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What’s the best way to wait on God?

    • We’ll get the answer in our text today
    • Last week Jesus got the disciples all riled up
    • He told them he would send the HS to empower them
    • He told them to wait in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49)
      • But they were unsure about what would happen
      • The angels caught them staring into heaven while Jesus ascended
      • They said: quit staring! Get to work
      • But they didn’t know what to do yet

    Have you ever been there? Waiting for God to act?

    • Deliverance – from addiction you’ve tried to kick
      • Like my friend
    • Romance – when will I finally find the “One” – ?
    • Provision – in financial struggles or with career opportunities
    • Healing – in a relational conflict 
    • Vindication – you were falsely accused or misunderstood
    • Wisdom – esp for new believers who just want to know Bible more
    • Anxiety – when will you take this away?

    We’ve all been there. Today as we open the Bible we’re going to get a few practical, actionable tips to answer the question: What’s the best way to wait on God? We’re all doing it; we might as well do it right!

    So let’s get to it….

    Acts 1:12-13a

    Acts 1:12-13 (NLT) 12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. 13 When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.

    • went to the upstairs room
      • Possibly the upper room from the last supper
      • May have been like headquarters in early days
      • May have been the “home of Mary, the mother of John Mark” that Peter visited after jailbreak (12:12)
    • the Mount of Olives
      • ie, Jesus ascended to heaven from Mount of Olives
        • Makes sense, in light of this OT prophecy:
        • Zechariah 14:2-4 (NLT) 2 I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem…. 3 Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem….
          • a place of judgment for nations when Jesus returns
          • remember, this was part of the “kerygma” (early message = Jesus + faith + Spirit + return)
          • We’ll see this in Peter’s first sermon in ch 2
          • Has now become the place of blessing for nations
          • He’ll give them a chance to respond to kerygma
          • “Blessing on all nations” (Gen 12)

    (Back to Acts 1:12-13)

    • returned to Jerusalem
      • Simple obedience
        • Luke 24:49 (NLT) 49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
      • They had great expectation, but little understanding
        • This is where we are when we wait on God
        • What do you do in this case? First answer:
          • Obey what you know
          • Do the next right thing
          • Trust God to open the door when time is right

    So what are those practical steps of obedience we should take as we wait on God? We find three answers in the text today…

    Acts 1:13b-14

    Acts 1:13 (NLT) Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James). 14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

    • the names (let’s cover this first)
      • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The lists of the Twelve in Mk. 3:16-19 and Mt. 10:2-4 differ from Luke’s lists mainly by putting Thaddaeus where Luke has Judas son of James and in the order of the names. It is possible that Thaddaeus (or Lebbaeus in some MSS) was a nickname for this Judas.
      • Same list as Luke = those Jesus called are still in the picture, minus Judas. 11 out of 12 ain’t bad!
        • Think about all the people who have come and gone at church…
      • “along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus”
        • Final mention of Mary in the Bible
        • These women were an important part of the early disciples – that’s incredible if you think about it
        • The brothers of Jesus
        • At first skeptics Mark 3:21-35
        • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Perhaps Jesus’ resurrection appearance to James (1 Cor. 15:7) was responsible for the conversion of Joses, Judas and Simon also (cf. Mk. 6:3). 
        • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) James became the leader of the Jerusalem church (cf. 12:17; 15:13-21; 21:18) and ‘the Lord’s brothers’ were acknowledged alongside the apostles as a distinctive group in the Christian community (cf. 1 Cor. 9:5).
    • They all met together
      • one of “Big 5” spiritual disciplines from Pursuit #9:
        • Connection, community
        • Too many believers try to go through life alone. You won’t find this anywhere in the NT
        • Luke 24:53 give us more detail about what they were doing “together”:
        • Luke 24:53 (NLT) And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
        • Three environments for connection from L9 in the Pursuit: large (church), small (group), and individual (mentoring)
        • How would you grade yourself in each of these areas?
    • were constantly united in prayer
      • Another one of “Big 5” spiritual disciplines
        • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) It is striking that at almost every important turning point in the narrative of God’s redemptive action in Acts we find a mention of prayer (e.g. 1:24; 8:14-17; 9:11-12; 10:4, 9, 30; 13:2-3).
        • Reminder that this is God’s thing, not ours. “You will be my witnesses…” not “you must be” – it’s going to happen!

    Acts 1:15-17 (NLT) 15 During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. 16 “Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17 Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.”

    • the Scriptures had to be fulfilled
      • They were reading their Bibles
        • OK, they weren’t exactly Bibles back then, and they didn’t have them like we have them, but here’s the point:
        • They were committed to their scriptures as they were waiting on God. Here’s how we say it in value #1: “We look to God and his Word in all that we do.”

    Acts 1:20 (NLT) 20 Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’

    • Let his home become desolate
      • Psalm 69:25 – learned from Jesus, who quoted Ps 69:4 in John 15:25
        • Pillar: Verses from the same psalm are variously used in John 2:17; Romans 11:9-10; 15:3. 
        • So Peter’s quotation from Psalm 69:25 (LXX 68:26) is part of this exegetical tradition.
    • Let someone else take his position
      • Psalms 109: (NLT) 1 O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof 2 while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. 3 They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason. 4 I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them! 5 They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love.
        • This is Jesus!
        • Interesting: pay attention to the next part…
      • Psalms 109:6 They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial. 7 When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins. 8 Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.”
        • Note: In Ps the betrayer says “let someone else take his position” – this quote is against Jesus
        • In Acts Peter turns it around and now he’s using it against the betrayer!
    • The point: Peter knew scripture!
      • How far he has come!

Close

The point for today: What should we do while we wait on God?

Follow the example of the early disciples:

  • Connection + Prayer + Scripture
  • Even today, 2000 years later, you need these things when you’re waiting on God…
Talking Points:
  • Today we continue our study of Acts, covering Acts 1:12-26. Here’s the question we’ll answer as we look at the text: what should you do while you wait on God?
  • Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, but when he ascended they realized they had no clue what to do while they waited! Many of us feel the same way through different seasons in life.
  • The disciples had great expectation but little understanding, and this is where we are when we wait on God. Their answer to this was simple obedience to Jesus’ command, starting with returning to Jerusalem. Acts 1:12-13
  • In their waiting, the disciples modeled three practical steps of obedience: connection, prayer, and scripture study. These spiritual disciplines are available to every Christian today. Acts 1:13-17
  • Too many believers try to go through life alone, without prayer, and without God’s Word. To wait on God is to actively engage in timeless disciplines, trusting God to act in his timing.
Discussion:
  1. Read the talking points above as a group, including scripture references. What are your initial thoughts about these points or about the podcast lesson (see audio above)?
  2. Have you ever had to wait on God for something big in your life? Give an example.
  3. Obedience can be difficult at times. Out of the three spiritual disciplines mentioned today, which one is your strongest? Weakest?
  4. Share a time when your community encouraged you in your time of waiting on God.
  5. In the Pillar Commentary, we read: “It is striking that at almost every important turning point in the narrative of God’s redemptive action in Acts we find a mention of prayer.” What are some prayers you have found yourself hesitant to take to the Lord? Why?
  6. What are some practical steps you can take to grow in your Bible reading habits?
  7. “To wait on God is to actively engage in timeless disciplines, trusting God to act in his timing.” How is this different from the way you used to view waiting on God?
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