_When God Makes You Wait_ - The Incredible Story of Abraham

Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn't? One of the most difficult things in life is to sit in God's waiting room God's waiting room is when there's something beyond your control that you can't speed up an answer to prayer a miracle a Change in a situation and you want it to change but it is totally out of your control and you have to wait on God The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 311 God does everything just right and on time But people can never completely understand what he's doing boy, is that the truth? We don't know always what God is doing We certainly don't know when he's going to do it and so much of life we spend waiting on God's timetable How do you keep on believing? While you're waiting on God If any man had to wait it was Abraham God gave him a promise that he'd have a baby who would become a great nation Which later became the nation of Israel, but Abraham had to wait 100 years For that baby, that's a long time to wait What do you do while you're waiting on God? The Bible says five things Number one you need to first understand the six phases of faith God always takes you through a predictable phase and stages of faith the first phase of faith is when God gives you a dream an Idea and ambition a goal God gives you a dream and at age 75 God gave Abraham a dream He said I'm gonna make you into a great nation but that's just the start phase two is a decision and a decision is when you decide to act on that dream a dream without a decision is worthless and Every dream of God has a risk to it It has a part that you have to to take a step of faith out Abraham had to leave his existing homeland and go to a place where he never knew he had never heard of never heard I've never been there. And so he took a risk and when God gives you a dream It says this is what I want to do with your life. There's gonna come a point You have to make the decision to say, okay God, I'm gonna go after your dream for my life. Not my own dream Once you've done that you move into phase three and phase three is Delay Because the dream is never fulfilled instantly when God gives you an idea of what he wants to do with your life And when he actually fulfills it, there is always a time gap because he wants to grow you he wants to build you up 11 years after God gave Abraham his dream Abraham still didn't have a child and it when he's 86 it says but Sarah still had not born any children What's happened in those 11 years the answer is nothing he was just waiting on God He's tempted to doubt tempted to spare tempted to take detours But God says no you're gonna wait for the fulfillment of the dream I've given you then comes along phase four and that is difficulty God not only lets you wait for a while, but while you wait, he lets you have some problems. Isn't that fun? And So you go through the stage of difficulty where things go from bad to really bad to worse to Impossible and you notice that at age 99 Abraham still didn't have a son. He's 99 his wife. Sarah's is 89 and He still it says how can a son be born to a man my age now? what's worse is that God changed Abraham's name his name originally was Abram and God changed his name to Abraham which means father of a great nation now imagine this He walks into a 7-eleven The guy says what's your name father of a great nation? Oh, how many kids you have none? How old are you 99? That's kind of embarrassing folks It's a test of his faith, but eventually God fulfills the dream and at age 100 and his wife is 90 Sarah They have a miracle baby and they name him Isaac which means laughter because they laughed at that thought I mean Sarah's 90 years old we know she didn't believe God when God said you're pregnant because she laughed any woman who really believed God at 90 and Figured she was pregnant would have cried But she laughs and God laughs and Abraham laughs and Isaac is named laughter and they have a miracle boy And I think this is great but then comes the most difficult phase of faith of all number five dead-end and At dead-end God allows your dream to seemingly Die Abraham was asked to give up the miracle child. God says I want you to sacrifice him back to me Now get this Abraham wakes 100 years gets a baby. He starts to grow up and God says by the way now I want you to give him back to me. I want you to sacrifice him to me Abraham's thinking what kind of God is this? Is this a cruel joke? He's asking me to sacrifice the very dream child that was promised to me And he looks he feels pretty hopeless How do you know when you're at a dead-end? You feel hopeless Some of you are at a dead-end in your marriage right now Some of you are at a dead-end and getting married some of you are at a dead-end When you look at your budget when you look at your career when you look at your friendships your relationships some of you are at a physical dead-end and your your health is falling apart and When you're at this stage you start to doubt God's wisdom and love and you say why is this happening to me? It's out of your control. Well, congratulations. God is getting you ready he is preparing you for the final phase of faith, which is deliverance and The greater the dead-end the more hopeless a situation The greater the deliverance is going to be the more of a miracle. It'll be you go. Wow that was God only God could have done that and So God is getting you ready for a miracle the miracle of deliverance Now everybody in this room God's going to take you through these six phases of faith many many times in your life over and over again You'll go from dream to decision to delay to difficulty to dead-end to deliverance and then they'll do it again And then they'll do it again to keep you growing in your faith In fact, everybody here is at one of these stages right now Some of you are in the dream phase. You're getting an idea Some of you are in the delay phase or the difficulty or the dead-end phase but you have to understand how God works if you're gonna learn to be patient and Keep on believing when you're waiting on God the second thing you do When you're waiting for deliverance is you remember what God can do? Remember what God can do? The situation may be out of your control, but it's not out of God's control. So you don't focus on what you can't do You focus on what? God can do what can God do? We'll look at this verse Romans 4 17 read it with me Abraham believed in God who gives life to the dead and who creates something out of nothing Folks that verse right there is the definition of a miracle because in a miracle Here's what happens either God gives life to something that's dead or he creates something out of nothing and that's what it's all about That's what God can do He can give life to a dead career a dead marriage dead dreams at finances and he can bring something out of nothing Jesus said anything is possible If you have faith now, I want you to notice something. This is very important What did Abraham put his faith in look at that verse? What did he believe in did he believe in himself? No, did he believe in his feelings? No, did he put faith in faith, you know, like I'm just put faith in faith. No Did he practice positive thinking? No, he believed in God now. I believe in positive thinking we've talked about this many times But positive thinking and faith are not the same thing You hear these songs about positive thinking like I believe that for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows Folks, that's baloney every drop of rain produced a flower. The world would be covered with flowers. We'd be tiptoeing through the tulips it's just not true and Positive thinking works in one situation It works in situations where you have control over the situation If for instance you believe you're gonna do a good job at something you'll probably do a better job than if you didn't believe it But positive thinking is worthless in things that are out of your control You can say I hope my mom is gonna live but that's not gonna change anything You can say I hope that he doesn't get hurt in that accident But that doesn't isn't gonna stop him from being hurt. I hope my team wins. I hope I get a job That's just wishful thinking Positive thinking is worthless in situations out of your control, especially when you come to a dead end in life When you come to a dead end you need more than just a nice happy thought You need faith in God, you know, I could say, you know, I believe I look like Brad Pitt. I Could say it all the time. I want anyone gonna make me look like Brad Pitt What's gonna happen is the only thing that changes circumstances is faith in God Faith in God works when things are out of your control. Now, here's a little secret Most of life is beyond your control So you need faith in God far more than you need just kind of happy positive, you know, think pretty thoughts When you get to a dead end, you need to remember what God can do Lotus this verse What is impossible with men is possible with God The third thing you do when you're waiting on God is rely on God's promises Rely on what God has promised The Bible says in Romans 4 18 When hope was dead within him Abraham went on hoping in faith. He relied on the Word of God Have you ever felt that way that hope was dying inside of you How do you know when hope is dying inside of you you start using the word? never I'm never gonna get married We're never gonna have a baby I'm never gonna be happy again I'm never going to change Abraham went on hoping in faith This isn't just wishful thinking. This isn't just positive thinking. This is hoping in faith faith in God You keep on believing How do you keep on believing when you feel like doubting when you feel like giving up? Well, it says there he relied on God's Word and nothing is more reliable now I hope you've gotten this by now You've got to get into God's Word if you're gonna be a man of faith If you're gonna be a woman of faith, you have to get God's promises in your life Even here once again, we hit it again Rely on what God has promised. He relied on the Word of God and that's what kept him going when hope wanted to give up You need to read this book study this book Memorize Bible verses Matthew 19 26 with God Everything is possible and Galatians 5 6. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love When you get the promises of God in your life You will be able to hope in faith rather than giving up now when you come to a dead end Rely on the promises notice this next verse While God was testing him and that's what waiting is. It's a test Abraham still trusted in God and his promises. So he offered his son Isaac. Now, this is a test Isaac grows up and God says I want you to give him back to me I want you to sacrifice him to me, but Abraham didn't panic. I Would have but Abraham didn't panic. God said give me your son back sacrifice him to me But he didn't panic for three reasons The Bible tells us one he believed that God would raise him from the dead Hebrews 11 7 19 Second when he's telling his servant we're going up the hill to make the sacrifice He says we'll be back not I'll be back, but we'll be back He fully intended the son to come back with him and third when his little boy Isaac is walking up the hill with him and he says daddy. Where's the lamb? We're gonna sacrifice Abraham says the Lord will provide He had every intention and no doubt that God was going to spare his son or resurrect him from the dead Why he had the promises of God now, here's the big test in your life What are you gonna do? When God says to you, I want you to sacrifice your greatest dream That is the ultimate test of faith When God says the thing you value most in life what you want most in life what you crave most in life Will you offer it on the altar to me? This is a test Will you do what Abraham did will you hope against hope? Will you hope in faith and will you rely on the promises of God? Look at the next verse Romans 4 18 though. It seemed Abraham's. Hope could not be fulfilled He did become the father of many nations Exactly as God had promised notice the word seemed things are never as bleak as they seem If you look at them from God's point of view the disciples followed Jesus around for three years and They thought he was gonna bring in the kingdom and set up a king and they'd all be rulers And one day they look up and Jesus is hanging on the cross and he's dead You talk about a dead end They are devastated He's the Messiah. He's the Son of God. How in the world could it be hanging on a cross? They didn't know that Easter was just a couple days away God specializes in turning dead situations around and resurrecting situations that look hopeless When we rely on the promises of God notice he says he became the father many nations Exactly as God had promised a promise is only as good as the integrity of the promiser and God cannot lie The fourth thing you do when you're waiting on God recognize the facts in Faith face them but face them in faith recognize the facts of your life in faith Romans 4 19 and 20 says without weakening in his faith he that's Abraham faced the facts that his body was as good as dead and Sarah's womb was also dead. He's been pretty blunt here Yet he didn't waver with unbelief God's Word translation says through faith. He regarded the facts Abraham Recognizes that he and his wife are beyond Childbearing years. He's 99. His wife is 89 and it is a medical impossibility That they're gonna have children Now he doesn't deny the facts he faces them with faith. This is very very important get this Faith does not ignore reality Faith does not pretend you don't have a problem. Faith does not act like it's no difficulty faith is not denial Please hear that because a lot of people think it is Let me give you a definition of faith faith is facing the facts in your life without being discouraged by them That's faith. It's not denying you have problems. It's not denying you have difficulties It's not denying you're facing a dead end or a hopeless situation from a human standpoint It is facing the fact of problems in your life without Being discouraged by them. That is true faith Some of you are facing cancer Some of you have loved ones who are facing cancer right now You cannot deny the diagnosis, but you can defy the verdict Big difference You cannot deny the diagnosis. I don't have cancer. Yes, you do. They don't have cancer. Yes, they do You cannot deny the diagnosis. That's fantasy it's denial, but you can defy the verdict and you can fight it and say we're gonna work at this and we're gonna do all we can to beat it and Defy the verdict you see this is very important because there's a brand of Christianity out there that says Deny all your problems and just smile smile smile That's not Jesus. That's Pollyanna You know, it says, you know, I'm not sick positive confession. I'm not sick. I got 104 temperature, but I'm not sick or You know, I'm not in debt. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy, but I'm not in debt Faith is not asking you to deny reality. It never does Faith asks you to face the reality in your life without being discouraged by it It's not living in denial Faith is not clinging to the past faith is not stubborn foolishness. Please understand this if You're still waiting for eight tracks to make a comeback Let it go It's over it ain't coming back if you're still waiting for that special guy or girl to invite you out on a date that person from high school and It's your 50th reunion Let it go That puppy's not coming home. Just let it go Grieve deeply But let it go Some of you need to do some legitimate Deep grieving in your life that things have not turned out as you planned that what you dream for your life isn't gonna happen But you don't have a pity party You believe that God knows best and you say yes, it didn't turn out the way I planned But I believe God has a better plan. That is faith Yes, things did not work out the way I thought but but I believe God is not through with my life And he's working in my life and God has good things in store for me still That is faith. It is facing the facts in faith It's not fantasy. It's just not being discouraged One of the things I've told pastors for many many years. It's an old cavalry Military rule it says when the horse is dead dismount Okay don't keep beating the dead horse and when a dream dies You just dismount and saddle another one because God's not through with you God is not through with you Some of you wanted to get married, but you never did Some of you wanted to have children But you never have What do you do with a blocked love Pull yourself into a cell Build your build a shell around yourself be self-concerned a prickly pear. I'm never gonna let anybody get close to me again I'm not gonna let anybody hurt me. I'm gonna hold in my emotions. Of course not What do you do when a love is blocked you redirect it you rechannel it? You know that story. I've told you several times about Corrie ten boom when she was a young woman Was engaged to be married and all of a sudden the the boy broke up with her and married a friend and she was Devastated and she never did marry went through life as a single woman But she redirected her love. She didn't pull herself into into a little shell And she became one of the most loving Christian leaders of the 20th century influencing millions and millions of people She redirected her love in a new direction How do you keep on believing when you feel like giving up? You do these five things First you need to understand the six phases of faith that God will take you through over and over and over Then you remember what God can do. He can do anything Then you rely on God's promises and remember what he's promised to do Then you recognize? the facts of your life in faith You don't deny them you recognize them, but you don't get discouraged and finally you rejoice in anticipation in Anticipation you expect you joyfully expect God to act in your life and to do good things Even if it's not the way you planned, he will do good things you expect him to act Romans 4 20 and 21 says this Abraham never doubted he believed God for his faith and trust grew ever stronger and He praised God for this blessing even before it happened Wow He was completely sure that God was well able to do anything he promised Notice even before it happened that is real faith when you thank God for something after it happens That's gratitude when you thank God for something before it happens That is faith and the highest form of faith is thanking God in advance God, I don't even know how you're gonna work this out I'm at a dead end, but I thank you in advance that you know what you're doing. I thank you in advance That you're gonna work it all out One day Jesus went up to a tomb and some people had asked him to raise Lazarus from the dead and he walks up and he prays father. I thank you that you've already heard me. What was he doing? thanking God in advance When God delivers there are three kinds of deliverance the first is Circumstantial deliverance and in that's a type of deliverance God changes the situation he miraculously turns the situation around and God will do that many many times in your life, but he's not gonna always do it He will do many miracles in your life, but he's not always going to change the situation Sometimes he does personal deliverance and he changes you and you get a bigger perspective You get a deeper faith. You get a larger character. You get a better attitude and God changes you and leaves the situation Personal deliverance But there is some pain in life that is only going to be relieved through ultimate deliverance and that is heaven One day we're going to a place those of us who know the Lord where there is no sorrow. No tears. No suffering No sadness, and that is ultimately the deliverance that God wants to offer to you now. Listen God has not promised to take away all your pain God has not promised that all your loved ones are going to live for as long as you want them to live God has not promised that you will not have any difficulties that you will never have any dead ends never have any delays He is not promised to take away all your pain. He has promised to give you the strength to handle it and He has promised that one day Ultimately, he will deliver you to heaven where there is no sorrow. No suffering. No sadness and No pain The Bible says this we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God What is the glory of God the hope of God's glory is heaven? But there's only one way to get there through Jesus Christ. You don't work for it or earn it. It's through Jesus Christ Now the Bible word for deliverance is the word Salvation that's what salvation means. Jesus Christ is your Savior. He is your Deliverer and He will deliver you and that is a far cry from just positive thinking you see all the world can offer is Wishful thinking the world hopes for the best But Jesus Christ offers the best hope Let's bow our heads Are you at a dead end this morning? Jesus Christ can turn your hopeless end into an endless hope So whatever problem seems hopeless to you. I urge you to give it and your life to Jesus Christ right now Jesus Christ I give you my problems and I give you my life We ask you for miracles in Jesus name Amen