Summary
In this sermon from Acts Chapter 1, Pastor Dan explores how followers of Jesus can faithfully navigate seasons of waiting and uncertainty. Using the disciples' experience after Jesus ascended into heaven as a framework, He presents a four-part game plan for those who feel stuck, unsure of their next step, or simply waiting on God to move. The four parts of the game plan are: (1) Look up with hope, anchoring confidence in God's promises rather than wishful thinking; (2) Wait together in prayer, leaning into Christian community rather than isolating; (3) Trust God's Word as the unchanging foundation when emotions and circumstances fluctuate; and (4) Follow God's appointed leadership, recognizing that God works through the shepherds He places in our lives. The central message is that God never wastes the waiting. He uses seasons of uncertainty to prepare His people for what He is calling them to do next.
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You today grateful for the opportunity to gather and dig deeper into Your Word together. As we discuss what it means to faithfully follow You in seasons of waiting, we ask that You open our hearts and minds to what You specifically want each of us to receive today. Quiet the noise of our circumstances, our fears, and our distractions, and help us to truly hear Your voice. May this time together draw us closer to You and to one another. In Jesus' name, amen.
Ice Breaker
What is one thing you have had to wait for in your life that turned out to be worth the wait?
Key Verses
Acts 1:9-11
Acts 1:14
Acts 1:21-26
Isaiah 41:10
Questions
Pastor Dan described the disciples watching Jesus ascend into heaven and feeling uncertain about what came next. Can you think of a season in your own life when you felt similarly unprepared or unsure of your next step? What was that like?
The angels reminded the disciples that 'this same Jesus' who ascended will return. How does the promise of Jesus' return practically change the way you face discouragement or uncertainty in your daily life?
Pastor Dan drew a distinction between presumption and true hope, saying presumption is based on what we think will happen while hope is based on what God has promised. Where do you find yourself leaning more on presumption than on God's promises?
The disciples' first response after Jesus ascended was not to panic or strategize but to pray together. Why do you think our instinct is often the opposite, and what makes it so hard to go to prayer first?
Pastor Dan said that seasons of waiting have a way of exposing whether we are truly dependent on God. What has a difficult season of waiting revealed to you about your own dependence on God?
He mentioned that one of the quickest ways to lose your footing in a season of waiting is to stop listening to God's voice through Scripture. How consistent is your engagement with God's Word right now, and what is one practical step you could take to make it more regular?
Peter went straight to Scripture to make sense of everything that had happened, including
the betrayal by Judas. How do you typically process confusing or painful circumstances?
Do you tend to turn to God's Word, your feelings, or something else?
Pastor Dan said that God uses seasons of waiting not as punishment but as preparation.
Looking back at a past season of waiting in your life, can you identify ways God was
preparing you during that time for what came next?
Life Application
This week, identify one area of your life where you are currently in a season of waiting. Choose one of the four practices from the sermon, looking up with hope, praying with others, spending time in God's Word, or leaning on godly community and leadership, and intentionally apply it to that area every day this week. Consider sharing your commitment with someone in the group so they can check in with you and pray for you.
Key Takeaways
Look up with hope: Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but confidence anchored in the promises of a faithful God. Jesus is alive, reigning, and returning, and that truth changes how we face every season of waiting.
Wait together in prayer: The disciples' first response to uncertainty was to gather and pray together. Isolating yourself during hard seasons is the opposite of what God calls you to do. Lean into Christian community.
Trust God's Word: When emotions fluctuate and circumstances are confusing, God's promises remain unchanged. Anchoring yourself daily to Scripture provides stability that nothing else can offer.
Follow God's appointed leadership: God works through the shepherds He places in the local church. Submitting to godly leadership is not about giving up control but about trusting that Jesus loves His church enough to provide guides and protectors for His people.
God never wastes the waiting: The disciples' time of waiting before Pentecost was not abandonment but preparation. Whatever season you are in, God is actively at work preparing you for what He has called you to next.
Ending Prayer
Lord, thank You for the time we have shared together today around Your Word. We are reminded that You are not surprised by our seasons of waiting, and You are not absent from them. Help each of us to leave here with a renewed commitment to look up with hope, to pray together, to stay rooted in Your Word, and to trust the community and leadership You have placed in our lives. Where we are tempted to worry or isolate, remind us that You are with us and that Your plans for us are good. May the waiting seasons in our lives become the very places where our faith grows deepest. We trust You with everything we are carrying today. In the name of Jesus,
amen.
In this sermon from Acts Chapter 1, Pastor Dan explores how followers of Jesus can faithfully navigate seasons of waiting and uncertainty. Using the disciples' experience after Jesus ascended into heaven as a framework, He presents a four-part game plan for those who feel stuck, unsure of their next step, or simply waiting on God to move. The four parts of the game plan are: (1) Look up with hope, anchoring confidence in God's promises rather than wishful thinking; (2) Wait together in prayer, leaning into Christian community rather than isolating; (3) Trust God's Word as the unchanging foundation when emotions and circumstances fluctuate; and (4) Follow God's appointed leadership, recognizing that God works through the shepherds He places in our lives. The central message is that God never wastes the waiting. He uses seasons of uncertainty to prepare His people for what He is calling them to do next.
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You today grateful for the opportunity to gather and dig deeper into Your Word together. As we discuss what it means to faithfully follow You in seasons of waiting, we ask that You open our hearts and minds to what You specifically want each of us to receive today. Quiet the noise of our circumstances, our fears, and our distractions, and help us to truly hear Your voice. May this time together draw us closer to You and to one another. In Jesus' name, amen.
Ice Breaker
What is one thing you have had to wait for in your life that turned out to be worth the wait?
Key Verses
Acts 1:9-11
Acts 1:14
Acts 1:21-26
Isaiah 41:10
Questions
Pastor Dan described the disciples watching Jesus ascend into heaven and feeling uncertain about what came next. Can you think of a season in your own life when you felt similarly unprepared or unsure of your next step? What was that like?
The angels reminded the disciples that 'this same Jesus' who ascended will return. How does the promise of Jesus' return practically change the way you face discouragement or uncertainty in your daily life?
Pastor Dan drew a distinction between presumption and true hope, saying presumption is based on what we think will happen while hope is based on what God has promised. Where do you find yourself leaning more on presumption than on God's promises?
The disciples' first response after Jesus ascended was not to panic or strategize but to pray together. Why do you think our instinct is often the opposite, and what makes it so hard to go to prayer first?
Pastor Dan said that seasons of waiting have a way of exposing whether we are truly dependent on God. What has a difficult season of waiting revealed to you about your own dependence on God?
He mentioned that one of the quickest ways to lose your footing in a season of waiting is to stop listening to God's voice through Scripture. How consistent is your engagement with God's Word right now, and what is one practical step you could take to make it more regular?
Peter went straight to Scripture to make sense of everything that had happened, including
the betrayal by Judas. How do you typically process confusing or painful circumstances?
Do you tend to turn to God's Word, your feelings, or something else?
Pastor Dan said that God uses seasons of waiting not as punishment but as preparation.
Looking back at a past season of waiting in your life, can you identify ways God was
preparing you during that time for what came next?
Life Application
This week, identify one area of your life where you are currently in a season of waiting. Choose one of the four practices from the sermon, looking up with hope, praying with others, spending time in God's Word, or leaning on godly community and leadership, and intentionally apply it to that area every day this week. Consider sharing your commitment with someone in the group so they can check in with you and pray for you.
Key Takeaways
Look up with hope: Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but confidence anchored in the promises of a faithful God. Jesus is alive, reigning, and returning, and that truth changes how we face every season of waiting.
Wait together in prayer: The disciples' first response to uncertainty was to gather and pray together. Isolating yourself during hard seasons is the opposite of what God calls you to do. Lean into Christian community.
Trust God's Word: When emotions fluctuate and circumstances are confusing, God's promises remain unchanged. Anchoring yourself daily to Scripture provides stability that nothing else can offer.
Follow God's appointed leadership: God works through the shepherds He places in the local church. Submitting to godly leadership is not about giving up control but about trusting that Jesus loves His church enough to provide guides and protectors for His people.
God never wastes the waiting: The disciples' time of waiting before Pentecost was not abandonment but preparation. Whatever season you are in, God is actively at work preparing you for what He has called you to next.
Ending Prayer
Lord, thank You for the time we have shared together today around Your Word. We are reminded that You are not surprised by our seasons of waiting, and You are not absent from them. Help each of us to leave here with a renewed commitment to look up with hope, to pray together, to stay rooted in Your Word, and to trust the community and leadership You have placed in our lives. Where we are tempted to worry or isolate, remind us that You are with us and that Your plans for us are good. May the waiting seasons in our lives become the very places where our faith grows deepest. We trust You with everything we are carrying today. In the name of Jesus,
amen.
PREVIOUS WEEKS
| Everyday Obedience - Week 1 |
| Everyday Obedience - Week 2 |
| Everyday Obedience - Week 3 |