Wait on the Lord

Auto-generated from the audio — may contain errors.

0:00 Okay. The time that jumped in my mind right away was like a couple years ago, Hazel was a real little baby, so maybe three years ago or so. We went up and stayed outside of Smoky Mountain National Park for a week, got a little place. And like the day before, we're getting ready to leave. I'm like, you know what? We're going to Smoky Mountain National Park. I should camp at least one night with my kids. And so I didn't have a tent and we had a couple

0:36 of little sleeping bags, but I just like borrowed a tent from a friend and threw it in the back of the car. And I said, I'll figure out how to camp and smoke again on National Park. And we go up, we have the place to stay. And I'm like, okay, you know, and she's like, you sure you want to do it? I'm like, yeah, I mean, how hard can it be? Like, I got a tent, I got a couple sleeping bags, no problem. And so we go to the first place and they're like, oh, I'm sorry, we have been booked on campsites for like six months. Like, you're trying to just walk up here and camp tonight? I'm like, yeah. They said, well, go down the

1:08 Cades Cove, you might find a spot down there. And we go down there, it's like late afternoon. And we're getting ready to camp and I realized I have no food at all for us. And I didn't realize, but like smoking about National Park and Cades Cove, you are a long ways away from anything. Like, we can't just like run to the store and grab some stuff. So Megan's like, well, how are you going to eat with the kids? I'm like, I don't know, we'll figure that out. Like, let's go see if they have a campsite first and then we'll solve the next

1:41 problem. And we go, they have a campsite and they have a little store like there. We can buy hot dogs and marshmallows. And so Megan's not going to stay with the baby hazel's too little. So she drops us off. And now me and Wes and Ellie are like without a car by herself in Cades Cove and a tent. And it was like one of the cooler evenings I've ever had. Like, just the two of us, I felt so isolated with the two of them because we didn't have any

2:16 way to get out of there. And because we had such little planning, it was like, we were like working on these hot dogs and these marshmallows. They couldn't believe I'd let them eat as many marshmallows as they wanted, you know. And on the drive up, they had listened some to Charlotte's Web. So we sat outside in the campfire, looked at the stars and listened to Charlotte's Web together and then went into the tent and fell asleep. And there's something about that space of being, feeling small, but also feeling together and kind of

2:52 comforted that's really compelling. And I think if you can connect to that experience some place in your story, it'll help with the story of scripture this morning. But before we look at that, let's look at our call to worship. Just want to remind you that the opportunity in front of you this morning is to say that this next hour is different, that you have a lot of problems and challenges and good things that you have to think about during your week. But you don't have to think about those things for the next hour. God can handle them and you can make yourself available to him for the next hour. And so the call to worship is our reminder that we can do

3:26 that. And the call to worship is from Psalm 147, just the first 11 verses. Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars. He gives to all of them their names.

3:58 Great is our Lord and abundant in power. His understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble and he casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving. Make melody to our God on the lyre. He covers the heavens with clouds. He prepares, rain for the earth. He makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food and to

4:31 the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of a horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man. But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Let's pray together. Hey Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be church this morning. It means that we belong to you and we love to be there belonging to you. We agree, Lord, that

5:06 that you will be king of this place and of our hearts and minds today. So come and love us and convict us as only you can. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, we are in the Easter season. The season of Easter, the church calls it sometimes the Easter tide. The season of Easter stretches for seven weeks. It begins with the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday and then continues forward for the next several weeks.

5:42 So we are looking at the text that the church has looked at through Easter tide for generations. It's called the lecture and we're taking those texts that are assigned. The Psalm I just read is the Psalm that the church has assigned for generations for us to read. And the text that we're going to look at for this morning is in Isaiah. It's the Old Testament reading. They always assign an Old Testament reading, a gospel reading, a New Testament reading. The Old Testament reading really captured

6:13 my imagination this week and it's in Isaiah chapter 40 if you want to look there. But as we move into that story, the thing that I've been thinking about this Easter season this year is I, it occurred to me again that we live in a world that killed Jesus. And so on Easter I was thinking about the power of the resurrection to overcome the types of forces in us and in our

6:49 culture that could do something like kill the Savior of the world. That there are injustices that are perpetuating structurally in the world that we live in. And there are drivers inside of you that go on unchecked that when left unattended have the power to drive you away from God, the death and resurrection of Christ can claim those back, can undo jealousy, greed, materialism,

7:24 pride, lust for power, abuse, manipulation, can undo all of those things inside of you and start a new place in you. And I think that that's worth celebrating. And the story of Scripture, Isaiah, at this section of Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 40, he's just turned, taken a turn away from the from the trajectory that he's been speaking in. Most of Isaiah leading up to this section in

7:56 Isaiah chapter 40, he's talking to the people of God in Israel and he's announcing to them that God is coming with judgment. He's telling them, hey, y'all were given this opportunity. God uniquely for the people of Israel brought his presence out of wherever it dwells infinitely, gave you the blueprint of the tabernacle, a mirror of the heavenly city, brought his presence

8:27 down into its midst in order that you might faithfully and adequately represent that God to the rest of the world. Before he brought his presence out, before you structured the tabernacle, which was the model for the temple, he said, when I come down and live amongst you, your life will look like this. You'll only have one God you have to deal with. You won't have to make idols all the time. You won't kill, steal from each other. You won't lie. You'll be faithful to your spouses.

9:02 Your life will make sense because I'm bringing my presence out of wherever it dwells infinitely and putting it in your midst. And so Isaiah is spending most of the first part of the book telling Israel, you got this special position with God to represent him to the rest of the world and you dropped the ball. And so God no longer can let you represent him to the rest of the world because you're ruining his reputation. No one's finding their way to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob looks just the same as everyone else.

9:35 And so he's coming with judgment. He's saying, the Babylonians will come and take you and then the Assyrians will come and take you and you'll lose your kingdom and your seat. But right at chapter 40, something changes. God gives Isaiah a hopeful word. Right at the beginning of chapter 40, you see it there. God tells Isaiah to communicate to God's

10:10 people, hey, tell them comfort. Speak comfort to the people of Israel. Tell her that her warfare has ended. Isaiah is saying, there's coming a day, though you will experience warfare, though you will find yourself in exile, take hope and heart. God is saying, a day is coming when your warfare will be ended, will be over. Come for comfort. Come for my people. Tell her that her

10:41 warfare is ended. Her iniquity where all of your transgressions and mistakes will be pardoned. So she has received from the Lord's double for all her sins and a voice cries in the wilderness. I mean, this is beautiful. And then go down to verse 9. Get up on a high mountain. Isaiah tells Zion, O Zion, a herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up and fear not. Say to the cities of Judah, behold your God, behold the Lord comes with might and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is

11:18 with him and his recompense before him and he will tend his flock like a shepherd and he will gather the lambs in his arms and he will carry them in his bosom and he will gently lead those that are with young. As I read this passage and I said, when I saw get up, get you up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up and fear not. Say to the, I thought about Peter after the resurrection of Jesus when he stands up in Jerusalem when all of the people of Israel

11:57 are assembled from all the nations for Pentecost and he announced boldly and without fear. Hey, the one that you killed is the Savior of the world. I can attest to you confidently that David lies here in the grave, but Jesus has been raised from the dead. There must have been such kind of confidence and joy in Peter at that moment to so boldly announce the resurrection of Jesus in the

12:35 face of the people that killed him. I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotion that Peter must have gone through denying Christ three times, knowing he was dead, seeing him alive. And then at that critical moment where Jesus comes to remember they're walking along the beach and he says, Peter, do you love me? And Peter gets to tell the resurrected Jesus three times. Yes, Jesus, no matter what I've done in the past or said in the past, I love you and am willing to do

13:11 your work. And Jesus then commissions him. Peter must have felt like what Isaiah said Israel ought to do, stand up on a high mountain and declare with joy that God is resurrected. That he is in charge that he will be the shepherd who gathers up the sheep in his arms and takes care of them. Part of the reason I love imagining that emotional position is because it feels like only

13:47 an imagination. Like I have trouble remembering a time where I would have ever been that authentically celebratory about the resurrection of Jesus. Like it sounds beautiful and I can write a story that makes it sound beautiful but that

14:22 doesn't put me in the emotional space of a herald of resurrection. The text that they assigned for us is just down past this part. It's in verse 25. God has spoken through Isaiah saying there's coming a time where I will deliver you and he's saying this to people who are in exile, who are not experiencing the deliverance.

14:59 He's promising I will gather you like a shepherd gathers his young. I will take care of them and provide for you and they're experiencing only judgment and seeming abandonment from God. They are persecuted exiles in a foreign country. And so then in verse 25 God says to whom then will you compare me that I should be like him? Says the Holy One lift up your eyes and see who created

15:30 these. He who brings out their host by number calling them by name by the greatness of his might because he is strong in power. No one is missing. This I can imagine better. I can imagine better being in a place that I don't fully understand. Which if with a future that feels just out of my control. I can see circumstances of life that I

16:08 am less happy with though there are things to relish and enjoy. I can see the promise of God as a good shepherd not being fully meted out in my experience wanting to believe it but experiencing something seeming less than the promise and saying how should I understand God in this space. Where I know a thing intellectually I would like to believe that God has prepared a future for me

16:42 that is secure. That he will gather me in his arms like a sheep and carry me tenderly to the place where I belong. I know this thing that is true that I would love to believe but my experience says I am all alone and fight for myself. My experience says life doesn't always work out the way that I would like. How am I to think about God? To what should I compare this God? To whom then will you

17:17 compare me? First he says lift up your eyes on high and see. Then he goes with the question who created these? He who brings out their host by number calling them by name by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power not one is missing. One of the things that strikes me

17:47 or struck me about that night in the Smoky Mountains is I mean it's like a cliche but like there are way more stars out there than you normally see. It feels silly to say it out loud but it's kind of remarkable when you get to a place where you can see it. Like what is going on up there? Like that is a lot of little pinpricks of light that are like some floating balls of gas

18:26 in the nothing outside of our atmosphere. Like that is like it is hard to imagine and comprehend right? Just enough that it just looks beautiful. If you were in the ancient near east moving through the desert the tradition is that you would guide your path through the desert like you would even maybe if you were on the ocean. Like you would be able to tell which direction to go by the stars.

19:02 That's absurd for us because there's not nearly enough in Orlando to do it but if you're alone in the desert I mean it's like some kind of crazy kaleidoscope. One of the myths was that God had pitched a tent over the earth with pinpricks to let us know on the other side was something miraculous. That these were little holes in the tent where you could peek through to see where the divine dwells in light and glory. God says you are confused about what to compare me with. Start here.

19:43 Go up and look at the sky and ask yourself from whence came these floating balls of gas and know they came from me. And each evening I call them out by name and because of my power not one is missing. Because of my power not one is missing.

20:22 On this side of the resurrection you and I have the promise of a king who has established a reign that will never end. We have the testimony of the brothers and sisters who have gone before us who say this world is not enough for us but another one has been prepared. That the lives we are building now can continue past the grave for an eternity but in the meantime we have bills to pay

20:55 streets to navigate, children to raise, relationships that are fraught, work that doesn't make sense. What are we to do? How are we to understand the gods? Start by going out at night and looking at the pinpricks in the sky and remember that your gods set them there and he has the power to hold them there. And then he says having considered that then why these are two names for

21:36 the people of God. Why do you say oh Jacob and speak oh Israel? He is saying almost the same thing twice and it is worth reminding you here that often when God speaks it is in poem. Isn't that lovely? I don't know what kind of calisthenics the unbounded infinite spirit God has to go through to shrink his intentions and thoughts small enough to get into the mind

22:13 of Isaiah like bound into space and time and through reverberations of sound. I don't know what he has to do to get it down in there but he is so careful and thoughtful. He is so patient and kind that in the process of getting his will down into something that we could understand he also makes it a poem. Like the care and concern, the value for you that that demonstrates that not only would you hear what he has to say but you would like the way that it sounds.

22:51 That you would recognize the beauty in the very thoughts of the infinite God is worth no discernment. The power in my to sustain the floating balls of fire and the care to speak to you in poetry. Why do you say oh Jacob and speak oh Israel my way is hidden from the Lord and my right is disregarded by my God.

23:22 I took a little time to try and figure out what he was saying there because it felt important. Why are you saying my right is disregarded by my God. He's saying why are you saying people of God why are you saying that my cause is ignored by God. Why are you saying God does not care about me Israel.

23:54 What should you compare me to start by looking at the sky and know that all the floating power balls of fire are called forth by name and held forth by my power and might and not one is missing I don't let one drop. I don't let them all together so now knowing that I have this power in my why do you start to say people of God that I don't care about you. Have you not known have you not heard the Lord is the everlasting God the creator of the ends of the earth.

24:29 Does not grow faint or weary his understanding is unsearchable he gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youth shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.

25:07 They shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint. Oh Jacob, oh Israel why do you say God does not care for me. This is the everlasting God and his ways are unsearchable and he will not grow weary or tired be patient people of God and wait upon the Lord.

25:50 Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. He will mount up on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary those who wait upon the Lord. I mean I don't particularly like waiting. I just don't I'm trying to think of like I when we had shortly after we had Hazel is when they put the sun rail in and it gave me and we it's a long story but the short version is I started riding my bike about that time.

26:37 So I realized the other day that I've been riding my bike probably four times as much as I've been driving a car for the last three to three and a half years. The way that I started to think about that is last time I was in the car last time I was driving somewhere for work I just got so mad. It's like there are always people in my way like there's other cars on the road and I have to wait for them to move out of the way in order for me to get where I want to go.

27:09 When I'm on the bike I just ride around them. I just go ride around them. I hate waiting. There's a stoplight I don't know why I have to stop I'm not where I'd like to be yet. Like don't make me stop and wait I have further to go. I don't know what what what gets you about waiting. I don't know how you are at waiting but none of us are very good because we'd like the thing that we want when we'd like it.

27:39 In God says through Isaiah those who wait on the Lord will mount up as with wings of eagles they will run and not grow weary their strength will be renewed. But waiting is not fun. There is a story about one who waited well in the Gospel of Luke if you want to look there with me. It's in Luke 18. Oh yeah this is a good story.

28:13 Jesus told him a parable just after he talked about the kingdom was coming and in front of the Pharisees and the tax collectors in Luke chapter 18 he tells him a parable. And he told them a parable to the effect that he that they always ought to pray and not lose heart. Verse 2 he said in a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. That's a bad description for a person. He neither feared God nor respected people.

28:49 Crummy. Like this is not the person that you want as a judge. Right? We've been in a certain city. There was a man who neither feared God nor respected men and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying hey give me justice against my adversary. Doesn't matter what justice she's looking for or what the wrong has been. Is that she's going to this crummy dude and asking him to give her justice.

29:22 For a while he refused but afterward he said to himself though I neither fear God nor respect men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. He says not for any good reason other than she keeps asking me I'll give her the thing that she wants. Justice. I'll give her justice. And the Lord said here what the unrighteous judge says and will not God give justice to his elect who cried to him day and night.

29:57 Will he delay long over them. I tell you he will give justice to them speedily nevertheless when the son of man comes will he find faith on earth. The widow was so great not because she was pestering him. God is not inviting us to pester him though you might. The wisdom of the woman is that she knew who could give her justice and she went there.

30:28 Look you are in a foreign land. You have the promise of deliverance and security. You have the promise of love and provision. He has set up a reign and authority under which you were made to live. Under the authority of God you will find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control to the extent that you are outside of the world. You will find anxiety, fear, depression, doubt, anger.

31:05 When we need the things of God, who do we ask? This is what waiting upon the Lord looks like. Lord I find myself in exile. You told me you would gather me like a good shepherd, gathers up his lambs that you would lead me gently to the place where I belong.

31:35 Waiting on the Lord. You want to mount up on wings like eagles. You want to have your strength renewed? Go back like the widow to the one who can give you the strength. Waiting on the Lord looks like coming to him. How often when we feel insecure do we look to our bank account instead of to God?

32:07 How often when we feel unloved do we look to a quick solution rather than to the love of our God? How often when we feel unsafe like life is out of control do we run to things we can control? How often when we feel isolated and alone do we run into entertainment in a cold dark room instead of the company and companionship of the God who made us and loves us?

32:49 I'm just saying that from of old our prophets have said those who wait upon the Lord will find their strength renewed. They will mount up on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary and Jesus of Nazareth told us what it looks like to wait upon the Lord. It means that we come to him with our needs the one who holds all the stars in the sky and buys power and might not want his missing will leverage that power for your benefit as we wait on him.

33:23 Let me pray that we could be people who wait on the Lord this morning. Hey Lord give us the courage and the faith like the widow to go to the one who has the power to make the change to deliver and secure to renew our strength as we wait on your deliverance. Teach us what it looks like to come to you today even now in these moments teach us what it looks like to come to you.

34:04 We ask it in Jesus name and for his sake amen.