1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT): “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.” 

Expectations—We All Have Them: good, bad and even some ugly expectations. Life is a series of ups and downs, mountains and valleys =====> That’s Faith? Habakkuk’s Prayer —> Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT): “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”

The Definition of Expectation: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future; 

a belief that someone will or should achieve something; one’s prospects of inheritance.

My Great Expectation Is Not In People, Places or Things. People —> Philippians 3:3 (NLT): “For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort.”  People come and go but God will never leave you or abandon you.  If you expect nothing from somebody, you’ll never be disappointed. If you stop expecting people to be perfect you’ll appreciate them for who they are, not who you want them to be.

Places —-> Deuteronomy 28:1-6 (NKJV): “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: ‘Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. ‘Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. ‘Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ‘Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”

Things —–> Proverbs 11:28 (NLT): “Trust in your riches and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”

My Great Expectation Comes With a Priceless Inheritance. Authority and Power: Romans 8:16-17 (NKJV): “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are [present tense] children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” 

Prosperity and Provision: Galatians 3:29 (NKJV): “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Justification and Grace: Titus 3:7 (NKJV): “That having been justified [past tense] by His grace, We should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 

Living With Great Expectation, p 3

Protection and Salvation: Hebrews 1:14 (NKJV): “Are [angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”

1 Peter 1:5 (NLT): “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”

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