Sermon Big Idea:

Waiting prepares us to receive God’s comfort before circumstances change.

1^st Application: Waiting prepares us to receive God’s comfort before circumstances change.

2^nd Application: Waiting reminds us of what ultimately lasts.

3^rd Application: Waiting enlarges our view of God.

4^th  Application: Waiting is our pathway to renewed strength.

Sermon Summary:

The Cultural Conflict: The Eradication of Waiting

The message opens by acknowledging how unbearable waiting feels in a world of high-speed internet and instant delivery.

• The Modern Economy: Companies like Amazon, Walmart, etct. And companies in China that use drones are racing to eliminate waiting entirely. In this mindset, waiting is viewed as a "trivial inconvenience" or "wasted time."
• The Kingdom Economy: Unlike our society, God has no plans to eradicate waiting. In Scripture, waiting is a central spiritual discipline required for growth.

4 Reasons Why Waiting is Not Wasted

1. It Prepares Us to Receive Comfort (Isaiah 40:1–5)

God often speaks "tenderly" to our hearts before He changes our situation.

• Comfort Before Change: In Isaiah 40, the people were still in exile and the chains weren't broken yet, but God offered comfort.
• The Prepared Path: Much like ancient work crews leveling roads for a king, waiting "levels the mountains" of our pride and "fills the valleys" of our despair so we can receive Christ.

2. It Reminds Us of What Lasts (Isaiah 40:6–8)

Waiting strips away the illusion of control.

• Humanity as Grass: Isaiah compares people to grass and flowers that wither. Our health, careers, and even great cities (like Jerusalem in the exile) are temporary.
• The Eternal Word: Waiting reorients our "GPS" to trust in the only thing that remains forever: the Word of God. It forces us to ask: “What am I trusting to sustain me?”

3. It Enlarges Our View of God (Isaiah 40:9–26)

When we wait, our problems tend to grow larger while our view of God shrinks. Isaiah uses "breathtaking poetry" to "resize" our perspective:

• The Incomparable Creator: God measures the oceans in His palm and weighs mountains on scales.
• Correcting the "Shrunken View": By looking upward at His majesty rather than inward at our trials, we discover a God who is actually worthy of the wait.

4. It is the Pathway to Renewed Strength (Isaiah 40:27–31)

Waiting is the process of coming to the end of our own limited resources.

• The Exchange of Strength: It is not the self-sufficient who find strength, but the "weary and powerless."
• Soaring like Eagles: By trusting (waiting) upon the Lord, we don't just "white-knuckle" through life; we receive a supernatural "lifting" that allows us to walk and run without fainting.

Conclusion: Waiting in the "Upper Room"

The sermon concludes with Communion, linking our waiting to the work of Jesus:

• Jesus Entered the Wait: Jesus didn't just give instructions; He entered the ultimate wait—the silence of the grave.
• The Faithful Savior: Because He was faithful to the point of death, we can wait with hope.

The Final Home: We live as "spiritual exiles" today, waiting for the 2nd Advent when the "exile" is over and we are home in the Father’s Kingdom