1. WAITING
Already & Not Yet

2. It Is Good to Wait
Lamentations 3: The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
J.I. Packer: “‘Wait on the Lord’ is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not his way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time”

3. Suspended Time Already …
Birth: Angels announce to shepherds the arrival of the king in his kingdom
Resurrection: Christ is declared the firstfruits from the dead.
Not Yet …
Resurrection: Christians are told their resurrection is still to come.
Return: Christ does not stay, but says he will return.

4. Already & Not Yet
In Matthew, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given” to Jesus, but his will is not yet done “on earth, as it is in heaven.”
In Mark, the demons recognize the arrival of “the Holy One of God,” but the disciples “fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
Matthew 28:18; 6:10
Mark 1:24; 16:8

5. Already & Not Yet
In Luke, Jesus can say both that “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you,” and that “the days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.”
In John, Jesus can say, “I have overcome the world,” and, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Luke 17:21-22
John 16:33; 18:36

6. Already & Not Yet
In Acts, the apostles preach that Jesus is now “both Lord and Christ,” but that we still wait for a “fixed day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed.”
Romans teaches that “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead … will also give life to your mortal bodies,” “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Acts 2:36; 17:31
Romans 6:1-11; 8:11

7. Already & Not Yet
1 Corinthians teaches that “the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed,” but already it can be said that “your labor is not in vain.”
2 Corinthians teaches that “in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,” but already we are “the temple of the living God.”
1 Corinthians 15:52, 58
2 Corinthians 5:2; 6:16

8. Already & Not Yet
In Galatians, Paul speaks to Jews and Greeks and says, “There is neither Jew not Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
In Ephesians, “the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord” sits next to a command “not to lose heart over what I am suffering.”
Galatians 3:28
Ephesians 3:11-13

9. Already & Not Yet
In Philippians, Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
In Colossians, Paul writes, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Philippians 3:20
Colossians 3:3-4

10. Already & Not Yet
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul rejoices that they have “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
In 2 Thessalonians, they are not to be deceived “that the day of the Lord has come,” but they are to know that they are already “the firstfruits to be saved.”
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
2 Thessalonians 2:2, 13

11. Already & Not Yet
In 1 Timothy, the young preacher is commanded to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called,” but also to be “unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time.”
In 2 Timothy, God’s grace “now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death,” but that does not mean that “the resurrection has already happened.”
1 Timothy 6:12-15
2 Timothy 1:10; 2:18

12. Already & Not Yet
In Titus, “the grace of God has appeared, bring salvation for all people,” but we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
In Philemon, this principle is put into practice. Onesimus is a runaway slave, but he is to be treated “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother.”
Titus 2:11-13
Philemon 16

13. Already & Not Yet
In Hebrews, the author speaks of rest: “We who have believed enter that rest,” “it remains for some to enter it,” “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,” and, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.”
In James, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. … Behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”
Hebrews 4
James 5:7-9

14. Already & Not Yet
In 1 Peter, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
In 2 Peter, we make our “calling and election sure” now, so that “there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the enteral kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:8-9
2 Peter 1:10-11

15. Already & Not Yet
In 1 John, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. … [But] what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
2 John speaks of the “truth that abides in us and will be with us forever.”
3 John speaks in the present tense, “Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.”
1 John 3:1-3
2 John 2
3 John 11

16. Already & Not Yet
Jude instructs, “building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”
In Revelation, the martyred saints cry, “How long?!” But already, John is shown a vision of Satan’s defeat. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Jude 20-21
Revelation 6:10; 2:10

17. Waiting People
2 Peter 3:11-12 What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God. … We are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.