Great Expectations

If you are under the impression that the closer a person walks with God, the more likely his plans will pan out, you're in for a big surprise. If you believe that obeying the Lord guarantees a life without interruption or disruption, you'd better buckle up because you are in for the ride of your life. You will never have so much trouble.

You will never be in so much trouble. You will never create so much trouble as when you sell out to Jesus Christ. Living a holy life doesn't mean that God will reward you by giving you all your desires.

It's entirely possible that you have desires and ideas that never come to fruition. So, what do you do when God's will seems contrary to the desires you have? How do you continue to move forward in your service for God when he keeps closing doors? The Apostle Paul wrestled with some of these same questions. He had expectations for the future of his ministry. Some of those expectations never became reality.

This message is called Great Expectations. Charles McCoy pastored a church in Oyster Bay, New York. While pastoring as a single man, in fact, he never married, he did continue his education.

In fact, he eventually earned seven graduate and postgraduate degrees. When he turned 72, his Baptist denomination required that he retire from ministry and he reluctantly stepped away from his pulpit and the people he had pastored for many decades. In reality, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with his life. He wrote, I keep thinking my life is over, but I haven't really done much yet. I've pastored this church for so many years.

I've spent a lot of time working through with my education, but I haven't won very many people to faith in Christ. Well, one week after his retirement party, he met a missionary who invited him to come to India and preach. And he deferred, citing his age. Besides, he said, I've never been overseas in my life. I've never even traveled across America. For that matter, he said, I've never flown on a plane.

This is not God's design for me. Not the least of his concerns was that he wouldn't have had the money really to purchase a round trip ticket. But the thought nagged at him, the article I read of his life, until finally 72-year-old white-headed Dr. McCoy announced he would indeed go to India.

He sold his car and a few possessions, and he bought, with all the money he had, a one-way ticket to Bombay. His friends were horrified. They thought that he was having a little trouble upstairs. And they said, what if you fall still?

What if you die in India? And he replied with this newfound courage. He said, well, it's just as close to heaven from there as it is from here. Well, he arrived in Bombay with his billfold, his passport, and a satchel of clothes, and his Bible, all of which, in a matter of minutes, were taken by pickpockets.

He never got out of the airport with any of it. He was left with only the clothes on his back and a little scrap of paper with the missionary's address in his pocket. When he arrived at the missionary's home, the mission station, he discovered that the man who had invited him to preach had decided to stay in America.

So he wasn't even there. The rest of the missionaries sort of looked at him rather quizzically and invited him in. In fact, they gave him a little guest room where he would stay. And he was anxious to get started doing something. So after two days of becoming acclimated to that culture as best he could, he announced to the missionaries that he was going to visit the mayor of Bombay. They sort of snickered under their breath. And they said, well, we've been trying for years and have not been given an audience. And Dr. McCoy said, well, I just feel impressed.

God wants me to do that. And so without even having an appointment, he arrived. He gave his business card to the receptionist and she looked it over, then disappeared through a door after a few moments came back and invited him to return at 3 p.m. He returned that afternoon to find a reception in his honor.

He wondered what was up. Well, it evidently seems the city fathers had been impressed by his frame, his white hair, and all those degrees after his name. And they thought to themselves he is a very important person, perhaps even a representative of the President of the United States. So in his honor they gave him a reception. He was able to speak to them for a half hour, all those dignitaries that had assembled, giving them the gospel of Christ.

At the end they politely applauded him and he was approached by a man wearing an impressive military uniform who invited him to speak to his students at the military school, which it turned out was India's equivalent to West Point. After his address, McCoy was invited back repeatedly. Foreign invitations were pouring in from all over the country. He began an itinerant ministry of preaching the gospel. Among other things, in Calcutta he started a church for Chinese believers. He was asked to do the same in Hong Kong, to which he traveled and did the same there. He was then invited to Egypt and the Middle East, traveling everywhere. He preached, he planted churches, he discipled believers, speaking before government leaders and dignitaries in several countries. His international ministry would last 16 years. He died at the age of 88 in Calcutta, just before he was to preach at a special rally to men downtown.

Dr. Charles McCoy never once returned to America. Can you imagine the challenges and the changes in his life? As a 40 year old or 50 year old or 70, even a 70 year old man, he had no idea what God was going to do with him, what God had up his divine sleeve, so to speak, for him. All the surprises for him. If he had told Dr. McCoy at age 72 even, he probably would have fainted dead away. Like Daniel of old, who had a dramatic reversal, so to speak, and entered the lion's den somewhere around his 80s. Some Bible scholars believe he was in his 90s.

What a way to go. But God had even more surprises for him. The truth is we all have our list of expectations.

We all have this original volume written in our minds and on our hearts. We could entitle it Great Expectations. They might be great, too. They might be godly. They might be good.

Can I ask you a question today? What if they don't come true? What if God has something entirely different planned and in mind for you? That's exactly what God was about to do in the life of the Apostle Paul. Now, if there was ever anybody that we would think had his life mapped out, it would be Paul. And you're right, he had it mapped out. And he would be entirely wrong.

Would you take your Bibles and turn to Romans 15? Let's go back to that paragraph where Paul has been sharing his heart and his passion, his obsessions. And in the latter part of the paragraph, Paul gives us sort of an inside peek at his great expectations, his plans. It's as if he opens his first century day timer and he shows us all where he is penciled in certain plans. In fact, some of it isn't in pencil. It's in magic marker, water resistant in case he ever gets shipwrecked. It's still there.

Permanent. You can't erase it. But before he reveals his plans, and we'll look at them closely, he reveals his passion. Look at verse 20. He says, and thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation. I aspired to preach. A great word that doesn't have quite the punch in the English language, philatema, my compound word philate, a love, to may, to honor. It is sort of the honorable love of my heart to preach the gospel, to declare the name and glory of Jesus Christ. That is the love of my heart.

That's what he's saying. Not only was Paul obsessed with godly living, not only was he obsessed with the grace of God and the glory of God, we discover his obsession for the advancement of Christ's gospel. He was literally obsessed with the great commission.

You ask someone what they are passionate about, what they obsess over, and you will discover a great deal about that person. Paul would say, I am obsessed with the declaration of the gospel of Christ. And you'll notice in verse 21, he quotes from Isaiah, and he rather broadly applies it to the process of evangelism that began in his day and will continue throughout church history until Christ returns. Paul says, in effect, I plan, let me tell you what I'm planning.

I plan to be in the thick of it. It's kind of like that more recent missionary David Livingston who was once asked, and where do you plan to go? And he said, anywhere, so long as it is forward.

That's Paul. What a wonderful description of his passion. But now in the light of that obsession, he reveals his objectives to travel to three places.

Let me recommend that you underline them in your text so you can sort of keep track. The first thing that appears or the first plan is in verse 23. You could underline longing to come to you. That would be Rome. The second plan is in verse 25, I am going to Jerusalem. And that will happen, but not like he thought. The third is in verse 28, I will go on by way of you to Spain. You could underline that and then draw a line up to verse 24 where he writes, whenever I go to Spain.

Not if, but whenever. He had these three major ministry plans mapped out for the next several years. His short term goal was to go to the believers in Rome. His long range goal was to go to Spain. His immediate goal was to go to Jerusalem. Now I need to inform you before we dive in too deeply here that none of his objectives will turn out like he thought they would.

And he sort of admits to some of that in verse 22. Look back there. For this reason, I have often been hindered from coming to you. In other words, I have had to mark off my trip to Rome. It was on my calendar and I couldn't erase that magic marker, but I had to just sort of write through it.

Not this time. The word translated hindered in verse 22 is a word that means to cut in. It described warfare in Paul's day when armies would cut deep gullies and trenches into the road system so that the enemy army would have to stop and fill in the ditch before they could drive their wagons across. We talk about hitting a bump in the road or an obstacle in our path.

The same idea. Paul is sort of picturing himself on a wagon driving at full speed toward Rome, but he has to stop again and again because the road is not passable. Other things come up, good things, godly things, other churches to plant, other ministries to engage in, other people to disciple, other believers who needed help, not to mention beatings and shipwreck.

How long has Paul been hindered? Look back at verse 23. It gives us a clue, but now with no further place for me in these regions since I have had for many years a longing to come to you.

Did you catch that? I have longed to come to you for many years. He would go forward in his calendar and a few months and write bold letters, I'm going to Rome. Then it wouldn't happen. He'd go forward again in his calendar turning over pages of months and he'd write again, now I'm going to Rome and it wouldn't happen.

He did this in effect for years. Maybe you have longed, my friends, for something. Maybe you've longed for it for six months or a year or several years. You need to understand that for the most of his Christian life, it will never happen. And when he does get there, it'll be different than he imagined. Ladies and gentlemen, if you happen to believe that a Christian has been vaccinated against misfortune, you're going to be terribly disappointed at the first sign of sickness.

If you are under the impression that the closer a person walks with God, the more likely his plans will pan out, you're in for a big surprise. If you believe that obeying the Lord guarantees a life without interruption or disruption, you'd better buckle up because you are in for the ride of your life. You will never have so much trouble.

You will never be in so much trouble. You will never create so much trouble as when you sell out to Jesus Christ. He longed to go to Rome, but he wants to go to Rome not only because of its influence in the empire and his influence on their lives, but because of their influence on his life. Look at verse 24 in chapter 15, whenever I go to Spain, for I hope to see you in passing and to be helped on my way there, helped on my way from one verb, which refers to helping someone on their journey by giving food or money. Paul is writing to the Romans and he is adopting the strategy of that great missionary. In fact, he created the strategy that that great missionary would use himself, Adnarm Judson, who served in the middle 1800s. That sort of crafted my own view of money and ministry where he said, when it comes to the matter of raising funds for the work of ministry, I ask God and I tell the people.

I like that. You tell the people, but you are ultimately depending upon God. So Paul's short term goal is to get to Rome. Now he talks about his immediate goal. Notice verse 25. He says, but now I'm going to Jerusalem, serving the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

Yes, they were pleased to do so. And they are indebted to them for the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things. That is, if the Gentiles have benefited from the spiritual heritage of the Jews, which they have, they are indebted to minister to the Jews also in material things. So what he is saying here is that the church in Jerusalem needs the help of churches throughout these Gentile regions. When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans, they were suffering deeply. Not only persecution that had broken out, but poverty. During the time of this letter, there was a famine throughout Palestine. Because of persecution by unbelieving Jews, many Christians had lost their jobs and that compounded the issue. Add to that the fact that many foreign Jews who were visiting Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost who were converted to Jesus Christ, they, we know from history, stayed behind many of them and became houseguests of believers who lived in the city and that added to the overall state of emergency. What I love about Paul's inspired choice of words here in Romans 15 is that when he refers to this contribution in verse 26, when he refers to that offering, that contribution, he uses the word koinonia, which we translate as fellowship.

What a great choice of words. Because this offering was more than money. It was more than nickels and dimes and denarii. It was the fellowship of life.

It was relationship. It was the sharing of life. For those of you who are raising money for short term mission trips, you're understanding that you're asking people to engage with their lives in your life. I hope we have that sense when the offering plates are passed on the Lord's Day that we're doing more than putting in nickels and dimes. We are investing our lives in fellowship with others. So one of the reasons Paul was passionate about taking this offering to the Jews was that it signified the fellowship and the sharing of life from the Gentiles. And in this era of prejudice between the races, Jew and Gentile, which had yet to be overcome, this offering was terribly significant. The Gentile believers were in effect saying, we in our lives commune with you in your lives. We are in koinonia with you and fellowship with you. It was a magnificent testimony to the equality of the Christians, but still further, it was a magnificent testimony to the unity of the church.

They were linked together by the blood of Christ. He goes on to write in verse 28, therefore, when I have finished this and have put my seal on this fruit, the word for seal indicates a sealing for the sake of integrity. A papyrus fragment from Paul's day uses the word for the sealing of sacks of grain. In other words, Paul is saying, I want to make sure that every denarii makes it to Jerusalem.

I want to seal it and protect it. Well, his short term goal is to go to Rome. His immediate goal is to go to Jerusalem. And now notice in verse 28, his long term goal is to go to Spain. I will go on by way of you to Spain. I'll repack my bags in Rome, get some food and some money and I'm off to Spain. These are Paul's plans. He will make it to Jerusalem.

But let me give you a very quick overview and tell you how it all changed. In Acts chapter 21, we're given the shocking development how that after a week after arriving, delivering the offering, the celebration with these believers, Jews came from Asia and stirred up the crowd in Jerusalem and they tried to kill Paul. Roman soldiers intervened and prevented him from being murdered, but placed him under arrest. Acts 22 reveals that on the next day, Paul stood trial before the Supreme Court of Israel, the St. Hedron and they condemned him to die. Then the Roman soldiers intervened and rescued him from being killed but kept him in custody. Acts 23 informs us that Paul would be transferred to Caesarea for his own safety, but he would remain in prison for two years.

For two years, imprisoned. He appealed to Nero and was granted his appeal. And then it bogged down in Roman bureaucracy. In Acts chapter 27, it informs us that Paul under guard finally set sail for Rome. Finally, finally, we're on our way to Rome.

But wouldn't you know it? His ship would be torn apart by a storm and he would be shipwrecked on the island of Malta where he would have to while away the winter months. Finally, Acts 28 tells us they make it to Rome where Paul is placed under house arrest. Unable to go out in the open, he can only declare his faith to those who come to his rented apartment and he will be there for several years. He is released, many believe for a brief period of time, but rearrested and ultimately martyred by the Roman Emperor Nero. He never made it to Spain. And when he came to Rome, he came not as a pioneer but as a prisoner. The truth is at the time he is writing this paragraph, he doesn't know any of that.

We do. Can you hear him? Can you feel like he feels as you map your life out? I'm gonna go to Jerusalem and then I'm gonna see you in Rome and then I'm gonna go to Spain and then God says, no, you're not. Paul's great expectations were not fulfilled. Do you realize that his prayers were never answered like he thought?

I wonder, perhaps some of yours haven't either. Can I make three simple observations here about life in general for the Christian? Perhaps you've noticed the same things happening in your life as we've just seen in polls. Number one, your life seems to be held up or slowed down during the very time you expected it to take off.

I mean, you've just announced to friends or family, here we go. And suddenly the wheels get caught in the mud of life. And God does not choose to explain why, maybe he will, but it'll happen when it's all over. Why the delays, Lord, I'm sure Paul must have thought it, why the road's so torn up, I can't drive my wagon and keep going. God never fully explained it to Paul. Someone once put it this way, the Lord orders the steps of a good man and he orders his stops as well. Can we think like that, that God orders our steps, but he also orders our stops.

When we say we believe God is sovereign, we are saying that we believe God does not owe us an explanation either for our steps or our stops. Secondly, your life will involve experiences and challenges you never expected to face. Paul never expected a riot, a trial, the verdict, years of imprisonment, house arrest. He never expected to spend his ministry writing letters, he expected to preach messages. Maybe Paul was tempted to think, Lord, how does this make any sense? How am I to endure the change?

Years of house arrest and hindrances to the full expression and longing of my heart. As with Paul, God will often not clarify how you can endure it until you are in the middle of it. Only then, because you see sustaining grace is never measured out ahead of time. It's measured out just in time. It is measured out day by day for his mercies are new every what?

Every morning. Once Paul was in the middle of it, his outlook dramatically changed. Your life, thirdly, will often turn in a direction you never expected to journey. And often God will not reveal when until the last minute, until maybe the turn is made. By the way, one thing that Paul thought would happen to him did. Would you look at verse 29? And I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. That was true.

He did. Dear friends, don't ever believe that the fullness of Christ's blessing means you are without chains or difficulty or change. You asked the average Christian, I doubt you'd get this answer. You know, hey, is God blessing in your life? I doubt you would ever hear them say, oh, yeah, I got up this morning, went out and the car wouldn't start. Is God good or what?

I got to my job and they handed me a pink slip. I had asked God for a sign that he was in control. And isn't that great proof? Isn't God sovereign? No, we make the mistake of believing that God's blessing is smooth sailing and no ruts in sight in our road.

The exact opposite is true at times. And when Paul came to Rome, he would come in the fullness of Christ's blessing. Let me give you three observations about God's dealing and Paul's life in ours. Number one, God does not always defend his decisions. God does not always defend his decisions, if at all.

But he asks that we surrender to him anyway. Secondly, God does not always provide answers for life's interruptions, if at all. But he asks that we trust him in spite of them. Third, God does not always explain his unexpected plans, if at all. But he asks that we rely upon him as we go through them.

Ladies and gentlemen, when our great expectations are not met, he remains great. And perhaps what God wants to do in our lives is change us from having great expectations to having trust in a great God. And maybe that's what he's doing in your life right now. He doesn't want you trusting in your plans. He wants you trusting in his providence.

Not so much having great expectations, but having a great God. I'm glad you joined us today here on Wisdom for the Heart. Your Bible teacher, Stephen Davy is in a series called Holy Obsession. We have a book by that same title and we're offering it at a discounted rate this week. I hope you'll call us for information.

This resource will help you dive deeper into this topic and is a great addition to your library. Call us today at 866-48-BIBLE. You'll also find Holy Obsession on our website, wisdomonline.org. Today then join us next time to discover more wisdom for the hearts. God bless! God bless!