Great Expectations Series

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

1 JOHN 2:1-6

#expectations

INTRODUCTION… Expectations

An expectation is a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. An expectation is a belief that someone will or should achieve something. We can have expectations about An expectation is a supposition, an assumption, a presumption, a calculation, or a hope. We all have expectations in different parts of our lives.

At restaurants…

… we expect that waiters and waitresses will be friendly and constantly fill our drinks

… we expect food to be freshly made and tasty and the way it is described on the menu

At work…

… we expect to be paid for hours and projects worked

… we expect a safe working environment where we can get the job done

… we expect other people to do their jobs so we can do our job and not ours and theirs

At home…

… we expect people to clean up messes and pick up clothes

… we expect when we flip the light switch that the light will come on

On the road…

… we expect people to go on green, stop on red, and hurry up on yellow

… we expect people to use turn signals when changing lanes

Our lives are full of expectations in every single relationship and in every single conversation. We have expectations of others. They have expectations of us! Today we are going to read a passage that explains Truth to us and we will uncover some great expectations in the process. We will discover expectations we have of God. We will discover expectations God has of us.

READ 1 John 2:1-6

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

I. OUR EXPECTATIONS OF GOD

This first part of 1 John 2 lays out some Truth for us that lends itself to some expectations we have of God based on what He has said to us.

First, we have expectations about an advocate based on what God says. John uses court room language in verses 1-2 which reminds us of many other passages which use the same language. This need for an advocate between us and God has been needed since the Garden of Eden. As Job is going through his ordeal of great suffering, he says about God, in Job 9:32-35 "He is not a man like me that I might answer Him, that we might confront each other in court. 33 If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, 34 someone to remove God's rod from me, so that His terror would frighten me no more. 35 Then I would speak up without fear of Him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.” God is mighty, powerful, too awesome for us to fathom, and is very much unlike us. We cannot hope to approach Him in any way shape or form. In Job’s life, he wished for an advocate who would speak on his behalf to the Almighty God. In a later passage in Job, God gives Job a future glimpse in which Job sees the answer in Job 16:19-21, “Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. 20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; 21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.” You see Job in the midst of his ordeal of great suffering is given a glimpse of Jesus Christ who will one day be our advocate.

Jesus Christ is the advocate sinful people need to help us approach a holy God. Hebrews 7:24-26 says clearly on this subject, “but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest meets our need-- one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Jesus occupies the role as our heavenly lawyer who speaks on our behalf to God for us.