What Are Your Expectations?

The difference between a good meal and a great meal depends on how hungry you are when you sit down to eat. The difference between a good church and a great church depends also on the level of your hunger. So how hungry are you? What are your expectations?

The Gospel of Mark opens with the account of John the Baptist. Lets take a look at the first 8 verses. (READ).

In Luke 3:15 it says, Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John.

They were in a state of expectation. Life itself is a series of expectations. There is expectation which comes as one waits upon marriage, the expectation of childbirth, the expectation of wondering if they will grow up or while they always act this way. As one gets older in life there is the expectation of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We live in a state of constant expectation which is alright because it is part of life.

We also have spiritual expectations, expectations which bear eternal consequences and I want to talk about those expectations this evening. In John the Baptist we find great truths about our life of expectation.

John came as the prophet another prophet foretold about. Turn to Isaiah 40:3-11 (READ).

The prophet questions, “What shall I cry out?” Cry out here is your God. The cry has not gone away, in fact, it is time once again for the voice of His sheep to cry out to the Shepherd. It is time once again for those who follow Christ to prepare the way for His coming. It is time to receive the reward of the King.

Looking at the situations which are around us, what is the expectations you have to see them changed? You have been hearing this from me, but it begs to be said again, I have a great expectation for revival in Seattle, and I firmly believe each and every one of us here in this place have the ability through our lives to bring a spiritual revolution back into this land. This is not the time of comfort, this is not the time to wait for glory, this is the time to be militant and bring in the harvest of souls which have been planted all around us.

John said One is coming…I want you to know One has been here, still is here through the power of the Holy Spirit, and One is coming again to take back His church which is without spot or wrinkle. That is something to get excited about!

John knew one was coming but John was not sitting back waiting for Him to come. Look at Matthew 3:13-17 (READ).

Now when Jesus comes, where will He find you. I remember the passing of a board member in Sumner several years ago. Jack was a man of God who lived his life with expectations. The night before he died he was in church fulfilling Revelation 12:11, They overcame him, meaning Satan, by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. Jack had stood and gave testimony of the goodness of God, how through recent tragedy in his life, the passing of his mother-in-law, through a storm which damaged his storage roof, and the death of a cow they were getting ready to butcher, the Lord had been good to him. Jack had an expectation that no matter what the storms of life, God would not let him down. It reminds me of Revelation 22:7 which says, And behold I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophesy of this book. We do not know the time we have, the Lord is coming quickly, more quickly for some then others, but ultimately He comes, and the question is will He say, well done, or depart from me when He arrives. Where will you be when He comes?

What are your expectations and what are you doing right now about them. Jesus told his followers after His resurrection to wait until the Holy Spirit had come upon them. So they joined together in the Upper Room, looking not to the past events which had taken place there, but with expectation to the future. Acts 2 records how the Holy Spirit came down and they were filled with the power of God. They arrived with Godly expectations and they were not let down.

Your expectations will determine your results. If you expect little, you will not be disappointed. If you expect much, you will be rewarded with much. Things don’t just happen. For every action there is a reaction, just look to the Word of God. If you are going to attain your expectations, you are going to need to get involved in some action.