⁴ But WHEN THE RIGHT TIME CAME, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. ⁶ And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:4-6 NLT)

• “When the right time came” – indicates that God was waiting.
• How can a God who is not bound by our understanding of time “Wait for the right time?”

“A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day”. (2 Peter 3:8 NLT)

“There is AN APPOINTED TIME for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NAB)

• The reality is our sense of timing and God’s sense of timing are very different.
• Sometimes His Appointed Time looks like an interruption. An interruption to your plans and timing.

The Christmas story is really a story of God’s interruption – Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸ Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

²⁹ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

• God’s Appointed Time is on His timetable and He is not sharing that with us.

“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” (Acts 1:7 NLT)

³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

• God’s Appointed Time it does not make sense to us and it seems to be an interruption to our plans.

³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. (Now here’s another God appointed Time) ³⁷ For the word of God will never fail.”

• God’s Appointed Time is always perfect, always on time. Why? Because of this last sentence in verse 37: “For the word of God will never fail”

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

• God’s Appointed Time requires our surrender.

#1 FEAR NOT

• Fear not simply means trust God.

But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands (Psalm 31:14-15 NIV)

#2: FRET NOT

• Fret Not means Don’t Worry.
• Fret Not also means Be Patient. (wait and trust)

Wait and Trust the Lord! DON’T FRET when others prosper or their dishonest plans succeed. And don’t get angry or upset – it only leads to trouble. (Psalm 37:7-8)

• God’s Appointed Time comes when we Wait and Trust the Lord.
• God’s Appointed Time comes when we don’t compare ourselves to others.

#3: FORGET NOT

If you look closely into God’s perfect Word that sets people free, and you keep studying it, and you DON’T FORGET IT, and you put it into daily practice – you will be blessed by God in ALL you do. (James 1:25)

• Forget Not is a process that starts with: Read it. Study it. Remember it. Practice it.

#4: FAINT NOT

• Faint Not means don’t quit, don’t give up
• Faint Not means be determined, move forward.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 NLT)

CONCLUSION

• What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?