Learning To Wait, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ trust God. See. So I do not. I'm sympathetic to him 10 years. I me now, maybe five, my wife 75 child of promise. Come on by way of the normal list for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word God requires faith that waits when it comes to his promises and his plans. By the way the poor girl was in a dilemma.

In verse seven and now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness by the spring on the way to assure Dr. would look at a map, you would find out that sure is part of the caravan trail that leaves all the way from Syria down through pain and he goes the Egypt she's trying to hook up with the caravan if she can and find a way but she's completely alone and pregnant, look who takes the initiative here. This is divine intervention. It says here that the angel of the Lord found her, the angel of the Lord and not in an angel of the Lord.

This is the angel of the Lord.

This is the second person of the Trinity. This is the son of God becomes our Lord Jesus Christ shows up all the way through Genesis the angel of the Lord is seated next to the CC and second Samuel Cid and Zachariah once Jesus Christ comes on the scene. Never in the New Testament is there ever a reference again to the angel of the Lord. This is the theophany and notice that the Lord takes the initiative here and by the way, he could see the authority of God, because the son of God is God, the whole way through this narrative.

Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness by the spring on the way to share and he said Hagar's eyes made wherever you come from where you going it interesting how he comes and ask questions. Member Genesis 2, Adam, where are you with these rhetorical questions.

God already knows the answers and I gotta believe she stun he asked her to questions where we come from, where you're going.

She only answers one question that sufficient to him.

She only answers one question she says where she's from. Just imagine how she feels she has to be stun.

Remember, she's an Egyptian so she's in Pharaoh's court. Everything is going well. Another ladies being added to the harem. Nothing unusual there. Your assigned to her.

All of a sudden everybody in Pharaoh's court. Getting sick, Pharaoh's representatives command say to this one woman SRI woman you got a leave take his handmaiden with you.

So instead of being in the palace. She's intense in the land of Canaan now vague comes up part of the deal because she has no rights. My husband is going to conceive a child with you. She does, then they start hitting heads between her and Sarai.

Now she's on her way to Egypt and out of all this God that Abram talked about that, I'm sure she was very skeptical of shows up and begins a doctor I'm sure she's despond by this whole thing, but it does say something about the Lord doesn't it really showed us that God really does care even in the middle of our dilemmas. She said to him, I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai while she's honest this woman is made my life miserable. You know his showing up showed how much he cares. But one thing I notice about when the Lord shows up and has discussions with people in the Scriptures, you can just get to the .9 does care is empathetic, no question, any sympathetic but he doesn't say much. I didn't say all now. Now I know how you feel we doesn't talk like that. In fact, it says, then the angel of the Lord said to her return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority, no bargaining, no discussion return and submit. By the way you read all way through the Bible and even in the New Testament whenever we drift away from the Lord. He says the exact same thing to us return to repentance means by the way, and submit return submit. I return and I submit to my Lord I return, I submit my Lord is infinitely patient with this but he says to her, you need to return and you need to submit the says more says moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, I will greatly multiply your descendents so that they will be too many to count. While at first he must've thought all boy and I've got to go back but that first right there says I will give you hope you see we think about that verse and we say that's a lot like when he spoke to Abram and she's can have a lot of descendents so many you can count them.

I don't think that meant nothing to her as a young girl. I think what meant to her was this. If that's true, my babies going to live to see my babies going to live if I would have so many descendents in my babies going to live and I'm sure she's euphoric to hear that from this angel of the Lord. I will greatly multiply your descendents so that there be too many to count in the angel of the Lord said to her further. Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear the greatest knew she could hurt in that world son not just the child but a son, which means in error and that world and so while I'm going to have a son and pay me the most important part of this whole chapter is in his next phrase and you shall call his name Ishmael. Why is it so important. You shall call his name God hears you have a dilemma. God hears you see, God hears. She was thinking she was in a hopeless situation, but he is saying you're not hopeless at all. I hear she was crying by herself while well when all of a sudden the angel of the Lord showed up and he showed up because he said I hear and when you have this little boy born you going to name him Ishmael. God hears you've never had a dilemma in your life that God doesn't hear. In fact, there's even more to it than even that behold you are with child, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name is Manuel because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. God not only hears God cares you could call an affliction or you simply could call it a dilemma. But God hears. If you're in a dilemma in your life right now God says look I hear and I care. I'm here. Then he says something that's more amusing to us and probably it should be sunny wasn't to them and he will be a wild donkey of a man I don't know if you have ever had sons respirations form what is it really that I don't think I hope he grows up to be a wild donkey of a man in their culture meant a lot. That's a tremendous complement, while donkeys are admired see them, not broken in by anybody. They live their own life on their own. There known for their cunning and their strength. They are a valued and admired animal they roam where they want to roll see they just go where they want to go there not herded by anybody is referring to the idea that he will be over free living tent dwelling Bedouin.

That's what is going to be.

He will be a wild donkey of a man and it says then in his hand will be against everyone. The word hand is a metaphor. It means his strength. In other words, he said he will be a wild donkey of a man who go where he wants to find himself in nomadic lifestyle and he will fight with every one is the father. The air brakes.

Ishmael in an interesting 4000 years later the herbs are willing to fight every some interesting history is a fascinating story that's who they are and even in in Islam Ishmael becomes a child of promise to them because they know that's who they are is an interesting thing, though, that he will. He said, his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand will be against him while that's something that he says and he will live in the East of all of his brothers. That whole part of what we call the Arab world, there is a divine intervention. God hears God cares and then she gives a very faithful response in verse 13 says. Then she called the name of the Lord and who spoke to her and said you are a God who sees you see I have a dilemma and you see you are a God who sees, for she said, have I even remained alive here after seeing him. She knows of something so this is God. This is the angel of the Lord. I am amazed that I stood in his presence that I've seen them. I'm amazed the amount means I'm still alive. Here she has such respect, not just first Providence but for his holiness and force greatness response.

Verse 14 Moses writes this.

Therefore, the well was called dear Leigh hi Roy, behold, is between Kadesh and Bered. What's that mean was kind of a play on words, the well is now name not what it was but it's really name God loves to do that the well now means the wall of the living one who sees me serving 7131 to the well of the living one who sees me.

So what you see here in our dilemma.

God sees God hears God cares. That's exactly the same as in your doings. God sees you see, God hears God cares. Therefore, what should I do trust God and wait.

Trust God and wait to see Abramson. I do not do that. I'm sympathetic to him 10 years. I mean, maybe five, my wife 75 child of promise. Come on, I will have to wait longer is it in learn the lesson awaiting while she's girl writes this God sees you where you are any cares for you as you are, God sees our mistakes and yet treats them with mercy sees our sufferings and his appointed time has plans to bring them to an end.

We may sometimes feel that God is unconcerned about us, but he is faithful and always hears and sees the misery of his people as a lesson for us and I love the next word in verse 15, so you see, because God intervened and God sees and God hears and God cares so Hagar bores Abram a son just like God said and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar board. Ishmael just like she told him I'm sure she told him the story, God hears Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael while trying to accomplish God's plans, but worldly methods inevitably leaves the unwanted consequences in God requires faith and trust that weights when it comes to his plans and his promises were still look at the question, though.

Then when do I act in the middle of a dilemma, and when do I wait when do I trust what's the difference will I think we act two different conditions one is this. We take action when God has clearly given us the responsibility and the authority to do so, we take action when God has clearly given us the responsibility and the authority to do so. God never gave Abram and Sarah are the responsibility to produce the child. I will give you an air. In fact, in Galatians chapter 4 Paul wrote this Ishmael was the result of the work of the flesh. That's what it was. He was a result of the best of human ingenuity.

We take action when God has clearly given us the responsibility and authority to do so. Secondly, we take action only when our actions align with the word of God is the trouble when you're in a dilemma.

Your suffering have anxiety or anguish. It emotionally affects you. And when it emotionally affects you. You react emotionally which almost always has undesirable consequences.

You have the dilemma of a difficult marriage.

Many of you have had those what's our temptation equate about I'm following I'm just doing what God say so. A divorce, there are only a couple conditions in Scripture were leaving could be tolerated but notice you signal to be honest. And I feel no big directions the line with the word of God, you have difficult relationships in trying to think of all kinds of ways to deal with those you have a lot of pain or angst became away. What's the word of God say this will clear: Ephesians you are to forgive as Christ forgives you it's as simple as something can be forward you forgive is you been forgiven. See point that kind of dilemma, though I don't want to see. I don't want to yes and you will have consequences. However, delayed the trying a different approach the gods money problems.

Same idea. Only in America, by the way we try to solve our money problems by going further in debt. I cannot really go to prom but I got this new credit card. I can ask you pay off my other credit cards with this one.

What did God say the borrower to see is the lender's life is a constant.

Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all this will be added to you using your always facing in our dilemma.

Do I want to do it by the energy, the flashlight want to do it when approval of the world do I want to do it the way God said, but I can tell you this. Often the when God is saying what needs to be done, but is also saying something else. You have to trust me and that means you have to wait.

We hate that you see we hate that.

Just think of that were Americans. We invented the term, it's nowhere else in the history of the world.

We invented a term called fast food to hungry. Some fast food. I don't want to have to wait. That's what we are. We have expressed lines at the checkout boy if you see somebody with over 20 items your limit and the reason for the simple because I do not want to wait we can get information about anything in the world and the soon as we do we send up telling a friend of ours.

I cannot believe how slow the download speed was. I waited like eight seconds for that information. Do you realize in the history of the world some information you can access and eight seconds you would had to travel hundreds of miles traveled to get to a spot where you might be able to read something about that information, but we don't.

We want faster download speeds. It has to be instantaneous. So considering our social conditioning. When God says, and he inevitably will you wait, you just wait, we don't like to wait.

We have to learn to wait. That's what Sarah and Abram had to do. Richard Hendrick says this second only to suffering waiting may be the greatest teacher and trainer and godliness maturity and genuine spirituality. Most of us will ever encounter because weighting takes faith Chuck Swindoll. You might find yourself in Abram's predicament right now and you're printing the great American prayer Lord, hurry up, you want answers now you want his blessing. Now you convinced you waited long enough reading is difficult and you want progress and so the great your great temptation when the Lord doesn't appear to be doing anything is to get things going yourself, your predicament has dragged on for too long and your sick and tired of it. My advice, Swindoll writes wait just that word wait W a IT that's the acrostic W the W is for weight. Just wait. Walk a little slower. See. Walk a little slower to slow down, don't be in such a hurry about this.

Pray see how about this.

This is pretty walk a little slower.

The W VA ask ask God for increased patients, wisdom, and self-control in your life, because we want to have it when waiting if you're still feeling anxiety or anger or fear. That means you haven't paid enough, it means you need to keep on praying.

Walk a little slower. Ask God for increased wisdom. Patient self-control. I imagine imagine the worst case scenario of waiting on God. Just imagine what the worst case scenario B if you have to wait on God and lastly the T. Think of the others will be impacted by your decision to act and run ahead of God's will. Think of the other people there be impacted if you do that W a I TI know it's hard to wait, but I just want to reinforce this idea God sees God hears and God cares, and sometimes God is saying to us in the middle of the dilemma but he said through the psalmist. The steel and know that I am God the spring father there only two groups here this morning, those who are in a dilemma, and those who will soon be in father this lesson that we can learn from Genesis 16 is important to us. We are so tempted to run ahead of you so intent on fixing our own problem but when we do we lack the biblical judgment that we need and we go about it with the wrong methods and then we reap what we sow. Father I pray that we learn the lesson from Abram and Sarai father I pray that if were in the midst of the dilemma now and that the actions we take can't be clearly supported, biblically, it wouldn't have your God-given authority to deal with it at this moment that we have the patient's to wait and the patient's to trust you. Father I pray that we learn the lesson that they so dearly needed to learn from Christ after Brueggemann. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time.

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