Living with Expectancy: Faith in Action
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound concept of expectancy in our walk with God. Expectancy is not merely wishful thinking; it is faith in action, a confident anticipation that God will fulfill His promises. When we live with a sense of expectation, we position ourselves to receive God's blessings and miracles. Expectancy is the breeding ground for miracles, signs, and wonders. It aligns us with God's perfect will and allows us to stand firm on His promises, knowing that He will not disappoint.
We examined three biblical stories that illustrate the power of expectancy. The woman with the issue of blood demonstrated unwavering faith by pressing through the crowd to touch Jesus' garment, believing she would be healed. Her expectation activated her healing. Blind Bartimaeus refused to be silenced by the crowd and boldly called out to Jesus, resulting in his sight being restored. His persistence in expectation led to his breakthrough. Lastly, Elijah's expectancy for rain, despite no visible signs, showed us the importance of persisting in prayer and holding onto God's promises.
To develop a sense of expectancy, we must anchor our faith in God's Word, speak what we expect, refuse to be deterred by delays, and rejoice before seeing the manifestation. Our words shape our reality, and by declaring God's promises, we activate faith. Expectancy requires persistence, even when there are no immediate signs of change. We must continue to pray, believe, and stand firm on God's Word, knowing that our breakthrough is on the way.
As we align our faith with God's Word and act in faith, we position ourselves to receive His promises. Let us hold onto expectation, knowing that our miracle is on the way. Stand firm, do not give up, and trust that God is working behind the scenes to bring His promises to pass in our lives.
Key Takeaways:
1. Expectancy as Faith in Action: Expectancy is not just wishful thinking; it is faith in action. It is the confident anticipation that what God has spoken will come to pass. By living with expectancy, we align ourselves with God's will and position ourselves to receive His promises. [41:53]
2. The Power of Persistent Faith: The stories of the woman with the issue of blood and blind Bartimaeus teach us the importance of persistent faith. Despite obstacles and opposition, their unwavering expectation led to their healing and breakthrough. We must persist in faith, knowing that God will fulfill His promises. [46:33]
3. Anchoring Expectation in God's Word: To develop expectancy, we must anchor our faith in God's Word. By meditating on His promises and speaking them into existence, we activate faith and align ourselves with His will. Our words shape our reality, and by declaring God's promises, we strengthen our expectation. [01:07:59]
4. Refusing to Be Deterred by Delays: Expectancy requires persistence, even when there are no immediate signs of change. Elijah's persistence in prayer, despite no visible signs of rain, teaches us to hold onto God's promises and refuse to be deterred by delays. Our breakthrough is on the way if we do not give up. [01:16:18]
5. Rejoicing Before Manifestation: One of the strongest signs of expectancy is praise. By rejoicing before seeing the manifestation, we shift our focus from the problem to the promise. Praise God in all circumstances, knowing that He is working behind the scenes to bring His promises to pass. [01:19:28]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Opening Prayer
- [01:45] - Introduction to Expectancy
- [05:20] - Expectancy as Faith in Action
- [10:15] - The Woman with the Issue of Blood
- [15:45] - Bartimaeus' Bold Faith
- [20:30] - Elijah's Expectancy for Rain
- [25:00] - Anchoring Expectation in God's Word
- [30:10] - Speaking What We Expect
- [35:20] - Refusing to Be Deterred by Delays
- [40:00] - Rejoicing Before Manifestation
- [45:30] - Developing Expectancy in Our Lives
- [50:00] - Personal Testimonies of Expectancy
- [55:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation
- [01:00:00] - Announcements and Dismissal
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Expectancy in Our Walk with God
Bible Reading:
1. Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
2. Mark 5:25-34 - The story of the woman with the issue of blood.
3. 1 Kings 18:41-46 - Elijah's expectancy for rain.
Observation Questions:
1. What does Hebrews 11:1 say about the nature of faith and how does it relate to expectancy? [41:53]
2. In the story of the woman with the issue of blood, what actions did she take that demonstrated her expectancy? [46:33]
3. How did Elijah demonstrate persistence in his expectancy for rain, despite the lack of visible signs? [01:00:23]
4. What was the reaction of the crowd to Bartimaeus' cries for Jesus, and how did he respond? [52:43]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of expectancy as "faith in action" challenge or affirm your understanding of faith? [41:53]
2. What can we learn from the persistence of the woman with the issue of blood and Bartimaeus about overcoming obstacles in our spiritual journey? [46:33]
3. How does Elijah's story illustrate the importance of anchoring our expectations in God's promises, even when there are no immediate signs? [01:00:23]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that our words shape our reality, and how can this understanding impact our daily lives? [01:07:59]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a promise from God that you are currently waiting to see fulfilled. How can you actively demonstrate expectancy in this situation? [41:53]
2. Identify a personal obstacle that is hindering your spiritual growth. What steps can you take to press through this obstacle with expectancy, like the woman with the issue of blood? [46:33]
3. Consider a situation where you have been discouraged by delays. How can Elijah's persistence inspire you to continue praying and believing for your breakthrough? [01:00:23]
4. How can you incorporate the practice of speaking God's promises into your daily routine to strengthen your faith and expectancy? [01:07:59]
5. Think of a time when you were tempted to give up on a promise from God. What can you do differently next time to refuse to be deterred by delays? [01:16:18]
6. How can you cultivate a habit of rejoicing before seeing the manifestation of God's promises in your life? What specific actions can you take to shift your focus from the problem to the promise? [01:19:28]
7. Identify one area in your life where you need to stand firm in expectancy. What practical steps can you take this week to align your faith with God's Word and act in faith? [01:22:07]
Devotional
Day 1: Expectancy as Active Faith
Expectancy is more than just hoping for the best; it is an active demonstration of faith that God will fulfill His promises. When we live with expectancy, we align ourselves with God's will and open ourselves to receive His blessings. This kind of faith is not passive but requires us to take steps in anticipation of what God will do. By living with expectancy, we position ourselves to witness God's power and faithfulness in our lives. [41:53]
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)
Reflection: What is one promise from God that you are waiting to see fulfilled? How can you actively demonstrate your faith in this promise today?
Day 2: The Power of Persistent Faith
The stories of the woman with the issue of blood and blind Bartimaeus illustrate the transformative power of persistent faith. Despite facing obstacles and opposition, their unwavering expectation led to their healing and breakthrough. This teaches us that persistence in faith is crucial, even when circumstances seem discouraging. By holding onto God's promises and refusing to give up, we can experience His miraculous intervention in our lives. [46:33]
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a challenge you are currently facing. How can you persist in faith and continue to trust God for a breakthrough?
Day 3: Anchoring Expectation in God's Word
To cultivate a sense of expectancy, it is essential to anchor our faith in God's Word. By meditating on His promises and speaking them into existence, we activate our faith and align ourselves with His will. Our words have the power to shape our reality, and by declaring God's promises, we strengthen our expectation and prepare ourselves to receive His blessings. [01:07:59]
"So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11, ESV)
Reflection: What is one promise from Scripture that you can declare over your life today? How can you incorporate this declaration into your daily routine?
Day 4: Refusing to Be Deterred by Delays
Expectancy requires persistence, even when there are no immediate signs of change. Elijah's persistence in prayer, despite no visible signs of rain, teaches us to hold onto God's promises and refuse to be deterred by delays. Our breakthrough is on the way if we do not give up. By maintaining our faith and continuing to pray, we align ourselves with God's timing and prepare to receive His blessings. [01:16:18]
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." (Romans 12:12, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a situation where you are experiencing delays. How can you remain patient and continue to trust in God's timing?
Day 5: Rejoicing Before Manifestation
One of the strongest signs of expectancy is praise. By rejoicing before seeing the manifestation, we shift our focus from the problem to the promise. Praise God in all circumstances, knowing that He is working behind the scenes to bring His promises to pass. This act of faith not only strengthens our expectation but also prepares us to receive the fulfillment of God's promises. [01:19:28]
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can choose to praise God today, even before seeing the outcome? How can this act of praise transform your perspective?
Quotes
"And when we live with that sense of expectation that God will move, not that he may, not that he might, but he will move. We stand on his words. When we live in that sense of expectation that he will move, we position ourselves to receive his promises. What are his promises? That we're blessed and highly favored, right? We're blessed coming in. We're blessed going out. We can do all things through Christ who threatens us, right? We live in those promises. When we walk in that expectation, we position ourselves to receive those promises." [00:41:10] (31 seconds)
"You have to put your faith in action. It's the confidence anticipation that what God has spoken will come to pass. Amen? I believe what he has spoken will come to pass because we serve a God who shall not lie. He can't lie, right? So what he says will come to pass. Amen? And see, expectation, we got to understand also, it's not just the wishful thinking. It's not a la-di-da, pie-in-the-sky kind of wishful thinking, but what it does, it allows us, I mean, it aligns us with God's will, God's perfect will for our lives. That's what expectation does." [00:42:00] (37 seconds)
"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive. Expectancy. You have to stand on that sense of expectation. See, expectancy is believing in advance that what God has promised is already on the way. It's already on the way. Don't give up. Don't lose hope. You've heard us share this message time and time again about standing. When you've done all you can do, stand, right? Don't give up. Don't lose hope. Too many times people lose hope and they give up right before God shows up because they try to do it on their timeline and not God's timeline, right? So God will show up. If he told you he's going to show up, he will show up. Don't waver. Don't falter. Stand in that hope. Stand in that confidence." [00:44:04] (44 seconds)
"And so we continue reading, and she pressed through the crowds with unwavering faith, right? And see, that's important. I went to the dentist. you to grab a hold of that, that she pressed through that crowd. You see, when she was suffering with this blood issue, she was an outcast. She was not supposed to be around anybody. She was not supposed to be in any kind of social engagement, but she did not care. She said, you know, in herself, she was thinking, I'm going to do whatever I have to do, take whatever consequences I have to take, but I am going to get to Jesus. I'm going to press through whatever obstacles are in my way. I'm going to press through and I'm going to get to Jesus just to touch the hem of his garment because I know that I will be made whole. Amen? So when she did, she touched the hem of his garment and immediately, immediately the bleeding had stopped." [00:47:05] (48 seconds)
"Her expectation activated her healing. Amen? Her expectation activated her healing. And so what I want you to understand is that expectancy, it requires three things. It requires faith. She heard Jesus was coming. She knew what he could do, right? So she had that faith. If I could just get to him. So she had that faith. The second thing, it requires declaration. She declared to herself. She said, if I could just but touch his clothes. She made a bold declaration. If I could just touch his clothes, I shall be healed. And the third thing expectation takes is action." [00:48:23] (39 seconds)
"And so once he saw that and he started calling out, Jesus, have mercy on me, what did the crowd immediately do? The crowd immediately tried to get him to be quiet. They tried to silence him. They did everything they could. And many severely censored him, telling him to keep still, but he kept on shouting, all the more, amen? He got louder. He didn't let those around him stop him from declaring that God could heal him, right? He said, Jesus, have mercy on me. And they're trying to silence him. He said, I'm not going to listen to them. I'm going to get even louder. It's time for us, church, to get louder and get bold with our faith." [00:53:31] (38 seconds)
"Notice he wasn't healed just yet, but he threw his garment off. I want you to grab a hold of that. He threw his outer garment off. What that symbolizes is he was leaving the old behind him, and he was expecting something new. Amen? He didn't know how it was going to happen. He didn't know what it was. He just said, Jesus, have mercy on me. So he took off his old garment, left it alone, don't go back to it, and expect something greater. Expect something new, something more. Amen?" [00:57:14] (30 seconds)
"So expectancy has to be rooted in God's word, in God's promises. So what did Elijah do? He went up to the top of Mount Carmel and he bowed down in prayer and he told his servant to look at the sea. So I want you to think, really get this. He told his servant, you know, there's no sign of rain. There's no cloud in the sky. Nothing's going on. But he's at the top of the mount and he's praying because he knows that God said, I am going to send rain. He has that sense of expectation. So he sends his servant out and said, hey, go toward the sea and come back and report to me what you see." [01:01:09] (35 seconds)
"And he says, and on the seventh time, the servant said, a cloud as small as a man's hand is arising out of the sea. And so Elijah said, go up and say to Ahab, hit your chariot and go down unless the rain stop you, right? Don't let the rain stop you. See, it's important. I want you to grab hold of this. When he went out to sea, all he saw was a small cloud the size of somebody's hand. Now some of you might be saying, well, what's so significant about that? You've got to understand how far away he saw that cloud. So for that cloud to be the size of his hand, when it came, it was a downpour. So you might be going through something right now. You might be expecting something and you're not seeing anything come to pass, but you start seeing just a little hope. You start just seeing a little bit. Grab hold of that. Amen. That's exactly what Elijah did here. He grabbed hold of that. He said, praise God, rain is coming. And what happened? A downpour came. Amen." [01:02:45] (57 seconds)
"See, expectation, it persists even when there are no visible signs. We have to keep praying, keep believing, and our breakthrough is going to come. Amen. Elijah didn't give up when he was on top of that mountain. He kept on. He was persistent. And when he saw, when his servants saw that small cloud in the distance, he knew there was going to be a downpour because that's exactly what God had promised. Amen. So you might be thinking, well, how do these, you know, stories, how do they relate to us? You know, well, we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, right? He's no respecter of persons. So what he did for the woman with the issue of blood, what he did for Bartimaeus, what he did for Elijah, he will do for each and every one of us." [01:04:40] (46 seconds)
"See, you also have to meditate on God's word. Joshua 1 .8 instructs us to meditate on God's word day and night. Amen? Day and night. Not just when you feel like it, not just, you know, like I said, Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, day and night. Make time for God. Amen? You know, I shared a, as a matter of fact, our lesson last week over in the children's church was talking about putting God first in your life. And before I had the kids start this activity, I was asking them questions about what they do during the week. A lot of them were in sports and, of course, school and some of them had piano lessons and soccer practice and they were naming all this stuff in their lives. And I was asking them, okay." [01:07:38] (44 seconds)
"Because it's called the ever-living Word of God for a reason. Amen? You're going to grab new revelation time and time again when you read His Word. You might read the same scripture many, many times, and then you grab a different revelation. It's like, oh, a light bulb clicks on. That's what that means. I need that for such a time as this, right? So meditate on His Word. Get the Word deep down inside of you. You know, Captain Rex says this all the time. You want to, how does he say it? I'm going to get there. You know, read God's Word, meditate it, fill your heart with God's Word when you don't need it so that your heart will fill your mouth when you do. I knew I was going to get there. That wasn't in my notes, so otherwise I would have been able to say exactly what he said. But fill your heart with God's Word when you don't need it so that your heart will fill your mouth when you do. Why is that important?" [01:09:31] (50 seconds)
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