TOPIC:"When Your Expectancy Needs to Be Elevated"
"And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them"
Two incidents - one out of history and one out of my own experience - come to my mind as I begin this message. First the incident out of history. William Carey, the father of modern missions, who spent forty-one years serving Christ in India, and though there was no Indian convert for seven years, and though his wife's health deteriorated and she died, Carey continued and conquered for Christ. His life's message was this: "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." William Carey was a man who always expected great things to happen. His expectancy level was HIGH.
Now my second incident. I was invited in January of 1993 to preach at the United Baptist Church in Madison, Maine. I preached on the subject of revival and evangelism. The church at this stage of its existence had past its glory days and was now mostly ministering to the needs of an older generation. It was a dying congregation. In that message I explained what it meant to be a thriving New Testament soul-winning church. One elderly married couple who were discouraged about the future outlook of the church said to me at the conclusion of the service. "I wish that could happen at our church." The expectancy level of that couple was LOW.
Now all this is a springboard from which I want to ask you this question: What is your expectancy level regarding your church, regarding your marriage, regarding your life, and regarding so many other things that are important to you? Is it high or is it low? Or what about the expectancy level of the lame man who sat every day at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of whom we read in the words of our text: "And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them" (v. 5).
That is the simple question I want to challenge you with in this message. Does your expectancy need to be elevated?