMISES…..WAIT IN A WAY THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN WORLD

·         WORLD WAITS IN ANXIETY….WITH SPIRIT’S HELP WAIT WITH PEACE

·         WORLD WAITS IN FEAR….WAIT IN CONFIDENCE (THAT HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU SHALL SEE IT THROUGH TO COMPLETION)

·         WORLD WAITS WHILE GRUMBLING….WE SHOULD WAIT WITH THANKSGIVING

HABAKKUK 3¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

Zechariah 3:  “Not by flesh…not by strength nor intellect, but by my Spirit….”

Will you join me in waiting? Will you join me in expectation?

Let’s pray together:

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you that your promises are always “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus Christ. You are faithful to perform everything you promise. As you declared to Abraham, “Nothing is too hard for the Lord.” Your arm is not too short to save, your ear, not too dull to hear. Nothing is too hard for you.

So I pray, this morning, that you would encourage the listener who has been waiting a long time for something. Encourage the listener that there are no drive-through break-throughs. And so, they should not take matters into their own hands. They must be still and wait upon the Lord.

I pray you will encourage the listener who has been waiting for what seems an eternity, that a delay is not a denial; that you are getting your listener ready to receive your best, in your perfect timing.

And, I want to pray for the listener who is discouraged. Maybe they failed to wait for you, and they settled for the mere good, at the expense of the best. Encourage that listener, where sin abounds, grace abounds more.

Father, we invite you, today, to move mountains in our lives and to perform miracles all around us, and we will be careful to give you ALL the glory and the praise, as we wait in the spirit. We ask all this for your glory. Amen.

Rev. Juliet Schimpf

____________________________________________________

To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/27287/good_news_133_nov30.mp3

_____________________________________________________
Referenced Presentation (of October 26, 2014):
WHEN GOD SAYS "WAIT" -By Rev. Brent Russett of Good News Christian Ministries http://goodnewschristianministries.blogspot.ca/2014/10/when-god-says-wait.html?spref=tw
_____________________________________________________________