What the World Expects
Jerry Watts
John 1:19-29
One of the killers in our culture is this thing of ''UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.'' It happens very often in marriages and churches. A man and woman get married believing their mate will make them happy by acting or 'being' a certain way. Watch how the problem develops. She expects HIM to respond like all the men in her family responded while she was growing up and he expects her to respond like the all the women in his family did. Can you see the problem? She didn't grow up in his home nor did he grow up in hers. So to start out with, a problem develops because it is unrealistic to expect such from your mate.
In churches, the unrealistic expectations abound. Pastors expect people there to be 'no problem' if we just all love Jesus and expect people to always respond according to the scriptural principles and guess what, people expect their pastors to be perfect in every way. Unrealistic expectations.
But every expectation is not unreal. Jesus has expectations of us (His redeemed family) that are not unrealistic. Also the world, the lost culture, has expectations of those profess to be Christ followers. Some of these can be unrealistic, but conversely, some are very realistic indeed. In fact, some of those things the culture expects, Jesus not only expects but calls us to. From John, let's see ''What the World Expects'' and I add, what they have a 'right' to expect. They expect;
A Testimony - That the world expects you and I ''to be able to give a reason for the hope'' we believe we 'have' in Jesus.
Verse 19 begins, ''This is the testimony of John (the Baptist)''. It is no surprise that John had a testimony. In fact, while the world expected John to be able to offer a reason (testimony) for why he was preaching and baptizing, we (us) would be disappointed if he could offer no testimony.
You and I know what a testimony is and is not. A testimony is not repeating or reciting of scripture verses (that' ...
Jerry Watts
John 1:19-29
One of the killers in our culture is this thing of ''UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.'' It happens very often in marriages and churches. A man and woman get married believing their mate will make them happy by acting or 'being' a certain way. Watch how the problem develops. She expects HIM to respond like all the men in her family responded while she was growing up and he expects her to respond like the all the women in his family did. Can you see the problem? She didn't grow up in his home nor did he grow up in hers. So to start out with, a problem develops because it is unrealistic to expect such from your mate.
In churches, the unrealistic expectations abound. Pastors expect people there to be 'no problem' if we just all love Jesus and expect people to always respond according to the scriptural principles and guess what, people expect their pastors to be perfect in every way. Unrealistic expectations.
But every expectation is not unreal. Jesus has expectations of us (His redeemed family) that are not unrealistic. Also the world, the lost culture, has expectations of those profess to be Christ followers. Some of these can be unrealistic, but conversely, some are very realistic indeed. In fact, some of those things the culture expects, Jesus not only expects but calls us to. From John, let's see ''What the World Expects'' and I add, what they have a 'right' to expect. They expect;
A Testimony - That the world expects you and I ''to be able to give a reason for the hope'' we believe we 'have' in Jesus.
Verse 19 begins, ''This is the testimony of John (the Baptist)''. It is no surprise that John had a testimony. In fact, while the world expected John to be able to offer a reason (testimony) for why he was preaching and baptizing, we (us) would be disappointed if he could offer no testimony.
You and I know what a testimony is and is not. A testimony is not repeating or reciting of scripture verses (that' ...
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