WAITING: DR. MENSAH OTABIL – SUNDAY SERVICE, 7TH MARCH, 2021
SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: WAITING
DATE: 7TH MARCH, 2021
TEXT: JAMES 5:7
Amen! Let’s rise up together, as we make our DECLARATION OF FRUITFULNESS in this Year of Fruitfulness:
Are you ready? Say with me:
The Eternal God is our refuge. He opens Rivers in desolate Heights.The Lord makes the wilderness a Pool of water.
The LORD God is my Sun and Shield; The LORD gives Grace and Glory.
Therefore, I delight myself in Him. Those who are Planted in the House of the LORD
shall be fresh and flourishing.
Though the Earth be shaken; the Name of the Lord is my Strong Tower. By Faith I affirm that: In Christ alone is my Salvation. In Him I live, And move And have my being.
It is written: The Righteous are like trees Planted by the waters; bearing fruits in its Season.
So I boldly declare: As for me, my God has made me EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL.
In this Season, my Spirit bears fruits of Righteousness, my Talents make Way for me. With my hands, I will Plant, I will Build, I will Harvest – Day by day, Step by step.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Two (2) weeks ago I spoke on “SEEDTIME”. And I’m continuing my Teaching along the line.
DMC NOTES: You can get to access the Full Text of the Message Titled SeedTime on this Link:
https://discoverymediacrew.com/Seedtime-Pastor-Mensa-Otabil
My Message today is Titled “WAITING”.
So I will go back to the Verse I began with (2 weeks ago – 21st of February, 2021) – Genesis 8:22: “While the Earth remains, Seedtime and Harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and Summer, And Day and Night Shall not cease.”
We are focussing mostly on the first Pair – That is: “SEEDTIME and HARVEST”.
And we described SEEDTIME as a time for Sowing Seeds.
… It’s clear enough!
And every Culture has a Seedtime – A season the Seeds are sown.
And Harvest is the time to reap what you have sown.
Now, when you read the statement, it talks about Seedtime and Harvest. And you get the impression (although mistaken): That immediately you sow a Seed, you will Harvest!
But in between Seedtime and Harvest, there is another season called “WAITING TIME”.
So “WAITING TIME” is the time between Seedtime and Harvest.
When you have sown your Seed, when you have done the right thing and you are expecting a Good result;there is a “Waiting Time”!
And that is what I am focussing my Teaching on today!
James 5:7 will be my Anchor Scripture.
“Therefore be Patient, Brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the Previous Fruit of the Earth, Waiting Patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”
Now, the immediate context of this Passage is related to the Coming of the Lord! And anytime I am dealing with a Scripture, I have to be true to the Scripture.
… You can’t just take a Scripture and butcher it just anyhow.
So, you have to always Understand the Context within which a Passage of Scripture is declared.
The context is: THE COMING OF THE LORD.
The Apostle James is encouraging the Christians of his time (definitely, of our time as well): To Wait for the Coming of the Lord!
Now, in telling them to Wait for the Coming of the Lord.
James used an Analogy – The Analogy of a Farmer who has Planted his Seed, and is waiting for his Harvest.
This is how James puts it – He says: “See how the farmer waits for the Previous Fruit of the Earth, waiting Patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”
So, what James is basically saying is: Just as a Farmer waits for the Fruits, we must also wait for the Lord.
However, for my Message today, I am not focusing on the Coming of the Lord – I am focusing on the Analogy James uses: “See how the farmer waits for the Previous Fruit of the Earth, waiting Patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”
Now, if you read James’ statement, in the context of Genesis 8:22, which says: “There is Seedtime and Harvest”
James is saying: between Seedtime and Harvest, there is WAITING.
So, whenever we sow a Seed (whatever that seed is); and we expect a Harvest from God; there is a Season (though not mentioned Present!)
And that Season is THE WAITING SEASON.
Many time People sow a Seed, and instantly, expects an Harvest.
And in the Passage in James, The Apostle James used the word ‘WAIT’ twice – He used it twice!
SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WAIT?
He said we should wait Patiently!
The Bible says we should Wait – What does it means?
I will give you two (2) Ideas;
- First, it means: TO REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE.
When a Person is Waiting, they remain where they are.
- It can be Physically staying where you are.
- Mentally staying where you are.
- Spiritually staying where you are
Now, staying where you are is not an excuse to be lazy or doing Nothing and just hoping that everything would be fine – No!
It is about taking a Positive Steps in a direction; and remaining committed to the direction you are moving in.
So, when we say somebody is WAITING; it means that they are doing the same thing; they are committed to the same Process.
… Wait is remaining where you are!
- Secondly, to Wait is to Look Forward to something.
- To have a sense of Expectation.
- To be in Preparation for something to happen.
- To have Hope.
A Farmer has hope for a Harvest. And if he has no hope for a Harvest, they will give up on their Harvest.
Similarly, if we have no hope that Jesus is Coming again, we will give up on Him!
And when you sow any Seed, if you have no hope that God will give you Fruits, you will give up on the Seed.
So Waiting is to remain where you are, and to look forward to something.
Now, with that in mind: we know what Waiting is; we know where we are, and we are looking Forward to something!
With that in mind, I will read the Passage again from James 5:7.
And it says: “See how the farmer waits for the Precious fruit of the Earth, waiting Patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain”
So here, he is talking about the Farmer. And you can just put yourself in that Position that you are the Farmer.
A Farmer is the Person who is sowing the seed.
That’s the Farmer!
And there are two (2) mentions of Wait:
- First, the Farmer is Waiting for the Precious Fruit of the Earth.
That is waiting for The Result. Or waiting for The Harvest.
After Planting the Seed, he Waits for the Fruit.
When we sow something, for example – Giving of First Fruits, Payment of Tithes, etc but they have to Wait!
WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR?
They are Waiting for the Harvest, they are Waiting for the Blessing, they are Waiting for God to give result to what they have done!
…. But that is not the only ‘WAIT’ the Farmer is waiting for!
The first Wait, he is waiting for the Precious Fruit of the Earth.
But then, there is the Second Wait:
- He is Waiting Patiently to Receive the Early and the Latter Rain.
The Early and the Latter Rain is Process: Waiting for the Process to be completed, so that you can receive your Harvest.
So, what we learned from.the Passage is: We Wait both for the Fruit and the Process that will Produce the Fruit.
If I have sown a Seed, I expect God to give me the Harvest between the time I sow the seed and the time i receive the Harvest – I MUST WAIT!
What am I Waiting for? – I am Waiting for the Harvest!
But that is not all I am waiting for because the harvest doesn’t just happen!
For the Harvest to happen, there had to be Rain. It has to be watered, it has to be developed, it has to grow.
So I am waiting for the Harvest, but I am also waiting for the Process that will Produce the Harvest.
If you don’t know how to wait for both the Harvest and the Process, you will abandon your Harvest.
So, James is saying ‘the Farmer, he Waits for the Harvest. But whilst waiting for the Harvest, he is also waiting for the Rain.
It’s almost like when you are going to Plant Corn. Let’s say somewhere in March, you Plant Corn. The moment you Plant Corn, you start thinking of June, July, August; when you are going to reap your Harvest.
… Maybe you have even budgeted for your Harvest.
So that’s your first waiting: you are waiting that what you have Planted would Produce Fruit.
But what you have Planted would not just Produce Fruit; there has to be Rain.
So you must also learn; not only to wait for the Harvest, but also for the Rain!
The Rain is the System – The process that God puts into Motion, so that your Harvest will come.
James says that the Husbandman or the Farmer waits both for the Harvest and the Rain that Produces the Harvest.
To explain that concept further, we read from Galatians 6:9:
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due Season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
In Galatians 6:7; he had said: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”
Now if you only look at Verse 7 (of Galatians 6), it just tells you that whatever a man sows, that he will reap!
But when you now come to Galatians 6:9, between Sowing and Reaping, there is something.
What is that? It says “Don’t be weary while doing Good; for in Due Season we shall reap, if we do not lose Heart.”
So, you don’t just sow a Seed and reap; you reap in a Season that Galatians calls ‘THE DUE SEASON.’
WHAT IS THE DUE SEASON?
The Due Season clarifies the Principle of Sowing and Reaping.
So whatever we sow, we reap in Due Season.
Have you ever seen Somebody sow something very bad; somebody does something bad and People say ‘You will reap what you have sown?’
… Have you had such Experience?
Or as they say in our Part of the world: “God will Salary you (Laughter)!”
So, somebody does something, we say: You will reap!
And sometimes the Person does something bad and you expect that immediately, something bad will happen for him to see that what he sowed is what he has reaped.
But have you also noticed that, the People do something bad and judgement doesn’t come instantly?
And sometime you get disappointed! You say Ha, he has sown, he must reap!
It is because in between Sowing and Reaping; there is a Waiting Period.
And what are you waiting for? – For the DUE SEASON!
In the same way, Somebody does something very Good, and expect that next week, Good Thing will happen!
And then next week, Nothing Good happens and then you wonder ‘but I did Good last week.”
It is because you don’t just sow and reap. When you sow, you reap in Due Season.
One of the things that bothers a lot of Christians when they Give; especially when they Give an Offering.
Because we use the language: “Sow a seed.” they believed that if they GIVE this Month, they will Prosper this Month!
Or somebody say, trust the Lord and Give – The Lord will bless you abundantly. And the moment you Give, you are expecting a Harvest.
But in between the Sowing and the Season of Harvest; there is Waiting.
… And Reaping takes Place in Due Season.
WHAT IS A DUE SEASON?
I’m going to give you THREE (3) DEFINITIONS of a Due Season:
- A Due Season first, is the Right Season.
The Opportuned Time! The season when things happen.
For Example, when I sow Corn at the begining of a Planting Season, I will Reap at the Harvest Season.
If I sow Corn in March, I’m not going to reap it in December; because that’s not the Due Season. I’m going to reap it around June or July; because that is the Due Season – The Right Time!
Similarly, God also has Appointed Times and Seasons, for things to happen.
Let’s say for example; a child who is Nine (9) years: and Jesus says those children have more Faith than adults.
And a child comes in and say “Oh God, our help in Ages Past. God, give me a car.” And he has all the Faith.
… Will God give him a Car? – No!
Why? – Because it’s not the Due Season for him to have a Car! He doesn’t have the Maturity to handle a car – Although he has asked for the Right thing, God will answer that Prayer in Due Season.
When is the Due Season? – When the Right Time comes!
When is the Right Time? – When he reaches maturity!
So, there are things you Pray for now, you would not received; because there is a Season for you to be ready for the answer.
And until you are ready for the answer; God holds on to your Harvest in Due Season.
… So the Due Season is the Right Time!
- Secondly, the Due Season is the Fullness of Time.
Fullness of Time is a very interesting concept. Let me use the Agricultural Example:
You sow Corn (since I started with Corn, I might as well, continue with Corn). And you sow them all on the same day.
Do they all mature the same day? – No!
So, although all are sown the same day, the Fullness of Time differs!
You go to your Farm, you realised some of them are mature, then you go next week, others have mature. In fact, some mature a Month after!
But they were all Planted the same time – Because their Fullness of Time is not the same.
Let me use another analogy: PREGNANCY.
Two (2) women – married (not girl friends); become Pregnant on the same day not by the same man!
By their husbands on the same day! Are you going to say that because they became Pregnant on the same day, they will give birth on the same day? – No!
… Because the Fullness of Time is not the same.
A group of People go to School, they all graduated on the same day. Are they going to find job the same day? – No!
Why? – Because there is something called the Fullness of Time.
And the Fullness of Time for me is not the Fullness of Time for you!
The Bible says, when I sow Seed, God is going to give me my reward in Due Season. And the Due Season is my Fullness of Time.
So, I cannot say: “We started at the same time, we must end at the same time. It doesn’t work that way!
There are People you go to school with, they will have an early Fullness of Time before your own Fullness of Time.
And that is why the Bible says: ‘We don’t get weary whilst waiting.’
Why? – Because the Due Season is not the same for everybody.
The Due Season is the Right Time. And the Right Time is the Fullness of Time.
- Thirdly, the Due Season is the Complete Process.
… That’s a very important one!
It means that all the Processes must go through.
For Example, if I Planted a Seed, but it didn’t germinate; I will not have a Harvest.
For me to have a Harvest: the Seed must go through germination, it must grow at certain rate. And go through that Process.
And it is when I have gone through all the Process, that I get my Harvest.
Paul puts it this way: “I have Planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6
There are different Processes – He does something, something else happened and then the Harvest comes!
Many times there is a Process our Seed must go through – If I Plant a Seed, I must water it. I must remove the weeds. I must make sure that birds do not come to eat my fruit before it’s time.
I must Protect my Seed. If I don’t Protect it, in Due Season, I would not have completed the Process and there will be no Harvest for me.
Is it possible for a Person to do the Right Thing, and not have to Harvest? – YES!
… Because the Farmer didn’t endure to go through the Complete Process.
That is why we don’t get weary, we don’t get tired, we don’t give up! We don’t surrender. We don’t say, oh, I have waited and waited, this thing is not happening. I give up!
If you give up, there will be no Harvest.
So what does it mean?
It means that between the Time you start the Process and the Time Harvest shows up; you do not lose heart while Waiting for the Due Season. – You don’t lose heart!
And every Seed we Plant has a Due Season for Maturity.
It could be a Business Seed, it could be a Financial Seed, it could be even in a Relationship – Maybe a Marriage.
You are having Problem with your husband, somebody tells you: ‘Go home, before your husband gets home, dress this way, put on that Perfume; the Marriage will be fine and the Problem will be solved!’
And you go home, you dress nicely, you put on your Perfume. Your husband comes, he doesn’t notice it (laughter)!
… Then you say: Ha, that thing doesn’t work.
But if you believed, you have hope of a Harvest; the next day you are going to do the same thing. And the next day, you are going to do the same thing!
Why? – Because the Due Season requires a Process.
So you started a Business and you believed “God will bless it, God will Prosper me.”
And then you start the Business, you are struggling and struggling!
There is a DUE SEASON! – So you don’t give up through your Struggles; you stay on course!
You are Giving Financially, and you trust God to bless you. You believed God will bless you next Month.
But next Month comes, there is no Breaking, and there is no Through.
What do you do? Do you give up? – No! There is a Due Season.
And what do you do? – You keep on with what you are doing, until your Due Season comes!
When we started our Church, we went through a whole Process of frustration; being kicked, being sacked from one Meeting Place to the other.
We were sacked so much, I became an Expert at looking for Meeting Places. I knew every nook and Cranny of Accra – Looking for Places!
Sometimes we Meet in a Place, the next week we are sacked.
Did God call us? – Yes! Were we in God’s Will? – Yes!
What were we doing? – We were Sowing.*
When are you going to reap? – In Due Season!
But what must you do before the Due Season? – Don’t Faint!
And some of you are Fainting – You have abandoned the Process. ‘The WAITING is too much!’
It’s like somebody who goes to an Office to meet somebody. And he is given an Appointment at 1 O’clock. He gets their at 9 O’clock, he was giving a chair to wait on.
And he starts waiting from 9 O’clock up till 12 O’clock. And finally, he says “I’m fed up! I’m leaving!”
And 5 minutes after he left, the door opens! All the three (3) hours of waiting is wasted.
Jesus gave a Banquet, the ten (10) Virgins couldn’t wait (they all fell asleep). Five (5) didn’t Prepare for the Bridegroom and they couldn’t go with Him!
I don’t know what you are going through. We are not ‘Virgins’; but are we Foolish?
Are you a Foolish husband? Are you a Foolish Wife? Or a Foolish Businessman? Are you a Foolish Pastor? Are you a Foolish Person?
AND WHY DID HE CALL THEM FOOLISH?
Because they didn’t anticipate the Wait!
They expected that when they got there, the door will open.
May I just let you know: The doors don’t open; they wait and they open in Due Season.
And if you start the Process, you are going to stay through to the Due Season and the door will be Opened!
One of these days when you have no expectation, something will hit you ‘BOOM!’
Then you will wonder ‘WHY DID IT HAPPEN?’ You have been Planning for it for the last twenty (20) Years.
And today was your Due Season!
One of these days you will be working somewhere and a door that has been locked for so many years ‘BOOM!’ Opens!!!
And you ask: ‘What did I do? I haven’t done anything.’ You have been doing something for Five (5) years.
But this is the Due Season for it to Open.
There is a Waiting Time between the Seedtime and the Harvest
And we must not be weary in the Waiting Season!
… Next week I will talk about the HARVEST TIME.
SEEDTIME, WAITING TIME and HARVEST TIME – That’s how it works!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
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