Definition and Overview:
Expectations refer to the anticipation or belief regarding the future, often involving a sense of hope or assurance about what is to come. In a biblical context, expectations are closely tied to faith, hope, and trust in God's promises and His divine plan. The Bible addresses expectations in various forms, including the anticipation of God's intervention, the fulfillment of His promises, and the ultimate hope of eternal life.

Biblical Foundations:
The concept of expectations is deeply rooted in Scripture, where believers are encouraged to place their hope and trust in God. The Bible presents expectations as a natural outgrowth of faith, where believers look forward to the fulfillment of God's promises.

1. Expectations of God's Promises:
· Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see." This verse highlights the relationship between faith and expectations, where believers are assured of God's promises even when they are not yet visible.
· Romans 8:24-25 explains, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently." This passage emphasizes the expectation of future glory and redemption.

2. Expectations in Prayer:
· Jesus teaches about expectations in prayer in Mark 11:24 : "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." This encourages believers to pray with the expectation that God will answer according to His will.
· James 1:6-7 advises, "But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord." This underscores the importance of faith in shaping our expectations in prayer.

3. Expectations of Christ's Return:
· The New Testament is replete with references to the expectation of Christ's second coming. Titus 2:13 describes believers as "awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."
· 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 provides a vivid expectation of this event: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."

4. Expectations of Eternal Life:
· Believers are encouraged to expect eternal life as a gift from God. 1 John 2:25 states, "And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life."
· In John 14:2-3 , Jesus assures His disciples, "In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am."

Practical Implications:
Expectations in the life of a believer are not merely wishful thinking but are grounded in the character and promises of God. They shape how Christians live, pray, and interact with the world, providing a framework for understanding the present in light of God's future promises. The Bible encourages believers to maintain a posture of hopeful expectation, trusting in God's faithfulness and His ultimate plan for redemption and restoration.824. atopos -- out of place, strange
... place") -- properly, out of place, ie (out of the ordinary); (figuratively) unsuitable
because "warped" (not "falling in line with" needed expectations or the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/824.htm - 7k

4050. perisseia -- superfluity
... Cognate: 4050 (a feminine noun from 4012 , "comprehensively ") -- properly,
a brand of , ie what exceeds normal expectations. See 4012 (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4050.htm - 7k

Yet You must Arm Yourself with Expectations of their Infirmities
... THE FIRST CENTURY 84 Yet you must arm yourself with expectations of their
infirmities. Yet you must arm yourself with expectations ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/84 yet you must arm.htm

The Last Look at Life,
... David; when the palms, the emblem of the victorious king who with victory brought
peace, were strewn before His feet; what kind of expectations were probably ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/xiii the last look at.htm

Chapter vi.
... the object in whom a long series of ancient prophecies terminated, from the completion
of which they had formed such magnificent expectations, and expectations ...
//christianbookshelf.org/paley/evidences of christianity/chapter vi.htm

When the Oil Flows
... receive. Expectation, like desire, opens the heart. There are some expectations,
even in lower regions, that fulfil themselves. Doctors ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/when the oil flows.htm

The Climax of all Prayer
... a rebuke to our low lives and feeble expectations. ... So, dear brethren, take you
this prayer as the standard of your expectations; and oh! ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the climax of all prayer.htm

The Aggravated Guilt of Him who Delivered Christ to Pilate.
... But the Jews had no expectations of such a deliverer in the Son of Mary; nor did
the Roman Governor see aught in him to excite suspicion of a formidable enemy. ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xii the aggravated guilt.htm

Secondly, the Motives by which the Christian Religion Enforces the ...
... it enjoins are such as are most suitable to the excellent wisdom of God,
and most answerable to the natural expectations of men. ...
/.../xi proposition xi secondly the.htm

"Thy King Cometh"
... While on their errand they communicated their glowing expectations to the friends
of Jesus, and the excitement spread far and near, raising the expectations of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 63 thy king cometh.htm

'Sober Certainty'
... God's mercies often come suddenly, and with a rush and a completeness that outrun
our expectations and our power of immediate comprehension. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/sober certainty.htm

The Personal Return of Christ to the Earth, and the Day of ...
... To obviate all carnal expectations, he then told them (v.25) that "He must first
suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation;" and that, when the ...
/.../section 214 the personal return.htm

Expectations (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Expectations (1 Occurrence). 2 Peter 3:14 Therefore,
dear friends, since you have these expectations, earnestly ...
/e/expectations.htm - 6k

Expectation (25 Occurrences)
...Expectations are computed for or against the occurrence of the event. 5. (n.) The
leaving of the disease principally to the efforts of nature to effect a cure. ...
/e/expectation.htm - 15k

Disappoint (2 Occurrences)
... or hope; to hinder from the attainment of that which was expected, hoped, or desired;
to balk; as, a man is disappointed of his hopes or expectations, or his ...
/d/disappoint.htm - 8k

Expected (18 Occurrences)

/e/expected.htm - 11k

Messiah (9 Occurrences)
... The expectations of the Jews were thus kept alive from generation to generation,
till the "fulness of the times," when Messiah came, "made of a woman, made ...
/m/messiah.htm - 43k

Quit (12 Occurrences)
... to repay. 7. (v.) To meet the claims upon, or expectations entertained
of; to conduct; to acquit; -- used reflexively. 8. (v.) To ...
/q/quit.htm - 13k

Gnash (12 Occurrences)
... 13:42, 50; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:30 Luke 13:28 -a vivid
representation of the misery of disappointed expectations; compare Ecclesiasticus ...
/g/gnash.htm - 12k

Rise (417 Occurrences)
... 22. (v.) To become louder, or higher in pitch, as the voice. 23. (v.) To increase
in amount; to enlarge; as, his expenses rose beyond his expectations. 24. ...
/r/rise.htm - 39k

Meet (281 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To come up to; to be even with; to equal; to match; to satisfy; to answer;
as, to meet one's expectations; the supply meets the demand. ...
/m/meet.htm - 41k

Content (30 Occurrences)
... appease or quiet; to gratify; to please. 6. (v.) To satisfy the expectations
of; to pay; to requite. 7. (n.) Rest or quietness of the ...
/c/content.htm - 17k

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