North Main Street Church of God
The Gift of Waiting - Part 1
1201 North Main Street Ext. Butler, PA 16001 12/04/2022
Locations & Times
North Main Street Church of God
1201 N Main St Ext, Butler, PA 16001, USA
Sunday 10:27 AM
Sunday Morning
Join us on Sunday Mornings online where you can Check-in/Connect, Give, and Watch along with us.
https://northmaincog.org/online/
Welcome
We are so glad that you joined us today at North Main Street Church of God. At North Main we exists to develop completely committed followers of Christ who... <br> Know Christ intimately, <br> Grow in Christ continually, and <br> Go for Christ daily
Joining us online?
Thank you for joining us today! Please check in here:
https://northmaincog.org/online-connection-form/Newcomers to North Main
If you are a newcomer, we’re so glad you’ve joined us! If you’re here in person, make sure to stop by the Welcome Center where we have a gift bag for you with some information about us and some delicious homemade chocolate chip COOKIES. <br> For those online please visit the website below and make sure to click the COMMUNICATION CARD button and fill that out so we can send you a free gift!
https://northmaincog.org/onlineChurch Mobile App
Did you know North Main has a church mobile app? Access videos anytime from your device and never miss a sermon. Securely and easily give your tithes, offerings, and donations. Instantly register for upcoming events, and stay in the know of what's happening. Contact Us at any time with a simple message. Find others in the North Main directory. To download go to:
https://northmaincog.org/app/The Lighthouse Toy Shoppe
https://northmaincog.org/events/toy-shoppe/
https://northmaincog.org/events/toy-shoppe/Connection Luncheon
Join us AFTER SERVICE TODAY for our Christmas Connection Luncheon. If you are new to North Main and are joining us at a Connection Luncheon for the first time, you get to eat for free! <br> Cost: $6/adult $4/child and a max of $20/household YOU CAN PAY by CASH OR CHECK OR THERE WILL BE A QR CODE AVAILABLE TO SCAN WITH YOUR PHONE THAT TAKES YOU TO A PAYMENT FORM ON OUR WEBSITE. MENU: Ham, Potatoes Gratin, Green Beans, Roll, and Christmas Cookies.
https://northmaincog.org/events/connection-luncheon/Give
We thank you for your faithful gifts. You can give online and, of course, on Sundays by using the secure drop boxes located outside the doors of the Sanctuary. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
https://northmaincog.org/give/
(Isaiah 9:1-7)
Yearly Theme: “Patience is…”
Series Title: “The Advent of Patience”
December 4th, 2022
Have you ever had to wait for something so long that you just couldn’t stand it?
Warren Wiersbe makes the observation, “The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life. Our old nature is restless...the world around us is frantically in a hurry. But a restless heart usually leads to a reckless life.”[1]
Today, we look again to GOD’s Word to understand the story of love, redemption, and waiting. In doing so, we turn to an Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah’s writings that foreshadows a specific time in history when the Messiah would come to save the lost and offer the gift of eternal life to all who believed in Him. Written some 700 years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah writes…
[1] “Men’s Life,”Spring, 1998.
Key Point: “Since the beginning, GOD’s true people faithfully waited on the Messiah and were blessed.”
How did GOD’s people wait for the Messiah’s first arrival during the time of Isaiah, and how are we to wait on the second coming of Messiah today? What does waiting on GOD require of us?
Isaiah 9:1 (NLT), Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
Isaiah 9:2-6 (NLT), 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. 5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT), 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”
This Christmas season let’s not only remember that there were countless generations that waiting on the coming Messiah that would be born in the small town of Bethlehem, we too are awaiting the very same Messiah to come again and fulfill His promise of a New Heaven and a New Earth, where there is no sorrow, pain, tears, death, or corruption. And even if He doesn’t come in our lifetime, through the Holy Spirit’s power and strength within us we will endure, believe, and trust in GOD’s promises.
Key Point: “Since the beginning, GOD’s true people faithfully waited on the Messiah and were blessed.”
Would you consider yourself more of a patient or impatient person? Why?
Can you think of a time when you had to be patient under great stress or in the midst of struggles?
Imagine waiting 700 years for a promise of deliverance to come to pass. How might it stretch and grow your faith?
In reflecting on this prophecy about who Jesus is and how He will rule, how does it build your confidence in Him—even if things in this world are not currently going the way you wish?
As we enter the Advent season this week, what is a way that you better express your allegiance to and hope in Christ?
Isaiah 9:2
“The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.”
Past Sermons
To view past sermons, please visit our website below.
https://northmaincog.org/media-resources/sermons/Contact Us
If you would like to update your information or have a prayer request, please fill out the link below.
https://northmaincog.org/media-resources/contact-us/North Main Street Church of God
1201 North Main Street Ext.Butler, PA 16001 (724) 285-4214 info@northmaincog.org
http://www.northmaincog.org/Give
We thank you for your faithful gifts. You can give online at NORTHMAINCOG.ORG/GIVE, text "give" to (724) 313-2211, and, of course, on Sundays by using the secure drop boxes located outside the doors of the Sanctuary. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
https://www.northmaincog.org/giveMonday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm
The office will be closed 12/25-1/2 for the holidays