What Did You Expect?

Intro

Expectations vs. reality- egg roll in Palau

o Contrary to what the world tells us today, we cannot make our own personal reality. There is no such thing as “my truth” or “your truth”, there is only THE truth

- We will be in the last chapter of Luke- we’ve almost made it!

- This is Luke’s account of Jesus’s resurrection

o We focused on the resurrection several weeks ago on Easter

o Talked about the living hope that comes from the reality and implications of the resurrection

o This morning I want us to dig deeper into the story and look not just at the implications of the resurrection, but at Jesus’s followers themselves.

o I want to look at this miraculous account from their perspective and in doing so, I hope to challenge our own hearts as followers of Christ.

- A look at the passage

o The women go to the tomb

§ The stone rolled away, Jesus is gone

§ The angels appear- why are you looking for the living among the dead?

§ They run and tell the others

o The disciples don’t believe them

o But Peter runs to confirm the story

o 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus

o Jesus appears before the disciples and eats with them

- You see, the reality was, as we know, that Jesus did not stay dead, he is alive and working. The reality is that his death and resurrection secured forgiveness and everlasting life for us if we trust in him

- But the disciples, at least at the beginning of this chapter, were not aware of this reality. They were allowing their misplaced expectations to drive their thinking

- And the truth is, we often do the same

Expectation VS Reality

A. Our expectations of God’s plan do not always align with the reality of God’s plan

1. The disciples and many of Jesus’s followers expected Jesus to defeat the Romans, to redeem the Jewish people, and to establish a present earthly kingdom

2. That was never God’s plan

a. God had provided deliverers all throughout history of his people. But this was something so much greater. Something that all the judges, kings, priest, had pointed to since the beginning

3. God’s plan is always much greater than our misplaced expectations

a. God was working the greatest redemption story of all time, one that would offer forgiveness, hope, and freedom to the entire world, not just the Israelites living in the first century.

b. You see God was at work even when the disciples thought everything was falling apart

(1) Acts 2:23- But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged (definite, determined) plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed.

(2) God was beginning to work something so much greater than anything the disciples could expect

B. Consequences of misplaced expectations

1. Disappointment and Discouragement

a. Mark 16:10- “She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened.”

b. The women went to the tomb in sorrow. They were expecting to find Jesus’s body, not an empty tomb

c. 17- Then he asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged.

d. How often do we find ourselves here when things don’t go according to our plan?

(1) When the relationship ends, when the job falls through, when the diagnosis is confirmed

2. Doubt (11, 25,38)

a. The disciples interpret the women’s story as nonsense- refer to the delirious stories told by the very sick as they suffer in great pain or to tales told by those who fail to perceive reality. The other disciples think these women must be dreaming.

b. When things don’t go according to our expectations, we can begin to think that God has made a mistake- “Is God really in control?”, “Does God really love me?”

(1) We begin to doubt what we know about God

3. Blindness- not physical blindness, but blindness to the truth

Picking up dog poop

a. Jesus told them that all of this would happen! He was pretty clear

b. Sometimes we can’t see God’s plan, but many times he has revealed his truth to us, we just get so wrapped up in what we want things to be that we miss it

c. We are blinded to the truth because of our own expectations

- So we have seen from the lives of the disciples, that there is often a disconnect between our expectations and the reality of what God is doing, so how do we fix it? We know the disciples went on to do great things for God. They got past this, but how?

Truth Made Clear

A. The words of Jesus bring understanding amid chaos

1. Jesus explains the Resurrection

a. The angels remind the women of what Jesus had told them (6-7)

b. Jesus explains the scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (25-27)

c. Jesus reminds the rest of the disciples (44)

2. God has given us his very words- this is what Jesus pointed to

a. We may not have Jesus here physically to explain the meaning, but we do have the Holy Spirit that gives us understanding

3. When we don’t know the words of God, we cannot understand the power of God

Lightning storm- it’s one thing to see, but you don’t really experience the full power until you’re right there in it!

a. His power will be at work, but we will miss it, just like the disciples did

B. Fellowship with Jesus opens our minds to his truth

1. We may have all the pieces to the puzzle, but God is the one who gives understanding (45)

2. The key ingredient to all of this is time with God- we may not be able to physically sit with him and share a meal together, but we can sit in his presence, and his presence is within us

a. As Noah read earlier from Acts 2- “and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.”

b. It's through sitting with Jesus and listening to him that we get to know him

3. If you try to figure out what's going on, if you try to make sense of it all apart from God and his word and his truth, then you are going to be just as discouraged and confused as the disciples

C. God’s truth must be the basis for our understanding of reality

1. It must be the lens through which we see the world

have you ever been to a 3D movie? Have you ever tried to watch one without the glasses?

2. Here's the problem, we call ourselves Christians, but we build up our expectations and what we think is going on, what we think should happen, but rarely do we build those expectations on God's promises and his truth

3. And here's the thing- God's reality (the only reality), his plan, is SO MUCH GREATER than our shortsighted expectations

a. Think about it- the reality of the resurrection and what God was doing through Jesus's death is far greater than Jesus simply defeating the romans and setting up an earthly kingdom.

Conclusion

- So here in Luke 24 we see the miraculous account of the resurrection, but we also see a glimpse into the frustrations and challenges in the lives of the disciples that led up to their understanding of what had just happened and what it meant not only for them but for all of humanity. My hope is that we are challenged by how much we are like the disciples. God has a extraordinary plan and he is working it now.

So What

- What is the foundation for your expectations?

o Are you believing his Word? Are you resting in his promises? Are you expecting him to do great things?

o William Cary- “Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.”

- What is keeping you from believing the truth?

o Experience? Blinded by our own version of the truth

o Or perhaps it’s simply because we have not taken the time to know God’s truth

- Are you spending time with God? Sitting with him, listening to him, talking to him

Our prayer- Acts 2

I see that the Lord is always with me.

I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad,

and my tongue shouts his praises!

My body rests in hope.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead

or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.

You have shown me the way of life,

and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’