Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

Lesson 7 • Second Week

Expect the Best from God

Background Reading Devotional Reading
Psalm 140:8; Proverbs 10:28; Romans 8:18-28 11:23; Mark 11:22-24; 1 John 4:4

Central Verse
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."
Ephesians 3:20, KJV

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
Ephesians 3:20, NLT

Key Terms
Earnest—Having or showing a serious attitude; not light or playful.
Expectation—The act or state of expecting; a looking forward to or waiting for something.
Great—Large in size; not small or little.

Introduction

The earth belongs to God. Mankind belongs to God. Everything in Heaven and Earth belongs to Him, and nothing is out of His reach. Jesus said when you pray, tell the Father to let His kingdom come here on Earth just as it is in Heaven. So, everything that He has in Heaven can be released for the believer on Earth. Whatever the believer binds in Heaven is bound on Earth, and whatever he releases on Earth is released in Heaven. Sometimes, believers receive nothing from God because their expectations are so low. The believer must remember that his God has everything and everything belongs to Him, and it is the Father's good pleasure to give His children the kingdom.

Jesus said ask, and it shall be given, but the believer must believe that when he asks, he will receive what he asked for. Just as the believers' children
believe that when he asks his mother and Father for something, he is going to receive it, the believer should know that his Heavenly Father is going to give it to him.

Discussion

To expect means to think or believe something will happen or someone will arrive, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. It also means to think that someone should behave in a particular way or do a particular thing. To expect someone to do something or expect something from someone is part of the word to expect.

To ask and receive from God, the believer must be positive in his thinking and use his faith in his expectation and use his faith to receive it. The Word of the Lord tells the believer it will happen, but it is according to the power that works in him. The Message Bible says, "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:20-21.

God had expectations of mankind, but they let Him down, so He put in place a power that could provide great expectations from mankind to Him. God so loved the world (mankind) that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to the world to die for their sins. God could not allow man to be in right fellowship with Him as long as sin separated them from God, so Jesus died to move the separation.

Romans 8:18 lets believers know that the sufferings of this present time are not even worthy of being compared with the glory which shall be revealed in each believer. For the earnest expectation, for all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with great anticipation, the believers look forward to joining Jesus in glorious freedom from death, decay, and the grave. They expect to become just like Jesus, with a glorified body, able to spend eternity with Him. The Lord knew that humanity was lost and desperate, without help or hope, and in need of salvation. But thank God for Jesus, who laid the foundation and opened up the way. As believers remain faithful to Jesus, they can enjoy an abundant life and maintain a greater hope in Christ Jesus.

When the believer feels that things around him are confusing, when it seems like difficulties are increasing, he's feeling weak and powerless. That is when he remembers that's not the end of his story. He has hope; he has great expectations; he knows that God, through Jesus, will give him the strength that will help him to withstand every storm that life can throw out at him. He knows that God has given him the very best that He has. Jesus is the best thing that could ever be in anybody's life.

God has given the believer the authority and the power to tread and to trample over the enemy in every area of his life. He is not defenseless against the wiles of the enemy. God has equipped him with the authority and power to defeat and overcome the snares and traps of the enemy in every area of his life. The believer has a right to expect the best from God, for God said in Isaiah 1:19," that if he were willing and obedient, he could eat the good of the land." In other words, he can have the best that God has to offer.

The enemy tries to make the believers feel they have no control over their circumstances. Satan wants them to be discouraged and feel depressed and helpless. God wants a believer to be inspired by His Word and His promises, expect and move on those promises, and watch every promise come to pass.

Conclusion

The believer has not lived his life trying to live Holy and living the best he can for God and does not have great expectations. He has denied himself the pleasures of this world because he expects to spend eternity enjoying the very best that God has to offer. He expects to live in a mansion in Glory, walking on streets of gold, looking at the pearly gates and walls of sapphire. He expects to see the foundation stones of jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. And above all he is looking forward to spending eternity praising and worshipping God with Jesus, the Angels, the disciples, and the saints from all the ages.

Questions

Why can a believer expect great things from God?
What gives the believer confidence that God will give great things if he asks for it?
What does the believer classify as great things?
What is the earnest expectation of the believer?

Essential Thought- "Don't just plan to go to Heaven, but expect to go there because it is the best that God has to offer."