WEBVTT - Waiting With Expectancy 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. 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Download the uns stap and use the 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:20.840 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.400 fifty dollars bonus when you fund your account. That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.319 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.319 Hi, this is Joel on Wednesdays. We bring you the 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:48.440 best of I hope you enjoy the podcast. Well, God 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:51.640 bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:55.080 If you're ever in our area, please stop by and 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:57.600 be a part of one of our services. I promise 0:01:57.640 --> 0:01:59.720 you will make you feel right at home. That thanks 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:01.960 so much much for tuning in, and thank you again 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:04.640 for coming out. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.640 and I heard about this husband that died and he 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:11.840 left his wife twenty thousand dollars. After the funeral, his 0:02:11.960 --> 0:02:14.760 wife told a friend that she was totally broke. The 0:02:14.760 --> 0:02:16.480 friend said, what do you mean you broke. I thought 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.280 you had twenty thousand dollars. She said, well, I spent 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:23.120 five thousand dollars on the funeral and fifteen thousand on 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.720 the memorial stone. The friend said, wow, that was some stone. 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.000 How big was it? She held up her finger and 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:34.080 said three and a half carrots. All right, say it 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:36.960 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:39.360 what it says I am. I have what it says 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:42.000 I have. I can do what it says I can do. 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.280 Today I will be taught the word of God. I 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:49.560 boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.280 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:56.960 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:02:57.000 --> 0:03:03.000 waiting with expectancy life. We're always waiting for something, waiting 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.400 for a dream to come to pass, waiting to meet 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:08.280 the right person, waiting for a problem to turn around. 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:12.200 Much of life is spent waiting. There's a right way 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:15.840 to wait and a wrong way to wait. Isaiah said, 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.320 they that wait upon the Lord will mount up with 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:23.239 wings as eagles. We hear that word waiting most of 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.400 the time we think that means do nothing, be passive. 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:32.360 But the amplified version explains what the word weight really means. 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:37.720 It says those who expect, who hope, who look for 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:42.720 God's goodness. Waiting is not supposed to be passive. True 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:49.160 waiting is actively expecting. I prayed, I believed. Now I'm 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.920 looking for God's goodness. I'm expecting my health to improve. 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:56.520 I'm expecting new doors to open. I'm expecting to have 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:59.520 a blessed year. That's what it really means to wait. 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:05.280 David understood this principle. He said in Psalm five, Each morning, 0:04:05.680 --> 0:04:11.160 I bring my request to you and wait expectantly. When 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:15.320 you're waiting expectantly, you know this could be the day 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:17.800 you get the break you need. This could be the 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:22.359 day the problem turns around. There's an anticipation in your spirit. 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:25.880 You talk like it's gonna happen. You act like it's 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:30.440 gonna happen. You're on the lookout. That expectancy is your 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:34.320 faith being released. Now all through the scripture we see 0:04:34.360 --> 0:04:38.960 this in David's life. He said, surely goodness and mercy 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:43.880 will follow me. He was expecting God's blessing. In Psalm 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:47.240 twenty seven, all kinds of bad things were happening to David. 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:52.280 Violent enemies were chasing him, people lying about him, falsely 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:56.760 accusing him. Yet right in the midst of it, he said, 0:04:56.920 --> 0:05:01.200 I am confident I will see God's goodness. David not 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.680 only prayed, he not only believed. He took it one 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:09.839 step further. He went out looking for God's favor. Like David, 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:13.400 you may be facing difficulties in the natural. It doesn't 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:17.640 look good. But when you're waiting with expectancy, you're not 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.560 moved by what you see. You're moved by what you know. 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:26.960 Psalm one twelve says when darkness overtakes, the righteous light 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:31.560 will come bursting in. Notice God used the word bursting. 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:35.080 He didn't say it's going to trickle in. It's going 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.359 to barely get there. It's going to show up, little 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:41.360 by little. No, God said, suddenly things will turn around. 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.479 You may have been dealing with the situation for many years, 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:50.040 but suddenly your health will improve. Suddenly, the right person 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:55.000 will show up, Suddenly, the legal situation will resolve. The 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:57.640 right way to wait is not Oh God, this is 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:00.840 never going to change. This financial difficulty is going to 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.560 be the end of me. These kids are going to 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.839 drive me crazy. No, get up every morning and say God, 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:11.360 I'm expecting your light to come bursting in. I'm expecting 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:15.840 a sudden breakthrough, a flood of your favor, a flood 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:19.480 of healing, a flood of restoration, a flood of promotion. 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:23.640 You wait with expectancy like that, and you'll see God 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:25.400 show up and do amazing things. 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:26.080 Now. 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:28.679 I know some of you have had tough times. Maybe 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:31.880 you had a bad break. Now you settled where you are, 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:35.240 thinking you've reached your limits. This is as good as 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:37.800 it's ever going to get. You've got to kick it 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:42.720 into a new gear. Get your expectations up. Proverbs thirteen 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:48.600 says trouble chases sinners, but blessings chase the righteous. You 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:54.039 are the righteous. What should you be expecting trouble, bad breaks, heartache. No, 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:58.159 get in agreement with God and start expecting his blessings 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:02.440 to chase you down, affecting God's favor. When you go 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:05.320 through a disappointment and we all do you have a 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:09.920 bad break, instead of being discouraged, instead of complaining, No, 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:13.160 dig your heels in and say this medical report may 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:16.760 not look good, but I'm not worried. I know healing 0:07:16.920 --> 0:07:21.560 is chasing me down. Business may be slow, I'm not discouraged. 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:27.640 I know opportunity sells, contracts, ideas, inventions, good breaks are 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:31.240 chasing me down. My child may be on the wrong path, 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:35.520 but it's only temporary. I know a turnaround is chasing 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:39.800 him down. That's not just being positive, that's doing what 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:45.640 David did. Waiting with expectancy, you're saying God, I know 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:48.960 you're still on the throne. You're bigger than this difficulty. 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.320 What you promised in my life will come to pass. 0:07:53.560 --> 0:07:56.480 One reason people don't have the joy they should is 0:07:56.520 --> 0:08:02.320 they're not expecting anything good. The scriptures hope deferred makes 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:06.680 the heart sick. If you're not expecting to see God's 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:10.080 favor in a new way, you're not expecting the problem 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:13.760 to turn around. It will not only limit what God 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:17.080 can do, but it'll cause your heart to be sick. 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.760 It'll cause you to be discouraged. Too. Many people today 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:26.400 are not healthy, not physically but emotionally because they're not 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:31.520 waiting with expectancy. At one point they had a big dream. 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:34.800 They knew it was going to work out, but it 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:38.840 didn't happen on their timetable. Now they've gotten passive and 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.800 they think that it's never going to happen. But you've 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:44.720 got to shake that off and get your fire back. 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.920 God is still on the throne. It may not have 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.319 happened on your timetable, but God's a faithful God. He 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.000 can still bring it to pass. Now, do you a 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:57.920 part and start expecting the light to come bursting in. 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.959 Start expecting God's blessings to chase you down. Don't let 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:06.280 people talk you out of it. Don't believe the never 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:09.760 lies they come to all of us. You'll never get well, 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:12.680 you'll never get married, you'll never get out of debt. 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:15.920 Let that go in one ear and out the other. 0:09:16.559 --> 0:09:20.679 Our attitude should be I know my answer is already 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:23.200 on the way. I could see it before I go 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:26.360 to bed tonight. I could meet the person of my 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.800 dreams before I leave this building. Be sure to look 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:34.199 around before you leave. I could see my health improved 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.120 this week. I could get totally out of debt, pay 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:40.679 my house off this year. It may be impossible in 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:44.520 the natural, but I know I serve a supernatural God. 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:49.040 When you wait with expectancy, the most powerful force in 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.520 the universe goes to work. In the Book of James, 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:56.000 it tells us to wait for God's promises like a 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:59.640 farmer waits for his harvest. When a farmer plants his 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:03.640 cross pops, he doesn't wait or worried. He doesn't go 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:06.719 to bed at night stressed out, wondering if they're going 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:09.360 to come up. If somebody says to him, I don't 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:11.560 think you're going to get a harvest this year, he 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:15.319 wouldn't pay any attention. He's planted, he's watered, he has 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:18.640 no doubt that it's going to happen. So he waits 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:24.040 with a confidence, not just hoping, not just believing. He 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:27.320 takes it one step further. He knows his crops are 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:30.319 going to come up. That's the way we're supposed to 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:34.600 wait on what God promised us. Like the farmer, you prayed, 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.560 you've planted, you've watered your seeds. You thank God. Now 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:42.880 you've got to come over into this confidence, a knowing 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:47.400 that says not if it happens, but when it happens. 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:50.559 Somebody asks you, you still think you're going to get 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:53.640 out of debt with the economy like it is, Tell 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:55.800 them I don't think so. I know. 0:10:55.960 --> 0:10:56.040 So. 0:10:56.679 --> 0:11:00.880 My God is Jehovah, Jirah. He is the Lord, my provider. 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:05.400 He is not affected by the economy. He controls it. All. 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:09.120 You still think your child's going to straighten up. Looks 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:11.800 like they're wilder than ever to me, I don't think so. 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:12.520 I know. 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:15.400 So as for me and my house, we will serve 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.679 the Lord. You still think you're gonna get married, You've 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:21.880 been single a long time. I don't think so. I 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:24.839 know so God said he would give me the desires 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:27.760 of my heart, the right man, the right woman. They 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:31.800 are chasing me down even as we speak. You got 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:35.800 to have this unshakable confidence. Just like you know the 0:11:35.960 --> 0:11:38.480 sun is going to come up in the morning, you 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:41.360 know what God promised you is going to come to pass. 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:45.880 It may happen today, may happen next week or next year. 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.480 But like that farmer, you know that you know your 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:54.520 harvest is on its way. This passage in James uses 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:58.319 Job as the example of how to wait. You remember, 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.720 Job went through a lot of ache and pain, lost 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:06.120 his health, his family, his business. But about nine months 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:09.679 later he came out with twice what he had before. 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.480 Not only saw it all restored, but he had twice 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:17.319 the cattle twice, the sheep twice, the joy twice, the peace. Now, 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:20.520 of all the people in the scripture, God could have 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:24.440 chosen as the example of how to wait. God chose Job. 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:28.640 I believe it's significant. God is saying, when you go 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:33.199 through a loss, a disappointment, a bad break, don't expect 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:36.600 to come out the same. Expect to come out better 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:40.160 off than you were before. Maybe you're dealing with the 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:44.520 sickness right now, or a relationship didn't work out. Somebody 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:47.400 cheated you in a business deal and you could easily 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:50.280 be negative. Discourage, settle where you are. 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:51.280 No. 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:54.440 God wants to take what was meant for your harm 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:59.040 and use it to your advantage to increase you. Dare 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:01.960 to believe, like Job, that you're going to come out 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:05.079 with twice what you had before. Some of you are 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:08.360 just hoping to halfway recover. If you could at least 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:11.240 get back to where you were before you got sick, 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.600 before you were laid off, before the disappointment, you would 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:16.960 be happy if you could just get back to even. 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:20.520 But that's not the way our God works. God is 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:23.480 going to make the enemy pay for bringing that trouble 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:27.840 into your life. God is saying, get ready for double. 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:33.160 You have not seen your best days. Weeping may endure 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.720 for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.400 God is going to give you beauty for those ashes. 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:42.680 He's going to make the rest of your life better 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:45.440 than it would have been if that would have never happened. 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:48.480 But you've got to do your part and start waiting 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:53.520 with expectancy. If you're sitting around discouraged in self pity, 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:56.839 thinking you've seen your best days, it will limit what 0:13:56.920 --> 0:14:01.640 God can do. Shake it off and start waving like job, Father, 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:04.360 I want to thank you that double is coming my way. 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:07.560 I may be sick right now, but I'm expecting to 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:10.880 come out twice as healthy, with twice the energy, twice 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:13.880 the strength. I may have gotten laid off, but Lord, 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.200 I want to thank you for a job with twice 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.680 the benefits, twice the friends, twice the fulfillment, twice the income. 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:24.040 This person may have walked out on a relationship, done 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.760 me wrong, but Lord, I just thank you for bringing 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:30.600 me somebody twice as fun, twice as friendly, twice as 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:35.000 good looking, twice as well off. Well, you say, Joe, 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:37.720 that's kind of far out. Yeah, we serve a far 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.360 out God. He wants to do more than you can 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.200 ask or think. He wants to bring you out like 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:49.000 Joe with doubles. What's interesting is when a farmer is 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:53.440 waiting for his harvest. He doesn't sit around passively and 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:57.280 not do anything for months and months now. While he's waiting, 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:01.720 he sharpens his tools, He makes sure his tractor and 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:06.239 equipment is maintained and ready to go. He calls his suppliers, 0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:11.160 his transportation people, gets everything lined up. The fact is 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.000 he hasn't seen one plant come up out of the ground. 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:18.840 The whole field is completely empty. Yet he's making all 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:23.440 kinds of preparations for the harvest that he knows is coming. 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.760 He has such a confidence that he's putting actions behind 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:31.080 his faith. That's what it means to wait like a farmer. 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:35.560 You're not just hoping, you're not just praying. You're getting 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:40.120 prepared taking steps of faith. Years ago I went to 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:43.400 this young couple's apartment, friends of mine. It was a 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:47.040 very small place and they were happy. They were content, 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.440 but they knew God had put bigger things in their heart. 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.280 And they had bought some furniture for the apartment that 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:57.880 was much too big. One couch was crammed up against 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:01.200 another couch. You could hardly walk into the room. Look 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:03.960 like a mistaken I thought to myself, what in the 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:06.600 world were they thinking? I didn't say anything, but later 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:10.720 the young lady said, Joey, you'll have to forgive our den. 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:15.400 We bought this furniture for our new house. I didn't 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:17.400 know they were moving. I said, that's great. Where are 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.480 you going? She said, we don't know yet. We just 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:26.240 know we're not staying here. This is only temporary. They 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:30.440 sayed in that tiny apartment for several years, and when 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:33.080 I would see them just being friendly, I'd say, hey, 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:37.280 when are you moving? Their answer was always soon. That's 0:16:37.320 --> 0:16:40.400 a great answer. When are you coming out of debt soon? 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:43.840 When is the problem going to turn around soon? When 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:47.040 are you gonna get married soon? When is that child 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:50.080 gonna come back home? Not any of this on Joey. 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.320 I don't know more. I pray the worse he gets, 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.560 did I tell you what he did last week? Zip 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:57.560 that up. Your answer should always be soon, Say it 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:01.760 by faith. This year, you young couple had such a 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:06.040 confidence like the farmer. They knew their harvest was coming. 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:10.439 And one day the lady got an unexpected promotion, a 0:17:10.680 --> 0:17:14.639 huge increase, and everything fell into place. And do you 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:17.760 know where that furniture is now? It's not in their 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.960 new home. They gave it to another young couple that's 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.720 believing for their dream to come to pass. That's what 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:27.160 happens when you put actions behind your faith, it gets 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:31.800 God's attention. One time in the scripture, a paralyzed man 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:35.919 talked four of his friends into carrying him to another 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:40.320 city where Jesus was teaching. When they arrived, the house 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:43.439 was so crowded they couldn't get in. I'm sure the 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:47.080 men that carried him were tired, their shoulders were sore. 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.199 They wanted to rest, But the paralyzed man said, no, 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.399 we've come too far to stop. Now you've got to 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:56.320 take me up on the roof and let me down 0:17:56.400 --> 0:18:00.520 through the ceiling. Imagine Jesus is up there teaching and 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:04.080 he sees dust start to fall, a couple ceiling dials 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:08.080 drop down. All this commotion as they lowered the man down. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:14.399 The scripture says, when Jesus saw their faith, my question 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:18.920 today is can your faith be seen? Are you doing 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:22.480 anything to show God? You're not just hoping, You're not 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:27.600 just praying like the farmer, You're getting prepared. When Jesus 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:30.639 saw their faith, he touched the man and he was 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.720 made home. Now that man could have stayed at home 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:37.679 for twenty years, believing he could have prayed for the 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:40.720 rest of his life, nothing would have happened. But when 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:44.480 your faith can be seen, the creator of the universe 0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:48.159 goes to work. When my father was in his sixties, 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:51.159 he had to have open heart surgery. It was a 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:54.760 very serious procedure because most of his arteries were blocked 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:57.600 and there was no guarantee that he would come out okay. 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:00.960 Our family was all in the room to go before 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:04.439 he was going to be taken into the operation, he 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.280 asked me if I would go back home and get 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:10.600 his tennis shoes and runing suit and lay it by 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:14.600 his bed. My mother had already brought his pajamas and 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:17.720 house shoes and everything that he would need, but my 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:21.439 father wanted those tennis shoes there as an act of 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:25.520 his faith. While he was recovering, every time he looked 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:28.320 at them, he was saying, I'm going to be out 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.520 running again. I'm gonna go all over the world. I've 0:19:31.520 --> 0:19:35.399 got many good years left in me. You may be 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:38.480 facing a health issue as well. In the natural it 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:42.600 doesn't look good, but don't make plans to go downhill. 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:46.000 Don't tell your friends how bad it is and how 0:19:46.000 --> 0:19:50.000 you're never gonna make it. Expect to get better, put 0:19:50.000 --> 0:19:52.720 your tennis shoes in front of you, Plan a visit 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:55.600 to go see your relatives, renew the membership to the 0:19:55.640 --> 0:19:59.320 health club. Do something so your faith can be seen. 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:03.520 When my mother was so sick with cancer, she told 0:20:03.560 --> 0:20:06.240 how she would lay in bed at night, these thoughts 0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:09.800 would come, telling her, you can be buried in that 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:13.680 new pink dress that you bought. See the enemy wants 0:20:13.680 --> 0:20:16.600 you to make plans for your funeral. He wants you 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:20.560 to plan for defeat, for mediocrity. He would love for 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:24.280 us to go through life with the wrong expectations. You 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:26.840 got to shake that off and make plans to live, 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:31.280 make plans for victory. That Christmas in nineteen eighty one, 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:34.520 when my mother was given a few weeks to live, 0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:37.760 all of us kids went in together to buy my 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:41.639 mother some china. That's what she wanted before she got sick. 0:20:42.240 --> 0:20:44.880 When my sister Lisa went to the store to pick 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:48.760 it up, only eight pieces were in stock. The other 0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:51.280 two pieces would have to be ordered and we were 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:54.520 told that could take several months to come in. Well, 0:20:54.560 --> 0:20:57.280 my mother was only given a few weeks to live, 0:20:57.560 --> 0:21:00.560 and that was a month or so before. When she 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:03.320 opened the china and she saw the note in it 0:21:03.359 --> 0:21:06.080 saying that the rest would be delivered in the spring 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:09.520 of the next year. Her first thought in the natural 0:21:09.720 --> 0:21:13.240 was I might not even be here. But we ordered 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:16.600 that china on purpose to let my mother know we 0:21:16.600 --> 0:21:21.760 were expecting her to still be here. That china came 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:26.760 in thirty one years later. My mother is still here, healthy, alive, strong. 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:32.560 The funny thing is she has not served me one 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:37.360 meal on that china. I'm gonna talk about being grateful 0:21:37.400 --> 0:21:43.439 next week. Can your faith be seen? Are you waiting 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:48.280 like the farmer making preparations for your harvest? The apostle 0:21:48.320 --> 0:21:51.280 Paul did this. He was in prison for spreading the 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:54.399 good news. In the natural, there was no reason to 0:21:54.440 --> 0:21:56.639 think that he would ever get out. It looked like 0:21:56.800 --> 0:22:01.440 that was his destiny. But Paul wasn't complaining, He wasn't discouraged. 0:22:01.680 --> 0:22:04.960 He was making plans to be free. He said to 0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:08.159 a friend that came to visit him, keep a guest 0:22:08.240 --> 0:22:11.760 room ready for me, for I am filled with hope 0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:15.399 that God will answer my prayers. Here he's in prison, 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:18.920 he doesn't need a guest room. My mom's been given 0:22:18.960 --> 0:22:21.320 a few weeks to live. We don't need to order 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:25.200 her any china. My father's recovering from a major surgery. 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.359 He doesn't need his tennis shoes. Now, that's what it 0:22:28.520 --> 0:22:33.040 means to wait with expectancy. When God can see your faith, 0:22:33.440 --> 0:22:37.120 he can do the impossible. I read about this small 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:39.639 town that had been in a drought for a long 0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:43.000 long time, and the local pastors called for a day 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:47.080 of prayer on the town square. They ask everyone to 0:22:47.160 --> 0:22:50.159 bring some kind of object of their faith, just to 0:22:50.200 --> 0:22:53.600 show that they were believing, and most people brought their bibles. 0:22:54.040 --> 0:22:57.119 Some wore a cross or a T shirt with an 0:22:57.200 --> 0:23:01.399 inspirational message. They joined hands and begin to earnestly pray. 0:23:01.920 --> 0:23:05.360 It's a very moving scene as they were all gathered 0:23:05.400 --> 0:23:09.520 in faith, asking God for rain. After about ten minutes, 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:14.240 almost perfectly on queue, it began to rain. They started 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:18.520 shouting and singing, holding up their bibles their crosses in 0:23:18.600 --> 0:23:22.240 praise to God. But one little eight year old girl's 0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:26.400 object stood out among the rest. She opened up her 0:23:26.480 --> 0:23:30.680 big yellow umbrella that she had brought. The scripture tells 0:23:30.760 --> 0:23:33.719 us to have the faith of a little child. If 0:23:33.760 --> 0:23:37.280 you're praying for rain, it's not complicated. Bring your umbrella. 0:23:37.680 --> 0:23:41.680 Let your faith be seen. You remember in the Old Testament, 0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:45.040 the people of Israel came to the Jordan River they 0:23:45.080 --> 0:23:48.560 needed to get across. Earlier, Moses had held up his 0:23:48.760 --> 0:23:52.560 rod and the Red Sea parted a great miracle. This 0:23:52.680 --> 0:23:56.399 time it didn't happen that way. The scripture tells how 0:23:56.600 --> 0:23:59.520 they had to walk toward the water, and as their 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:03.760 feet and legs God wet, then the river opened up. 0:24:04.720 --> 0:24:07.840