I went to City Light Church Las Vegas for the first time last Sunday after seeing that one of my pastor’s from Dallas had just spoken there while I was out of town last month. I’d subscribed to the podcast and began listening to some of Pastor Jabin Chavez’s sermons, before actually visiting and immediately felt that God was moving at City Light. The worship experience was amazing and the word that was bought forth was just what I needed to hear in this season that I am in.

As always you can find the full sermon linked below! Enjoy.

Luke 1: 6-13 Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

God Answers Prayer

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things you do not know”

Pslam 116:1 “I love the Lord, he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy”

Isaiah 65:24 “I will answer them before they even call upon me, while they are still speaking I will hear”

Prayer goes ahead of you.

Prayer goes to places you can’t go.

Phillippians 4:6-7 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What do we do between the moment we say it and the moment we see it?

There are no unanswered prayers, there is yes, wait, and “I have something better for you”.

Remain faithful in hope

:Faithful people are careful people.
While you’re waiting on what to do next, do what you know to do now.
Your now will determine your next, so if you can’t steward your now you won’t be able to steward your next.
Isaiah 40:31 “those who wait upon the lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint”
Wait in Hebrew means to look with hope
You need hope because you have to wait, we like hope but we don’t like waiting. But you only need hope if your’e waiting.
There will be waiting seasons
Wait with hope and worship and not worry
Better days are ahead
While you wait you get stronger
There is strength in the waiting
When you wait you learn to fly
The waiting season is never a wasted season
Wait means to bind together, so we don’t wait alone, we wait together in fellowship.
Which is why fellowship is important
2. Reject the fear of disappointment
Fear is an intruder
Fear is an illegal emotion for the Christian that tries to creep into your heart.
2 Timothy 1:7 “ God has not given us a spirit of fear”
God has given us power, love, and a sound mind.
Life can be overwhelming and the response of your flesh to life being life is fear.
Reject fear
Fear will stop more people than failure ever will
Psalms 112 “we will not fear bad news”
Hope requires that your eyes are on Jesus
Fear screams but peace is a whisper.
Jesus is the truth.
While we wait to see it we won’t wait in fear, we will reject fear. We will receive that good days are in our future.
3. Rest in God’s faithfulness
When the Angel went to Zachariah and said “God heard your prayer” Zachariah wasn’t thinking about a baby he prayed for 39 years ago.
PRAYERS NEVER DIE
The prophesy over your life will never die.
God’s word is eternal
The book of Revelation says: every prayer from a saint fills a bowl of incense and God is looking at that bowl, smelling that bowl, seeing that bowl. We move on but God is still holding on to that prayer. God see’s every prayer we’ve prayed and every tear we’ve cried.
God’s timing is never our timing
2 Corinthians 1:20
We say Amen to the glory of God
God is a “yes & amen” God. So if God ever says no it’s because he has a better yes planned.
God is a God of timing, places, & people
Anytime one of those is off it’s going to slow down your destiny.
Whoever God has set before you is a doorway to everything God has for you
Jesus was going to come to the earth but in the prophecy Isaiah said he wouldn’t unless it was a forerunner
John was destined to be Jesus’s forerunner
Galatians 4:4
It was a timing issue
Until the earth was ready to receive Jesus the messiah, Zachariah’s and Elizabeth’s prayer could not be answered
Can you trust God in the dark with what you heard in the light?
With the wrong timing the right answer becomes the wrong answer.
When you pray God not only heard you but he placed you in divine order.
People don’t like the tempo and pace of divine order, so they end up leaving and frustrated.
Proverbs 69 “ A man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.”
Psalms 37:23 “the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord”
Isaiah 40
Don’t be impatient in the wait, wait with hope