Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text for this joyous celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is the Gospel Lesson just read from Luke 24. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Expectation and anticipation is a funny thing. We can be greatly excited about some upcoming event, something that we have planned for and anticipated for a long time, and then if it falls short of our expectations, we end up being disappointed! Even though the thing planned was really wonderful, and it was a really good time, if it didn’t meet our expectations we may end up less than impressed.
- Negative expectations, our fears, are often the same. We may be avoiding something for weeks, and then when it has to be faced, it ends up not being nearly as bad as we anticipated. Fear can be debilitating, paralyzing – all for nothing.
- In our text, the women who went to the tomb were expecting one thing – to find the body of Jesus still lying dead in the tomb. They were not expecting or anticipating anything remarkable or exciting, and they were not expecting to have any further dealings with the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely they were not expecting to have conversation with an angel.
- Nor were the disciples expecting anything positive that first Easter morning – and even when told of the resurrection of Jesus they were unbelieving and unmoved. Perhaps their expectations changed somewhat after their own visit to the empty tomb – but we read only that Peter “went home marveling at what had happened.”
- We need to understand that our expectations also play an important role not only in our everyday lives, but also in our spiritual life. It is absolutely true that:
I. Our Expectations Play A Big Role In What We Seek And What We Expect When It Comes To Our Life Of Faith And Our Relationship With The Church Of Jesus Christ
A. Certainly Our Expectations Affect What We Accept As True And Real, Or What We Doubt And Reject – As Did The Expectations Of The Women And The Disciples
B. Likewise, Our Expectations And Assumptions Deeply Affect – Perhaps Even Determine – The Things That We Desire And Crave, How We Want Things To Be
Statement: I suppose I could jump off here on a discussion of “The Power of Positive Thinking,” and the negative power of pessimism. But that is not the principle point of comparison in our text. As we will see in a moment, the principle contrast is between “human expectations” and what the Word of God promises and declares. But it is important to note that our expectations, especially if they are based on anything contrary to the Word of God, may well dictate what we end up believing and receiving.
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the man who needed help feeding his family. He had looked for work, had asked for assistance from his friends, but simply could not find any way to provide for his family. Finally, he decided to pray, to ask God for help. The next morning a lady from a church showed up at his door with three large bags of groceries. She informed the man that the church had heard about his need from his neighbors, and had decided to help him out. The man politely informed the lady that he had prayed to God for help, and that if God wouldn’t help him directly he didn’t want any help – and then he closed the door in her face. His expectations actually blinded him to the help that God had provided for him.
Application: In the same way, we need to look carefully at our own expectations – and take care that they not get in the way of our comprehension of the blessings of God. This is also the case when it comes to our faith in God, and also to our expectations when it comes to our life within the church. We all have history – experiences that we have had in life, within our family, in our education, conversations with friends, things we watched and heard on Television. These things form the basis for our expectations – and our expectations can color and dictate our perceptions and experiences. And often our expectations get in the way of our ability to perceive and to receive the blessings of God!
Transition: This is certainly what happened to these first disciples of Jesus – when they saw his crucifixion or heard about it from others, and when they began to speculate about his death and their future life without Him. What they had forgotten the angel reminded them about. They angel reminded them: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Well, it is no different today, that:
II. The Word Of God Gives Us Quite Different Expectations Than We Might Get From Experience, Common Sense, Reason, Or The Expectations Of Other People Around Us
A. God’s Word Assures Us Of Christ’s Resurrection
Text: “He told you . . . that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
B. God’s Word Assures Us Of His Gracious Forgiveness, Mercy, And Salvation In Christ Jesus
John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.”
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
1 John 2:2 “He is the blood atonement for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
C. God’s Word Also Assures Us Of His Continuing And Ongoing Presence And Power In Our Lives – Always To Bless Us
Matt. 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matt. 18:20 “For wherever two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Heb. 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.”
Phil. 2:9-11 “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Rom. 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
D. God’s Word Assures Us That God Will Give Us Eternal Life In His Heavenly Kingdom, And Raise Our Bodies Also To New Life On The Last Day
Epistle: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
Statement: So, what will our expectations be if we take them from the Word of God? We will expect and believe:
1. That the Living Lord Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning over all things.
2. That the Living Lord Jesus Christ is with us always wherever we go – and especially as we gather together for church.
3. That the Living Lord Jesus Christ is ruling over all things for the good and blessedness of His people, the church.
4. That forgiveness, life, and salvation are always ours in God’s gift to us of His Son, Jesus Christ. Also, that what Jesus promises in His Sacrament He is able to provide, and surely does provide, His own body and blood “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
5. That all is well for us in this life – as we live in repentance and faith; and that all is well for us forever, in the joy of God’s heavenly kingdom.
And if we have these expectations, we will see the realities and receive these blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Application: So surely we should look carefully at our expectations, and even more carefully where they are coming from. In our text, the reality was determined by what Christ had spoken, not from what the women or the disciples of Jesus were expecting. It is no different for us – what God has asserted and promised He will surely keep!
Conclusion: So, I’m not sure what your expectations were when you came here this morning. I certainly hope that your expectations are now informed by God’s precious and loving Word, the assurances of all that He has done for us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Going forward, I hope that we are all very thoughtful about our expectations – especially those that pertain to the life of the church! God grant that we expect the very best from Him, fulfillment of all that He has promised to us in Christ Jesus! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.