May 6, 2025 • 24 mins
Have you ever found yourself caught in life's waiting room? That space between where you were and where you're headed, but with no clear roadmap for how to get there?
In this powerful message on waiting, Pastor Stephen Feith gets refreshingly honest about his own struggles with patience and the tendency to either rush ahead or delay too long. Drawing from Acts 1, we witness the disciples' confusion after Jesus ascends to heaven—standing, staring at the sky, uncertain what to do next. It's a scene that perfectly captures our own spiritual limbo when we're waiting for God's direction.
The angels' gentle redirection to the disciples echoes into our lives today: "Why do you stand here staring into heaven?" Sometimes our spiritual waiting isn't about God making us wait, but about us avoiding what we already know we should do. We disguise fear as wisdom, hesitation as discernment, and delay as dependence on God.
Through biblical examples of Abraham, Moses, and Paul, Pastor Stephen demonstrates that faith has never meant having the full picture before stepping out. Instead, God reveals more of the path as we obey what He's already shown us. "Faith isn't about having all the answers," Stephen explains. "Faith is about trusting that God is the answer and stepping forward anyway."
This message cuts through spiritual clichés to ask the tough question: What clear instruction from God have you been avoiding? Whether it's forgiveness, generosity, service, or speaking truth, your next step of obedience might be simpler than you think. In these in-between seasons, God isn't just preparing your destination—He's shaping you.
Ready to stop staring at the sky and start walking by faith? Listen now and find the courage to take your next step.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to our Madison Church online audience.
I'm Stephen Feith lead pastor.
For those of you, you don'thave to know me super well to
know that I have never, everbeen good at waiting.
That's not what I'm known for.
Nobody's ever described me as apatient human being.
I'm ready to move if I have arough sense of what needs to
(00:22):
happen.
I don't need the whole picture,I just barely need a feeling
and I'll go after it.
I usually don't sit around andweighing options.
This is why we have boards atMadison Church to help us with
the finances and the spiritualdirection.
I never, ever wait for peace.
I'm a big kind of believer thatwhen I look at my favorite
characters out of the Bible,they never waited for peace to
(00:44):
do something, they just went anddid it, and so that's become
like core theology to me.
I speak and act quickly, mostof the time without thinking it
all the way through my wife's inthe back.
She can vow.
Just for those of you who don'tknow me, I've said things that
didn't need to be said, eventhough they were true.
I've made decisions that havecaused more damage than progress
(01:08):
, and it's not because I'm areckless person.
That's just who I am.
I don't think it's either goodor bad, although it can lead to
good things and it can lead tobad things.
But you know, every now andthen I do the opposite.
Sometimes I wait too long.
Every now and then I do theopposite.
Sometimes I wait too long.
This year, as I've beenlearning and growing, I've
(01:32):
learned that when it comes topeople and relationships, this
is an area of my own life that Iwait too long, I take more time
than I should and I stay inunhealthy relationships because
I tell myself I can help.
I will be the difference.
If I don't help, who will help?
And maybe if I'm just patientenough.
Again, no other part of my lifedo I care about that, but in
this part, if I'm just patientenough, it will turn around and
(01:55):
what I end up doing and ifyou're like me, you end up
carrying other people's emotionsthat aren't yours or mine to
carry.
I don't walk away when I should, and it's not because I'm dumb
I'd like to think that I'm ofaverage intelligence but it's
because I feel responsible.
I feel responsible not just asa human being who lives on
(02:16):
planet earth with you, but Ifeel responsible as the pastor
of this church and we're incommunity together and I've got
to be the front guy, the top guy, and I've got to watch out and
go to battle with you every time.
And I'm working through all ofthis in therapy.
My therapist loves seeing meevery Friday to catch up on the
drama that is my real life.
(02:37):
I asked her point blank onFriday.
I said how much do you lookforward to me coming in on
Friday?
And she said well, I'm notallowed to answer that, but
you're not far off.
So that's great.
Some of you, you live in thistension with me, how you want to
rush forward but you hold back.
Now others of you livedifferently.
(02:58):
I know I think for a lot of youyou don't resonate with
anything I just described.
Moving forward.
You want clarity.
You need it before you're goingto move forward.
You want confirmation, somesort of cosmic sign of certainty
, before you're going to doanything, before you do
something.
You're not disobedient.
That's not what I'm saying,that's not what I'm trying to
(03:19):
suggest at all.
You're just cautious and youdon't want to get it wrong, and
so you'd rather not move at alland stay where you are than move
forward and possibly riskgetting it wrong.
And that's what this series Inthe Waiting is all about.
In life there are a lot ofin-between spaces and, as I
mentioned last week, I want tomention it again.
(03:40):
I know many in our community.
You're watching or listeningonline.
You're in an in-between spaceright now.
You're not where you were, butyou're not yet where you're
going, and this space in betweenis challenging and it's
difficult.
There's the tension of notknowing, but there's also the
(04:01):
danger of not doing anything.
Whether we're a person whopushes too hard or you're a
person who hesitates too long,we all have places in our lives
where we get stuck and God meetsus there.
God isn't just where we've beenand God isn't just where we're
going, but God is also here inthe tension with you, and he's
(04:25):
not trying to rush you and he'snot scolding you, but he is
gently calling us all forward.
In today's passage coming out ofActs, chapter 1, we're going to
see how God does that.
So if you want to follow along,we have the house Bibles.
The words will be up on thescreen as well.
We're going to verse 9.
If you remember from last week,if you weren't here, don't
(04:52):
worry, but the disciples havejust heard Jesus' last words on
earth.
He gave him his lastinstructions.
His command was stay inJerusalem and wait for the Holy
Spirit.
Remember he was saying you'renot where you were and you're
not where you're going yet, butwait.
He wasn't rushing them.
And then suddenly he's goneVerse nine, we read.
(05:12):
After saying this, he was takenup into a cloud while they were
watching and they could nolonger see him.
And put yourself in their shoesfor one second.
The one they had been followingfor years, the one who taught
them everything they knew aboutGod, the one who corrected them,
the one who empowered them, theone who had just risen from the
(05:34):
dead, disappeared.
That's confusing, right?
Because you didn't expect Jesusto die.
You certainly didn't expect himto come back from the dead.
And then he's telling you allof these things.
You're thinking, good, great,turning the page, and then poof,
he's just gone.
It was stunning, disorienting,unsettling, and they do probably
(05:59):
what you and I would do if thathappened today.
They're looking at this like youcoming back.
I mean like what's going onhere?
They're looking at this likeyou coming back.
I mean like what's going onhere?
They're unsure what to do next.
And you got to imagine they'relooking pretty long.
Because it's like Jesus gets upto heaven and he's like I'm
home, back at the throne.
You know this is not goodtheology, by the way, but he's
(06:19):
in heaven and he looks back andhe sees the disciples.
They're just standing therelooking around and Jesus is like
look, I already did thecomeback thing once, a couple
days ago, I ain't doing it again.
Jesus sends two angels.
He's like go, tell them to getto work.
That's what's happening.
So in verse 10, he says as theystrained to see him rising into
(06:39):
heaven, two white-robed mensuddenly stood among them, men
of Galilee.
They said why are you standinghere staring into heaven?
Jesus has been taken from youinto heaven, but someday he will
return from heaven in the sameway you saw him go.
Why do you stand here gawkingat the sky, gawking at the sky,
(07:10):
looking for Jesus to come back?
It's not a rebuke in as much asit's a redirect.
Stop looking there, look here,right, stop looking there, look
around you.
You already know what the nextstep is.
Jesus made that loud and clear.
Now take the step and toexplain kind of this imagery in
the Jewish imagination the skyand heavens that symbolized up
(07:31):
there.
That's where God dwelled.
Okay, so when Jesus ascends,it's not just like he's
vanishing, he's not a ghost, buthe's making a visible
declaration to Jewish people,who would expect this, that when
the Messiah left he would gothat way.
But the disciples are stillbound to earth, they're still
(07:53):
humans, and that person whoanchored them the last three
years was no longer there inperson to anchor them, to be
physically present with them,and they're not yet filled with
the Holy Spirit.
They're in the in-between,they're in the waiting, not
where we were and not wherewe're going.
They don't have a blueprint,they don't have a GPS, they
(08:14):
don't even really have a senseof direction.
They're caught in the confusingin-between.
But what they do have are thoseclear instructions Stay in
Jerusalem and wait for theSpirit.
It wasn't time to preach and itwasn't time to do miracles and
act, but it was time to obey, tolisten, and sometimes the
(08:40):
hardest obedience as followersof Jesus if you're a person of
faith in the room watching orlistening online the hardest
kind of obedience begins whennothing is clear, when that next
step isn't clear.
What the disciples experiencedon that hillside isn't different
than what we experience inseasons of waiting.
(09:01):
Yes, their situation certainlyunique.
They just watched Jesus ascendto the sky with their own eyes.
They had received a directcommand to stay in Jerusalem,
but their struggle is just likeours.
They stood staring upward, notbecause they didn't believe.
They believed, but they didn'tknow what to do next.
(09:24):
And that's precisely where Ithink most of us get stuck.
Also, we're stuck looking up atheaven, looking up at God.
Where are you?
What do you want me to do?
We're stuck, we're waiting.
We say we're waiting on God,and sometimes we are.
(09:44):
I think in most of myconversations with folks other
pastors who do what I do, andtalk to other people, and in my
own life, if we're being honest,waiting becomes an excuse,
becomes an excuse, a way ofavoiding acting on things that
we know we're supposed to do.
And what we do is we confusefaith with passivity.
(10:05):
We believe we're not supposedto move unless I get total
clarity from God.
So I won't go there until Godcomes out and spells it out for
me and tells me exactly what mynext step is.
But that's never been a patternof biblical faith.
God hardly ever shows the wholepicture.
He just gives you the next step.
(10:29):
And still most of us, myself westall.
I'm waiting to forgive someoneuntil I feel ready to forgive
them, until I feel good about it.
I'm waiting to serve until Iknow what my exact calling is.
I'm not going to do anythingfor Jesus until I know exactly
what I'm supposed to do forJesus.
(10:50):
I'm waiting to give until myfinancial situation becomes more
stable.
I'm waiting to speak up untilit's completely safe for me to
do so.
But if God has already spokenthrough scripture, conviction,
the spirit and community, thenwaiting becomes disobedience,
disguised as spiritual language.
Delayed obedience, as I'veheard it said, is disobedience.
(11:15):
Now, most of us don't think ofourselves as disobedient.
I know a lot of us.
We're trying really hard to dothe right things, the way that
God wants us to do it.
We think we're being careful,prayerful and wise, but
sometimes wisdom is a mask forfear.
We're afraid, so we say we'rejust thinking it through.
(11:40):
Discernment becomes a way tostall.
Well, I know what God wants meto do, but I'm just discerning
exactly how he wants me to do it.
And we delay because we say wewant more signs, more peace,
more reassurance, when what wereally need is more trust.
It's not about more signs, it'snot about more peace, it's not
about more reassurance.
(12:00):
It's about trust, about moresilence.
It's not about more peace, notabout more reassurance, it's
about trust.
And if God has made the nextstep clear, then continuing to
wait isn't faithful.
If God has made the next stepclear, then continuing to wait
isn't faithful.
It's avoidance and obediencewill rarely ever feel convenient
(12:29):
.
It often comes with a cost,kind of like what Jesus said
while he was with his disciplesit would come with a cost, and
that's why we look for ways tobuy time.
Oh, it comes with a cost.
Well, I'm not ready to pay thatyet.
Give me a day, a week, a year,a change of life season, once
the situation gets better.
God, I promise I'm all in there.
But can I point out that delayedobedience also comes with a
(12:51):
cost?
Yes, there's a cost of beingobedient, but there's a cost to
being delayfully.
Is that a word?
Delayfully, is that a word?
We'll go with it.
Delayfully obedient it formshabits of hesitation, it deadens
your sensitivity to God's voiceand maybe, most tragically, it
(13:11):
keeps you from becoming who Godintended you to be.
The angels told the disciplesstop looking up, not because
their waiting was wrong, butbecause it had served its
purpose.
The moment for watching hadpassed.
The next step had already beengiven.
(13:32):
They didn't need a new word,they just needed to walk into
the one they already heard, andso do we.
What we see in Acts isn't aone-time situation, but it's a
consistent pattern throughoutall of scripture.
Again and again, god callspeople to move before they know
(13:53):
exactly where they're going next.
The biblical story is filledwith people who obeyed, are
biblical heroes, so to speak.
They obeyed before they knewwhat the next step was.
In God's economy, obedience isnot rooted in certainty, it's
rooted in trust.
(14:14):
Take Abraham Hebrews 11 tells usit was by faith that Abraham
obeyed when God called him toleave his home, the place he had
been, and to go to another land, the, where he was going.
Leave everything that'sfamiliar, everything that's
(14:35):
comfortable, everything thatbrings you peace and security,
and go this way.
Well, what's that way?
I'll tell you in a little bit.
Well, hold on a second.
That wasn't symbolic.
Abraham really left his home.
Abraham really left behind hisculture.
Abraham really walked away fromsecurity because God said go to
(14:57):
the land.
I will future tense show youNot the land I have shown you,
not the land you've dreamedabout, not the land that's on
your 10-year plan.
But I will show you.
And Abraham obeyed him withouthaving a map, just trusting in
the voice of the God who calledhim.
(15:18):
And then we consider Paul'swords in 2 Corinthians Talking
about faith.
He says this is why we livewith such good cheer.
You won't see us drooping ourheads or called him.
And then we consider Paul'swords in 2 Corinthians Talking
about faith.
He says this is why we livewith such good cheer.
You won't see us drooping ourheads or dragging our feet.
Cramped conditions here don'tget us down.
They only remind us of thespacious living conditions ahead
.
It's what we trust in, butdon't yet see that keeps us
going.
It's what we trust in but don'tyet see that keeps us going.
(15:43):
Do you suppose a few ruts inthe road or rocks in the path
are going to stop us?
When the time comes, we'll beplenty ready to exchange exile
for homecoming.
The Christian life isn't abouthaving the full picture before
you move.
If we only take steps wheneverything is clear, we are not
walking by faith.
We're walking by comfort.
(16:05):
Faith throughout scripture isnot blind, it's relational and
it's anchored in the characterof the one who leads it.
This is what theologians callprogressive revelation those of
you who like getting super nerdyon this stuff, you should
Google this later but it's theidea that God reveals more as we
(16:26):
obey what he's already said.
Obedience becomes a doorway togreater clarity.
Now we want the whole plan upfront, but God gives us just
enough light for the next step.
The more obedient you are intaking the next step, the more
God shows you.
The more God shows you Now.
(16:49):
That's deeply frustrating forus today, because we want to
feel confident before we move.
We want the full picture, thetimeline, we want the guarantee.
That's typically almost neverhow God works.
He didn't show Abraham the land.
He didn't give Moses a 10-yearplan.
He gave Moses specifically oneconversation at a time with
(17:14):
Pharaoh.
One conversation at a time.
Even the disciples had to waitfor the Spirit before they had
any idea what was going tohappen next.
That's what the disciples hadto learn.
They were used to Jesus justbeing physically present with
them.
Have a question about a parable?
Just ask him.
He's right there.
Need something right now?
Well, he's right here.
Go out there.
(17:35):
We always knew we could comeback to Jesus because we always
knew where he was to give usreal life, real time guidance,
always knew where he was, togive us real life, real time
guidance.
But now, with Jesus ascendinginto heaven in the spirit, not
yet given, the disciples had thetrust.
Not where I've been, not yetwhere I'm going, and that's
(18:00):
where we need to live to.
We want certainty, but Godgives us direction and, as
Oswald Chambers once wrote,faith never knows where it is
being led, but it loves andknows the one who is leading.
Faith isn't about having all ofthe answers.
Faith is about trusting thatGod is the answer and stepping
(18:21):
forward anyway.
So here's the convicting,challenging, hard question for
you this morning.
And because I've written this,I've been asking myself this
question a lot what clearinstruction from God have you
been avoiding?
Okay, you know what the nextstep is.
(18:45):
You know what you got to do,the conversation that has to be
had, the thing you're supposedto do, maybe the thing you're
supposed to stop doing?
For many of us, the problemisn't confusion.
You probably know the answer tothe question.
You don't have to raise yourhand.
We're not asking for confessiontime here.
(19:07):
But why do we keep waiting?
What are we waiting for?
The right moment, more clarity,for some kind of confirmation
that will make obedience, feelsafer.
If that's what we're doing,we're just like the disciples
staring up at the sky.
We're stuck, not because youdon't believe I know you believe
.
Not because you don't believe,I know you believe but because
(19:33):
we're afraid of what followingJesus might cost.
And yet Jesus never asks you tomap out the future.
He just asks you to trust him,to follow, not just when it's
convenient, not when it'scertain, but to follow him even
when it's not.
And for a lot of us, the timeis now.
(19:56):
So where in your life are youlooking up instead of stepping
out?
Are you waiting to forgivesomeone until they apologize
first?
Are you holding back fromserving because you don't feel
ready, because you don't feelqualified?
Are you delaying generosityuntil your finances feel more
secure?
Are you staying quiet insteadof speaking truth because it'll
rock the boat in your marriagewith your friends?
Here's the invitation Stopwaiting.
(20:20):
Stop waiting for the skies topart and for God to look down
and spell it out for you.
Obey what you already know.
You already know you're calledto love.
You already know you're calledto forgive.
You already know you're calledto serve and to speak the truth
and to show up and to take risks.
Obedience doesn't require all ofthe answers.
(20:41):
It only requires enough trustto take that next step.
So what is that next step foryou?
Not in theory, but in practice,real life today, in your habits
, in your relationships, in yourgiving, in your growth.
And again, maybe for you itisn't adding something to your
(21:02):
life or doing more.
Perhaps it's about lettingsomething or someone go, maybe
the illusion of control, thebelief that you're not enough,
the story you've been tellingyourself why it's not time, it
starts with one act of obedience.
(21:23):
The angels told the disciplesthis same Jesus that you just
saw leave will return.
That is the promise.
Jesus will come back.
It's just not yet.
And in the meantime, he leftthem with a mission, and that
hasn't changed.
We still live in the samein-between, after the
(21:46):
resurrection changed.
We still live in the samein-between after the
resurrection, before the returnof Christ, after the
resurrection and before thereturn, between what Jesus has
already done and what Jesus ispreparing to do next.
And just like those firstdisciples, we are not meant to
stand and stare at the sky.
We're not meant to waitpassively, hoping for the
perfect moment or more apparentsigns.
(22:10):
John Ortberg has some insightson waiting that I love.
He says waiting is not justsomething we have to do until we
get what we want.
Waiting is part of the processof becoming what God wants us to
be.
If I can encourage you thismorning, if you find yourself in
the waiting in this in-betweenseason of life, you're not just
(22:31):
being tortured or put throughthe ringer because God had
nothing better to do.
You're not just waiting fortomorrow or next week or next
year, but God is doing somethingin you that he couldn't do in
the season before the one you'rein.
He's doing something new.
Do in the season before the oneyou're in.
(22:51):
He's doing something new Now, Iknow that doesn't alleviate the
pain, the anxiety, thedepression, the relationship
problems.
It doesn't alleviate thosethings right now, in this moment
, but I hope that I've given yousomething to hold on to that is
encouraging that, even thoughyou're going through something
truly challenging, trulydifficult, that God is still
doing something remarkable inyou.
Waiting isn't wasted time.
(23:12):
It's where God shapes us.
It's where he forms ourcharacter, sharpens our purpose
and prepares us for what's next.
Yes, you are going somewhere,but you're not ready for that
yet.
Yep, you've been somewhere elseand you're not going back to
that.
(23:32):
And so, as we get to where we'regoing, god says I got to do a
few things with you.
First.
We are meant to step out toobey and trust that God has
already given us enough to takethat next step.
And if Madison Church were tobecome that kind of church that
stops waiting for perfectconditions, and if we just all,
(23:54):
individually, every single oneof us here you're listening if
we all just obeyed what wealready knew, that one step,
whether that's forgiveness,generosity, service,
reconciliation or justice, evenwhen the timing isn't right,
then Madison Church would be acommunity, a people marked by
(24:16):
belief and movement, just likethat church in Acts, the one
that we want to be like.
And people will notice, and ourcity will notice.
Because, in a world ofhesitation and noise and chat,
gpt and Google and all thecertainty that's at our
fingertips, god wants a peoplewho are courageous, who are
(24:41):
obedient and who are faithful.
And so, as we enter into ourtime of communion next, sit with
it, name it and don't leavetoday without asking God for the
courage to take your next step.
Welcome to our Madison Church online audience.
I'm Stephen Feith lead pastor.
For those of you, you don'thave to know me super well to
know that I have never, everbeen good at waiting.
That's not what I'm known for.
Nobody's ever described me as apatient human being.
I'm ready to move if I have arough sense of what needs to
(00:22):
happen.
I don't need the whole picture,I just barely need a feeling
and I'll go after it.
I usually don't sit around andweighing options.
This is why we have boards atMadison Church to help us with
the finances and the spiritualdirection.
I never, ever wait for peace.
I'm a big kind of believer thatwhen I look at my favorite
characters out of the Bible,they never waited for peace to
(00:44):
do something, they just went anddid it, and so that's become
like core theology to me.
I speak and act quickly, mostof the time without thinking it
all the way through my wife's inthe back.
She can vow.
Just for those of you who don'tknow me, I've said things that
didn't need to be said, eventhough they were true.
I've made decisions that havecaused more damage than progress
(01:08):
, and it's not because I'm areckless person.
That's just who I am.
I don't think it's either goodor bad, although it can lead to
good things and it can lead tobad things.
But you know, every now andthen I do the opposite.
Sometimes I wait too long.
Every now and then I do theopposite.
Sometimes I wait too long.
This year, as I've beenlearning and growing, I've
(01:32):
learned that when it comes topeople and relationships, this
is an area of my own life that Iwait too long, I take more time
than I should and I stay inunhealthy relationships because
I tell myself I can help.
I will be the difference.
If I don't help, who will help?
And maybe if I'm just patientenough.
Again, no other part of my lifedo I care about that, but in
this part, if I'm just patientenough, it will turn around and
(01:55):
what I end up doing and ifyou're like me, you end up
carrying other people's emotionsthat aren't yours or mine to
carry.
I don't walk away when I should, and it's not because I'm dumb
I'd like to think that I'm ofaverage intelligence but it's
because I feel responsible.
I feel responsible not just asa human being who lives on
(02:16):
planet earth with you, but Ifeel responsible as the pastor
of this church and we're incommunity together and I've got
to be the front guy, the top guy, and I've got to watch out and
go to battle with you every time.
And I'm working through all ofthis in therapy.
My therapist loves seeing meevery Friday to catch up on the
drama that is my real life.
(02:37):
I asked her point blank onFriday.
I said how much do you lookforward to me coming in on
Friday?
And she said well, I'm notallowed to answer that, but
you're not far off.
So that's great.
Some of you, you live in thistension with me, how you want to
rush forward but you hold back.
Now others of you livedifferently.
(02:58):
I know I think for a lot of youyou don't resonate with
anything I just described.
Moving forward.
You want clarity.
You need it before you're goingto move forward.
You want confirmation, somesort of cosmic sign of certainty
, before you're going to doanything, before you do
something.
You're not disobedient.
That's not what I'm saying,that's not what I'm trying to
(03:19):
suggest at all.
You're just cautious and youdon't want to get it wrong, and
so you'd rather not move at alland stay where you are than move
forward and possibly riskgetting it wrong.
And that's what this series Inthe Waiting is all about.
In life there are a lot ofin-between spaces and, as I
mentioned last week, I want tomention it again.
(03:40):
I know many in our community.
You're watching or listeningonline.
You're in an in-between spaceright now.
You're not where you were, butyou're not yet where you're
going, and this space in betweenis challenging and it's
difficult.
There's the tension of notknowing, but there's also the
(04:01):
danger of not doing anything.
Whether we're a person whopushes too hard or you're a
person who hesitates too long,we all have places in our lives
where we get stuck and God meetsus there.
God isn't just where we've beenand God isn't just where we're
going, but God is also here inthe tension with you, and he's
(04:25):
not trying to rush you and he'snot scolding you, but he is
gently calling us all forward.
In today's passage coming out ofActs, chapter 1, we're going to
see how God does that.
So if you want to follow along,we have the house Bibles.
The words will be up on thescreen as well.
We're going to verse 9.
If you remember from last week,if you weren't here, don't
(04:52):
worry, but the disciples havejust heard Jesus' last words on
earth.
He gave him his lastinstructions.
His command was stay inJerusalem and wait for the Holy
Spirit.
Remember he was saying you'renot where you were and you're
not where you're going yet, butwait.
He wasn't rushing them.
And then suddenly he's goneVerse nine, we read.
(05:12):
After saying this, he was takenup into a cloud while they were
watching and they could nolonger see him.
And put yourself in their shoesfor one second.
The one they had been followingfor years, the one who taught
them everything they knew aboutGod, the one who corrected them,
the one who empowered them, theone who had just risen from the
(05:34):
dead, disappeared.
That's confusing, right?
Because you didn't expect Jesusto die.
You certainly didn't expect himto come back from the dead.
And then he's telling you allof these things.
You're thinking, good, great,turning the page, and then poof,
he's just gone.
It was stunning, disorienting,unsettling, and they do probably
(05:59):
what you and I would do if thathappened today.
They're looking at this like youcoming back.
I mean like what's going onhere?
They're looking at this likeyou coming back.
I mean like what's going onhere?
They're unsure what to do next.
And you got to imagine they'relooking pretty long.
Because it's like Jesus gets upto heaven and he's like I'm
home, back at the throne.
You know this is not goodtheology, by the way, but he's
(06:19):
in heaven and he looks back andhe sees the disciples.
They're just standing therelooking around and Jesus is like
look, I already did thecomeback thing once, a couple
days ago, I ain't doing it again.
Jesus sends two angels.
He's like go, tell them to getto work.
That's what's happening.
So in verse 10, he says as theystrained to see him rising into
(06:39):
heaven, two white-robed mensuddenly stood among them, men
of Galilee.
They said why are you standinghere staring into heaven?
Jesus has been taken from youinto heaven, but someday he will
return from heaven in the sameway you saw him go.
Why do you stand here gawkingat the sky, gawking at the sky,
(07:10):
looking for Jesus to come back?
It's not a rebuke in as much asit's a redirect.
Stop looking there, look here,right, stop looking there, look
around you.
You already know what the nextstep is.
Jesus made that loud and clear.
Now take the step and toexplain kind of this imagery in
the Jewish imagination the skyand heavens that symbolized up
(07:31):
there.
That's where God dwelled.
Okay, so when Jesus ascends,it's not just like he's
vanishing, he's not a ghost, buthe's making a visible
declaration to Jewish people,who would expect this, that when
the Messiah left he would gothat way.
But the disciples are stillbound to earth, they're still
(07:53):
humans, and that person whoanchored them the last three
years was no longer there inperson to anchor them, to be
physically present with them,and they're not yet filled with
the Holy Spirit.
They're in the in-between,they're in the waiting, not
where we were and not wherewe're going.
They don't have a blueprint,they don't have a GPS, they
(08:14):
don't even really have a senseof direction.
They're caught in the confusingin-between.
But what they do have are thoseclear instructions Stay in
Jerusalem and wait for theSpirit.
It wasn't time to preach and itwasn't time to do miracles and
act, but it was time to obey, tolisten, and sometimes the
(08:40):
hardest obedience as followersof Jesus if you're a person of
faith in the room watching orlistening online the hardest
kind of obedience begins whennothing is clear, when that next
step isn't clear.
What the disciples experiencedon that hillside isn't different
than what we experience inseasons of waiting.
(09:01):
Yes, their situation certainlyunique.
They just watched Jesus ascendto the sky with their own eyes.
They had received a directcommand to stay in Jerusalem,
but their struggle is just likeours.
They stood staring upward, notbecause they didn't believe.
They believed, but they didn'tknow what to do next.
(09:24):
And that's precisely where Ithink most of us get stuck.
Also, we're stuck looking up atheaven, looking up at God.
Where are you?
What do you want me to do?
We're stuck, we're waiting.
We say we're waiting on God,and sometimes we are.
(09:44):
I think in most of myconversations with folks other
pastors who do what I do, andtalk to other people, and in my
own life, if we're being honest,waiting becomes an excuse,
becomes an excuse, a way ofavoiding acting on things that
we know we're supposed to do.
And what we do is we confusefaith with passivity.
(10:05):
We believe we're not supposedto move unless I get total
clarity from God.
So I won't go there until Godcomes out and spells it out for
me and tells me exactly what mynext step is.
But that's never been a patternof biblical faith.
God hardly ever shows the wholepicture.
He just gives you the next step.
(10:29):
And still most of us, myself westall.
I'm waiting to forgive someoneuntil I feel ready to forgive
them, until I feel good about it.
I'm waiting to serve until Iknow what my exact calling is.
I'm not going to do anythingfor Jesus until I know exactly
what I'm supposed to do forJesus.
(10:50):
I'm waiting to give until myfinancial situation becomes more
stable.
I'm waiting to speak up untilit's completely safe for me to
do so.
But if God has already spokenthrough scripture, conviction,
the spirit and community, thenwaiting becomes disobedience,
disguised as spiritual language.
Delayed obedience, as I'veheard it said, is disobedience.
(11:15):
Now, most of us don't think ofourselves as disobedient.
I know a lot of us.
We're trying really hard to dothe right things, the way that
God wants us to do it.
We think we're being careful,prayerful and wise, but
sometimes wisdom is a mask forfear.
We're afraid, so we say we'rejust thinking it through.
(11:40):
Discernment becomes a way tostall.
Well, I know what God wants meto do, but I'm just discerning
exactly how he wants me to do it.
And we delay because we say wewant more signs, more peace,
more reassurance, when what wereally need is more trust.
It's not about more signs, it'snot about more peace, it's not
about more reassurance.
(12:00):
It's about trust, about moresilence.
It's not about more peace, notabout more reassurance, it's
about trust.
And if God has made the nextstep clear, then continuing to
wait isn't faithful.
If God has made the next stepclear, then continuing to wait
isn't faithful.
It's avoidance and obediencewill rarely ever feel convenient
(12:29):
.
It often comes with a cost,kind of like what Jesus said
while he was with his disciplesit would come with a cost, and
that's why we look for ways tobuy time.
Oh, it comes with a cost.
Well, I'm not ready to pay thatyet.
Give me a day, a week, a year,a change of life season, once
the situation gets better.
God, I promise I'm all in there.
But can I point out that delayedobedience also comes with a
(12:51):
cost?
Yes, there's a cost of beingobedient, but there's a cost to
being delayfully.
Is that a word?
Delayfully, is that a word?
We'll go with it.
Delayfully obedient it formshabits of hesitation, it deadens
your sensitivity to God's voiceand maybe, most tragically, it
(13:11):
keeps you from becoming who Godintended you to be.
The angels told the disciplesstop looking up, not because
their waiting was wrong, butbecause it had served its
purpose.
The moment for watching hadpassed.
The next step had already beengiven.
(13:32):
They didn't need a new word,they just needed to walk into
the one they already heard, andso do we.
What we see in Acts isn't aone-time situation, but it's a
consistent pattern throughoutall of scripture.
Again and again, god callspeople to move before they know
(13:53):
exactly where they're going next.
The biblical story is filledwith people who obeyed, are
biblical heroes, so to speak.
They obeyed before they knewwhat the next step was.
In God's economy, obedience isnot rooted in certainty, it's
rooted in trust.
(14:14):
Take Abraham Hebrews 11 tells usit was by faith that Abraham
obeyed when God called him toleave his home, the place he had
been, and to go to another land, the, where he was going.
Leave everything that'sfamiliar, everything that's
(14:35):
comfortable, everything thatbrings you peace and security,
and go this way.
Well, what's that way?
I'll tell you in a little bit.
Well, hold on a second.
That wasn't symbolic.
Abraham really left his home.
Abraham really left behind hisculture.
Abraham really walked away fromsecurity because God said go to
(14:57):
the land.
I will future tense show youNot the land I have shown you,
not the land you've dreamedabout, not the land that's on
your 10-year plan.
But I will show you.
And Abraham obeyed him withouthaving a map, just trusting in
the voice of the God who calledhim.
(15:18):
And then we consider Paul'swords in 2 Corinthians Talking
about faith.
He says this is why we livewith such good cheer.
You won't see us drooping ourheads or called him.
And then we consider Paul'swords in 2 Corinthians Talking
about faith.
He says this is why we livewith such good cheer.
You won't see us drooping ourheads or dragging our feet.
Cramped conditions here don'tget us down.
They only remind us of thespacious living conditions ahead
.
It's what we trust in, butdon't yet see that keeps us
going.
It's what we trust in but don'tyet see that keeps us going.
(15:43):
Do you suppose a few ruts inthe road or rocks in the path
are going to stop us?
When the time comes, we'll beplenty ready to exchange exile
for homecoming.
The Christian life isn't abouthaving the full picture before
you move.
If we only take steps wheneverything is clear, we are not
walking by faith.
We're walking by comfort.
(16:05):
Faith throughout scripture isnot blind, it's relational and
it's anchored in the characterof the one who leads it.
This is what theologians callprogressive revelation those of
you who like getting super nerdyon this stuff, you should
Google this later but it's theidea that God reveals more as we
(16:26):
obey what he's already said.
Obedience becomes a doorway togreater clarity.
Now we want the whole plan upfront, but God gives us just
enough light for the next step.
The more obedient you are intaking the next step, the more
God shows you.
The more God shows you Now.
(16:49):
That's deeply frustrating forus today, because we want to
feel confident before we move.
We want the full picture, thetimeline, we want the guarantee.
That's typically almost neverhow God works.
He didn't show Abraham the land.
He didn't give Moses a 10-yearplan.
He gave Moses specifically oneconversation at a time with
(17:14):
Pharaoh.
One conversation at a time.
Even the disciples had to waitfor the Spirit before they had
any idea what was going tohappen next.
That's what the disciples hadto learn.
They were used to Jesus justbeing physically present with
them.
Have a question about a parable?
Just ask him.
He's right there.
Need something right now?
Well, he's right here.
Go out there.
(17:35):
We always knew we could comeback to Jesus because we always
knew where he was to give usreal life, real time guidance,
always knew where he was, togive us real life, real time
guidance.
But now, with Jesus ascendinginto heaven in the spirit, not
yet given, the disciples had thetrust.
Not where I've been, not yetwhere I'm going, and that's
(18:00):
where we need to live to.
We want certainty, but Godgives us direction and, as
Oswald Chambers once wrote,faith never knows where it is
being led, but it loves andknows the one who is leading.
Faith isn't about having all ofthe answers.
Faith is about trusting thatGod is the answer and stepping
(18:21):
forward anyway.
So here's the convicting,challenging, hard question for
you this morning.
And because I've written this,I've been asking myself this
question a lot what clearinstruction from God have you
been avoiding?
Okay, you know what the nextstep is.
(18:45):
You know what you got to do,the conversation that has to be
had, the thing you're supposedto do, maybe the thing you're
supposed to stop doing?
For many of us, the problemisn't confusion.
You probably know the answer tothe question.
You don't have to raise yourhand.
We're not asking for confessiontime here.
(19:07):
But why do we keep waiting?
What are we waiting for?
The right moment, more clarity,for some kind of confirmation
that will make obedience, feelsafer.
If that's what we're doing,we're just like the disciples
staring up at the sky.
We're stuck, not because youdon't believe I know you believe
.
Not because you don't believe,I know you believe but because
(19:33):
we're afraid of what followingJesus might cost.
And yet Jesus never asks you tomap out the future.
He just asks you to trust him,to follow, not just when it's
convenient, not when it'scertain, but to follow him even
when it's not.
And for a lot of us, the timeis now.
(19:56):
So where in your life are youlooking up instead of stepping
out?
Are you waiting to forgivesomeone until they apologize
first?
Are you holding back fromserving because you don't feel
ready, because you don't feelqualified?
Are you delaying generosityuntil your finances feel more
secure?
Are you staying quiet insteadof speaking truth because it'll
rock the boat in your marriagewith your friends?
Here's the invitation Stopwaiting.
(20:20):
Stop waiting for the skies topart and for God to look down
and spell it out for you.
Obey what you already know.
You already know you're calledto love.
You already know you're calledto forgive.
You already know you're calledto serve and to speak the truth
and to show up and to take risks.
Obedience doesn't require all ofthe answers.
(20:41):
It only requires enough trustto take that next step.
So what is that next step foryou?
Not in theory, but in practice,real life today, in your habits
, in your relationships, in yourgiving, in your growth.
And again, maybe for you itisn't adding something to your
(21:02):
life or doing more.
Perhaps it's about lettingsomething or someone go, maybe
the illusion of control, thebelief that you're not enough,
the story you've been tellingyourself why it's not time, it
starts with one act of obedience.
(21:23):
The angels told the disciplesthis same Jesus that you just
saw leave will return.
That is the promise.
Jesus will come back.
It's just not yet.
And in the meantime, he leftthem with a mission, and that
hasn't changed.
We still live in the samein-between, after the
(21:46):
resurrection changed.
We still live in the samein-between after the
resurrection, before the returnof Christ, after the
resurrection and before thereturn, between what Jesus has
already done and what Jesus ispreparing to do next.
And just like those firstdisciples, we are not meant to
stand and stare at the sky.
We're not meant to waitpassively, hoping for the
perfect moment or more apparentsigns.
(22:10):
John Ortberg has some insightson waiting that I love.
He says waiting is not justsomething we have to do until we
get what we want.
Waiting is part of the processof becoming what God wants us to
be.
If I can encourage you thismorning, if you find yourself in
the waiting in this in-betweenseason of life, you're not just
(22:31):
being tortured or put throughthe ringer because God had
nothing better to do.
You're not just waiting fortomorrow or next week or next
year, but God is doing somethingin you that he couldn't do in
the season before the one you'rein.
He's doing something new.
Do in the season before the oneyou're in.
(22:51):
He's doing something new Now, Iknow that doesn't alleviate the
pain, the anxiety, thedepression, the relationship
problems.
It doesn't alleviate thosethings right now, in this moment
, but I hope that I've given yousomething to hold on to that is
encouraging that, even thoughyou're going through something
truly challenging, trulydifficult, that God is still
doing something remarkable inyou.
Waiting isn't wasted time.
(23:12):
It's where God shapes us.
It's where he forms ourcharacter, sharpens our purpose
and prepares us for what's next.
Yes, you are going somewhere,but you're not ready for that
yet.
Yep, you've been somewhere elseand you're not going back to
that.
(23:32):
And so, as we get to where we'regoing, god says I got to do a
few things with you.
First.
We are meant to step out toobey and trust that God has
already given us enough to takethat next step.
And if Madison Church were tobecome that kind of church that
stops waiting for perfectconditions, and if we just all,
(23:54):
individually, every single oneof us here you're listening if
we all just obeyed what wealready knew, that one step,
whether that's forgiveness,generosity, service,
reconciliation or justice, evenwhen the timing isn't right,
then Madison Church would be acommunity, a people marked by
(24:16):
belief and movement, just likethat church in Acts, the one
that we want to be like.
And people will notice, and ourcity will notice.
Because, in a world ofhesitation and noise and chat,
gpt and Google and all thecertainty that's at our
fingertips, god wants a peoplewho are courageous, who are
(24:41):
obedient and who are faithful.
And so, as we enter into ourtime of communion next, sit with
it, name it and don't leavetoday without asking God for the
courage to take your next step.
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