Whether consciously or sub-consciously, we all have certain expectations of what this life should be like if we follow the Christian faith. These expectations may have led to great disappointment and disillusionment to many a Christ-follower in times past. Quite a few have even forsaken the Way because these expectations were not met.
Our expectations may not seem very great; some of them might include:
- Life would be fair – good work and honesty would be rewarded by God.
- Marriage would be pure bliss and a witness how God intended holy matrimony to be.
- Children would be well-adjusted, disciplined, successful and God-fearing.
- I would be the example of health, glorifying God in my physical existence.
- God would spare me personal tragedy and sorrow and sickness and trials.
- Work success would be evident with my talents, abilities, strong ethics and morality.
- I’d contribute to the local community and people would admire my work and willingness to serve.
- I’d possess wisdom that would enable me to steer others from disaster.
- I’d be financially and materially prosperous, blessed by God.
Is the this the way we thought life would go if we followed the way of life laid out in the Bible and as Jesus Christ taught and lived when He came to us about two millennia ago?
Perhaps we were more realistic and understood the full implication of Acts 14, verses 21 and 22 (Paul had just been stoned to near death in Lystra before this):
“And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra (from Derbe to where he was almost killed), Iconium (where an attempt was made to stone and abuse him) and Antioch (where he was persecuted), strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God…”
When we have faced or are facing a difficult family situation, the loss of someone close, a health crisis or even death, the loss of your job, a huge setback or failure, or whatever the situation, have we always understood that we must continue in faith?
Or, rather, when we experienced disappointment or disillusionment when life did not go the way we expected, or when our faith was shaken, did we think that we could not go on living the way Christ laid out for us?
You and me and the new Christians at Lystra, Iconium and Antioch share in common that we are human and, in all likelihood, have known the unsettling feeling of unfulfilled expectations. Paul repeated this experience in his second epistle to Timothy – chapter 3, verses 10 to 12:
“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra – what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution…”
Why does Paul relate this to his young protégé? Backing up to the beginning of Second Timothy 3, we see some of the causes of the persecutions and afflictions (Phillips Translation):
“But you must realize that in the last days the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered, greedy for money, full of big words. They will be proud and abusive, without any regard for what their parents taught them. They will be utterly lacking in gratitude, reverence and normal human affections.
“They will be remorseless, scandalmongers, uncontrolled and violent and haters of all that is good. They will be treacherous, reckless and arrogant, loving what gives them pleasure instead of loving God. They will maintain a façade of religion but their life denies the truth…”
Described here is what we can expect in the times we live in. It affects us deeply! It hurts us and it hurts those close to us!
C.S. Lewis wrote the following:
“We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn,’ and I accept. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course, it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”
Lewis is citing one of the beatitudes found in Matthew 5, and what he is saying is that we know to expect trouble in this life, but it is all theory until we experience a trial ourselves. He said he knew it and came to accept that life was often unfair, even to those who try to life godly knowing what Jesus taught.
According to the apostle Peter, some of the things we all must face may not just be trials, but we will have to endure fiery trials. What did we expect?
Each of us suffers: some of us with severe health problems, perhaps with intense constant pain; some of us with deep family tragedies and problems that have left us sorrow-filled; some of us with work situations that are unrewarding and very stressful; some of us have not got over offences caused by other people. Did you expect any of this? Did I? What did we expect?
On the eve before His death, Jesus Christ said something that is marvelous in all its meaning in that there is acknowledgment of the difficulty in following Him, but a way to cope with that expectation…John 16, verse 33:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
You and I can expect tribulation in the world we live in, but we can have peace and actually overcome the world and the trials and troubles it casts at us. How does that work?
What should we expect and what are we expected to do? Please join me in Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2 (Phillips Translation):
“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus, you will prove in practice that God’s will is good, acceptable to Him and perfect.”
The Christian Walk – intelligent worship of God – involves a “living sacrifice.” This is quite an expectation, but continue on in verse 9 of Romans 12 to get a glimpse of how this works:
“Let us have no imitation Christian love. Let us have genuine hatred for evil and a real devotion to good. Let us have real warm affection for one another as between brothers, and a willingness to let the other man have the credit. Let us not allow slackness to spoil our work and let us keep the fires of the spirit burning, as we do our work for the Lord. Base your happiness on your hope (expectation) in Christ.
“When trials come endure them patiently; steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer. Give freely to fellow-Christians in want, never grudging a meal or a bed to those who need them. And as for those who try to make your life a misery, bless them. Don’t curse, bless.
“Share the happiness of those who are happy, and the sorrow of those who are sad. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t become snobbish but take a real interest in ordinary people. Don’t become set in your own opinions. Don’t pay back a bad turn by a bad turn, to anyone.
“See that your public behavior is above criticism. As far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone…to verse 21…Don’t allow yourself to be overpowered by evil. Take the offensive – overpower evil with good!”
What should we expect: continually go against our natural inclination for self-satisfaction, self-gratification and self-serving, and instead engage in self-sacrifice over and over and over again in the face of life’s trials, troubles and tribulations – be sacrifices again and again, which is our reasonable service to God and intelligent worship toward Him!
What we should expect is to be misunderstood and mistreated by the world and those who physically and spiritually dominate it now! Hebrews 10 and verses 32 to 34 has a concise summary of expectations we should have based on the experience of the oldest Christians in the Church at that time – Jewish converts:
“You must never forget those past days when you had received the light and endured such a great and painful struggle. It was partly because everyone’s eye was on you as you suffered harsh words with hard experiences, partly because you threw in your lot with those who had suffered much the same.
“You sympathized with those who were put in prison, and you were cheerful when your own goods were confiscated, for you knew that you had a much more solid and lasting treasure.”
That’s what happened all right! When we changed our lives to obey God, it was not everything we may have expected, but exactly what we should have expected: great and painful struggles, harsh words against us, personal physical and material setbacks…and we had to take it all graciously in the way that Jesus Christ did before us: peacefully, patiently and prayerfully.
The expectations for this life may seem somewhat downcast, and we may sometimes ask ourselves, “Why do we go on trying to live in obedience to God, when it seems there is nothing but pain and heartache?”
The simple answer is that we are not living for the expectations this world may hold…we live for another world in another existence where all the great expectations we have will be absolutely fulfilled.
James 1 and verses 1 and 2 show us why we must abide our lives of unfulfilled human expectations:
“When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce the quality of endurance.
“But let the process go on until the endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men and women of mature character, with integrity and with no weak spots.
To verse 12 of James 1:
“The man who patiently endures the temptations and trials that come to him is the truly happy man. For once his testing is complete he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to all who love Him.”
In living the Christian way of life, should we have high expectations? Of course we should! Is it wrong to have those expectations? Not as long as we understand the timing and nature.
In fact, if we have only expectations based on this present evil world, we short-change ourselves…especially if God is able to do far more that we can ever ask or imagine.
As a Christ-follower, for however long, what do we expect? As Christians living in this present world, what should we expect? As future glorified spirit beings in the next world what can we expect?
These are important questions to ponder – ones that perhaps best addressed in Second Peter, chapter 2, verses 1 to 11:
“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceeding great and precious promises (or great expectations), that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
“But also, for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was purged from old sins.
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
That is the greatest expectation of all and why we should continue to live the Way that God has called us to.
