What Are Your Expectations of Christ’s Kingdom?

6th Sunday after Epiphany, 2/13/22, Luke 6:17-26 What Are Your Expectations of Christ’s Kingdom? I. Indeed, it’s a powerful kingdom. II. But, it’s an upside-down kingdom. Bengals players, staff, and fans are heading into today’s Super Bowl with some huge expectations. Anything short of holding the Lombardi Trophy once the game is over will mean gut-wrenching disappointment. Likewise, you have expectations for your life. You have certain things you want to accomplish. You see yourself here or there in 10 years. Will you attain it? Maybe, but probably not exactly as you envision it now. As a student, you have expectations. In fact, at the degree-level of education, you may be paying a large sum of money to attain those expectations. Will you achieve them? Unless you’re already retired, I’m sure you have career expectations as well. You expect things to occur daily and weekly in your employment world. In fact, you have expectations of what your career will look like in a few years. Are your daily expectations met? Will your career goals be attained? I pray that your expectations in life are realistic and that you attain them. But let’s be honest. Sometimes things don’t turn out at all the way we expected them to. In fact, what we come to experience might be the exact opposite of what we expected. This morning’s sermon text describes life in God’s kingdom here on earth for Jesus’ disciples. In the middle of our text Luke informs us that Jesus was “looking at his disciples [and] said…” Literally, the text states that he fixed his eyes on them. He wanted them to understand something. He wanted them to be crystal clear on what they could expect regarding life in his kingdom. The Lord Jesus brought you into his kingdom on the day his Holy Spirit brought you to faith in Jesus as your Savior from sin. Have you ever taken the time or effort to consider what your expectations are for your life in his kingdom? Maybe it’s been a while. So, let’s take the time right now to ponder that question. What are your expectations of Christ’s kingdom? Pay attention as Jesus reveals one aspect you probably expected and another aspect you might not have. Part I. With last week’s winter storm still fresh on your mind, perhaps you’re dreaming of spending some time where it’s warm, where you can sit outside in the fresh air or take a walk on the beach. Imagine booking such a vacation at a 5-star resort. The online reviews are stellar. Your expectations are high. But when you get there, the accommodations and the weather are even better than you expected. You’re thrilled and you have a wonderful, relaxing time. Luke doesn’t tell us what the reaction of the disciples was on this day in their journey with Jesus, but I imagine they were thrilled. Jesus was meeting and exceeding their expectations. What do I mean? Well, Jesus had just recently called these 12 men to follow him full time. The verses prior to our text include the names of the disciples. Those verses also inform us that they were with Jesus on a mountainside to pray. And that’s when our text picks up the narrative. “He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.” Luke calls the people in this crowd “disciples of Jesus,” meaning that they considered him to be their spiritual leader. That’s impressive. But even more impressive is the sheer number of them and the fact that they came from all over the area of the Jews and even included Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon as well. Imagine people flocking into our church from all over the tri-state region. We’d be thrilled, just as the 12 disciples no doubt were. But their amazement didn’t stop there. Many in the crowd were there not only to hear Jesus preach but to be healed. And Jesus healed them! In fact, listen to this description of how that was happening, “The people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” Imagine being afflicted with diabetes for years and simply reaching out and touching Jesus and immediately you’re cured. Amazing! And the disciples also watched as Jesus did this additional amazing kingdom work, “Those troubled by evil spirits were cured.” He cast out demons and those who were formerly possessed were immediately freed from Satan’s hold on them. Amazing! Bottom line, this day in Christ’s kingdom on earth was a demonstration of the almighty power of that kingdom. The 12 disciples could only hope that every day in the kingdom from this day on would be more of the same. That was their expectation of Christ’s kingdom. But they would soon be disappointed. Unfortunately, there were days in the kingdom when Jesus would not do any miracles. In fact, the Bible states that he couldn’t do any miracles among certain people, not because he didn’t possess almighty power, but because of the brazen unbelief of the people. They came to see Jesus to be entertained by a miracle, without any intention of believing what he said about himself being the promised Savior. But make no mistake about it. Christ’s kingdom was, is, and always will be a powerful kingdom. As I stated earlier, you are a citizen of the kingdom of God. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time in your life when you were spiritually dead. You had no life. But you were re-born spiritually when the Holy Spirit brought you to faith and into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. Amazing, isn’t it? The correct Christian response is, “Yes, of course it is,” but a more realistic response is, “That’s OK, but I wish there were more. I wish I would see Jesus use his power to do something wonderful in my life. Maybe just make life a little easier for me. You know, use his power to let me enjoy life. Instead, my expectation is a daily grind.” If that’s what you’re thinking should be happening during your life in Christ’s kingdom, you’re conveniently forgetting something. These people who were healed by the power of Jesus went back to their lives, but those lives were still marred by sin every day. Their daily grind might have gotten easier, but it was still a sin-marred grind. So, what are your expectations of Christ’s kingdom? How about keeping them in line with what Jesus won for you and promises to you? He came to win your forgiveness and eternal life, and that cost him his life. But he rose again to assure you that you have life in his kingdom now with all of its blessings and, when this life is over, you’re guaranteed eternal life in eternal bliss with your Savior at your side, living in the mansion he has prepared for you. That’s what Jesus has used his power to do for you. That’s what you can expect! Part II. Recall my description of the resort that was better than you expected. Now imagine the opposite. You get to the resort and it’s not even close to what you thought it would be. The pool is closed for repairs. The beach is closed due to toxic waste. The restaurant has a limited menu due to supply chain issues. And you can tell the resort can’t find enough workers to keep the buildings and grounds clean. In fact, some places are filthy. Just the opposite of what you expected. The disciples had grand ideas what to expect regarding Christ’s kingdom. They had just seen it with their own eyes. Now Jesus fixes his eyes on them and gives them a dose of reality. He stated, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.” Wait a minute! Isn’t that upside-down? Indeed, it is! Let’s take a brief look at it. Jesus states that the poor are blessed. Just who are “the poor”? They are people who realize they have nothing to bring to God. They know that their good deeds earn them nothing from God. And, because they are sinners, they know that they are completely at God’s mercy. But, by faith in Jesus they also know and believe that they belong to God’s kingdom now and will enjoy life in his kingdom forever. They are spiritually rich by faith. Next, Jesus speaks about the hungry being blessed by being satisfied. He’s speaking about his children who hunger each day for his blessings of forgiveness and for his word which nurtures their faith and guides their earthly lives. Through that word he promises to bless them. Thirdly, Jesus states that those who weep now will laugh. Again, he’s speaking about his children who mourn over the sinful world in which they live and are filled with sorrow over the sins they commit which only add to this sinful world’s misery. They will be filled with joy over their forgiveness and ultimately live in endless joy with their Savior in heaven. Finally, he speaks about being blessed when we are persecuted and hated by our world. They world hated Christ and still does. If the world hates and persecutes you, it’s a mark of your close connection with Christ. Rejoice, because the Lord’s goal for your life is eternal life with him. What are your expectations of Christ’s kingdom? Indeed, it’s a powerful kingdom, but it’s an upside-down kingdom. It doesn’t seem like we Christians are winning in our world today. Everywhere we turn, Christian morals and values are not only disregarded, they’re mocked and trashed. Meanwhile, the number of Christians in our country continues to decline. Shouldn’t Christ’s church on earth be winning? Remember, it’s an upside-down kingdom. Things aren’t what they seem. You are blessed by faith in Jesus. You are winning by faith in Jesus. Jesus won eternal life for you. It’s all yours! That’s what you can expect! Amen.