Sunday – February 24, 2013

February 24, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Setting Our Expectations for the Last Days from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

What happens when real trouble comes your way, despite the promises of hope and change, if you have unrealistic expectations about what the future holds? When the promises fail to arrive on our timeline we are going to start asking questions. When reality does not meet our expectations we will question our reality before we question our expectations. Jesus cuts through the disciples’ expectations with perspective to the temptation is to look for an escape because your plan does not include suffering, trials and persecution. Without Godly perspective, the heart of man is directed to find someone whom they can trust to get us out of our present reality, instead of trusting the One who will see us through the trials of our reality.
What are your expectations for life? Is your expectation a honeymoon or is your expectation reality? What is your expectation of the church? Whether you are speaking of the pastor or the attitude of those who occupy the pews, our expectations need to be realistic. (You may want to read 1st & 2nd Corinthians to get your expectations in a reasonable zone.) Is the gospel we preach a realistic gospel, or do we only speak of the blessing and omit the cost of discipleship? Jesus never went light on the cost of following Him, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:25). If we have the right expectations, we will not become disillusioned when God’s timeline differs from our time line.
This Sunday we continue in our study of the Gospel of Mark and look to what Jesus has to say about setting our expectations for the last days. Join us Sunday morning as we look at Mark 13 verses 1 to 13 and “Setting our Expectations for the Last Days”.


Word On Worship – February 24, 2013 Download / Print

Mark 13:1-2
As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”

As Jesus departs the temple, the disciples are in awe of the magnificence of the construction around them. Many of us have seen models of the temple or read descriptions and marveled at engineering it would take to construct a building with such huge stones inlaid with gold. This structure went beyond civic pride; it gave the Jews a sense of security because it was the place where God lived. The psalmist wrote of the temple in Psalm 132:14 “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.” How could the Lord abandon such a magnificent structure or allow it to be destroyed by an occupying enemy?

Just as the great harlot of Babylon mesmerized John in Revelation 17, the temple’s awesome majesty enthralls the disciples with its size, beauty and the power of its economic engine. What they need is perspective to see through the gleam of the gold and to realize this was not going to stand forever. God is no longer blessing this building which must come down stone by stone. The temple belongs to the old order, whose builders will reject the stone who will become central to God’s new temple. If there is one thing Jesus always gives people, it is perspective.

Despite the promises of hope and change, what happens when real trouble comes your way if you have unrealistic expectations about what the future holds? When the promises fail to arrive on our timeline we are going to start asking questions. When reality does not meet our expectations we will question our reality before we question our expectations. Jesus cuts through the disciples’ expectations with perspective to say the temptation is to look for an escape because your plan does not include suffering, trials and persecution. Without godly perspective, the heart of man is directed to find someone who they can trust to get us out of our present reality, instead of trusting the One who will see us through the trials of our reality.

What are your expectations for life? Is your expectation a honeymoon or is your expectation reality? What is your expectation of the church? Whether you are speaking of the pastor or the attitude of those who occupy the pews, our expectations need to be realistic. (You may want to read 1st & 2nd Corinthians to place your expectations in a reasonable zone.)  Is the gospel we preach a realistic gospel, or do we only speak of the blessing and omit the cost of discipleship? Jesus never went light on the cost of following Him, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:25). If we have the right expectations, we will not become disillusioned when God’s timeline differs from our time line.