Three Realities to Understand!

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.

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Introduction: Last week, we read the climax of the Christmas story: Jesus’ birth and the visits from the shepherds and the Magi. You’d think it was all smooth sailing from here…

They all lived happily ever after! But more disappointment was to come.

Isaiah 9:6 KJV 1900

There are three types of storms that come into our lives.

Storms that we bring on ourselves.

Storms that are caused by others.

Storms that are allowed by God.

Storms or trouble is something that belongs to the human race. I’ve yet to meet anyone who can boast of being totally free from it. It is one of those common denominators that links everyone who has lived, who is now living, or who will live on this earth.

Introduction: Last week, we read the climax of the Christmas story: Jesus’ birth and the visits from the shepherds and the Magi. You’d think it was all smooth sailing from here…They all lived happily ever after! But more disappointment was to come.

Life rarely looks like we thought it would, but that doesn’t mean God’s promises aren’t true.

Introduction

Three reality's for the Christian

Expectations Not Met

Isaiah 9:7 KJV 1900

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

We surly expected a King David figure to take out the Romans.

Our expectation were not fulfilled in Jesus so we will look for another .....

Illustrations we expect God to behave or any in a manner and when that does not happen we abandon ship and look for an alternative.

God you led me here why is it so difficult - missionary

God I followed the path you gave me why is it so rough

Can God be King and not take out my problems .....

I need God to take over my problem .....

What we see is really bad

isaiah 9.

Matthew 2:14–16 KJV 1900

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

This is not what we expected - all the children killed and we are on the run!

Illustration you are faithful to church, tithe, witness to neighbors and yet your child gets cancer!

This is not what we expected -

Psalm 73:3 KJV 1900

3 For I was envious at the foolish, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

This is not what we expected

Luke 1:28–33 KJV 1900

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Illustration - went into ministry only to have my daughter in ICU and 1/5 of the income....

matt 1.28-33

This is what I get .......

Receive and Believe in spite of the surroundings.

matt 2.16

John 1:11–12 KJV 1900

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 1:14 KJV 1900

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

We are given the power to become sons of God!

Sins can be forgiven

Salvation is obtainable

A life of joy in spite of circumstances

Peace with circumstances

See the early Jews just never got over the fact that the Jesus they had created in their minds was not the Jesus before them.....

Pain and suffering can bring about creativiy, resourcefulness and courage. Example: Parents who lost a child helping to pass laws or starting organizations to protect other children. Artists and composers sometimes do their greatest work during times of pain or loss. Scripture: ; ; ;

Pain and suffering can help us to comfort others who are going through similar pain. Example: This is the benefit of support groups for various problems. People who have faced the same problems are able to help and encourage others. John and Phyllis Clayton have been able to help others because of their experience with diabetes and with a mentally retarded child. Jim McDoniel has been able to help others because of his experience with a handicapped child. Scripture:

2- Pain and suffering can bring about creativiy, resourcefulness and courage. Example: Parents who lost a child helping to pass laws or starting organizations to protect other children. Artists and composers sometimes do their greatest work during times of pain or loss. Scripture: ; ; ;

3- Pain and suffering can help us to comfort others who are going through similar pain. Example: This is the benefit of support groups for various problems. People who have faced the same problems are able to help and encourage others. John and Phyllis Clayton have been able to help others because of their experience with diabetes and with a mentally retarded child. Jim McDoniel has been able to help others because of his experience with a handicapped child. Scripture:

Pain and suffering can help to shape our character. Example: People who have survived as prisoners of war or persecutions often have a strength of character which is admired by others. Gold is refined by the fire which heats it until the impurities come out. Scripture: ; ,:

See the early Jews just never got over the fact that the Jesus they had created in their minds was not he Jesus before them.....

What Jesus have you created?

Whether it was Jesus’ own nation rejecting him or the jealous king that sought to kill him, Jesus experienced some severe disappointment.

Topics: Expectations, Confusion, Disappointment with God

Big Idea of the Message: L

Whether it was Jesus’ own nation rejecting him or the jealous king that sought to kill him, Jesus experienced some severe disappointment.

Him being God’s son didn’t immunize him from disappointment and rejection. So, if he dealt with it, you can be sure we will too. But even in the midst of that disappointment and rejection, we find hope.

A Beautiful Picture

I Expectations Will Not be Met

Isaiah 9:6–7 KJV 1900

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah

Application: The religious leaders and priests were interpreting Scripture and making Jesus into what they hoped he would be. They were looking for external peace—peace from their physical enemies. But Jesus came to bring internal peace. External peace can be lost in a second, but nobody can steal your internal peace.

The New Testament, of course, reveals the Jewish messianic expectation that the apostles, and, presumably the biggest number of common Jews had, which is for a conquering Son of David.

Acts 1:6 KJV 1900

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Here, even at the end, the apostles were still expecting Jesus to restore political power to the Jews. Clearly, Judas expected Jesus to be a conquering king.

He hoped to manipulate Jesus into rebelling against Rome when he had him arrested.

Here, even at the end, the apostles were still expecting Jesus to restore political power to the Jews. Clearly, Judas expected Jesus to be a conquering king. He hoped to manipulate Jesus into rebelling against Rome when he had him arrested. There were a number of Jewish expectations of the Messiah, as there are different interpretations of the actual Messiah, Jesus, today! I am no expert, and you may want to do some of your own research, but the way I undertand it the most common Jewish expectation for the Messiah was as a "Son of David", to come as a conquering Messiah, restoring the political fortunes of the Jews. is one of many messianic passages which calls the Messiah the Son of David. It should not be surprising to us that the Jews had this expectation. Many OT passages clearly depict a victorious Son of David. The problem is that these Jews failed to notice the Messianic prophecies which presented a Messiah not to their liking. The Essenes did have a concept of a suffering servant (), but it seems that the Jews, in general, did not tend to pay nearly as much attention to this role of the Messiah. This should not surprise us, as this is human nature. Humans want their heroes to conquer and to offer great things to the people, not to suffer and die.

Most common Jewish expectation for the Messiah was as a "Son of David", to come as a conquering Messiah, restoring the political fortunes of the Jews. is one of many messianic passages which calls the Messiah the Son of David.

The problem is that these Jews failed to notice the Messianic prophecies which presented a Messiah not to their liking.

Isaiah 53:2–6 KJV 1900

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In one place or another, the Jews had all of these expectations, depending on which messianic prophecy they focused in on, and, of course, on their own personal prejudices.

Is 53.2-6

The Essenes did have a concept of a suffering servant (), but it seems that the Jews, in general, did not tend to pay nearly as much attention to this role of the Messiah. This should not surprise us, as this is human nature. Humans want their heroes to conquer and to offer great things to the people, not to suffer and die.

In one place or another, the Jews had all of these expectations, depending on which messianic prophecy they focused in on, and, of course, on their own personal prejudices.

The Jews treated their Messiah, so Christians treat Jesus today.

Explanation: At face value, the prophecy in Isaiah about the coming Messiah certainly looks like he would be a government ruler. Expectedly, that’s what the Jewish nation believed Jesus would be. There was countless foreshadowing of Jesus in the Old Testament, but verses like these were the most explicit descriptions of what he would be like.

Many make him into a cosmic bellhop–delivering blessings and solving all problems.

Theirs is the Jesus of name-it-and-claim-it: the prosperity gospel.

Others who have strong convictions about social justice make a Jesus to their liking.

The lesson for us is that we, too, are tempted to form the Messiah in our own image. Let us see clearly Jesus in a balanced, biblical way.

Unrealistic Expectations - Auburn University fall 1978 - fun, free time , no parents School was very hard ..... almost flunked out expectations were different than reality

I created college into a fantasy that I really believed

So many Christian do this with Christ .....

There was countless foreshadowing of Jesus in the Old Testament, but verses like these were the most explicit descriptions of what he would be like.

This is partially why King Herod was so threatened by Jesus’ birth. Everyone was expecting the next king.

Later in the life of Jesus, though, we discover that earthly kingdoms aren’t really his target. His purpose is the heavenly kingdom.

That’s not what the Jewish people were looking for, though. Conversely, they were disappointed.

How many Christians have believe Jesus is here for the earthly target?

Disappointment with God isn’t an uncommon thing. Sometimes what we expect God to do is the opposite of how he actually behaves. What are we supposed to do when that happens?

The Jews were looking for external salvation, but Jesus didn’t bring that.

Illustration: Have you ever seen a movie from the director M. Night Shyamalan? He has created films like Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Split. His movies wouldn’t be considered explicitly scary movies, even though he uses horror film techniques in his projects.

The problem is, his movies are marketed like they are scary. The trailers indicate you’ll be watching the latest slasher film. There’s creepy music, jump scares, and a sense of foreboding violence. Consequently, you’ll hear from friends who love horror movies, things like, “I didn’t like the movie. It wasn’t even scary.”

Instead, he brought internal and eternal salvation.

You could put it this way: The Jewish religious leaders had watched a trailer about the Messiah—a trailer their protégés and contemporaries made themselves—and were expecting one thing. Unfortunately, the actual movie was different.

He ushered in a brand-new covenant with his people. This covenant would eventually bring external salvation, but that will not be fully realized until the end of the age.

When our assumptions of God don’t match what he actually is, our responsibility is to shift our perspective of God.

the jews were looking for external salvation, but Jesus didn’t bring that. Instead, he brought internal and eternal salvation. He ushered in a brand-new covenant with his people. This covenant would eventually bring external salvation, but that will not be fully realized until the end of the age.

Key - The natural responses to God behaving differently than our assumptions are anger, rejection of God, or a desire for personal control. It’s what many of God’s people did in the Old Testament and even into the times of Jesus. We still do it today.

Others, however, decided to shift their perceptions of God to match what he was doing through the ministry of Jesus. They acknowledged that Jesus was meeting a deeper need. He was pointing to the fact that none of us could possibly be good enough to satisfy the perfect standards of God, and he provided hope for us. He provided internal and eternal salvation. Forgiveness. Mercy. Peace.

Three Realities to Understand!

When our assumptions of God don’t match what he actually is, our responsibility is to shift our perspective of God.

II Bad Things Will Happen

Matthew 2:13–18 KJV 1900

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

They had to leave home to Egypt

Death and destruction

Bad things Will Happen

Because King Herod had wrongly assumed Jesus posed a threat to his kingdom, and the Magi didn’t fall for his trick of telling him where Jesus was, he ordered a slaughter of every child in the surrounding area whose birth might fit within the timeline of Jesus’ birth. Warned in a dream, Joseph took Mary and Jesus, and escaped to Egypt.

key - Looking back at the Christmas story, it’s easy to see the hand of God moving, fulfilling his promises to Mary and Joseph.

This child was miraculously conceived, heralded by angels, and visited by important people. There were dreams and visions all confirming the promise.

Living in the situation, though, it had to be difficult. I’m sure there were times Mary and Joseph doubted the promises of God.

They had to be overwhelmed by the circumstances

It’s amazing how quickly we can lose sight of God’s promise.

They saw the miracles, but they also saw the circumstances that seemed to overwhelm the miracles. It’s amazing how quickly we can lose sight of God’s promise.

He gives a promise, he confirms it with signs, but then it seems to disappear.

The aftermath of this was complete disillusionment on the part of each character. Gandalf was essentially the heart of the mission. He was the vision-keeper. If he died, how could they possibly achieve success in their quest? Later, in The Two Towers, though, we see that Gandalf’s fall was not the end of him. Though it seemed impossible for him to survive, there were bigger forces at work.

This is a great example of how things can seem impossible. It can seem like the vision—the dream—has died. Yet God can resurrect everything. If he has given you a promise, He can fulfill it. It might be that the dream never actually died, we just assumed it did. Or it might be that God will do the supernatural and resurrect the dream. The way it happens, though, might not look like we think it should.

Every time God plans something big, there’s a time when it appears his plans have changed.

Application: Throughout Scripture, we see God working in ways we don’t always quite understand. He gives a promise, he confirms it with signs, but then it seems to disappear. Every time God plans something big, there’s a time when it appears his plans have changed.

In those times, it’s up to us to trust God’s promise and believe he will come through, even though we can no longer see how that’s possible.

Psalm 34:17–18 KJV 1900

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, And delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Hebrews 13:5 KJV 1900

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

You see, God wants to fulfill his promises in his own timing and in his own way. It’s not because God is fickle or likes to mess with us, but God has bigger purposes for his promises than what appears at face value.

More happens than just the fulfillment of a promise.

When God makes a promise to you, there is always a deeper purpose to it. When the promise is removed from your sight, it doesn’t mean it’s gone; it means God is working on it. He’s preparing it for you. God honors his promises.

III Christ Will Intercede

John 1:9–12 KJV 1900

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Christ Understands and Will Intercede

Application Point: We all deal with disappointments.

Application Point: We all deal with disappointments. The beauty of Jesus being “with us” is that he can fully relate to those feelings. No matter what we’re going through, we have someone who understands and still offers hope. The story isn’t over yet.

The beauty of Jesus being “with us” is that he can fully relate to those feelings. No matter what we’re going through, we have someone who understands and still offers hope. The story isn’t over yet.

Jesus was born, humbly, into the very world he created.

Explanation: Jesus was born, humbly, into the very world he created. He stepped down, took on the form of a low-level member of society, and lived among us. Some rejected him and slandered him, while others accepted him.

He stepped down, took on the form of a low-level member of society, and lived among us.

Some rejected him and slandered him, while others accepted him.

Throughout his life, Jesus experienced everything we experience.

He was born to imperfect parents (they even lost him one time!).

He was disrespected.

Rejected.

Tempted by Satan himself.

And even accused of things he never even did.

Yet in all of that, he never strayed from perfection.

The good news for us is that no matter what we go through, God understands our pain, temptation, and struggle.

God, creator and ruler of all, stepped down undercover in the form of a man. He fully sympathized with everything we experience in our position.

Often, the things they hear are enlightening. They often find hidden gems in their work-force who have great ideas to advance the company. Other times, the boss discovers an employee who is both ungrateful and undeserving of their post. They’ll even be quick to slander the boss. It’s cringeworthy, seeing the person who created their job getting criticized by someone who doesn’t recognize them.

To the hidden gems, the boss often grants promotions or other honors. To the ungrateful, the boss hands a pink-slip.

This is an imperfect picture of what Jesus did. God, creator and ruler of all, stepped down undercover in the form of a man. He fully sympathized with everything we experience in our position.

Instead of condemning us immediately for our sin, Jesus offers grace.

All we have to do is accept him, and he promotes us to a place of family member. We have inheritance and the title of children of God.

Jesus responded perfectly in every situation, but not so he could look down on you.

He responded perfectly to provide you hope.

Throughout his life, he shows us that there are hidden opportunities even when things look hopeless.

His example is that there is always a better option than what is obvious at first.

We just have to learn from him and lean into him.

Christ will intercede .....

God intercedes - just on time … we just need to trust Him in the midst of difficulties

Conclusion: Becoming a Christian—accepting Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection as a means of salvation from sin—doesn’t mean we’re free from disappointments and difficulties.

But it does mean we have an advocate who can sympathize with us. Not only that, but he’s also powerful enough to do something about it.

When we’re disappointed by life, we can rely on God. When we rely on him, we have the opportunity to gain a new understanding of who our God is.

And we can trust that he’s working in the background for a bigger purpose, even when it seems like it’s impossible for his promises to be fulfilled.