Guest Pastor Larry Borgelt
Wait for the Lord
Psalm 27:14
“Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and take heart
And wait for the Lord”
Places when waiting occurs:
Stoplights
Fast Food drive thru
Grocery store check outs
Dr. Offices
DMV
ETC.
2020 was a year of waiting with the pandemic.
In the verse from psalm 27:14, we will look deeper at the ideas of "wait", "Be strong", and "Take heart".
“Wait for the Lord”
*Is
* Faith encouraging Faith
Hebrews 11:1 – “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
What are we waiting for?
Psalm 42:5 answers that question!
“Put your hope in the Lord”!!!!
Also, the hymn "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less".
Scriptures that refer to “Waiting for the Lord”
Psalm 5:8 “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness…”
Psalm 7:17 “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness” It is God’s saving act”.
Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”
Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Prior to His ascension into heaven Jesus instructs His disciples to wait.
Acts 1:4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have me speak about.”
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We wait eagerly, for adoption, redemption!
Romans 8: 23–25 “But we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
God’s grace saves us!
Titus 2: 11-14 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
So, HOW do we wait for this great gift?
Be Strong!
Take Heart!
References to BE STRONG:
Deuteronomy 1: 19-33 (The Israelites are told to enter the land and conquer it, but they did not remain strong)
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 Chronicles 28:20 “David said to Solomon his, ‘Be STRONG and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.”
In 2 Chronicles 32:7,8 God used Hezekiah to give the people of Israel a similar message:
2 Chronicles 32:7,8 “Be Strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD to help us and fight
our battles.”
The Lord is our strength as well!
1 Corinthians 1:7, 8 “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”
Paul reassures us that human effort is inadequate but God’s power is invincible!
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
The source of Paul’s strength that gives him confidence is found in:
Philippians 4:7 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
(Everything pleasing to God.)
Paul is given a thorn in the flesh
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Yes, GRACE is amazing!
Listen to the famous hymn, “Amazing Grace”
particularly verses 1, 3, 4
References to TAKE HEART:
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
We need to do things wholeheartedly, like Caleb in Numbers 14:
Numbers 14:24 “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”
Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Romans 10:9,10 “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Then, at the end of Psalm 27:14, David repeats it:
“Wait for the Lord”
Heaven is worth waiting for!!
Don’t rush it! The Lord will come again!
Remember words of St. Paul in:
Romans 10:8,9 “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
So...
“Wait for the Lord,
be strong and take heart,
wait for the Lord.”