Sermons on Shattered Expectations:

Reasonable Expectations

Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Mar 25, 2022

Life has become very frustrating for many professing Christians, primarily because their EXPECTATIONS ARE NOT REASONABLE.

Illus: Reaching the end of a job interview, the Technical Recruiter asked a young Engineer fresh out of college, "And what starting salary were you looking for?" The Engineer said, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package." The recruiter ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:19-20

Denomination: Baptist

Expecting God Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Apr 10, 2022

Many people have expectations of what God can do for them. But that's not how it works. We were saved to do things for Him. Why?

I’ve been told that when people come to God –– they have certain expectations. They have certain opinions of what they think God should DO for them. They visualize a God who is going to do what they want done. ILLUS: A woman named Donna had a conversation with her 4 year old niece. The little ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-19

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Exceeding Expectations Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Jun 16, 2023

Jesus said that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. This means that He wants us to exceed the spiritual expectations prescribed by the Law; as we are to strive for excellence in our walk with God.

I have entitled our message, “Exceeding Expectations,” and I want to begin by sharing a true story. A contractor in Mexico was hired to build a Catholic Church, but he used cheap materials in order to make more money. He reasoned that the quality of the materials did not matter, so long as the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-22

Denomination: Baptist

Great Expectations

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 23, 2023

John the Baptist's followers struggle with changing their allegiance to Jesus.

Zach was tired. He had been coming down to Tiberias every week for almost two months, bringing news and food to John in prison, and it looked like he’d probably be doing it for the rest of the year. Nothing had changed. After Herod arrested John for publicly accusing him of incest and adultery, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:2-11

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Easter Expectations

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Mar 14, 2023

This is a message I preached along with our Easter program, I wanted to build the excitement of Easter, relating how the first Easter brought this expectation.

INTRODUCTION: Happy Easter to you! We are so glad you came to worship with us today. Please turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke. As we read about the disciples and what they expected on that first Easter morning, we should ask ourselves, “What are our Easter expectations?” Text: Luke ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Realistic Expectations Series

Contributed by Perry Greene on Feb 6, 2019

The RYR approached Jesus with some expectations. Jesus also had expectations of him. The application for us is that we have expectations from God (some realistic and some unrealistic) and He has expectations of us which he will not alter.

1. Obsession There was a preacher who was an avid golfer. Every chance he got, he could be found on the golf course swinging away. It was his obsession. One Sunday was a picture-perfect day for golf. The preacher was in a quandary as to what to do. The urge to play golf overcame him. He called his ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-31

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Be Expectant Of Jesus

Contributed by Richard Papafio on Apr 30, 2018

Without expectations you would receive nothing here on earth

May the peace of the Lord be with you. Topic: BE EXPECTANT OF JESUS Acts 3:5-7 King James Version (KJV) 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth ...read more

Scripture: Acts 3:5-7

Denomination: Charismatic

Christmas Expectation

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Dec 25, 2016

A 10-15-minute Christmas Eve devotional

Christmas Expectation A 10-15-minute Christmas Eve Devotional Chuck Sligh December 25, 2016 TEXT: Turn in your Bibles to Luke 2 Illus. – Do you remember the anticipation you had as a child when you went to bed on Christmas Eve? (ELABORATE) Clement Clarke Moore captured that sense of anticipation ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:25-32

Denomination: Baptist

Not What They Expected Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Dec 30, 2019

How much do you remember about John the Baptist? Camel hair clothing, locust diet, or loaner lifestyle? While those are memorable, John is arguably one of the most significant people in Jesus’ life and ministry. See how the unexpected surrounded John's birth.

While at the children’s hospital this summer in California, my wife Nikky and I were sitting in the atrium to the main entrance one day when I noticed a man in a black suit and an ear piece walking around. He was looking all over the place and talking to people. As I watched him I leaned over to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:67-80

Denomination: Lutheran

Pray With Expectancy Series

Contributed by James Jackson on Jan 6, 2020

Prayer that Works takes work, along with persistence, risk, and righteousness before God. In this sermon, we're going to try to close the gap between what we say about prayer and what we practice.

Good morning. I invite you to turn in your copy of God’s Word to James chapter 5, but also to put a bookmark in 1 Kings chapter 18, because we are going to spend some time there as well. The story is told of the western town that had experienced a hard drought. One of the local churches announced ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13-18, 1 Kings 18:41-45

Denomination: Baptist

Expect Opposition Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Feb 17, 2020

Don't be surprised when people push back.

Expect Opposition Acts 6:8-15 Rev. Brian Bill February 15-16, 2020 Play Clip from “Bible Project” That clip comes from “The Bible Project.” If you’d like to watch the entire video covering the first twelve chapters of Acts, you can find it on Sermon Extras on our app. Have you ever been ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:8-15, Matthew 5:17

Denomination: Baptist

Expectation And Identity

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Mar 3, 2021

This sermon illustrates how those on the crowd of Jesus's triumphant entry misunderstood the significance of the way He entered riding on a donkey.

EXPECTATION AND IDENTITY (Palm Sunday 2012) Text: Mark 11:1 – 11 Mark 11:1-11  And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,  (2)  And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:1-11

Denomination: United Methodist

Your Expectation

Contributed by Mike Rickman on May 8, 2020

Your understanding of God's nature will influence your expectation of Him

May 9, 2020 Title: Your Expectation I have been retired for over two years now. This “Pandemic” that we have all fallen victim to is changing the landscape of our faith and our church experience. I saw a recent report on the Internet that said there is a “Pandemic” Revival taking place around the ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-17

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Expect The Unexpected Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 25, 2021

There is no such thing as a hopeless case. The lease likely people in this world can become children of God, and can become leaders in the kingdom, as did this Samaritan sinner.

The unexpected is the source of so much of the joy of life. Our three year old granddaughter, Jennifer, was praying at the table a couple of weeks ago. I noticed she was going faster than usual, and she came to the end saying, "In Jesus name, amen." Then she shouted, "I win." ...read more

Expectation In The Spirit Series

Contributed by Mike Rickman on Dec 29, 2017

What are your spiritual expectations for the new year?

December 21, 2017 Morning Worship Text: Acts 4:30 Subject: Revive Us Part 1 Title: Expectation in the Spirit I trust everyone had a blessed Christmas… Isn’t great to be able to get together with family and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus? And at the same time it is always good to get back ...read more

Denomination: Assembly Of God