Expectations of the Bible

What do you expect from the Bible?

• Is it simply an ancient wisdom text that can give you interesting insight?

• Is it a history book to help you piece together the story of God?

• Is it a biography of God, revealing who He is and how He acts?

Hebrews 4:12 states:

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

The difference between the Bible and every other book is that the Word of God is living and active. That means we are constantly gaining new, fresh, and deeper understanding from the Word of God.

Is that what you think is going to happen when you read your Bible?

• Do you really expect that your life could be changed by the next verse you read?

• Do you wonder if God is going to reveal something about your real life in this leather-bound book?

We must raise our expectations of the Bible because the Bible is both the guidebook for our lives and the foundation of our hope.

Did you know that reading the Bible regularly has real and noticeable effects on your life?

Here is some data from people who read their Bibles four or more times a week:

• A reduction in loneliness by 30%

• A reduction in anger by 32%

• A reduction in bitterness by 40%

• A reduction in abuse of alcohol by 57%

• A reduction in pornography usage by 61%

• A reduction in spiritual stagnation by 60%

What if the problem is not the church you attend, how much you feel God in worship, the preacher, or the worship style? What if it is our failure to use what is right in front of us? What if we are failing to realize what we already have?

Engaging the Bible has real effects.

It changes your life.

Maybe we should stop expecting the Bible to merely inform us and start expecting it to transform us.

Expectations of Prayer

We cannot overstate it enough that the God of the universe hears our cries, listens to our pleas, and cares about our desires.

Prayer is talking directly to the God of the universe who is always listening.

But...

What do we expect of our prayers?

Is prayer one of many ways we attempt to solve a problem?

Is prayer a psychological tool to make us feel better and listened to, as if God is a cosmic therapist?

Is prayer actually effective in changing the mind of the all-knowing and all-powerful One?

What do you expect from your prayers?

The Bible is very clear that prayer is effective.

Listen to these verses:

James 5:16b — "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Matthew 7:7-8 — "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Psalm 145:18 — "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."

James 1:5 — "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

1 Peter 3:12 — "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer."

The Bible shows a very different picture of prayer than most of us live with.

What if you prayed expectantly?

What if you prayed specifically?

Quick story: A few weeks back, I began praying very specifically for a certain person in my life. I told God exactly what I wanted and honestly believed He wanted. I asked with timelines, expectations, and clarity.

I will be honest, it is a bit scary praying this way because what happens if He does not provide? That is something to wrestle with another day.

This time, however, as I prayed for a specific thing on a specific timeline for a specific person, God answered every single one of those specific requests. I sat in awe for days over how good, present, and real God was.

What do you expect when you pray? I bet you need to raise your expectations.

Expectations of the Church

Yesterday, we considered our expectations of God.

Today, I want us to consider our expectations of the church.

What do you expect from the church?

• A sermon that you can kind of remember?

• Music that fits your preferred style?

• A few people who know your name?

• Someone to reach out to you when you are in the hospital?

• A place to be spiritually refreshed?

None of the above ideas are bad. I think you should expect all of those things, but should you expect more?

Should we not expect God to move? For lives to be changed, walls to be broken, acceptance to be felt?

I ask these questions because I wonder how much we actually expect to happen when we gather together in a worship service. A few weeks ago, I taught that today is the day God wants to change your life, but how many of us were able to quiet that conviction and miss the opportunity?

Do you really expect anything to happen when you show up each Sunday other than shake some hands, sing some songs, listen to some stories, and be out by 11:15?

Trust me, I wonder the same thing about myself! It is so easy to simply show up with little to no expectation of the God of the universe doing anything consequential in the time we gather... and I think that is dangerous.

We start each Sunday saying, "This is a sacred moment. Change me in it," but how many of us mean it? How many of us truly expect to have eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that understand God in those moments we share in a sanctuary? 

What if there are higher expectations for our service?

Shouldn’t we expect the good news to convert sinners to sons?

Shouldn’t we expect baptisms, new members, and invited guests frequently?

Shouldn’t we expect prayers requested, convictions felt, and tomorrows changed?

Yet all of us are perfectly content showing up and scooting out without any true impact being made.

Let's start expecting more.

Consider today:

What do you expect from church?

And more importantly, what should we expect from church?

Expectations of God

Frustration is the gap between expectations and reality, but the problem is we often do not know our own expectations.

Think about it:

I am dissatisfied with a meal at a restaurant, but what did I truly expect, and was that a fair expectation?

I am dissatisfied with my relationship with my spouse, but what do I truly expect our relationship to be, and am I actually working toward that myself?

I am dissatisfied with my spiritual life, my church, the worship, or a sermon, but what was I truly expecting?

I want us to think about expectations this week, and more specifically, our expectations of our own spiritual life.

So let's start here:

What are your expectations of God?

• Do you expect to hear from Him audibly, perceptively, or internally?

• Do you expect Him to convict, correct, or change the way you are living?

• Do you expect to desire Him more?

Hebrews 11:6 states that whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Most of us have very little expectation of God in our daily lives. At best, God is a backup plan or insurance policy for the big issues.

Should we expect more from Him?

Could it be that we only allow God to live up to the tiny position we give Him in our daily lives?

Do you think God wants to do more in, through, and around you than He is doing right now?

I am convinced He does; yet, I am often not convinced enough to ask for it, seek it, or desire it.

I want to stop here today and urge you to think over these questions:

• What do I really expect of God?

• What do I really expect from God?

• How do I expect to see, hear, or feel God?

The Root Problem

What is wrong with the world?

I think we have all asked that question and may have a few thoughts:
The liberals. The conservatives. The Muslims. The Jews. The nominal Christians. The education system. The welfare system. The capitalist system.

We have lots of ideas as to what causes this world to be so utterly messed up. We assume that as we advance through decades and centuries, the world gets better, but the opposite often seems true.

What is wrong with the world?

The famous preacher G. K. Chesterton famously penned these words: “What is wrong with the world? I am. I’m what’s wrong with the world. The world doesn’t get sorted out unless I do.”

We keep hoping and believing that the next candidate, the newest policy, or the best economic system is going to cure systemic poverty, racism, and, bluntly, sinfulness. Spoiler alert: it won’t.

You and I are the problem. They and them are the problem. We are selfish, arrogant, greedy people who care more about self than others. We are the problem, and that is not easily fixed. Maybe this is why Jesus taught us to focus on the log in our own eye before the speck in our neighbor’s.

What can we do to begin fixing ourselves?

Acknowledge your faults and failures.
Confess your sinfulness and selfishness.
Recognize that you are to blame, not just others.

You are a vile sinner who deserves eternal separation from a holy God, and yet, by mercy you could never earn, you have been offered everlasting life with Him.

There is no need to pretend any longer. God knows. God sees. God recounts better than you can the despicable things you have thought, done, and said! Rather than continue to act high and mighty, the call of God is to be humble and lowly.

The best antidote we can use to combat the problem of sin in our lives is confession. Listen to this definition of confession: “We say we believe in grace, but confession is how we actually trust what we already believe.”

Confession is putting God to the test. Will He truly forgive me if I expose all that I have done? Can I really be loved after how I have chosen to live?

Confession takes deep faith in the character of God, but it also transforms our understanding of God. It teaches us that we can share with Him anything and everything. It helps us pray bolder, live bolder, and speak bolder. Why? Because while we know we are part of the problem with the world, we also know the One who is the solution for it!