Sister Timberly Sunday School 6/30/13

Sister Timberly Sunday School 6/30/13

Four pictures represent the idea of waiting.  The first picture of a man sitting on a bench looking at his watch represents impatience and worry.  Worry can come from our self or someone else can lay their worry on you.  Reject impatience and worry because it is not waiting on God as the other three pictures would represent. 

The eagle flying in the waterfall represents bravery.  It sometimes takes real bravery to do what is right.  It is not easy to be brave sometimes, but God can make us brave.

The little birds waiting for their mother with their mouths open represent us expecting good things from God.

The bird waiting in the waterfall to build her nest with a branch in her mouth is working while she waits.  The idea is to wait for God to accomplish His purpose.  This is inspired waiting.

Ecc 3:11  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

God has His own plan and is in control.  There is no alternative to waiting.  If we try to accomplish something rather than wait, then we are just spinning our wheels.  If our attitude is one of waiting with inspiration, it will cause us to receive the fullness of His blessing.

God is in control and is working all the time.  When it looks the blackest then He may be working the most.  We may be weak and powerless but God is not.

What are we waiting for?  Some things may be:  personal perfecting.  If we think that we have it all together than that is being Laodicean.  A prideful attitude is not good.  We need God to work in our hearts and search us all the time.

We talked of waiting for bodies to be healed and souls saved and that is only going to come from God.  The martyrs are waiting for justice.  This will complete God’s work.  We are also waiting for God to come back.  First though, we are waiting for loved ones to get saved.

Dan 12:12  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

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.

This is a real promise that we can rest in.  I appreciated Brother Gyme’s lessons on how these are perilous times which means strength reducing times.  This is true.  We get exhausted.  We need to wait on the Lord so He can renew our strength.

Get our eyes off of the muck and mire and get our eyes upon God and let Him work out what should be.

We need to wait so that we are not satisfying the flesh.  The flesh wants to have it all together and has an image that we want to live up to.  We don’t want that to be what rules us.  We need to not satisfy the flesh.

Wait in prayer, faith and submission.  We have faith that God can, He is in control and has a plan.  Submit to the plan and realize that we are not the one making the rules.

Rest, trust, be still, wait in the place of prayer, be still, and wait for the plan of God.  Rest and fight.  Rest your own way and fight Gods battle.  God is the one fighting, you are standing.  Eph 6 is a good picture of a soldier that is standing and holding God’s armor

There is a fear to day of calling wrong, wrong.  We need to do this though.  We don’t have to look like a fool and be a big mouth.  Sometimes you can do this without saying anything but sometimes we need to say something.  If you call wrong, wrong first in your own life then it gives you the authority to call it wrong out there.

“Wait not for men to laud and heed not their slight.”  This gives you liberty to do what God wants you to do.  Not waiting for someone to pat you on your back nor worrying if they don’t agree.

The picture of the bird building the nest is that of waiting and working. 

Ecc 3:11  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

While we are waiting God is going to make everything beautiful.  He helps us to see that our work is beautiful and not just a drudgery.

Dan 12:12  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

There will be an end to our labor. 

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.

We are working and studying and praying and doing all we can. 

Hos 12:6  Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

The starting point is to turn to God.  Our work is to do what is right and wait on God continually.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

We are not doing our own work but doing what God would want us to do and doing what is right.

Isa 33:2  O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Sometimes it seems we are in danger and trouble when we are working.  Keep working and realize that God will be there.

Psa 33:20  Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

God helps us in every domain of life.

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2Pe 1:9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

If we stop doing the work we can forget some things that we learned.  We want to keep learning and we want to apply these things and practice these things in our life.  It will not just be happenstance.  You are not magically sanctified, you must practice.  I try to teach my children to practice being sweet in a hard situation.   

You don’t always feel it, you must practice it.

Luk 2:25  And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

We need the Holy Ghost upon us while we wait.  We will see what we are waiting for.  It is not a dying dream.  Souls will be saved, he will return for us.

Ecc 7:8  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

While we are working remember that we are working for a good end.  Be patient in spirit.

Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Keep working on what God shows us and be patient.

The baby bird waiting with expectancy:

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

He will answer our prayers.  Have confidence when we pray.

Psa 62:5  My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

We are looking to God and waiting on Him to give us the answer.

Psa 123:2  Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

We are looking to God.  “We just need you God.”  He will not fail us.

Psa 40:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Don’t you just know that when you are waiting this way for God that He will answer.  Would a mother bird not feed her babies?  He is going to incline His ear to you.  He is going to help you.

When Zechariah was doing his service in the tabernacle, the angel appeared to him and said, “Your prayer is heard and you are going to have a child.”  He and Elizabeth were old.  I am sure that they were like others and started praying when they were young, “God please give us a child.” 

John the Baptist was born to them and he had to be born at an appointed time.  He was the forerunner for Jesus.  God is going to answer prayer and the thought is that there is an appointed time.

Isa 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

We can be proud of God.  He is going to do it and we are going to give Him the glory.  We are looking for answers and we are going to give God the credit.  It is exciting to be saved. 

Lam 3:25  The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

He is good to them.  He won’t give a stone when you ask bread; he is good.

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Do the will of God and believe that you will receive the promise.  You have need of patience; you don’t know how long after you pray that the answer will come.  You will receive the promise.

Waiting with bravery as the eagle flying in the water fall.

Rev 6:9  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Rev 6:10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

They are still waiting.  When we pray we are praying at this same altar.  This brings a seriousness to our prayers.  Their blood and Jesus’ blood was shed.  We are agreeing in prayer with these people.  Think of the price that was paid for us to pray, for us to sit here today, and for us to have a good Bible, a pure bible, to read from.  I want to be worthy and in the Spirit of God when I pray.

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

The plan will come to fruition.  Souls will be saved before that.  We need to pray in great earnestness and faith for this to happen.

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.

The eagle picture, look as you read, it is a beautiful thought.  Wait on the Lord; he will renew your strength.  Keep on; wait on God.  The eagle is soaring above it all and as God’s children we can reign above it all. 

Worry to a born-again Christian is like an eagle worrying about getting across the river without a bridge.  Don’t forget that you have wings.

When you are going through grief you won’t be mounting up with wings.  This is when walking without fainting comes in.  Just take the next step and the next step.  In time you will be able to mount up with wings.  When you are taking those steps then God carries you though the time of grief.

The eagle flies knowing the danger is there but because God has given him wings there is no danger.  There is no danger while God is there.

Pro 20:22  Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

God is going to save us.  We can be brave because He is not going to fail us.

Zec 2:10  Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

Zec 2:11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

Zec 2:13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

When you are praying you can envision God standing up and taking control.  When He does this then no power on earth can change those results.