Great Expectations

Happy Sunday! Today we're going to begin a series called "Great Expectations." We will look at what is required or expected of us as Christ followers. As we begin, it's important for me to say that if you're going to meet God's great expectations, you must be a Christian. If you're not connected to God and you're trying to go through life on your own strength, you may have worldly success, but heavenly consequences will not flow from your life.

Let's look at the first instance that I can find in scripture of God having great expectations. You don't have to look far. I begin in Genesis chapter one. I'll read from verses 27 and 28: "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

I'll focus on four words from that passage: "be fruitful and multiply." Yes, this does speak to having children, and Adam and Eve had many. But I also think that the scripture can apply in a different way. The world was new, and Adam and Eve had a big job ahead of them. I think that this could also be a great expectation from God. Is this another way of God saying to Adam and Eve, "Make me proud"?

Make me proud. I remember years ago taking our son away for his first year of college. After we unloaded his vehicle and helped set up his room, we were about to leave. I looked at him and I said, "Are you ready for the speech?" As a preacher, I'm just about always ready for a speech, and as a pastor's son, Taylor had heard his share of them.

And he said to me, "I bet I've heard it before." I gave him a short speech, just eight words. I looked at him and I said, "You did not come here to be average." It was my way of saying, "Make us proud." Parents should have great expectations for their children.

One of God's great expectations for all of his creation, including us, is for us to be fruitful in our lives. Ephesians 5:8-10 put it this way: "For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord."

I love the phrase found there in Ephesians 5:9, "the fruit of light." That fruit is best described in Galatians 5:22 and 23, where it says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." When we live like that, when we bear that kind of fruit, that fruit of light, God is pleased and we're living up to his great expectations. We make him proud.

Jesus said this in John 15:8: "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit." Making God proud is a lofty goal. Some would argue that his expectations are too great and that it's impossible. I would counter that by saying that God wants us to live up to his expectations. He's cheering for us.

He has gifted each of us in different ways to bear fruit. Over the years, it's been my privilege to watch some of God's best make him proud. I received a text this week from a friend who's leading a team on a mission trip right as I speak. My friend is undergoing cancer treatment right now. Has that stopped him? No way.

He has always put others first, and he continues to do just that as he bears fruit. You know, it doesn't have to be something as big as a mission trip. I have a friend who'd learned to shine shoes in the army. That was years ago. He has turned that into a unique ministry in his community.

When someone dies, he goes to their family and he shines the shoes of those who will be going to the funeral. Isn't that great? Some are fruitful by coaching and sharing their faith with young ones. Some are fruitful by visiting the lonely. Some feed the needy.

Some are fruitful by sending cards. I know a man who's a believer today because of a faithful lady that sent him notes of encouragement. All of us need to live up to God's great expectations.

Back to Adam and Eve. If I ask people to tell the story of Adam and Eve, it's likely that they would mention their failure, their fall. They disobeyed God, and today we still feel the consequences of their punishment. We must also remember that they had their good days too. There were days when they lived up to God's expectations and they bore the fruit of light.

We're a lot like them. We've had our bad days, our failures, yet God, rich in mercy, gives us a chance today to make him proud. What are you going to do about it? I pray that you will live up to God's great expectations.

Pray with me. Father, as I pray, I remember one of your expectations is for us to pray, and we'll talk about that in weeks to head. Help us, Father, to live up to your expectations, to bear fruit, to be fruitful and multiply the things that you give us, for your glory, for your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. God bless.