Part 1-A Call to the Church...Holy Expectation

INTRODUCTION:

Good morning. My name is Russell Traweek.

I am so glad to be here with you all this morning. It is a great joy and pleasure to be able to worship the Lord and share God’s Word with you.

I am here this morning with my wife Angela and our youngest daughter Lily and we look forward to what God has for us this morning.

I bring with me a great big hello and lots of love from Brother Jeryl Watkins and Sue…I spoke with them last Sunday evening at FBC Sweeny at Bible Study and had shared I would be here with you all this morning.

STORY:

When I was a teenager, my brother and I started going to another church in town on Wednesday nights for youth. Our church had lost its youth pastor and it really left a void in our lives.

When I arrived, one of the first people I met was the youth pastor. I introduced myself and then he asked me a pretty forward question… “Russell, what do plan to bring to this youth group?” I don’t know if my reputation proceeded me or if this was a question that he asked everyone, but I do know that it drastically changed my life.

This church ended up being our home church. It was here I led my first Sunday School class to third graders while I was in High School. It was here that I taught my first Bible Study of many to the Junior High students when I was in High School. It was here I led worship for the first time. It was here that I preached my first sermon as a high school senior before our congregation. It was here that I interned in the music ministry and help lead the choir and orchestra. It was here that God called me to serve in a church as a summer missionary with the BGCT River Ministry. It was here that I realized God’s calling on my life to vocational ministry.

Sometimes forward questions don’t bottle people up and intimidate, but rather they produce unimaginable fruit.

So too this morning, I want to start with a very, very specific question.

And I know that you and I don’t know each other well at all, therefore this question is simply one of introspection for each us.

It is a powerful question, when we allow the Holy Spirit to speak directly into our lives.

It is a question that requires us to be vulnerable, transparent and honest with ourselves.

Are you ready for it?

What were your expectations when you arrived today?

What were you expecting when we gathered together for worship? Sing some good songs? To see family and friends and enjoy the fellowship? Talk sports and tell jokes and reminisce about the good ol’ days? Talk about family and kids and grandkids?

All of these are good and enjoyable things, aren’t they? Yes they are!!!

But I ask the same question, “What were you expectations, when you arrived here today?”

I entitled this message this morning, “Holy Expectation”…this message is the first of five sermons in a sermon series that I wrote entitled "A Call to…”

We will be walking through the first three chapters of the Book of Acts this morning and I will be quoting some very familiar application Scripture verses, so please pay attention and if you have something to take notes with, I encourage you to do so.

Do we have an expectation that God will move in OUR LIVES?

· ACTS 1:6-9 (ESV)

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

1. Do we have an expectation that God has a PURPOSE for us or are we ok with living the STATUS QUO?

· JEREMIAH 29:10-14 (ESV)

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

2. In the midst of a world walking in darkness, are we PREPARED for God to MOVE?

· 2 CHRONICLES 7:11-22 (ESV)

Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’

19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

Do we have an expectation that God will move in our COMMUNITIES, our NATION, and our WORLD?

· ACTS 2:1-13 (ESV)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

1. Jesus told them His PURPOSE for them.

· ACTS 1:8 (ESV)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Matthew 28:18-20

2. The expectation for God to MOVE is not something we CONJURE UPor FORCE, but it is something totally of His doing and in His timing.

· ACTS 8:9-24 (ESV)

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

In many churches, this is a struggle.

Some believe if we have just the right songs or has a band or the right programming, people will be moved…

If our pastor is young and full of energy or has tons of degrees, then people will come…

If our youth and children’s ministry is doing the newest most awesome thing, then we will see church growth…

If our principle expectation as a church is anything that we can do rather than what God can only do, we are doomed to fail.

The expectation for God to move is: 1) us being obedient to what He has commanded and 2) waiting patiently for Him to move!!!

It is not something we conjure up or force to happen…if it’s for God purpose, we have to wait on the Lord.

3. And we have to be ok when the results are not BELIEF but DISBELIEF, because God is working in His timing to reveal Himself to this world.

· ACTS 2:12-13 (ESV)

12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

· ECCLESIASTES 3:9-13 (ESV)

What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.

Are we willing to put in the TIME, RESOURCES, and FAITH to see God-sized RESULTS?

· ACTS 2:42-47 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[ came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

· 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-15 (ESV)

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Without a holy EXPECTATION, there will seldom be a holy EXPERIENCE.

· ACTS 3:1-10 (ESV)

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

At some point, when it comes to ministry and ministering to others, we have to admit that in and of ourselves, we have nothing and we are nothing…but what we do have, we can give!

And what we have is JESUS CHRIST the SAVIOR of the WORLD!

· MATTHEW 19:16-30 (ESV)

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

There are those who think they can obtain salvation based on their works, but ultimately they will fail the test of total devotion to Jesus and surrendering to His Lordship.

But we must be different…

The power of the Gospel must be enough of an expectation for us to experience the move of God in our lives

· ROMANS 1:16-17 (ESV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

· 2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5 (ESV)

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

God is enough…Jesus is enough…the Holy Spirit is enough…His Word is enough!!!

The question is, “Do you and I have a holy expectation or a manmade one?”

Do we expect God to move in our lives? Our families?

Do we expect God to move in our communities? Our nation? Our world?

Are we willing to put in the time? Resources? Faith? To see God-size results?

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re thinking to yourself that you have heard and seen it all and you’re just not quite sure you will see it again in your lifetime…Well it’s never too late!!!

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re thinking that you have done too much wrong for God to save you and accept you and use you…

Well you’re wrong…none of us are good enough for the Lord to save us, but Jesus Christ is good

And while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us

Are you ready to see God do something you have only heard of or dreamed about?

Do you have a holy expectation of what only God can do?

I don’t know what God’s plans are for you and this church…but I do know this…I prayed over every seat/pew in this sanctuary this morning with expectation that He would do something in this congregation.

My prayer has been for some time that God would move mightily in and through His Church, His Bride

For 15 + years at my previous church, I got up about 3am, went over to the church, finalized any changes to my sermon and then I prayed over every seat in the sanctuary...every Sunday morning

And yes God did some amazing things over the years because I have always prayed that God would do what only He could do in the lives of those who attended, and if He chooses to use me I would be available.

We saw lost souls saved…

We saw people delivered from sin and shame and oppression…

We saw families restored…

We saw men leading their families to church instead of just attending…

Folks, this might be the only time I preach here, but can you do something for me this day forward…

Will you come to church with an attitude of holy expectation?

Will you pray for your church , every seat, and over every person that steps foot in this place, that they may experience the love of Christ and be changed and saved by the Gospel that is preached

Will you pray for your next pastor and his family that they would come with a holy expectation of what only God can do...

Remember, no matter what happens, we can be assured that if we have a holy expectation of what God can do, we are likely to receive a blessed holy experience