Waiting for Messiah

I am convinced this morning that the Holy Spirit has a very specific intentional purpose to accomplish in your life in these few minutes that we have together. I say that because I want you to be intentionally listening to the Holy Spirit and be open to what he wants to accomplish in you.

Too many times we as humans get into patterns and habits that can be very good habits but we can loose the gravity and importance of the moment because of familiarity or because of distractions that would pull you away from encountering the living God.

This morning we are going to talk about Waiting for the Messiah. I want to ask a few questions. What are you waiting for currently in your life?
Waiting for the week to end so you can enjoy the weekend?
Waiting for a new perfect job with a bigger salary?

Waiting for the playoffs and Super Bowl?
Waiting for life to fall in line, to be free of depression? Waiting for your marriage flourish?
Waiting for your children to serve the Lord?
Waiting to find your husband or wife?

What are you waiting for?

While some of these things could be a good thing to wait for, and God may be leading you in a season of waiting on some promise to be fulfilled, HOW YOU WAIT, MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

So I want to talk to you about the Two kinds of Waiting and specifically two types of Waiting for Jesus the Messiah! I want to show you that there is so much revelation and encouragement to be gained through the Prophetic implications of this seemingly simple concept of waiting contained in Scripture. From the moment that God makes a promise to the very moment that that promise is fulfilled there is a God ordained period of Waiting until that promise is complete.

Let me stress this, God purposes that Waiting period! It is in His perfect Plan that when God Makes a Promise, it is not usually immediately fulfilled. God is building a magnificent tapestry that we can't quite comprehend while being in the very midst of it, one of the very threads He is using to weave His Masterpiece.

So how shall we Wait?

I want to start by looking at Noah in Genesis 8

Genesis 8:6-9

So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.

Notice that the dove found no resting place. I want you to remember that for later.

Waiting for Messiah

Genesis 8:10

And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark.

At this point in Noah's journey, he had been locked up in a boat with his family and every kind of animal on the earth for 8 months! I am sure that he was tired of rain and water and animals, and the thought that perhaps they never would be able to walk on dry land again had to have been stirring in his mind.

And here Noah is forced to Wait yet another seven days to send out another dove because the first one found no resting place. And this word Waited is no ordinary waiting

It is the Hebrew word: chuwl to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained, whirl about, (in travail with), bear, bring forth (a baby)
to wait anxiously -- to be made to writhe, be made to bear
to be born

writhing, suffering torture
to wait longingly--- to be distressed

At this point, Noah had no visible tangible proof that the promise of God saving him and his family would actually now be fulfilled. Everything else God had commanded him had come true up to that point, but now after 8 months of water a doubt and distress has set in!
This Kind of waiting is a tortuous fear of impending doom. Of impending failure and uncertainty.

Now if you think that you as a believer in Jesus are impervious to this Type of Waiting, don't be so quick to assume so. This anxiousness and distress of the future can creep in through unlocked back doors of our hearts.

If you as a confessing believer in Jesus Christ adopt the manner of living and thinking of our culture around us, this will become the kind of waiting that you do. If your affections are set on earthly pleasures, on material items, on the pride of accomplishment, on the money that's you can make, on the size of your house, and on the success of your own children, on the number of Facebook likes you get in your posts, you will wait in life as Noah waited those seven days in anguish and turmoil. You will find that after you have waited for that prize item or accomplishment and you finally get it, the satisfaction lasts for a moment and then you are right back again waiting in distress for the next "thing" .

Now this kind of waiting is not what we are called to in Christ!!!

So let's return to Noah and discover how his situation was actually a prophetic picture of the coming of the Messiah and the waiting that you and I are called to in the New Covenant.

Genesis 8:11-12

Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.

Waiting for Messiah

Now! The dove comes back carrying an olive leaf in her mouth! Now I believe that this is a prophetic picture of Christ and the salvation of Christ. It was a leaf plucked from the branch of an olive tree. It was a sign that God had prevailed, that he was true to His word to deliver Noah and His family and now he had tangible evidence bearing witness to Noah there was life on the earth! And that Noah would live!

And to me it is a clear picture of Christ who was coming! For we read in Isaiah:

Isaiah 11:1-2

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Isaiah 11: 10

“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”

Jeremiah 23:5-6

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Zechariah 3:8-9

‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

Zechariah 6:12-13
Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD; Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’

Now Noah had a picture in that olive leaf of the first fruits of The Branch, Christ growing up from the stump of a tree that had been covered over by water those 8 months. And here we see that Noah WAITED (vs. 8:12) yet another seven days and sent out a dove which did not return.

In our English translations we have no distinction between these two words for waited, but of coarse this time it is a completely different word.

Waited: yachts --- to wait, hope, expect, by implication, to be patient, hope:—(cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait.

The manner of Noah's waiting completely changes from distressing anxious waiting to Expectant, patient, trust and HOPE! In fact this word is more often translated as Hope than waiting, and it is here that we see that waiting and Hoping are biblically joined together.

Waiting for Messiah

To wait on God is to Expect without any doubt that His Promise will be fulfilled. It is to Hope in Him.

Psalm 42:5
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for

I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

Psalm 130:5

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.

Isaiah 51:5

5 My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust.

So how does Noah's waiting point to the waiting that Israel had for a Messiah and the waiting that we are called to in Christ ?

Do you remember how when Noah sent out the dove the first time and it says that the dove found no resting place? How does this point To Christ?

John 1:29-34

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Those in the Old Testament who waited and hoped in God longed for the day in which the presence of the Holy Spirit would come and rest and remain. Jesus is the Branch who came up out of the waters of baptism on whom the Holy Spirit would come and rest and remain FOREVER!!

Those in the Old Testament waited in HOPE of the day in which you and I stand! And that HOPE that we receive in the New Covenant is a Hope that is Unshakable and unwavering and a guarantee of future fulfillment of Christ's promise to return because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Notice what Jesus instructs the apostles right before he ascended in Acts. Now remember that prior to Christ's resurrection, the apostles were huddled in a room much like Noah with the distressful turmoil of waiting to be caught by the Romans, waiting in disbelief that all their Hopes had been dashed.

Acts 1:4-5

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Waiting for Messiah

The disciples were called to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit so that He could come now and Rest and Remain on them and in them just as He had done to Jesus. And this is why that in Christ, our Waiting for the promises of God is completely different than any waiting that that world does. Ours is a secure and definite waiting with unshakable confidence in a predetermined outcome. And we can walk in that confidence because of the Holy Spirit!

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Ephesians 1:13-14

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

So in Christ because if the indwelling sealing of the Holy Spirit, our Hope is guaranteed!!!

So what are we waiting and Hoping for? I want to close the remaining time by looking at what we as New Covenant people are waiting for.

This last passage in Romans that we read says that we "rejoice in hope of the Glory of God" . So our hope is in the Glory of God, both to see with our eyes the Glory of God and to be caught up into His glory and share in unhindered relationship that Glory. Or as Ephesians puts it, the redemption of the purchased possession. That is the glorification of our bodies! And we see this clearly further on in Romans

Romans 8:16-28

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes

Waiting for Messiah

intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

You were saved in HOPE : so that you could eagerly wait with perseverance and anticipation of glorification! For your body to take on incorruption, to be completely rid of all sinful desire and be swept away into face to face relationship with a mighty Holy, Glorious God! You were saved to hope and wait for this!
Can I just say that many of you are suffering turmoil and distress because you have not waited! You have tried in your own strength to manufacture something ahead of it's time. From the moment that I met Sarah and knew she was the girl that God had given to me to be my wife, I eagerly waited till the day we were married to be with her. But it was in the waiting and anticipation leading up to marriage that made the marriage all the more sweeter. Not taking shortcuts which would completely detract from the consummation of our marriage.

But if you wait, wait according to biblical new covenant waiting : greatly anticipating the glorification of your body and union with Christ. And doing this Has its own benefits in the here and now.

You know, as I waited to marry Sarah. I spent all my energy getting ready to be a husband to her. I wanted to make sure I had a steady income to provide for her, I wanted to make sure that I had a home ready for her to live in with me, I wanted to study what she likes so that I could please her, and see how I might need to adjust the way I live to suit her.
And that is the same with Christ if our waiting and hope and anticipating is fixed on His appearing!

I John 3:2-3

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Oh what are you waiting for? Are you waiting and anticipating for glorification? Knowing that you will be just like Him.

I Corinthians 1:7-8

so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:5

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

I Thessalonians 1:10

and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Philippians 3:18-21

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame— who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven,

Waiting for Messiah

from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Are you caught up in distressing anticipation of things coming in the future? Of what's coming around the corner ? Or have you become dissatisfied once the thing you waited on came and didn't bring the satisfaction that you hoped it would?

Could it be that you have not waited on the Holy Spirit to baptize you in His indestructible ever increasing Hope in the Joy Of God's righteousness and His appearing?

To be anxious is to be absent of the working of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has never had anxiousness. The Holy Spirit is not impatient, but Eagerly waits with us and in us till we see Jesus face to face. He is our Guarantee of Complete and total redemption and glorification.

If the Affections of your HOPE are set on the Appearing of Jesus, on the Glorification of your Body and on God’s righteousness reigning over every inch of the Earth, your Hope will not be disappointed. In fact, you will be so totally blown away by how much better He is than you could have imagined.

But if your Hope is set on earthly things, you will find yourself anxious and full or turmoil. Where is your HOPE set today?