Strawberry Fanta

Mention new team:

Luke Howis

Amelia P

Levi D

Joel Lampril

Jordan Mallet

Mention:

Dreamers album

The Main Event - Feb 28th ($5 tickets, see the posters for QR code, invite a friend)

Love on Schools Tour

Merch ($50 or $80 bundle)

Free posters

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Message

I love random soft drink flavours

My Fanta experience:

PROPS.

I don’t like regular Fanta.

My expectation was exceeded when I drank strawberry Fanta 🍓

Have you ever had an experience where you had a certain expectation of someone or something, but it was exceeded?

Played a video game thinking it’d be alright but it changed your life?

Met someone at school not thinking much and now they’re your best friend?

Here’s the thing… Often we go through life with certain expectations, not realising that they can become our limitations…

What does expectation mean?

Having a strong belief something will happen.

What does limitation mean?

Having a boundary that prevents something or someone from going further.

Often our expectations in life can be our limitations.

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What are you expecting in 2025?

Are you leaving room for God to exceed your expectations?

God wants you to have a Strawberry Fanta experience!

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Speaking of expectations, there’s a story I want to turn to in John 11…

There’s these sisters Mary and Martha.

And their brother Lazarus is sick.

They love him a lot, so they go to Jesus for help…

Who here loves their sibling that much that you’ll go to Jesus if they’re sick?…

John 11:3-4 NIV,

“So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.””

Mary and Martha would’ve walked off with an expectation that their brother was going to have his sickness healed.

But then we read…

In verses 5-6 NIV,

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,”

It didn’t say, “Jesus loved them so much, that he immediately went to Lazarus.”

Jesus loved them so much that he didn’t operate according to their expectation.

The reason God doesn’t meet all of your expectations is because He loves you too much.

Some things you’re expecting that aren’t good for you.

Some things you’re praying for that you’re not ready for.

Verses 17, 21-27 NIV, [FOUR DAYS - MARTHA]

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Back then, people thought that you could come back from the dead after a day or two, but four days meant that you were completely dead and there’s no possibility of life.

Martha didn’t understand Jesus was doing something beyond her expectation.

Some of the people even said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?””

Jesus could’ve kept Lazarus from dying, but he didn’t.

He did something even greater!

He exceeded their expectation!

The people had a low expectation...

The lower our expectation is, the less we believe.

Have you ever walked into a movie and before it even starts you’ve thought, “this will be boring!”?

Chances are you’ll walk out believing it wasn’t good because your expectation was already low.

Verses 43-44 NIV, [HEALING]

Jesus then goes to Lazarus and “called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.””

Verse 45 NIV, [RESULT]

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.”

When you allow room for God to move in your life and exceed your expectations, He doesn’t just bless you but others too!

What if your miracle leads to others finding Jesus!

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Ephesians 3:20 AMP,

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,”

Nothing is impossible for God and nothing shall be impossible for the one who believes in God.

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SALVATION PRAYER

PRAYER FOR GOD TO MOVE IN LIVES THIS YEAR

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Scrapped:

Verses 33-37 NIV, [THE PEOPLE]

“When Jesus saw [Lazarus’ sister] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?””