When Jesus Doesn’t Meet Your Expectations (Luke 7:18-35)

What do you do when Jesus doesn't meet your expectations?

We all have moments when we expect God to move one way, but He works in a completely different way. Prayers seem unanswered. Doors remain closed. Healing doesn't come. In those moments, it's easy to wonder where God is and whether He's still working.

In this message from Luke 7:18–35, we look at the surprising story of John the Baptist—a man who boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, yet later found himself sitting in prison, asking, "Are You the One?" Through John's honest questions, we discover that doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it's often an invitation to bring our questions directly to Jesus.

This sermon explores how to trust Christ when life doesn't make sense, why one difficult season doesn't define your relationship with God, and how to avoid letting unmet expectations keep you from recognizing God's work. Whether you're walking through disappointment, confusion, or unanswered prayers, you'll be reminded that Jesus is still faithful—even when He works differently than you expected.

In this message you'll discover:

• Why it's okay to bring your doubts to Jesus.
• How God sees the bigger picture beyond your current circumstances.
• Why faith is trusting Jesus' character, not just His timing.
• How unmet expectations can become opportunities for deeper trust.

No matter what you're facing today, this message will encourage you to anchor your faith in who Jesus is rather than what you can currently see.

Transcript

Copy

SPEAKER_01 0:00

So good to have you with us this morning as you passed the baskets this morning. Uh wanted to give you an update. The the missionary, I was talking to him this week, and he was he wanted me to pass along a thank you uh to you guys because of the last three years we've raised money for Christmas in July, and because we have done that, they have been able to up their game uh and and do even better stuff for their kiddos down there. So this year they'll actually be getting uh through some work of their team down there, um and through your faithful giving, they're actually gonna be able to give them better gifts this year uh than they've ever given them before. So they actually get to get name brand like ninja turtle toys, okay? Uh and you're like, wow, okay. Well, I'm like, listen, they don't get that stuff, right? Like they were getting Farbies, not Barbies, okay? Uh right. Farbies. But get it. All right, let's get into let's get into the Bible, right? Okay. And so he wanted me to pass along his thankfulness to you, uh, Kenny and Lacey Horton. Uh, if you think of them, pray for them. They're going through uh some health challenges in their life. Uh sometimes as ministers of the gospel, uh, we have to keep working hard while our bodies are not always cooperating with us. Uh, and and they are going through a little bit of that without sharing too many details. Uh, so if you think of them, pray for them. Uh, they are they are going through some challenges uh and serving the Lord all along the way. And so pray for them. So let's get into it. Have you ever experienced a time when you expected God to do something one way and he did it a completely different way? You ever had that? For me, one of those big, you know, last week all my son heard was that his dad played in a bar. That's all he heard. He didn't listen to anything else. That was it. In fact, he left the service and texted me, Dad. I drove by our place. Uh, he just wanted me to know that he had located the bar that I was talking about uh in my sermon. Okay. And so I figured I would continue that story. So as I told you, God kind of got a hold of me. Um, and the reason I had so much time to play in these bar bands is I was on academic suspension from Dallas Baptist University. So I had not, I had not applied myself. I I found out that even if you go to class, if you are excuse me, even if you pass the class, if you're smart enough to pass the class, but you don't go to enough of the classes, they won't pass you. I feel that you should get an award for that. That if you're smart enough to pass the class without actually showing up, you should get an award. But apparently, Dallas Baptist University did not agree. So I was on academic suspension. And so God had been working in my life and on my calling and ministry, and my parents had not murdered me at this time, and I had submitted to the call of ministry. So I submitted all my paperwork, I appealed my academic suspension, and I was gonna go back to Dallas Baptist University, and I was gonna go uh and finish my degree in ministry and be a minister of the gospel, and then I got the letter in the mail. You ever had one of those letters where all you have to do is read one line, and that one line is, we regret to inform you. And I said, Well, what do I do now? I had all these plans of what God wanted me to do. What am I gonna do now? Well, it turns out I had one option, and that was the option that I didn't want. I could go back to Abilene, to Harden Simmons University, where I had actually had one semester of good grades, no other school would take me, and so I had to go back to the godforsaken wilderness of Abilene, Texas, where there's nothing else to do but go to class. But that's what God had for me. But for you guys, sometimes there are times in our lives when God doesn't always do what we want Him to do. You know, you've tried to live faithfully, but somehow the person who did everything wrong seemed to get ahead while you're still struggling. You ever notice that sometimes in our lives? We feel like we're doing everything that we can, but the person that's doing the wrong thing seems to be getting ahead. These moments can shake you, these moments can wake you up. You live faithfully for God your whole life, but yet you feel like he's not there. Today we're gonna read a story about John the Baptist. And John the Baptist was the very one who prepared the way for Jesus. He had baptized him, he proclaimed him as the Lamb of God. Now he sits in prison. Why was he in prison for preaching the gospel? And he was struggling to recognize reconcile his expectations of the Messiah with his hearing about Jesus' ministry. Sometimes the greatest test of faith isn't whether Jesus is working, but whether his will trusts him, whether we will trust him when he works differently than we expected. So when your circumstances make you question Jesus, I want to encourage you this morning, return to what you know about Jesus. When your circumstances cause you to question what Jesus is doing, you must always return back to Jesus. So if you're taking notes today, the title of my message is When Jesus Doesn't Meet Your Expectations. When Jesus Doesn't Meet Your Expectations, back screen, you're still on worship. So I was trying to get to a good point to make it not weird. Um, so if you have your Bibles, grab them. Go to Luke 7, uh, thank you, verse 18. Thank you, media team. Appreciate you guys. Love you guys. Luke chapter 17, verse 18. Let me tell you, the media team does an awesome job. Uh, but there's the job that imagine having a job when you do everything right, no one notices. Yeah, and then when you when one thing goes wrong, even if it's not your fault, even if the preacher mutes mutes the mic, everybody looks at you like it's your fault. Imagine having that job. That's the media team. So appreciate the media team this morning. They do a great job. So, Luke chapter seven, we're gonna start in verse 18. If you don't have your Bible, uh grab it, or you can tap the NFC tag on the chair in front of you. One announcement I would like to make to you. This Wednesday starts revival nights. Did you enjoy revival nights? Uh last last time. Uh, we kick off with Dr. Mike. He's now Dr. Mike Harper. Uh, so I'll probably call him Dr. Mike Harper 15 times because it will annoy him. Uh, and so uh Dr. Mike Harper is a great friend of mine. He's been a friend of mine uh since I planted here at Hope Church. A lot of the great things that we have done at Hope Church has been through his coaching and mentorship of me. Uh in fact, this building that I stand in right now, uh, the building you sat in existed. The building that I'm standing in didn't exist. Uh, Mike Harper was a lot of the reasons for that happening. And so he is a great man of God. And let me let me promise you, you are gonna be blessed. Okay. And so if you didn't make revival nights last time, uh make it. Uh, and we'll we'll have some light snacks for you to show up. Um that way, if you have to come straight from work, you won't die of hunger uh by the time it's over. Uh, but trust me, you will be spiritually fed, fed. Amen. So let's get into it. When Jesus doesn't meet your expectations, Luke chapter seven, starting in verse 18. The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we shall we look for another? And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent to you, saying, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, Go and tell John what are what you have seen and heard. The blind have received sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up. The poor have good news preached to them, and blessed is the one who is not offended by me. First thing that we have to understand when Jesus doesn't meet your expectations, first and foremost, bring your doubts to Jesus. Bring your doubts to Jesus. Listen, guys, I appreciate the honesty of the scripture here. The Bible does not hide the difficult moments in the lives of godly people. Abraham questioned God, Moses questioned God, David questioned God, Elijah struggled with depression. Jeremiah struggled. Thomas, we know him as doubting Thomas. How would you like to be known through history as the one who doubted Jesus? Right? Yeah. It's like Benedict Arnold. Uh, and here, even John the Baptist has a moment when his circumstances make it difficult to understand what God is doing. John's doubt is not necessarily come from rebellion, it came from confusion. Did you know sometimes doubt doesn't come out of us being rebellious to God, it comes out of confusion on what is God doing? He could not reconcile what he believed about the Messiah with what he was experiencing there in his prison cell. John may have remembered Isaiah's prophecy that the Messiah would proclaim liberty to the captives, but he takes his questions directly to Jesus. Listen, guys, there's a difference between bringing your questions to Jesus and using your questions as an excuse to walk away from Jesus. I think most people use their questions as an excuse to walk away from Jesus. But what Jesus says is bring your questions to me, I can handle it. I think we say we think sometimes that God is this uh sensitive being that can't handle our questions. Did you know that God can handle any question that you bring to him because he created the brain that you're using to bring those questions to him? It's like working on a puzzle. Any any puzzle people in the room, any people love puzzles? I don't have the patience for that, but it's like working on a puzzle, and you find you seem to find that one piece that doesn't fit. You ever run into that? You're like, I have no idea where this piece goes. You can only see that one piece, but the designer sees the whole picture. That's where John was. He could see the prison wall, the prison cells that he found himself, but Jesus could see the whole plan unfolding before him. So let me encourage you. When doubts come, I'm not saying if doubt come, I'm saying when doubts come, don't judge Jesus by what you can't understand. Build your faith on God's promises, not on your circumstances. Never let what you don't understand make you forget what you already know about Jesus. Because listen, there's gonna be seasons where things go great. There's gonna be seasons when things are good, there's gonna be seasons when you're like, What the heck are you doing, Lord? But know that Jesus is always up to something. It's a long passage today, so let's keep reading. Verse 24. When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John. When did you go out to the wilderness to see a red reed shaken by the wind? And he did, and when then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings in court. When what then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet, this is whom it is written Behold, I send a messenger before your face, who will prepare the way before you. I tell you, amongst those who are born, none brother of women, none is greater than John. Yet the one who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected and per the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. The second thing you have to understand when God doesn't meet your expectation is that God sees more than your moment. God sees more than just the moment that you're in right now. After John's messengers leave, Jesus does something remarkable. Rather than criticizing John for his doubts, he publicly honors him. Jesus reminds the crowd that John wasn't a weak man swayed by the culture or preaching or a preacher chasing comfort, but the prophet God chose to prepare the way for the Messiah. Though John was sitting in prison questioning Jesus, Jesus declared, Among those born of women, none is greater than John. John's moment of doubt didn't erase a lifetime of faithfulness. And listen, your difficult season doesn't change what Jesus knows about you. Think about it as a parent. You're watching a child learn how to walk. You know, it's it's it's you want them to walk, but it's also the most terrifying thing ever. Because it's almost like God gave them a head that's so heavy that when they fall, it has to hit the ground first, right? And then they fall face down every time. But when you're watching your child learn to walk, the child falls, but we celebrate, right? The child gets up, take one step, and then he falls. And we celebrate. Why? Not because he's a failure, right? Because he's made progress. And listen, that's how Jesus sees us. Sometimes all we can do is get up and take one step, and Jesus cheers us. Why? Because that's progress. But listen, next time, he wants you to get up and take two steps. The problem is, I didn't plan on this, but this is for somebody today. The problem is, some of us just want to get up and take one step, and we want Jesus to keep clapping for that one step. We're like, look at us. I went to church today. Jesus' like, okay, cool. Now it's time to take another step. Get up, go to church, join a small group, fall down, okay? Okay. Get up, go to church, join a small group, serve, fall down. Then the toughest one. Get up, go to church, join a small group. They're like, where's he going with this one? Serve the church. Give to the church. That's enough, preacher. I'm tired of this, okay? I want Jesus to stop applauding me at one step. But there might be a fifth step.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Get up, go to church, join a small group, serve, give.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Then take the gospel to the whole world. You know, Gwen talked about the Great Commission in Guatemala, but did you know the Great Commission extends to your friends? God has put you in a bishop field. You know, you probably are a greater missionary than me. Everybody at my job is supposed to be saved. Some days I wonder, but they're supposed to be saved. Right? Some days they wonder if I'm saved. Every day, right? But here's the thing God has put you out there. But sometimes we want God to applaud us because we've just taken one step. Now, listen, there's times that that's all we can do, and listen, God's gonna applaud that. But God wants us to make constant progress. Because John saw his prison and his questioning, Jesus saw a faithful prophet. Listen, your struggle is real, but it's not the whole story of who Jesus has made you to be. Don't judge your relationship with God by one difficult season. He sees the whole story, not just the chapter of the book that you're in. And don't let familiarity with the church or scripture replace humility. Because the Pharisees miss God from a lack of knowledge. Or, excuse me, they didn't miss God because of a lack of knowledge. They missed Jesus from the refusal to surrender to his will. Listen, guys, your struggle may describe your describe your season, but it does not define your standing with Jesus. Listen, your struggle may define your season, but it does not define your standing with Jesus. So let's finish this fast. This verse 31. Told you it's a long one, 31 through 35. To what then shall I compare the people of this generation? And what are they like? They are like children sitting in a marketplace and calling to one another. We sing a dirge and you did not weep. For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, He has a demon. The Son of Man has come eating and drinking. Now Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, okay? Saying to them, Look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and a sinner. Yet wisdom is justified by all her children. The third thing that we've got to do when Jesus doesn't meet our expectations is stop moving the goalposts on God. John was criticized for being too strict. Jesus was criticized for being too welcoming. Proving the problem was never their style, but the message of repentance. Some people will always find an excuse not to respond to God. So the real question isn't whether you like the presentation, it's whether you're willing to surrender to the message. You know, it always baffles me why people try to find a reason not to like church. Like they're always there, there's always a reason that they don't like church. Whether the preacher talks about money too much. Somebody told me one time the preacher preaches in his lawn mowing clothes. I'm like, like, how do you dress when you mow your lawn, my guy? Geez. The pastor bought new chairs. The pastor removed the pews. Somebody left for that one time. But what if any of that has to do with Jesus? Listen, you can find a lot of excuses not to do what you're supposed to do, but that's all there are is excuses. They had God in the flesh in front of them, and they were like, nah, he loves the sinners too much. There's gotta be a problem. You know, and that's what people say about our church. They're like, the church, this church has grown too fast. They must be preaching a watered-down gospel. Although they've never attended the church. So I'm like, how do you know? You know, it's like taking your car to a mechanic. Listen, I'm about as illiterate when it comes to cars as anybody. I can put gas in it, I can change a tire, I know where all the fluids go. That's about it. In fact, one time Noah sent windshield wipers to the church and said, Amanda, put them on Todd's truck because I don't trust them. I was like, listen, bro, I think you've I think you've gone a little far with this. You can surely look it up on YouTube and figure it out, okay? But imagine you go to the mechanic, but instead of listening to the mechanic about what's wrong with your car, you criticize the decor in the waiting room. And you're like, what? That's what the religious leaders did here. Jesus was saying, you need to repent because the kingdom of God is here. Except they criticize the messenger. They're like, the mechanics telling you, hey, your engine's bad. And you're like, listen, have you seen the way you've decorated this place? This is awful. I could really help you. He's like, but you came to me for an engine. What are we talking about here? That's sometimes what we do with God. God said, Repent for the kingdom of God is here. But listen, the church is too cold. I can't listen. Repent for the kingdom of God is here. Listen, that preacher, he yells too much. Repent for the kingdom of God is here. Somebody didn't smile at me at church today. Guys, examine your heart when God confronts you. Don't reject God's truth because it comes to you in a style you didn't expect. Lean into his voice regardless of the messenger. You know, here's the thing I've tried to wrap my mind around. There's been a lot of pastors that have been falling lately. And several of them, I've really enjoyed their teaching. And several of them, I'm like, I think these guys were really good. Then all of a sudden, boom, they fall. But what God reminds me is, listen, I can still speak through a flawed messenger. So listen, your pastor is not gonna be perfect. In fact, just ask my wife on the front row. She'll be the first one to tell you that I am not perfect. She'll tell you I'm about as close to perfect as they come. But I'm not perfect. Yeah, it's just one of the one of those flaws, right? But guys, when your heart is determined not to surrender, every message will have something wrong with it. When your heart is determined not to surrender, every church will have a problem. When your heart is determined not to surrender to God, there will be nothing that this church can do to make you happy. When your heart is determined not to surrender, it doesn't matter how much I get up here and yell at you, nothing will change you. Because faith is not believing that Jesus will always do what you expect. Faith is believing that Jesus is still good even when he doesn't. What I'm telling you is that sometimes Jesus is not going to meet your expectations. What takes you from a baby Christian to a mature Christian is you say, instead of saying, that's it, I've given it my best go, and I'm tired of this crap. You go from that to saying, I think Jesus is on to something. He's up to something. I don't know what it is. And I'm getting a little impatient. But I know he's up to something. And you'll find in a few weeks, we'll talk about this. You'll find John the Baptist. That's all he needed to hear. What Jesus told him blind man see, lame man walk. That's all he needed to hear. He knew Jesus was the Messiah, and he ended up going to his death knowing that Jesus was the Messiah. So my question for you is, is Jesus real enough to you that you'll give your life for him? So what are our transformational moments this morning? Worship team you can make your way back. Number one. What disappointments has caused you to question whether Jesus is really working in your life? Listen. There's gonna be times that there's gonna be such disappointment in your life that you question whether God is real or not. Understand? That's normal. And I know as a preacher, you're like, well, is a preacher supposed to tell me that's normal? The problem is a preacher hasn't told you enough that's normal. So you don't think it's normal. It is normal. There's gonna be times in your life that go, God, what are you doing? I didn't sign up for this mess. Right, Cheryl? Cheryl, I've had this conversation a couple times this week or a couple weeks ago. I didn't sign up for this mess. But we know God is up to something. Because the devil wouldn't be fighting so hard if God wasn't up to something. And so, listen, it's okay to question God, but just know He's up to something. Number two, have you been bringing your questions to Jesus or allowing them to quietly turn into bitterness? Listen, there's one thing that will destroy your life quietly. It will destroy your marriage, it will destroy your relationship, it will destroy anything in your life. And that quiet thing is bitterness, which is tied to unforgiveness. It starts out as one little thing that you won't let go. It starts as one little thing that you won't just that you just and you just start heaping bitterness on top of bitterness, on top of bitterness, on top of bitterness, on top of bitterness, and then pretty soon you find that you're an awful person to be around. And it really manifests in marriage a lot. I see people that at one time were super in love with one another, and little things like leaving socks on the floor, not changing a toilet paper roll, taking the toothpaste and not putting it back. It's small things like that that you can just let build up and you blow up. Really? Is it a big deal? This morning I couldn't find my toothpaste. So I just opened a new box. I'm gonna get in trouble for that later. I was like, listen, I didn't want to fight. So I just opened a new toothpaste and threw it away. She's gonna say, it's right here. I don't care. I have toothpaste. Got my own. Now leave my toothpaste alone, right? But that's the thing. You can choose to make that a fight, or you can choose open new toothpaste. Here's the thing we can choose that with Jesus too. We can choose bitterness, or we can choose to go, you know what? It's not a big deal. I know God's up to something. Number three. Is there an area where you've been criticizing the messenger because you do not want to obey the message? If I could wrap up the American church in one sentence, it would be this stop shooting the messenger and just do what God says. Listen, if you're looking for flaws in a church, you're gonna find it because the church is made up of flawed human beings. I tell people all the time, if you find a perfect church, don't go to it because you're gonna mess it up. If you're looking for flaws in Hope Church, trust me, you're gonna find them. You don't have to look too hard. If you're looking for flaws in me as your pastor, it's not gonna be hard to find. You'll find them. Listen, we all serve the messenger whose message is perfect. Don't let all these human things distract you from the messenger. So I want to encourage you this morning. Are you disappointed? I want you to bring your disappointment to God. Ask everybody to bow their head and close their eyes all over the room. That's okay. But maybe you're here and you're like, I don't even know this Jesus that you speak of, Pastor. I want to encourage those this morning that don't have a relationship with Jesus. God has brought you to this place this morning to hear that God loves you and He longs to have a relationship with you. And so if that's you this morning, I'm about to lead you through a prayer. And I truly believe if you say this prayer, God can transform your life. But if that's you this morning, repeat after me, dear Jesus, I'm a sinner. I need your love in my life. Forgive me where I failed you. I give my heart to you today. Take my life, use it for your purpose. In Jesus' name. Amen.