Disappointment Series

Disappointment

Moses

Hebrews 11:23-27

November 3, 2013

Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction

that results from unfulfilled expectations

The sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.

1. Disappointment is a part of God’s plan. V.24

2. Disappointment is diminished with perspective v.25-26

3. Disappointment is overcome by faith v.27

I believe that God is sovereign. I believe God is just. I believe that God is loving. I believe He brings adversity into my life, including disappointment, because it causes me to cling to Him more, to trust Him more, and yes, even to love Him more. While God assures me that He will one day remove all suffering and sorrow, He will do so only when it accomplishes His greatest glory, which is also my greatest good! The world has gone terribly wrong; God is going to fix it. First, for His eternal glory; second, for my eternal good.

What do you do about disappointment? Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction that results from unfulfilled expectations. The pessimist would say lower your expectations. If you don’t expect, you won’t be disappointed. One of my favorite movies, is Princess Bride. There is this scene where Westly and Inigo Montoya meet for the 1st time. (clip from Princess Bride)

Turn with me to the book of Hebrews 11. If you don’t know where Hebrews is, it’s toward the back of the N.T. This morning we finish this series called “Wrecked.” We sensed the leadership of the Holy Spirit to do a series like this because frankly, for so many of us, our lives ARE a wreck! If you’re on this earth very long, you deal with the storms of life. Things are going along pretty good and then storm clouds gather on the horizon; the winds of adversity blow; the waves threaten to drown you—and you find yourself in a storm. What do you do when the storms of life come? We discussed that in week one. In week 2 we drilled down on something else we experience all too often, and that is betrayal. Perhaps you’ve been betrayed by your ex, or your boss, or your family member. How do you deal with betrayal so that you don’t end up bitter and spiteful? We talked about that. In week 3 we discussed how to survive catastrophe. In all of these issues during this series, we’ve had to come to grips with the sovereignty of God: The sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. To think that we control much of anything is a huge lie. God is in control and we have to come to the place that, even in catastophe, God is still in control. Last week we worked through the issue of grief. Losing a loved one is usually excruciatingly painful. How do you deal with the grief? How can you experience hope, and even joy, in the midst of your grief? That was last week.

Now this week, we finish with a discussion about disappointment. Anybody in here love to be disappointed? Of course not. And yet, if you’re breathing, you deal with disappointment. A baby is disappointed with a wet diaper. A child is disappointed with green beans on the plate. A teenager is disappointed with his 1st car. Ben’s 1st car was a land yacht; I bought it for $500 and would barely run. He tried to act excited, but he was disappointed. As you get older, your disappointments can get more serious and consequential: you don’t get into the college you desire, your fiancé breaks up with you, your career path isn’t as satisfying as you thought it would be or it really doesn’t have the income you expected it would give you; your marriage isn’t as fulfilling as you had expected; your adult kids aren’t as mature or self-sufficient or godly as you had hoped they would be.

In our text today, we look into the life of a man who dealt with an incredible amount of disappointment. His name is Moses. Now when you think of Moses, what do you think of? Charlton Heston. Parting the Red Sea. 10 commandments. Being used of God to deliver the Jews from Egypt. Right. And yet, upon examination, you’ll see that Moses had far more disappointments than he had successes.

Do you know his story? His whole story? He was born a Jew. The Jews were proliferating so fast that Pharaoh decided to have all the Hebrew boys killed by throwing them into the Nile river. But when Moses was born, his mom hid him for 3 months and then put him in a basket, covered it with tar so it would be waterproof, then set it among the reeds on the river bank. She sent her daughter to see what would happen to her son. As it happened in the sovereignty of God, Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing nearby, heard the baby cry, and decided to raise the baby in her home.