Expectation - Faith That Leans Forward - Week 1

Expectation is more than hoping God might do something. Expectation is living like God can still move, still change things, and still do exceedingly, abundantly above all that can be asked or thought. The question is not just, “Do you believe in God?” The real question is, “What does life reveal that you believe God can still do?”

Acts 3 puts Peter and John at the temple gate with a man lame from birth. The man expects money because money is what gets him through one more day. God has something bigger in mind. The man expects a handout, but Jesus gives him mobility. The man expects enough to survive, but God changes the rest of his life.

Experience can become a limit if it is allowed to tell the story of what God can do. The same gate, same condition, same routine, and same request had shaped this man’s expectations for years. Prayer can get that way too. Prayer can become, “God, just help me survive today,” when God may be working to strengthen, free, restore, and change something for good. God is still writing the story, so yesterday does not get to decide what happens today.

Peter’s words, “Look at us,” interrupt the routine. Expectation pays attention because God may be doing something different in an ordinary moment. The Holy Spirit still says, “Look again,” when people are tempted to walk through life spiritually asleep, carry the same burden, pray the same small prayer, and accept the same condition. God can interrupt the cycle, but people have to be willing to look, respond, and move.

Biblical expectation does not mean telling God what outcome He has to give. Faith approaches God believing that He is faithful, able, present, and good, even when the answer looks different than the request. God sometimes changes the situation, and sometimes He changes the person in the situation. God sometimes opens a door, and sometimes He protects by shutting one. Faith must not judge God’s faithfulness halfway through the story.

Jesus is where expectation has to be rooted. Acts 3 is not really about positive thoughts or the power of expectation. Acts 3 is about the power in the name of Jesus. Jesus is still alive. The Holy Spirit still speaks, convicts, fills, gives gifts, and empowers believers. An ordinary day can still become a turning point, because with Jesus, it is still possible.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Do not expect too little Expectation can shrink until prayer becomes little more than asking God to help somebody make it through the day. God does care about daily needs, but He is not limited to helping people survive what He may be ready to transform. Faith asks God to do more than make life tolerable when His power can bring freedom, healing, and a changed future. [47:30]
• 2. Let God interrupt the routine The lame man knew his spot, his request, and the kind of answer he normally received. Peter’s command to “look at us” broke into that routine because God was about to do something he had never seen before. Spiritual attention matters because God often begins a turning point by getting somebody’s attention before He changes their circumstance. [59:44]
• 3. Keep reading when God says no Peter first says that he has no silver or gold, and that could have sounded like disappointment. God’s “no” to one request may be the beginning of something better than the request itself. Faith refuses to call God absent or unfaithful in the middle of the sentence. [1:06:48]
• 4. Root expectation in Jesus alone Expectation cannot rest on feelings, favorable circumstances, or confidence in personal faith. Jesus remains faithful when feelings are weak and answers come differently than expected. The miracle at the Beautiful Gate came through the name of Jesus, not through Peter’s strength or the man’s positive thinking. [1:11:26]
• 5. Ordinary days can change suddenly The gate called Beautiful carried the idea of the right season and the right time. The man arrived in the same condition, asked the same question, and expected another ordinary day, but he encountered Jesus and walked home differently. The length of the waiting does not mean God has finished moving. [1:21:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [36:49] - Expectation and God’s Abundance
• [38:14] - Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate
• [40:14] - Expectations Shape the Way People Approach God
• [44:07] - Believe, Prepare, Move
• [47:19] - Expecting Too Little
• [55:04] - Look at Us
• [1:02:48] - Expectation Looks for God’s Activity
• [1:06:48] - Do Not Stop the Story Early
• [1:10:20] - Expectation Rooted in Jesus
• [1:14:26] - Jesus Is Still Alive
• [1:18:55] - The Gate Called Beautiful
• [1:21:51] - One Encounter Can Change Everything
• [1:22:51] - An Invitation to the Altar
• [1:28:27] - What Will Be

1. In Acts 3:1-10, what details show how long the man’s routine had been the same before Peter and John arrived? [47:19]
2. What did the man expect from Peter and John, and what did he receive instead?
3. After Peter told the man to look at them, what actions did Peter take, and how did the man respond to what happened?
4. According to Hebrews 11:6, what two beliefs are involved when a person comes to God? [01:02:48]

1. Why might the man at the gate have asked only for money rather than hoping for healing? What does this reveal about the way long-term hardship can shape a person’s prayers and expectations? [50:22]
2. Peter’s first response was that he did not have silver or gold. Why is it important not to decide that God is absent or unfaithful when an answer first looks like “no”? [01:06:48]
3. How does Acts 3 make clear that the miracle was rooted in Jesus’ name rather than Peter’s ability, the man’s effort, or positive thinking? [01:11:29]
4. What is the difference between approaching God with confidence that He is able and trying to control the exact outcome God must give? [01:03:51]

1. Is there an area of life where past disappointment, a long delay, or repeated failure has caused expectations to become small? What might it look like to bring that area to Jesus again? [49:14]
2. Are there prayers that have become mostly about surviving one more day? How could those prayers become more honest, hopeful, and open to God’s deeper work? [51:17]
3. Where might God be saying, “Look again,” and inviting greater attention or a different response—at home, at work, in church, or in a relationship? [59:44]
4. Think of a recent closed door, delay, or answer that differed from what was requested. How can trust in God grow without pretending that disappointment does not hurt? [01:05:03]
5. When circumstances are difficult or faith feels weak, what helps keep expectation rooted in Jesus rather than in feelings or a desired outcome? [01:11:08]
6. What ordinary part of this coming week—an errand, conversation, workplace moment, or family routine—could become an opportunity to notice God at work or show someone the love of Jesus? [01:17:26]