Rev. David Holwick ZP
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 16, 1990
Luke 2:25-32
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I. Waiting.
A. Lines at Shoprite.
B. Joy at Ledgewood traffic jams.
1) Last night at [member's house] - four cars blocking me in.
C. We hate to wait.
1) Russians spend 37 billion hours waiting in lines each year.
2) Americans wouldn't stand for that.
II. Simeon was a man who waited.
A. He wanted to see the consolation of Israel.
1) (We would call it the millennium)
2) Messiah, peace, prosperity on earth.
B. He was told he would see it begin before he died.
1) Then he waited.
III. Contrast: Newsweek article on yuppies returning to church.
A. Main motivation is children.
B. Consumer approach: "What's in it for me?"
1) Church labels, doctrine, mean nothing.
2) They shop around. Mastercard mentality.
C. We want our religion to work, and work fast.
1) Many of them are disappointed in churches.
2) (Scott LeDuke turned off by appeal for money, worship at home.)
IV. God himself often does not work according to our expectations.
A. If God is so great, why does he take so long?
1) Age old question: "How long, O Lord?"
2) Samuel Beckett play, "Waiting For Godot."
B. Why do we have to wait for good things?
1) Healing.
2) Answers to prayer.
a) (Sad stories in newspaper Christmas projects.)
3) Spiritual growth.
C. Andrew Murray, great devotional writer:
The best place for cultivating patience is in waiting on God.
There we discover how impatient we are, and what our impatience
means.
We confess at times that we are impatient with men and
circumstances that hinder us, or with ourselves and our slow
progress in the Christian life.
If we truly set ourselves to wait upon God, we shall find that
it is with Him we are impatient, because He does not at once,
or as soon as we could wish, do our bidding.
It is in waiting upon God that our eyes are opened to believe
in His wise and sovereign will.
We also see that the sooner and the more completely we yield
absolutely to it, the more surely His blessing can come to us.
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V. Reasons for waiting: it develops our spiritual character.
A. Waiting makes us walk by faith.
1) We need to learn God's timing.
a) He may have reasons for delaying things that we cannot
appreciate.
b) If we received everything right away ("I Dream of Jennie")
imagine how spoiled we would be.
2) Newsweek article conclusion:
Spiritual development takes time, also discipline and hard work
- virtues many churches themselves no longer seem to encourage.
Thank God for faiths that can help overcome addiction, loneliness
or stress, for institutions that can help raise the children
among us.
But the quest for meaning and purpose does not end there.
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B. Waiting makes us seek God. Psalm 130:5-6
1) Jesus praying during ministry, waiting for God's good time.
2) Philip Yancey knew an alcoholic friend in A.A.
The "12 steps" led his friend back to faith in God.
For someone struggling with addiction, waiting is a fine art.
A.A. friends have responded to his calls at 4:00 a.m., finding
him in all-night restaurants where he has been sitting for
hours filling a notebook with the sentence,
"God help me make it through the next five minutes."
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3) OT prophets: "But you must return to your God; maintain love
and justice, and wait for your God always." Hosea 12:6
4) Simeon spent his time getting close to God.
a) Prayed devoutly.
b) Received messages from Spirit.
c) Recognized Jesus when he came.
5) Are you seeking God now, so you'll be prepared for future
spiritual challenges?
C. Testing of our faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3
Romans 8:25 "But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we
wait for it patiently."
Psalm 37:7,9 "Those who wait will inherit the land."
VI. God's promises eventually come true.
A. While he waited, Simeon received encouragement from God - messages.
1) Then Simeon saw Jesus.
B. Our basic needs will be met by God is his good time.
1) He will always give us enough to get by.
VII. What we still wait for.
A. Like Simeon, we can wait for Jesus' second coming.
1CO 1:7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you
eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
TIT 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
HEB 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins
of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to
bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting
for him.
B. We also wait for our glorification, and reunion, in heaven.
C. Some think it is foolish because it has been so long.
1) But Jesus will come in his own good time.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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