The idea of right expectations is such a big deal, the Lord directed me to also point out scriptural expectations that are the product of God’s heart, righteous expectations, and lifegiving expectations. A little of this program is a bit of a repeat, but only because we really, really need to get this in our heads and hearts, firmly holding on to the Lord’s values so in our day of calamity under the pounding of dismal forebodings we have something to grip to when our world spins out of control under our feet.
“Always expect the worst, then you’ll never be disappointed.” Is that a dismal thought or what? And you’d be surprised how many people have adopted that as part of their method of operation, almost like their life’s frequently repeated slogan which if said enough times somehow it will be true. It almost makes sense doesn’t it? Almost, but not quite, there’s something wrong with it, and most of us feel it in our bones. For me, there is no hope in the saying. Even so, many of us find ourselves thinking the “worst case scenario” without even trying.
It is a fact that bad things happen to good people, but it is a greater truth that God is good all the time. If we really believed God is good all the time, why oh why then do we accuse Him of less than good when things don’t go well for us? Think about it.
God is not driven by our pain and confusion, but on the contrary, He takes us by the hand and will not let go. Hosea 11:3-4, “Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.”
That is just one expectation we should hold firmly that is born out in scripture concerning God’s intentions and actions toward us. To say, “Expectation is just disappointment waiting to happen” is terribly not true and short circuits our vision of the very One who died for our sins.
As people who keep company with God we should always, and yes, i said always, we should always live in a constant expectation of God. In the last program the picture of expectation is as a projective thought, picture or aspiration of what we look forward to, and i mean “look forward to” in the sense of things to come, good, bad, real or imagined.
We can’t throw out expectation because of fear or negative thinking, it is actually a valuable commodity as long as it’s turned in the right direction. Again, what we envision for ourselves as the things which are up ahead in our future, they become a subtle target, whether they’re good or evil, bright or dismal. It is what we believe will happen to us in the future, both near and far. It is the truth we are all moving in the direction of our expectations, even when we do not realize it, even when we don’t want to, and that our direction is largely not dictated by the circumstances around us, but more by our expectations which we picture and imagine for ourselves in the present and future.
Friends, i’m here to declare that God has given a better platform for us to stand on, and we must plant our feet on the word of the Lord…God and His values are our standard of operation, not the philosophy of Eeyore.
Aside from all the typical promises in scripture, are there other scriptures which the Lord gave us, and continues to give us, in that the word of the Lord, once spoken, never ceases to be spoken. Are there other scriptures which reflect the hopeful heart of the Lord which would be guide lines for us in having right expectation?
Now, pertaining to the power of our words, let me say this, and hear what i’m saying here, Almighty God cannot be “conjured” or treated as an object since He is the real Master of the Universe and subject to no one. Blasphemy, or taking the Lord’s name in vain isn’t just in some words of profanity, but it means to use His name or live in His name with triteness, to take Him lightly giving no weight to who He is, for to give someone or something no weight is to curse them. When we sprinkle His name around like sprinkling salt on food, it is a flippant action which reflects a lifestyle of living in His name with triteness. It is an evil to attempt to use the Name of God for selfish or manipulative purposes, which is why i spoke about giving our words more power than they have, turning the word of the Lord into “wishcraft” rather than living in the power and authority of His name to give Him glory. Do you hear it? This is no small matter and should never be brushed over lightly.
Some folks can’t stand to “rabbit trail”, but there are things of the Lord which can’t be found unless we “rabbit trail”. So, in my focus on one issue, i rabbit trailed onto 66 great expectations given to us in the New Testament. The Lord does not give us these things for us to take them lightly. Let us give weight to prophecy, Old Testament written, or present day in “the now”, it is given to us as something to grip to when life swirls under our feet.
The first expectation to grip to is in Matthew 5:44-45, where Jesus is speaking to the multitude in what is called, “the beatitudes”…..He says, “…but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the offspring of your Father who is in heaven.” In this the precedent is set that we need to have an expectation of being the children of God. If it cannot be done then God would not have extended us the expectation. It is an example of the goodness of God toward His enemies, and if we will set our feet in the direction of being like Jesus, we not only have the hope of becoming, but the assurance that we are. Let those words stick to you: “hope of becoming” and “assurance that we are”.
The second expectation is in Matthew 9:6, ““that you may know” the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”. It is important for us to know not only that we are the children of God, but to also know that we know that we know Jesus has the power to forgive sin and is the only source of forgiveness for what separates us from God.
To use the phrase, “that you may know” is written to believers who are uncertain of the reality of their life in Christ, their salvation, what’s true, and who to trust. It is a phrase the Lord purposely uses many times that we would have assurance, and righteous expectation.
Is your Jesus a domesticated, well heeled Savior? At the thought of that, all i can say is, Yuk!, who wants a savior like that? My God is very, very dangerous, but in a good way. The King i know is wild and wonderful that we may know Him and marvel! One of these days lightning is going to fill the sky from the rising of the sun in the east to its setting in the west, and there is going to appear in the clouds the faithful true one riding a white horse, His eyes shall be as flame and His vesture dipped in blood, and His name shall be called the Word of God. Whether from terror or sheer excitement, we will tremble and so, so many will wonder how, how we ever lived so long with the humanized version of a domesticated, harmless Christ.
These things are written that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world. Really believe.
Kristen Gmerek wrote, “The art of constantly expecting something to happen in your life is one that unfortunately comes naturally to human nature. Whether it is the expectation of an action, an experience, or even the notion of living beyond the moment, there is a significance to that expectation which is engrained in all of us; as if we are wired to believe that this is the best way to cope with the fleeting essence of life itself. The truth is, it’s not, and if you have ever experienced disappointment, then you have experienced expectation.” Friends, that completely excludes the righteous expectation of God.
i find this terribly depressing. If we were living without Christ it might be worth taking seriously, but seeing as how most of us listening to this ARE living with Christ in our hearts, we have a hope which transcends the dismal downward spiral of the world. True, we are all moving towards our expectations, for better or worse, but if Jesus is the center of my life, i have more to look forward to, in a good way, than even thinking of trying to live life with no expectations. How dismal, to live life without expectations. i suppose it depends on what we expect and of whom.
Righteous expectation that cannot be cut off is motivated, driven and managed by faith that is built upon the unwavering trust in Jesus, it is an expectation that is built upon the faithfulness of God. Our expectations are based upon the goodness of God driven by faith which declares the Lord is good, loving, and he is faithful. He does not withdraw or close His hand.
The purpose of all these things written about Jesus is explained in John 20:31, “…but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
There are 7 great expectations in John, “that you may marvel”, “that you may have life”, “that you may know and understand”, “that you may believe”, “that you may become the children of light”, “that you may remember”, and in 16:33, “that you may have peace.” Pay attention, these are righteous expectations, not just dreaming that things are something other than what they are.
Expectation and hope are intrinsic to each other in the Bible. Romans 5:5, “…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Let’s look at this from another angle. This scripture speaks of the same type of expectation which compelled everyone to gather in the upper room in Acts 2, and as a result they experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Check it out now, they didn’t just show up on that day with a bunch of crazy expectations. When they came together that day, they came with an expectation, here it comes, with an expectation that was driven by the promise made to them by Jesus concerning the sending of the Holy Spirit in Acts1:4. They came with expectation out of obedience which was the instruction not to depart from Jerusalem until they had been baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit. The believed the word of the Lord, knew God was faithful, and came with the expectation an extraordinary thing was about to happen. The motivation in their expectation was not driven by guessing, conjuring, wish-craft, or by drawing straws, it was driven from an informed position that looks a lot like faith. Faith exercised based on the promises of God ARE our great expectations.
So i suppose a good question to ask ourselves at this juncture is “what drives your expectations?” Ooooo! Now that’s a pretty prickly question if we’re honest.
Do you think the woman of Matthew 9:20-21 who crawled through the crowd to touch the garments of Jesus, do you think she was acting on some whim and wild idea? Those kinds of expectations may seem to “leave the house” but they never really go anywhere, subjecting anyone who employs such whimsical expectation to repetitive disappointment. But that woman with the issue of blood, noooo, i think there was something greater going on. She acted not on impulse but on her faith which was based on a promise. The location of where we stand is a position of faith, arrived at by the truth presented to us by the word of God about the person of God and his values. He is faithful and on His unwavering promises and the information about Him our faith is built.
Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We draw on the assurances about the things which we hope for and the evidence of these things even when we have not seen them, we have expectations by what the word of God reveals to us about God.
Why do we look for the evidence of things not seen? That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
That you may have certainty, that you may have strength, that you may eat and drink at the Lord’s table, and that you may not enter into temptation. We believe in Jesus and grasp after Him with the expectation that we may have salvation, that we may be justified, that we may belong to another, no longer slaves of sin and fear, that we may know the will of God, that we may with one voice glorify God, and above all things in a hopeless world, that we may abound in hope.
These are great expectations! In our knowing Jesus, who is Lord and God, we have righteous expectations and it is good that we may learn His ways, that we may be a new creation, that we may devote ourselves to the Kingdom of God, that we may obtain Christ Jesus the prize, that we may be able to victoriously endure temptation, that we may be recognized as approved by God, that we may have a good answer for those who ask about our faith, that we may not prove empty and be ready. What kind of foolishness is this saying about “expectations are just disappointments waiting to happen”? What a pointless, lifeless, hopeless life without expectations, and who better than the ever-faithful Jesus to show us the expectations we should possess?
The word of God is our standard, not the dismal forebodings we obsess over. We need to possess God’s expectation based on what He has done, past tense, and what He has promised for today and in the future (present and future tense). Our faith and expectations are not based on how we feel, nor the circumstances around us even if we’re wedged with our back to a corner, surrounded by the enemy. It is not based on popular opinion or the rule of the majority. Friends our expectations, not just were, but hourly and daily, are (present tense) based upon the infallible, inerrant word of God, and on the integrity of Jesus, the Lord.
That, THAT right there is exactly the reason why our expectations should be driven by faith; such expectation is guaranteed to produce the right results while at the same time, helping those who are called according to His purpose to achieve Godly goals and objectives in life. Such expectations will never let us down, nor can ever be cut off because the promises of God are always dependable and reliable, for He is yes, and amen to those who love Him. Without the power of expectation, i’d be willing to bet the house that those promises would go no further than just being promises. Great and righteous expectations are powerful and i believe it is the power of expectation in faith, which sets in motion the leap and gain delivering us into the promises of God.
We take up our cross daily and believe in the virgin birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we may abound in every good work, that we may not be wrong and do what’s right, that we may know what is the hope to which God has called us, that we may be filled with the fullness of God, that we may be sure and live long, and that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Those are great expectations.
The life we now live we live by the faith of the son of God, that you may learn how to discern what is pure and excellent, that you may have ample cause to glory in Christ, that you may be blameless and innocent, and that you may rejoice and be less anxious. We press on toward the high calling in Christ that we may know how to answer when we stand before kings, that you may stand mature and assured, knowing your hope and faith are powered by the promises of God, that you may walk properly and that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope, that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God, that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Timothy 1:18 says, that you may wage the good fight, and in 3:15 that you may know how to behave. These expectations are what should fill our head and heart, not the pending calamities and dismal forebodings this world might try and fill us with. God has a better plan and a more sure foundation for us to stand and deliver from, that we may not be sluggish, that we may receive what is promised, that you may not grow weary in well doing or become fainthearted, that you may do His will, being perfect and complete in Jesus, that you may not be judged because we grumbled and complained and spoke evil of the body. It is God’s heart, for anyone who is compassionate and merciful, that James 5:16 would burn in our hearts, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” That you may be healed is a great expectation. i believe the Lord wants us to know and have the great expectation of incredible accomplishment when the righteous pray, are honest, and are in right relationship with the group of people they connect with, our community of believers, that you may be healed.
His heart is that you may grow up into salvation, that you may stand and proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, that you may obtain blessing, that you may also rejoice, and again i say rejoice, that you may become partakers of the divine nature, able to recall the details of the story of Jesus, the gospel of God; that you may not sin, that you may know you have eternal life, that you may win a full reward, that you may be in good health, and that you buy from the Lord gold refined by fire, so that so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
C’mon y’all, this is good preaching. In our expectations which are born from the promises of God, our moral judgment and temper are determined. i fully believe we are headed toward our expectations for better or worse. What do you expect? C’mon, it’s a good question, What do you expect? To answer that question can indicate more precisely what you believe of God. Now may the Lord show kindness and truth, now may the Lord your God add to the people, now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. Think about it.
The woman of Matthew 9:20-21 is someone of my constant revisiting. This short but miraculous report is also reflected in Mark 5 and Luke 8, it was pointed out three times so i take it that the Lord wants us to really see this. Matthew 9:20-22, “And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.”
He said, “your faith has made you well”. The Greek word for “well” in this verse is “sozo” meaning more than just not sick, more than not sick and doing well, but made whole, body, soul, and spirit, all together as one person, made well. This is a very long way from where she was an hour before she was made well. A couple hours or so before her encounter with Jesus, and for 12+ years she’d had an issue of blood and, by the rules, she couldn’t touch anyone, nor could anyone touch her or anything which had anything to do with her. No one could go visit because, according to the rules, she was defiled, meaning you couldn’t even go in her house and sit in her chairs because the defiled one had likely touched it and you would be defiled also. She couldn’t hug, be hugged or kissed by her grandchildren or her children, if she had any, nor her neighbors. They couldn’t touch her. This poor woman had been touch deprived for 12+ years, probably largely deprived of socializing or human interaction. And to top it off, she was a woman and rabbis weren’t even supposed to speak to women much less allow themselves to be touched like Jesus did. i imagine she was nearly the very personification of desperate, sad, sick, and sore. But i think we can assume she must have had an expectation of Jesus in order to take such a chance. He said, “Your faith has made you well.” She was willing to break all the rules and went forward with her expectation, her faith was exercised based on the promises of God who IS the source of our great expectations.
i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts,
Our faith and expectations are based on the integrity of the person who is the focus of our faith. No one can be that person except Jesus. Our expectations should be driven by faith which, through Christ, sustains us in our time of trouble. What’s the driving motivation of your expectations, who or what is the prime mover?
Have courage and high expectations that in the Kingdom of God, something good can happen to you and for you at any time. Pray for your neighbors, drive carefully. i hope you’ve enjoyed the program and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen, and amen.