What Were You Expecting - JJ Vasquez

What's up, Journey Church? Happy Sunday. Happy Sunday. How you guys doing? My name is Christian. I get to be your online host. And my name is Manny, and I have the privilege and honor also to be an online host and super excited that you guys chose to be here today. Yes, we are. And as you can see, our set changed. No more Summer at Journey. We just finished a five-week summer series. So what that means is Pastor JJ is back. He is. He is coming with some heat. He is back. The sabbatical is over. Studio got redone. We are ready to go. Yes, we are. Speaking about the summer series, Manny, what was your favorite guest speaker? You know, there were so many, but Bianca really, really touched it for me. Like when it comes to her message, it was delivered in such a way, it was so funny, but so relatable, you know, and it was really, I was able to absorb the message and it was just wonderful. But again, so many great speakers. Yeah, she was great. Her message and just how she just spoke about the Bible, it just felt like a story, it felt like a movie. It felt like a novella.

Almost. Oh my God. Like, I just, it reminded me of just being, oh my God, I'm watching novellas. Like, it was just so animated. It was beautiful. Her message on using your pain as purpose just highlights how God will continue to use everything for the glorious kingdom. Like, you can be a walking testimony. Absolutely. And that's so key. And by the way, novella, soap opera, just in case, but we'll go ahead and say this. It's true. Everything that's occurring, always keep God close. That's an important message because you're going to get through it and then it's going to serve as your testimony. And trust me, I'm a lot older than Christian here, you know, I got sneakers as old as him, but anyway, I can tell you, the closer you get to God, the better your testimonies are going to be. Absolutely. And when you think about getting closer to God, it is prayer Sunday. So we have our prayer warrior, Josiah, locked in and ready in auditorium, waiting to pray for you guys. So if you have any prayer requests, if you need some prayer for you, a friend, a loved one, a coworker, drop that prayer request in a chat, drop some prayer hands for everybody that's dropping prayers and we want to pray for you and alongside you. Yeah. That's a key thing because a lot of times we're trying to get through stuff and we're not resorting to the prayer by yourself. You can't. You can't just ask for it.

Just type it in there. We'll go ahead and pray for you. There's not a single prayer that's typed in that we don't pray for. Yeah, we pray for everything at Journey. We are our pray first community. Yes. And it's key because, you know, again, going back to whatever you're going through, we're here. God is here to help you through it. And when you get through it, it'll be your testimony. That's the key. It's glory on the other side, guys. Yes, yes, yes. So again, we're happy that you're here. We're super excited. We're going to roll down now to the auditorium and you're going to have a phenomenal message today. So get ready for Josanna and get ready for the word of God. See you guys after. Oh, sorry. Okay. Fantastic. Oh, you know what? We do have an extra minute. Thank you. We're adjusting here. So going back to the message today, Pastor JJ's back. You're going to love it because he is just re-energized. And the reason is one of the reasons besides having God with him is because he did take that sabbatical.

Yes. Rest is important. That's a key message. You know, as we go through this, this is consistent. This never stops. But what we need to do is we need to sometimes stop. Right? Yes, we do. And re-energize because when we re-energize, we reset. Like this morning, we got here, what, 6 a.m. to start? I went to bed at 7 p.m. to be ready today. 7 p.m. That's pretty early. Some of you say 7 p.m. That's way too early. But it's actually not. We needed to get the rest to get the right energy to be able to come here and serve as online hosts. So that rest is important. Yes, it is. So let's get ready for the auditorium this time. And we have Josanna who's sitting there ready for you guys. So continue to drop those prayer requests in the chat so we can pray for you. So let's pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. So let's pray. Amen. Amen.

Amen. And we'll stop at that time. We'll stop at that time. And we'll start all the way from the floor. So we'll start at the是不是 sitting there. Like this for you and alongside you. Thank you guys. See you after. See you soon. Happy Sunday, Jerney. Welcome to Church Online. We're so excited to have you here today. I'm not going to lie. My brothers in the studio, Manny and Christian, making me feel a little bit called out. They're like, I went to bed early. I went to bed late, y'all. But I still made it here on time by the grace of God. So thank you for that. I do need to work on my rest and that's definitely something the Lord will help me with. But speaking of rest, I actually wanted to bring that word today. So I'm grateful that they mentioned that because this is something that the Lord has been working on a while with for me. Because rest is something that I feel like I don't take seriously. And I don't mean the physical rest, like going to bed on time like Manny, right? I mean resting and completely surrendering everything to God. My best friend actually told me in this way, in an acronym, it says release every single thing. That is what rest means. We learn to release every single thing to God, knowing that He is in control. He is our source.

He is our strength. There is no need for us to try to take control. and run the story our way, because He's already written our story. He knew us before we were even in our mother's womb. So He knows how your story begins and how it's going to end and every part in between. So there's no need for you to try to control the situation, try to take over and step into His place. He is God, let Him be God. All He is asking for is for you to rest in Him today. So I hope that you'll find encouragement knowing that you can release everything to God and not have to take all of it on. I wanna say a quick prayer for you today. Father God, I pray for the person on the other side of the screen who is watching and listening, who is going through a season, God, where they need to learn how to rest, how to truly let go and give you everything. God, help them to surrender, help them to know that it's okay, that you are in control, that you're going to work all things out for their good and your glory. So we thank you for being the loving, amazing Father that you are. We give you praise in Jesus' name. Well, thank you so much for joining me.

We're gonna go into a time of prayer and after that, we're gonna worship. I will see you guys right after this, bye. How many of you guys ready to worship God? Come on, let's put our hands together. God, we love you and we thank you for your presence. Come on, let's worship Him. Come on, let's worship Him. Come on, sing to praise like this. Thank God I'm free. Come on church, we sing. I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free. Look at what the Lord has done. Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. I'll sing, I'll dance, cause I believe. I'm free, I'm free. Thank God I'm free. You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see. My debt is paid and my reckoning is I couldn't do it. Do it so you did it for me. You took the cross and you broke your body. You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see. My debt is paid and my reckoning is free. I couldn't do it, so you did it for me. You took the cross. You took the cross, so you broke your body. You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see. My debt is paid and my reckoning is free. I couldn't do it, so you did it for me.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it, so you did it for me. Only God can do it. I couldn't do it, so you did it for me. I couldn't do it, so you did it for me. Come on, sing with us, sing. ♪ Where are those things that once held me ♪ ♪ I'm free, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free ♪ ♪ My sin is gone, I can't leave me ♪ ♪ I'm free, I'm free, thank God I'm free ♪ ♪ Look at what the Lord has done ♪ ♪ I'm never going back to the way I was ♪ ♪ I'll sing, I'll dance, cause I believe ♪ ♪ I'm free, I'm free, thank God I'm free ♪ ♪ You took the cross and you broke your body ♪ ♪ You shed your blood, now the sinner can't see ♪ ♪ My debt is paid and my record is clean ♪ ♪ I couldn't do it so You did it for me ♪ ♪ You took the cross and You broke your body ♪ ♪ You shed Your blood now the sinner can't sleep ♪ ♪ My debt is paid and my reckoning is clean ♪ ♪ I couldn't do it so You did it for me ♪ I couldn't do it so You did it for me I couldn't do it so You did it for me I couldn't do it so You did it for me Look at what the Lord has done Look at what the Lord has done I'm never going back to the way I was And look at what the Lord has done I'm never going back to the way I was

And look at what the Lord has done I'm never going back to the way I was And look at what the Lord has done I'm never going back to the way I was I'm never going back Look at what He's done Look at what You've done, God Thank You, Jesus Come on, He's already in the room with us Just lift Your hands where You are We welcome You in We thank You, Jesus If the cross was the only thing You ever did for us, it is enough It is enough, Jesus You are enough for us So let's lift our voices today in gratitude and just say, thank You, Jesus, because You are enough for me You are enough for me, Lord So wonderful, Jesus So wonderful, Jesus Jesus, wonderful Jesus, beautiful Oh, could I compare to heaven's King Oh, could I compare to heaven's King Jesus, I will trust Jesus, all my love I pour it out like oil at Your feet Because You are good

You are good Every moment, every time Every day of my whole life You are good You are good In all ways, in everything It will be my joy to say You are good And Jesus, cornerstone And Jesus, living hope Faithful You have been and You will be Holy Lamb of God Worthy of it all And every tongue confess and I will sing You are good You are good Every moment, every time Every day of my whole life You are good You are good In all ways, in everything It will be my joy to say You are good You are good You are good You are good You're perfect in every way It's who You are and You never fail ♪ You never change, you are good, so good ♪ ♪ You are good, oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪

♪ You are perfect in every way ♪ ♪ It's who you are and you never change, wow ♪ ♪ You are perfect in every way, so perfect ♪ ♪ It's who you are and you never change, you are good ♪ ♪ You are good, every moment, every time ♪ ♪ Every moment, every time, every day, oh oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ You are good, you are good, so good, so good ♪ ♪ So good to me, Jesus, in all ways, in everything ♪ ♪ It will be my joy to say, you're perfect in every way ♪ ♪ It's who you are and you never change, you are perfect ♪ ♪ You are perfect in every way, it's who you are and you never change ♪ ♪ You are good, you are good, so good, so good ♪ ♪ You are good, every moment, every time ♪ ♪ Every day of my whole life, you are good ♪ And good to pray. Welcome back Journey Church, what a beautiful song. You are so good. One of our new songs here at Journey Church, just highlighting how God is so good. Through worship, you can believe in everything. Yes, I love that worship so much. It's just a key part. It's not just music before the word. It is absolutely a great time to worship, raise hands and just surrender. Yeah, speaking about surrendering, it is Pray First Sunday. Your coworker, drop that prayer request in the chat. And our prayer warrior, Josonit, will be praying live for those prayers in the auditorium. Yeah, you know what?

Every single prayer that requests are put in there, we pray for it individually and that's so key. Well, before I continue, if you don't know me, my name is Manny. I'm an online host, super excited to be here today. And I wanna thank you for coming today and online and just listening to the word. We know you can be anywhere, but you chose to be here. And my name is Christian. I have the privilege and honor of being your online host today. Speaking of hosting, I wanna shout out our online guests. Please drop in the chat where you're tuning in from, drop a flag, drop an emoji, represent your city, your town, your country in the chat. And we also wanna shout out the Pando app. Yes, thank you for those who are incarcerated, who watch us each and every Sunday. You are one of our biggest supporters, our biggest fan base here at Journey Church Online. And we just wanna continue to support you. Yeah, and you know what I love about that Pando app, Christian, is that when you see folks start on the app and then show up in person once they're out, it is great, great to see that. So if you're watching, we look forward, when you can, to be here, because we would love to welcome you. Yeah, speaking about our other guests, we have VIPs. FTGs.

Our FTGs. Please drop in the chat if you're a FTG and we wanna connect with you and get to know you. So please scan the QR code below and someone from our online team will reach out to you. Yeah, and you know, FTGs are first time guests. So if it's the first time, please, please put that information, connect with us, because it's so key. So the next thing I wanna share with you, when you download that app, you're gonna find so much. One of the things you're gonna find is going to be our next steps. Now, next steps are recorded, right? Step one is recorded, but step two is gonna be live online on August 9th at 1.30 Eastern. Sign up, you'll get reminders, or jot down a little note there for you. Please join us, because we will continue to grow and learn so much through that next step process. Yeah, speaking of growing, we have a new initiative here at Journey Church called Upper Zoom. In addition to our Wednesday night prayer service, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, we will have an extra additional prayer service from seven to 8 p.m. on Zoom. And it's just to help you build consistency with prayer. You get to pray alongside the community here

at Journey Church. So if you need that extra prayer, if you feeling down this week, just join in online from seven to 8 p.m. And we will be praying with you and alongside you. Yeah, and you know, Christian, let me ask you, talking about prayer, you know, how important do you think that is for us? Prayer is very important. You can't do it just walk up. Without just without the support of other people. Yeah, you know cuz we go through so many different things And sometimes you just know that God is there ready pray ask for prayer because that's so key This is why we're doing these many things and that's just the number one thing right there is ask God I need you to be part of my life so I can get through this and then use that story to glorify him and be as a testimony Now one thing I definitely want to do because there's so many good things happening is to see that that the power that this Outreach gives right the outreach is so important to the community to be the hands and feet of Jesus We're about to show you a video that tells that story that tells a story that encompasses a testimony Alongside what we're doing in the community so you can see everything that's going on here at Journey Church So let's go ahead and watch that video and it's gonna be great I Was very lost I Had an addiction problem. I was in and out of jail. I Was fortunate enough to never have to sleep on the streets, but I did go From motel to motel. I knew that something had to change my son had an anxiety attack and I Looked at him and I helped him and I loved on him and I said Sunday. We're going to church. I Walked into Journey Church and It was a baptism Sunday and I just sat there and weeped as I watched all these people just get baptized And tell their stories. I wanted that I wanted that relationship

So that day I got spontaneously baptized and I've been coming ever since The next steps is where I actually Realized that hey outreach would be something that you know that I'd be good at I'm like, okay I can I can do that. I remember the first time after serving Lake Eola I got in my car and I I just had this Overwhelming experience and I just cried and I laughed and I had all the feelings and I didn't know like What to feel I know is that I felt like I found my purpose God saw me and He knew that everything that I had went through was For a reason and I knew that that day in that car after that experience of the first serve that I Wanted to do that and kissing me. I knew that I wanted to do that in my hometown. I Was nervous. I think I might have text my leader a hundred times and I was like I can't do this I didn't know what to do or Who to reach out to or how I would do it or I had all these questions I had never led anything before. I didn't think anyone was gonna listen to me or even Take me seriously, but the one thing about Journey Church is They don't leave you. They will equip you. They will pray for you they will love on you and that's what they did and that first serve and kissing me was Beautiful If we as a church can come together and Just show the world That there's good and there's people out there who will step out of their comfort zone who will love on others That's what it's about If you love Jesus, you have to love people because you can't have one without the other And I think that's why service is so important. It's why it's so special to me You'll be surprised how when you

Finally say yes, God will make a way he will lead you It'll change your life and not just your life, but it'll change so many other people's lives Thank You journey Because of you we put in thousands of hours into serving the community Giving out thousands of meals Hundreds of backpacks and partnering with dozens of ministries across central, Florida What you did made a difference that will impact our community for decades and the kingdom of heaven for eternity You All right, all right, wasn't that a powerful video it showed so much about what we did this week so much great information, right? It was it was how many hours was that? It was over 2,500 hours and the backpack over 700 backpacks full of supplies Not empty backpacks at that. Yeah, it was absolutely phenomenal And let me tell you that's so key when you do it be in the hands and feet of Jesus to be able to give Back that impact we make it's just so strategic and you got to see so much of what we did there. I had the privilege of serving two separate days this week and it was a great experience. Yeah and I served on Back to School Bash yesterday and one thing it was hot but it was also just beautiful to see all the family and the kids come out and have fun. We have like bounce houses, we had so much water ice, we had food, we had all those 700 backpacks so it was just a beautiful experience to see that God was still moving in the midst of all that heat. No there was a lot of heat I gotta be honest. Now I will tell you we went out to Kissimmee, we were giving out stuff in the community, it was phenomenal, it was hot but I had the privilege to serve inside the ice cream truck so that was good too. It was air-conditioned, it was cold but we gave out a lot of delicious ice cream and people had a great time and we prayed for them. It was absolutely phenomenal. Now I do want to share one key point is that all of this is it's possible through your generosity and that's the key. When you go ahead and you give we're able to fund these backpacks, we're able to fund the ice cream and the food and all the other things that we were able to do is through your generosity. So don't ever forget that, that's a key component of everything that we do. Yes and the only way you could get you could download our app and get partner with us through generosity through there. You can scan that QR code below and we just want you to know another way through being generous is sharing this message. If you share this message to your friends, your co-worker, someone needs to hear it. So if you have someone

that you in mind, the first person that popped up in your mind just copy that link and go ahead and share that message. We'll remind you it is Pray First Sunday. Yes. So please drop those prayer requests in the chat because we're about to transition to the auditorium where our prayer warrior Josanna is going to be praying for you. Yeah. And she has a mighty good message for you guys. So if you have any prayer requests drop those in the chat. Tap them in there. Yes. Yes. Everything here, we are a pray first church. Absolutely. Every single prayer we're going to pray for. Put it in there and now we're going to go to the stage and we're going to be able to continue this and let me say see you guys after. Thank you Manny and Christian. I just want to go into the posture of prayer. I have several of your prayer requests here in the chat. Thank you so much for submitting those. And for those that are watching, if you want to join alongside me, please raise your hands and scream whatever you feel comfortable as I pray over these requests. Father God, the first person I want to pray for is someone that is at home suffering with an injured ankle. Like God, I pray for healing. I pray that you will restore this ankle, Father God, and they may be able to walk fully and completely. Father God, I pray for the pain to go away. I pray for just complete ease. God, may they feel the strength and restored back to their ankles in Jesus name. Father God, I pray for the person right now who is on a new business endeavor. I pray for the wisdom and the guidance to grow this business. I pray Father God that they'll find a way to instill you in all that they do. Remind them, God, that they work unto you, not for anyone else, and that everything that they do and pour into this business, God, may it bring you glory. May it reach people in ways that they never even imagined, God. So I thank you for the wisdom that you're going to give them to grow this business. I pray for just the guidance on their financial stability as they govern this business, God. I pray that you will give them the ideas that will flow through them, but keep them, God, disciplined, but also to keep focused on their Sabbath. The most important thing in our life, God, is to give time to you. So even as they're running their business, may they slow down, find time for committed, faithful rest in you, Lord. God, I thank you so much for just your heart. I pray for the person, God, that is having heart problems. I pray for healing over this son, God. I pray that you will touch, restore every valve, every part of this heart, Father God, that is not functioning the way that you created it to. I pray that you will bring it all back in enlightenment, Father God. I pray for complete and utter restoration over this heart, Father God. I pray that you will touch them,

give them strength, give the family peace, God. I pray that you'll be with the parents that are going through this time with their son. I just pray that you'll continue to comfort them and give them the strength to pray over their son and to keep watchful eyes out, God. I thank you so much for the family that is trusting you in this new move for their life. I pray that you'll give them safe travels to California, but I also pray, God, that you'll help them to find a home church where they can get planted, where they can pour in and plug into all that you have for them in this new state, God. I pray for any anxiety to go away, anything that's giving them worry or unease about this move, God, that you will give them comfort. Remind them, God, that if this from you, God, that you will work all things out for good. I pray for safe travels, and I just pray for the provision to have a successful move, Lord. God, I lift up the person in prayer who is asking for strength, for peace of mind. I pray that you will just give them hope, remind them, God, that they can trust you, that you You are a good father, that you are with them and you are for them. I pray, God, that they will cast aside all anxiety and cares laid at your feet, God, because you truly care for them. God, I pray for healing for the person going through radiation, Father God. I pray for removal of the cancer, Father. I pray that you will touch and heal their intestine, dear Lord. God, I pray that your perfect will be done. We know that you can restore, that you can heal. We know nothing is impossible for you, God, so we pray for the impossible to happen, for a miracle, God, to happen. We thank you in advance for the way that you choose to heal, Lord, because we know that we may have one idea of how you heal,

but God, we know you can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask for. So I pray for strength as they go through these treatments. I pray for encouragement and I pray for hope, Father God, that they will not give up, that they won't be discouraged, but that you will meet them right there where they're at. God, I pray for the person that is struggling with their faith and working through finding things to love and just honoring you with their heart, God. I pray that they will trust you, that they will let go of everything that's holding them back from fully loving you and completely surrendering everything to you. God, remind them how much that you love them, that you saw them before they were even born, God, that there is nothing that they can do to separate you from their love. So I pray that you will remind them, hold them up, God, in your loving arms. God, I pray for this father that needs strength. I pray that you will help them to heal, to restore, that you will give them the peace and the strength and endurance that they need to get through this week, but also, God, that every day that they will find their strength and their hope and faith in you. Remind them to restore every day. You tell us to seek you early in the morning and in the evening, to meditate on your word day and night. God, this is where we find strength. So I pray, God, that this father will rely on you,

that he will trust you and lean into you for his strength, Lord. God, I pray for everyone who is suffering through hard times, medical issues. God, I pray for healing, I pray for restoration. I pray for those that are struggling with depression, anxiety. God, bring peace, bring calm. For those that are feeling unseen or feeling lonely, remind them that you are El-Rohi, you see them, God. You are the God who sees, and we trust you. We know that you are with them and you are for them. Thank you for your children who are trusting their lives with you, God. I pray that you will bring about peace, that you will cover each and every single one of your children. Remind them, God, that they are yours, that they are in your hands. The enemy cannot take them, that you are with them and for them. God, we ask for just a special covering and anointing of everyone listening on the sound of my voice. God, I pray from the top of their heads, the sole of their feet, that you will touch them, that you will heal them, restore health, restore hope, restore determination, restore motivation. For those who feel like they have lost motivation, whether it's to run their business, whether it's to write, to sing,

whatever you've called them to do, God, restore their motivation, Lord. We thank you, God, for everything you're doing. Thank you for everyone who is just trusting their hearts and their lives to you. We give you praise, honor, and glory. God, you are so good. You're so faithful. Thank you for all you've done. In your precious name, amen. Thank you so much for joining us for Prayer for a Service. Continue to drop your prayer requests in the chat and in the app so we can cover you throughout this week. We'll see you after service. And then when Jesus shows up, the devil runs away and then we start to praise. Yeah, that's right. You better recognize there's a king of kings, there's a Lord of lords, there's a God who sits on the throne. I got somebody on my side, I will not be afraid. I got somebody on my side. Come on, somebody. Declare it right now over your situation. I will not fear, I will not. ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear ♪ ♪ There's an army of angels here ♪ ♪ I'm protected on all sides ♪ ♪ By the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear ♪

♪ When the enemy comes near ♪ ♪ On the doorframe of my life ♪ ♪ By the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear ♪ Come on, let them know. ♪ There's an army of angels here ♪ I got more with me on my side. And now on your side. ♪ By the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus. ♪ I pray, calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I proclaim, every weapon formed against me ♪ ♪ Must pay in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ Come on, Father, we just pray the name of Jesus right now over every situation. We pray the name of Jesus over every relationship, the name of Jesus over every disease. We pray the name of Jesus over every financial struggle. We pray the name of Jesus. At the name of Jesus, the Bible says every tongue will confess, every knee will bow. We believe nothing is impossible for you, Lord God, and we entrust our whole life. We entrust all of our struggles, all of our hopes, all of our ambitions. We lay it at your feet. Thank you, Lord, for doing what we cannot do in our own power. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Amen. Come on, if you believe that, will you give God a hand, clap or praise this morning? Amen. Well, before you take a seat and we continue on with our services, will you find three people you did not drive to church with today? Give them a high five and tell them he's on the way.

He's on the way. Just keep opening your mouth. He's on the way. Amen. Well, who's excited to be in the house of God today? Ain't nobody more excited than me, but I tell you what, I'm so pumped to be at church. It has been about five weeks since I've been on the pulpit. My family and I have been on sabbatical, which is a time of rest for us and a time of seeking the Lord's face. So hopefully we look a little more tan and hopefully feel a little more anointed because we are believing for God to do big things in our church and our city, and we have dreams of pastoring this church for decades. And to run that kind of race, you got to run a little different, but I want to say thank you. It was a beautiful time, refreshing. Thank you for allowing us to do it. It's the only reason we can, because we have a church that is not built around anybody else whose name starts with a J other than Jesus, and so just grateful for him, and so we love you. Shout out to all of the pastors and preachers and leaders who came, such an amazing job. So grateful for every single one of them. And if you're listening to me right now and you're like, what is happening? Who is this guy? You probably came to church in the last five weeks, and so my name is J.J., and alongside my wife Liz, we have the honor and the privilege of serving Journey Church as its lead pastors, and if you didn't know that, that probably means you're a first-time guest, and we're so glad that you chose to be with us today. If you're looking for a home church, look no further. We think you found it, not only because you're surrounded by the presence of God, but because you're surrounded by some of the most amazing, honest, open, and transparent people in all

of Central Florida. Journey Church, will you prove me right by welcoming all of our first-time guests one at a time? Thank you for being here. Keep it going for Journey Church Online. What's up, Journey Church Online? Keep it going for Journey East Orlando, meeting in University High School. Keep it going for Journey Kissimmee, meeting at Gateway High School, and finally, keep it going for all of those who are currently incarcerated, watching in jails and prisons throughout the United States through the PandaWrap. We're so glad that you're with us. Two things before we get into the message. Can we just celebrate the back-to-school dash that just happened? Listen, you're not a church if you're not a church. You're not a church if you're not a church. You're not a church if you're not a church. You're not a church if you're not a church. You're not a church if you're not a church. If the community does not miss you, if you were to leave, and there are 700 families who would not have had kids ready for school if it wasn't for this church and your generosity. One of the kids, in his prayer request for us, said, pray for daddy in prison. And so their family, they watch online, they talk about the services, and it's just crazy to think about the impact that a local church can have in someone's life. But I don't need to tell you, you're here because Jesus has changed your life. And if that has happened, I want to let you know the secret sauce has never been the preaching. It's always been the prayer. And that's why I'm pumped for this next week, Monday through Friday, for the next seven days, actually, Sunday, we're gonna be having online prayer. It's called the Upper Zoom, which is a wordplay for the Upper Room, when 120 people gathered in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two.

And God's Spirit came as preparation for a mighty harvest, what God would do. The reason why we're doing it this week is because the fall, for whatever reason, there's just a mighty harvest of people coming back to church in the next couple of weeks. And we want to just get ready for it spiritually, not just for our church, but I think things are gonna be happening in your life. I honestly do believe the best part of your year is still coming, and you can never receive the miracle that you're not prepared for. And so you gotta prepare for it. So it'll be 7, 8 p.m. online. Wednesday, they won't be online, we'll be here in person, and we have our prayer service in person. But yeah, it's gonna be good. You guys ready to get into the Word of God? Come on, I'm ready to preach. It's been a while. I always tell the team, when I don't preach for a long time and I come back, I get a little nervous when I preach. So if you could help me. by yelling at me when I preach, that will help me. It'll, it'll encourage me and the louder you yell, the shorter I preach. So if you really want to get home fast, that's the way out. All right, all right, if you have a Bible, it's good to be back, thank you. If you have a Bible, open up to the book of Luke. Luke chapter 24, verse 13. Now that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. I highlighted every word in that verse

that was important for you to understand the context. When it says same day, it's talking about Easter Sunday. So this is the day that Jesus resurrected from the dead. When it says them, it's talking about two of his disciples. We, this year's been all about follow me, following Jesus. And these are people who actually follow Jesus. We said there's a difference between people who believe in God and people who follow Jesus. It's a, it means that your life has aligned to the life of Christ, that your mind has aligned. So these are like legitimate followers. And so this is the day that Jesus resurrected. These are two people who have followed Jesus and notice that they are seven miles away from Jerusalem. And that really gives you insight into their mindset. I just think it's interesting. It's Easter Sunday. It was common knowledge that, for those who hung around Jesus, that he would resurrect on the third day. In fact, it was so common knowledge of those who were around him that even the religious leaders of the day, they put guards at Jesus's tomb. And when they went to Pilate, the Roman governor, they said, we remember this man saying that he would resurrect on the third day. So let's make sure we have some guards out there. So the two men knew what Jesus said, but the fact that they are seven miles away from Jerusalem

where Jesus was buried, I hope you catch this, gives you a look inside what they were expecting or better said, what they were not expecting. If I'm them, I don't claim to have the most faith in the world. I don't think I'm the world's biggest Christian. I don't think I have the best belief, but if Jesus said that he was gonna resurrect on the third day, guess where you're gonna find me on Easter Sunday? At least until the end of the day. I'm just gonna see what happened. I'm hanging around Jerusalem like I hung around the theater at the after credit scene of Spider-Man. You know what I'm talking about? I'm just like, I'm like, maybe it'll happen. Maybe it won't happen, but I don't wanna leave. And other people talk about it. I'm gonna hang out just to see what might happen. Just to see what might happen. If he doesn't come back to life, why he doesn't come? But they were seven miles from Jerusalem, seven miles from their hope and their promise. And while they're on that journey, having given up hope, verse 14 and 15, they were talking with each other about everything that had happened. And as they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them,

but they were kept from recognizing him. Now, please note, it doesn't say that God kept them from recognizing him or that they were supernaturally kept from recognizing him, just that they were kept. And I think the next verse really tells us why they could not recognize Jesus. Verse 17, he asked them, why are you discussing? What are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still, their faces downcast. You see, sadness has a way of causing us to miss Jesus. Nothing will blind you to the presence of God more in your life than disappointment. He's right there, but they can't see him because they're looking down. Verse 18, when one of them named Cleopas asked him, are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened there in these days? What things, he asked. Verse 19, about Jesus of Nazareth, he was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. And the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him. Now, verse 21 is gonna be kind of like the fulcrum point for this whole series that we're gonna be starting today, which is a brand new series. Here we go. But we had hoped, but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

They're sad because of what they had hoped. And you can't really appreciate the depth of their despair until you first understand the height of their hope. You see, the nation of Israel used to be a sovereign nation, powerful, free, rich, its citizens blessed. None of them longed for things. And through the reign of people like David and Satan. Solomon, but then because of civil war because of political corruption, but most importantly because they distance themselves from God The nation collapsed it divided it began to be ruled by other nations for 200 years It was ruled by Persia for a hundred and seventy years It was ruled by Greece and then for a brief 80 year period there was a revolt a revolution that led to something known as the Hasmonean independence it was a time where Israel was sovereign again Until general Pompey with Rome comes in takes over Jerusalem again, and then they're being controlled once again Why am I sharing this history lesson with you not because I enjoy sharing history lessons although I do it's not that it's because I need you to understand that the people that Jesus is speaking to were only one generation away from a successful revolution They actually can remember a time when the revolution Occurred when the authorities were overthrown and they were free so that when Jesus comes to the scene looking like the Messiah Messiah was the Hebrew term of the Savior the Redeemer the one who would restore Israel They see not a God not G They see a political revolutionary who is going to overthrow just like it happened in the last generation Because if God did it before he can do it again, and so you need to understand that their hopes are high Because they're seeing what had happened in the past in Jesus now Let me just balance that out with the reality Jesus was indeed the Messiah Jesus was indeed the rescuer He indeed was the delivery. He indeed was the Redeemer listen. He just wasn't the Messiah they expected He just wasn't the one that they expected he did come to overthrow, but he didn't come to overthrow Roman Caesar he came to overthrow Helen Satan He did come to free the people, but he didn't come to free them from tyranny and taxes He came to free them from sin and death He was the the builder and the rebuilder and the but he didn't come to rebuild the walls of their city He came to tear down the walls of their heart not so that they could come back to a sovereign government

But so that they could come back to a sovereign God Jesus was all about what he could do in their heart and in their life listen, but they missed it They could not see it. They could not celebrate it and not even because they weren't told about it They were told about they were literally told that Jesus was resurrected look at verse 22 in chapter 24 in addition Some of our women amazed us because that's what women do They went to the tomb Early this morning, but they didn't find the body They came and they told us they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the woman had said But they did not see Jesus. Of course. They did not see Jesus because Jesus had resurrected and you're talking to the dude So you get told that he's resurrected your friends tell you he's resurrected. They go see it visual evidence Resurrected you're standing next to the resurrection And you can't see it. You can't celebrate it and you can't appreciate it and you can't receive it This is so good. Not because it didn't happen But because you didn't expect it Seven miles away from Jerusalem. They didn't expect I have found in life this to be true and you can correct me if I'm wrong But I but you're gonna have to at least listen for the next 20 minutes I have found in life that it is not necessarily the things in life That disappoint us It is not what happens that disappoint us. It is what we hoped would happen Have you found that to be true? if you're 18 and Unmarried you are not disappointed because ain't nobody really expecting to get married at 18 But if you're 38 and unmarried All of a sudden there's a sense of disappointment Because of what you were expecting to happen by this time If you married a beautiful funny anointed God-fearing person, that's awesome But you won't be happy if when you got married you were expecting to have sex every night All the married people are real quiet right now Past the next topic next issue

And you need to understand it's not because you married the wrong person because you got married with the wrong expectation If your phone isn't blowing up with text messages every day You don't feel unloved But if your phone is not blowing up with text messages and it's your birthday Not Because of what happened or didn't happen but because of what you were expecting to happen If you come to church Expecting to feel God in a certain way But you come and you leave and you don't feel him in the specific way that you expected to feel him you will leave here thinking that God was not here when he was he just showed up in a different form some of us when we meet Jesus for the first time it's a very emotional experience Holy Spirit gets a hold of our heart we're crying oh my god God is real then we show up next Sunday and no feelings and we go God wasn't there he wasn't or was he there but you didn't see him because like those two men on the road you were expecting him to come one way God can shout and he can whisper in fact I have found he changes my life most in the whispers than he does in the shop stop expecting God to take one form in your life and you'll miss him I want to speak to you today on the topic and for the next few weeks on this series what were you expecting what were you expecting and I don't want to talk about the expectations of life although I think that this message serves will help you in that area what I really want to talk about is what were you expecting when you decided to follow Jesus I want to talk about the expectations of following Jesus because I don't know if it's just me but I've been reading the Bible and I feel like this whole book is designed to raise my expectations and then you come to a church like this and you hear preaching and you go that preaching feels like it's designed to raise my expectations and then you start serving God and all of a sudden the experiences of your life are not reaching the level of your expectation and and then we start to wonder what's going on you tie 10% and the Bible says Malachi 3 320 you know 310 the windows will open up you will get blessed you tithe and you lose your job because that happens ask and you shall receive so you pray for a sick person but they don't get better

you serve God and you get sick you lift up your hands and you feel nothing and if you're not careful those the the disappointments this is such an important it's so important that you have the right expectation of God because we're getting our expectations from God from places that are not biblical from the TikTok people and I'm so grateful that Hollywood has gotten into the Christian business but I really think they should get some theologians on their board because some of the movies y'all be watched it makes for good movies but bad expectations and if they don't come from the word of God it's so important especially as a new believer for both new end season but especially as a new believer as a new believer you need to have the right expectations of what it is to follow God so if you're thinking about following Jesus today or coming back to church for a real long time you need to know or else or else you leave halfway through because you didn't expect it to feel like what they told you it would feel like my wife and I got a massage over sabbatical um it was a deep tissue massage that I was not prepared for I don't know if you ever had a deep tissue massage they go in I don't recall asking for a deep tissue massage there wasn't a box that I checked it was a little uncomfortable but it also was you know therapeutic so then I got off the table and then about three hours after I get off the table I cannot walk my legs are shaking and I literally get on the internet and I google masseuse abuse I need to find out what happened to me and as I start to google it and chat GPT and I start to discover that this is a very common phenomenon for people who get massages in areas of their body that don't work out too much so I don't work out my legs that much so that's why I couldn't walk and I was like oh and I was relieved but for a moment I was about to file charges you know what I'm talking about like but all of that would have been avoided if when I got to the place the lady would have said would you like a deep tissue and I said yes and they go okay when you get this massage it's good you're gonna be sore for three hours after this but it's okay it's actually helping you then I would have gone through the soreness and not been mad not been upset not have gotten confused not thought that she was hurting me when she was trying to help me if you don't have the right expectations of God you will leave halfway let me finish what I'm about to say you will leave God halfway through your healing because it feels uncomfortable and it feels painful and it's not because God is wrong it's because you had the wrong expectation no one prepared you before you got here there wasn't a letter there wasn't a disclaimer this sermon is that if you want to follow Jesus

I'm gonna prepare you this is especially helpful if you're a seasoned Christian because this is what I know about seasoned Christians it's not that we stop wrestling with disappointment we've just gotten better at hiding it over the years we get disappointed we get this we quote scripture we preach verses and then things happen in our life that don't align with that and we just bury it and bury it and bury it and bury it and it's a lot like me when my mom used to tell me to clean my room when I was a kid and I couldn't leave until I cleaned it and I would throw all the dirty clothes under the bed cuz in my mind in my mind if you can't see it it's clean sometimes we think if they can't see my doubt it's not doubt some of us come to church smiling while the whole thing inside of us is crumbling and all you've been doing your whole Christian life is putting dirty clothes under the bed and then my mom came cuz I cleaned it real fast and she came she goes that was way too fast and so she came and she looked under my bed she said oh no and she pulled all the clothes off one of my bed and I looked I said mom you're making a mess she said oh no this was a mess before I got here I'm just pulling it out God has been doing stuff in your life and you were like God you are making my faith a mess you are making my life a mess and God's like don't even try that it was a mess before I got here I'm just pulling it out because you gotta stop burying it and you gotta start dealing with it we gotta start dealing with these missed expectations we gotta stop burying all of this disappointment because here's what I've learned here's what I learned so important disappointment is the gap between expectation and reality and we're gonna talk about this sentence right here all throughout this series so you're gonna hear this phrase a lot because again for some of us reality is not the problem it's what we were expecting especially when it comes to God y'all they were standing next to the resurrected Jesus with holes in his hands talk about God is dead if your expectations aren't good God will always look bad he might even look dead when he's not when it comes to expectations there are really two issues the first issue is those who have high

expectations we're all of my like my big dreamers not big dreamers in the house today I'm a big I'm a big dreamer I can't wait for you here at some of the dreams we have for our church will turn 10 on September 20th this year I can't wait for you to hear what I really believe are like the God dreams for our city they excite me but they're scary and they scare me too but I'm a big I'm a big dreamer man I remember when we first launched our church we launched with 400 people and then every day after September 18th 2016 and then every day of Sunday after that just kept going down and I remember some pastor friends I called them up and they were like yeah well you know that picks up in January they were like January the first service in January is gonna be amazing so many people are gonna show up and so I told that to our team and I was like got everybody's hopes up I was like guys we had a balcony we're meeting at Winter Park High School they have a balcony I was like we're gonna open the balcony it's like a thousand people I was like I think I have a thousand people gonna open this up let's get ready for the floods of people that are coming in but what the my mentor failed to tell me is that church usually bumps up in January unless the first Sunday of the year is January 1st so if you look at 2017 on the calendar the first Sunday the new year was January 1st and we have always been a church full of people who need Jesus so they was not waking up on New Year's Day they should have been in church but they was not coming I kid you not when I tell you what I'm about to tell you because I had to look it up we had the lowest Sunday attendance in the history of our church that day lowest in the history of 147 people and it almost took me out five months into planting this church I was like I suck this is horrible as I'm going anywhere gosh shut up that day people got saved gosh but I was disappointed not because of what happens but because of what I thought would happen because my expectation was this this is the problem with high expectations if we're being honest the distance to the floor because the higher Expectations are...

**whistle** **explosion** The bigger the potential for breaking up I think singles night was last week, right? Singles night, last week? Some of y'all showed up to singles night with high expectations Y'all showed up to singles night and y'all were like, I am leaving with my boo I know it, I'm going to show up They're going to sit next to me There's going to be a prophetic word spoken We're going to get married in three months And you left singles night the same way you came Alone And you left singles night talking about singles night wasn't that great God wasn't there, singles night wasn't all that Uh uh A word was preached Lives were changed God showed up It just didn't happen like he was expecting it to happen Some of us are paying our bills Rent, our kids have clothes on their feet And we're disappointed because we're not a millionaire Because someone on Instagram told us that we should be retired by the age of 30

Instead of an expectation And I can hear some of you guys saying Well Pastor, I'm just believing what the Bible told me to believe This is the verse of everybody with high expectations Ephesians 3.20 Ephesians 3.20 is the high expectations verse Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more You heard that Pastor JJ, more I could meet my wife and husband at a singles night We could get married in two Because that's more than we can ask or imagine I could be a millionaire by 25, more According to his power that is at work within us You see Pastor, I'm just believing the Bible, amen So were the two people on the road to emance Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 This is there, Ephesians 3.20 For to us a child is born To us a son is given And the government will be on his shoulders We can't blame people for believing the Bible All I was doing was believing what the Bible It said the government will be on his shoulders But could it be, we're gonna turn it That what God has planned Is even better than what you expected Because that word government can actually be interpreted Can we put that verse back up one more time Isaiah 9 verse 6

For to us a child is born To us a son is given And the government will be on his shoulders The Hebrew word for government is actually misrah And it has two definitions Government is just one of the definitions You know what another definition of misrah is? Dominion Do you know what dominion means? Dominion means authority So for to us a child is born To us a son is given And all authority will be on his shoulders In other words, every knee will bow at the sound of his name Every tongue will confess at the sound of his name Every disease, every devil, every demon But the people who were reading it interpreted government They misinterpreted the definition of the word Because they underestimated the power of God Can we show Ephesians 3, 21 more time Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more Than all we ask or imagine But according to whose power? Time out, time out They thought government Because in their mind That was the biggest that they could do They were thinking at our best we can overthrow Rome And God is like small potatoes You know the real problem with high expectations?

They're not high enough You're thinking earthly things God's thinking eternal things You're thinking Rome He's thinking hell You're thinking Caesar He's thinking Satan You're thinking money He's thinking death and life Can I tell you something that will help your soul Listen, when it doesn't happen like you imagined it It's because it's better than you can imagine And I told you earlier Disappointment is the gap between expectation and reality Right? Now I'm going to give you the reverse of that And faith is the gap between reality and expectation Did you hear that? Faith is Because there are times in life Listen, when your expectation is high I'm going to come down here for a second Because your faith is Your expectation is high But your reality is low And here's what you're going to be tempted to do When you're expecting one thing But experiencing another thing You're going to be tempted to come down To the level of your reality

But the reason why Your expectation Your godly expectation Expectation that comes from the Bible is on one level and your reality is on another is not so that you can stoop To the level of your reality, but so that your faith can rise to the level of your expectation That's the gap That's the faith Now I gotta be honest when you're younger in the faith like when you just start out in the faith Raise your hand if you just started giving your life to Jesus like last year last two years look at all these brand-new Jesus Makes me cry Joel. It makes me cry. I love y'all when you're brand-new to this thing. It is way easier to make this jump Cuz you're a fresh faith you like God can do it. I read the Bible Yeah I'm gonna just I'm gonna just I'm gonna just help all my seasoned Saints out It's a little different Well, you've been following Jesus a long time I speak tastings on one level reality said another you hear what God said you like You said it Jesus and if you said it I believe Cuz you've been doing it for so long But it doesn't get harder because your faith got weaker This is good If you've been serving Jesus a long time It gets harder because the older you get in your faith the more you depend on the Holy Spirit see there's someone on this side Of your expectation who extends his hand and lifts you up. I Told the team in the back. I said I got nervous when I preach for the first time But I love it because it reminds me of how dependent I am on the Holy Spirit to do what God told me to do So if it's getting harder to hold on to God's promises and you've been serving God for a long time that's by design To reach out to the one who can help you get to the level that you can no longer get just in your own anymore So help anybody

Here's a problem now some people they go down to their level of reality and So that they never have to fall again. They will also pull down the level of their expectation One problem is a high expectation. Here's another problem ready low expectation or No expectation and here's the mindset of somebody in this situation You know what the tongue themselves the time if I keep my expectations low, then I'll never be disappointed If I keep my expectations low Then I won't be sad I won't experience pain and I got a rude awakening for you Having low expectations doesn't save you from pain You gonna get hurt whether you have high expectations or low expectations That's not no matter what so that's number one. You think it's protecting you and it's not Here's the second thing listen What is more painful than being 70 80 years old looking back at a potential of life wasted because you were afraid to take risks You want to talk about pain? Nothing is more painful than a wasted life Because there's no redeeming that it's gone. It's done. It's what you got to do something now Take that chance take that risk. I mean God can redeem anything but not if you don't take the step Peter Peter was walking on water one time. He was in a boat and one of the disciples named Peter looked at Jesus on the water and he said Jesus if it's you tell me to come to You and Peter starts walking on water because Peter Expected to walk on water He expected to walk on water and now he also drowns. That's why I love that story Because either I'm gonna either I'm gonna walk on water or Jesus is gonna save me And You know who was really feeling the pain Not Peter who fell and then Jesus saved him the other 11 disciples in the boat who are looking at Peter walking on water And you gotta know what they're thinking. Here's what I think they're thinking What if I had asked What if I had asked

Pain of a missed opportunity because You were afraid I know life's disappointed you I know you've been sad. I know you've been let down I know you've tried quoting Bible verses and they didn't work. I know you prayed and they didn't get healed but do not submit to a life of no expectation Well, then what do I do pastor? Where do I go from here? I'm gonna help you out cuz life the secret It's not really about having high expectations or low expectations. Here's the secret. You ready? It's about having the right Expectations the right expectation well what's that i'm glad you asked the right expectation is romans 8 28 which has become it might possibly be my life verse and we know that in all things god works for the good of those who love him for the good who have been called according to his purpose there are two things in this passage you need to understand and this is the expectation i expect ready i expect this to end this is the right expectation i expect this to end in god's glory and my good i expect this to end in god's glory and my good and you need both lenses or else you will not find the truth you need both lenses liz and i went to hollywood during our sabbatical we went we took a tour of the wonder brother studio and while we were on the studio lot they were recording one of our favorite tv shows um abbott elementary and there's a school there and in that school there's a there's a hallway when the scene opens up and it's a hallway that goes on and on but when we toured the lot it actually is not a hallway it's actually a picture of a hallway and i was like that's weird that's a picture but every time i see it in the movie it's a hallway and then the tour guide is like yeah that's actually a really cool effect he said pull out your phone so i pulled out my phone i looked at the picture and it looked like a hallway and i was like what the witchcraft is happening here and he explained he said the reason why it looks like it's going on and on in your camera is because your camera has one lens when we record shows it has one lens but in order to have depth perception you need two lenses so when you have two eyes two lenses you can see the depth of it but with one lens you will not see the depth faith has depth that you cannot fully perceive until you look through both lenses of this is happening for god's glory and this is happening for my good if this is happening for god's glory then that helps me because when i'm suffering and when i'm in pain i'm okay because i know it's not about me it's about god and so even if this doesn't serve me i know it's serving him and

i want to build his kingdom don't fall for the brand of christianity that says god exists to make you happy no no we exist to worship god to exalt god to lift up god now that's one lens but now you need the other lens that says my good because then that also reminds you that i am not just a piece on the chessboard of eternity no no no my father loves me and he would never put me through something he would never put me through something that was not for my my god so it's both lenses so i asked them to create a team to make something and they did and it's a little cheesy it's a little corny but i do believe that images have a way of sticking in our mind and our memory so so i'm going to give you this image and you can laugh at it you can whatever you want and so i just i promise you that when you go home you're going to remember this image it's going to stick with you hopefully for the rest of your life and so this is this is it right here can you see it what's this say what's this say you have to learn to see life through both lenses both lenses this is how you get through the terrible things in life that don't meet your expectation when you've been married to somebody for 20 years and then they leave you and you are devastated you broke god where are you you got to get the lenses when you're pregnant and you lose the child you got to go find those lenses that hit home for me because friday would have been baby journey's birthday he would have been 11 my son if you're new to the church passed away seven hours after being born 11 years ago and uh well we watched a video of him on the day that he was born he was alive moving around big old eyes and and uh we watched it every birthday and for the first time i can't even remember i was watching that video year 11 and i was angry at god angry at god and i and i was angry at him and then i started praying and i put on worship music and the song that i put on was um the blood the blood oh the wonderful blood your love your love oh your marvelous love and i just felt the holy spirit speak to me and god said yeah i'm angry too my My son died too. I know that anger, I know that pain. And then he told me, put on the glasses, Jay. Put on the glasses. And as I saw that song, your blood, your blood. And I saw Jesus, I thought, oh my God.

And I just need you to see what I saw. And so I know we got this little camera right here. So you got this little, can you see? Yeah, right here. See, God's glory, my good. Yeah, God's glory, my good. So here's what I need you to do today, church. I need you to do what kind of God did with me. He put the glasses on me. Put the glasses on me. And here's what he showed me. Here's what he showed me. Because when you see the cross, you might see a man bleeding. You might see a crown of thorns on his head. You might see someone who is barely recognizable as a human. You might see death. You might see suffering. You might see a curse. But here's what I see when I see the cross. God's glory. And my good. Jesus knows exactly what you're feeling. Jesus knows exactly what you're talking about. But he's also seated at the right hand of the father right now, reminding you that everything that you're going through and everything that you're walking through, get the right expectation. It might look like a crucifixion,

but if it's happening, it's happening for my glory and for God's good, for my glory, for God's glory and for my good, for God's glory and for my good. Would you stand all over this place? If you're not standing yet, I'm gonna close right now. Listen to me. If you can stand, listen to me. You gotta put on the lenses. You gotta set the expectation. I don't know how a doctor's visit's gonna turn out. I don't know how long you'll be single. I don't know if it'll be cancer or it'll not be cancer. I don't know if you'll get the job or if you'll not get the job, but let's set the expectation today. Here is the expectation. God will get glory. Amen. God will get glory, and it will be good for me, amen. Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Let me pray for you. Anybody who's in this room with fear, disappointment, loneliness, abandonment, God, I pray that your Holy Spirit would speak to them right now and you would set the right expectation. Come on, set the expectation in your heart. Whatever happens, God's glory, my good.

God's glory, my good. God's glory, my good. While you're in this room, I also wanna pray for anybody in this room. Listen, as you're meditating on that, honing in on that, God's glory, my good. God's glory, my good. God's glory, my good. I trust you, Lord. That is my expectation. You will never be disappointed with God if you set that expectation, church. Brothers and sisters, set that expectation right now. God's glory, my good. God's glory, my good. If you're in this room where you don't have a relationship with Jesus, that cross is a picture of what your life can be. There will be suffering, there will be hurt, but it does not end that way. In the end, God will receive glory through the redemption of your life and it will be good because you will have been redeemed. If you don't know Jesus and you're watching online, you're in one of our campuses, you're in this room on the count of three, would you join all those hands that you saw raised a few moments ago of people who gave their life to Jesus just in the last year?

They will tell you, God is changing my life. He can do it in you. All over this room on the count of three. One, two, three. Would you raise your hand right now if you need Jesus in your life? Come on, I see that hand. I see that hand. I see that hand. I see that hand. I see all those hands in the corner. Praise the Lord. See those hands in the back. Whether you raise your hand or not, I want everyone to pray this prayer out loud. Everyone say, Father God, today I entrust you with my life and I set the expectation that you are for my good and I am for your glory. So I lay down my life, do with it as you will and in return I expect to receive your life, your joy, your peace, your hope. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. Would you put your hands together and welcome all of those who made that decision to follow Jesus today? Amen, amen. What an amazing word.

I want to walk alongside you if you made that decision today. Go ahead and scan the QR code. Let us know in the app. Let us know in the chat. We want to celebrate the amazing decision that you made today and we don't want you to walk through it alone. We want to be able to pray with you and encourage you in this new amazing adventure. Happy rebirth. Happy new day of walking with Christ. We're so excited for you. And my gosh, today was really a message that I want to probably go back and listen to a couple more times, but I want to hear from my brothers in Christ upstairs what they thought about today's message. So over to you, Manny and Bishon. What a beautiful day. Message Manny that was powerful. I was a master JJ came back from his sabbatical with that. Holy fire I love the visuals he gave it was great when he was getting on stage I'm that last one there that I've been going to church here since I think you were you were every young person And it's been a while so I understood that metaphor very well. Yeah, that's great. What did you get from the message? Oh, you know what I got I gotta make sure you set your expectations right and understand that God is there He's going to help you through it, but don't don't be hey. I'm watching Instagram I'll be a millionaire by the time I'm 30, and if I'm not there that means God's not here That's not the case so make sure you set your right expectations. Yeah, I think we all had Troubles following the wrong things and but what I got from the message was that God will bury you in disappointment So your faith could rise to the level your expectations. That's right. Just know you can't do it without him

That's right You always have to glorify him let go and let God and move forward and sometimes Appreciate what you have right now because right now you might be living the ultimate blessing you have food in your refrigerator You have clothes and sometimes we're just going oh, I need to reach a certain mark understand that sometime God is right there with you Yes And we just want to let you know to download our app continue joining us a partner with journey Church if you want to Join us for upper zoom starting tomorrow at 7 p.m.. To 8 p.m.. Please download our app scan the QR code below And if you want to continue to partner us with generosity Please scan the QR code below or go on our YouTube channel or to a journey church app to partner with us in ways to give Absolutely download it join us and let's continue to grow together. Yes, and with that. Thank you for joining us here Thank you a journey. We see you next week. See you next week You