Our Father’s Expectations for Believers
When a father spends his time, money, and energies in raising a child, don’t you think he has a right to expect some return on his “investment.”
We see an example of this principle in the life of Hekeziah. He was mortally ill, but prayed to God, who “spoke to him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah gave not return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud…” (II Chr. 32:25).
Does God have a right to require something from us for all He has given us?
Some say no. They say grace is king, and you don’t have to do anything in the Christian life. You just believe in Jesus and keep one vague commandment to love, and that’s all.
God, however, is not mocked. What we sow, we reap (Gal. 6:7).
Hezekiah was proud and gave no return for God’s benefits. How about you?
God told Micah that it wasn’t burnt offering He was after. He gave a brief resume of what He requires – yes, requires – of those whom He has called. The answer? He said to do justice, or walk in righteousness, to love kindness and mercy like God, and to “walk humbly with your God…” (Micah 6:8).
The key in all this, so that we do not misunderstand, is that while God has many more requirements and expectations of us besides a general command of love, He gives us the grace to accomplish all that He expects of us.
Jesus is grace personified. Mercy is given to those who do not deserve it, and we are blessed by God with many mercies in our lives. Grace, however, is God’s empowerment to obey all His laws of love, and there are more than two, and even more than ten. Yes, God has given 613 commandments of love in each testament. That’s a lot, but He gives the power to keep them.
Furthermore, He commands us to get up when we fall and fail to keep any one of His laws. He directs us to confess the sin, ask for forgiveness, forgive ourselves, and accept the perfect cleansing by Jesus’ blood to walk once again in Jesus’ righteousness (I John 1:9).
God expects that we thank Him and praise Him for His mercies and His graces in our lives.
He expects that we worship Him in spirit and in truth, His way not ours. He expects that we bow down and worship Him on the new moon (Isa. 66:23), so that we can surrender our problems to Jesus. Otherwise we are trying to do things ourselves, and that does not glorify Him.
Whether we understand the new moon command yet or not, He expects us to trust Jesus to solve all our problems and not to trust in ourselves.
“Come to Me…”
Our Father expects us, in whatever way we understand at the time, to accept Jesus’ invitation: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest [rest from trying to do it yourself]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Mat. 11:28-30).
Some say it was the future apostle Paul who came to Jesus and asked what was required to obtain eternal life (Mat. 19:16-22). Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “You don’t have to do anything. You just accept Me and you’ve got your free pass to heaven.” No. He said that if you desire to enter into life, you must keep the commandments, all of them. In this case, it was especially the first commandment that was needed, since this young man had great wealth and put that wealth ahead of God. Jesus knew it. And so did the young man.
Not being under the law but under grace does not mean that we have a license to sin. Paul made that abundantly clear, even though many religious people prefer to twist his words to their own destruction and to the destruction of those who hear them.
The concept is this: we are no longer under the penalty of the law or of lifeless legalism based solely on law. We have Jesus, who is the epitome of grace or empowerment, living in us. He gives us the supernatural ability to fulfill all the many requirements of the law of love.
Paul makes that clear in Romans 8:3-4: “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin [which is law breaking] in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Oh, so requirements do exist under the New Covenant. That’s what Paul said. Requirements. Expectations. Not suggestions. So the Ten Commandments are not done away, nor any of the 1226 small laws that constitute the full expression of love toward God and neighbor.
Furthermore, it is not our works, but God’s works in us that fulfill those requirements. It is the indwelling of God in us that makes it possible, with our cooperation, of course. We must submit and surrender, allowing God to do the works through us.
It was apparently that same young ruler who was not as young when he wrote his epistles that said it best: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). In the same epistle Paul explains that some effort must be put forth in allowing the Holy Spirit and the grace that is Jesus to fulfill the law’s requirements, but he adds, “…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).
“Working out our salvation in awe and reverence of God” involves feeding ourselves on His Word and praying, as well as obeying His encouragements to love and serve others. Becoming perfect like our Father is a tall call, but Jesus said He would do it through us if we simply submit to Him (Mat. 5:48). The degree to which we submit only determines the future responsibility we will have in God’s government for eternity. It determines our reward, not our salvation.
Salvation is by grace, by God’s supernatural empowerment, which we receive when we accept God’s drawing us to Jesus and the call of Jesus. His death that paid the price of the wages of sin and His life in us saves us. We do not save ourselves. The degree with which we cooperate with the power in us in this life, however, determines our reward. And of course, if we fail totally to cooperate, we could even lose that salvation.
The Witness and the Light
Our Father expects us to grow so that we can be witnesses of His love to the world. We are to shine with the light of His love.
We read in Acts 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
In Isaiah 43:10, God says, “You are My witnesses…And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He…”
Jesus called us the light of the world, a city set on a hill, shining for all to see. He said that it was our love for our brethren that shows the world we are God’s people (John 13:35). We are called to show people who God is by our example, our light. God is Love (I John 4:8). Our Father expects us to display His love to the world.
Peter emphasizes our Father’s expectation of us: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles [unbelievers], so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them glorify God in the day of visitation” (I Pet. 2:12).
It is God’s will to call the vast majority of the world in a future resurrection (Rev. 20:5). That will be their “day of visitation.” It is our light shining today, however, that will make their calling much easier when God reveals Himself to them at that time.
Our Fathers love is unconditional. When we accept Jesus, He loves us like He loves Jesus. As with Jesus, He tells us, "You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." He is, however, expecting good things from us because Jesus lives in us. In addition to our individual anointing, we have the supernatural anointing of Jesus in us.
Our Father tells us the same thing he told Jesus in prophesying His coming in Isaiah 42:1: “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights, I have put My Spirit upon Him.”
He offers to us the same Holy Spirit that He gave to Jesus, the "Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the [reverence of the Eternal] (Isa. 11:2).
As with Jesus, God has anointed us to "bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;… To comfort all who mourn…” (Isa. 61:1-2).
Our Father’s expectations of us are high, when you consider John 14:12. Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” Verse 15 continues, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
Faith Working through Love
The great works God expects of us require faith, and "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
Faith, however, requires another important ingredient, as we read in Galatians 5:6: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision your uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love."
Coming to know that God loves us is the surest way to meet His expectations of us. Without an understanding, a realization, and an acceptance of that love we cannot believe that He will do the works through us. Faith without love is not faith.
John said it well: "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (I John 4:16).
Love is God, and God is Love. We cannot do the works of God without knowing that He loves us, without dwelling in His love. Love must be the basis of who we are before we can fully do the works of love. Human beings are not human "doings.” While we are divine beings rather than merely human, we are indeed beings, not “doings.” Doing without being is hollow legalism. Everything we do should come out of who we are in Jesus. Because we are one with God, we are, in essence, love. He is love, and so are we.
"We love, because He first loved us" (I John 4:19). All our acts of love spring forth from the love God gave us.
The problem is, however, Satan has convinced most Christians that God really doesn't love them. He has caused problems in their life for which he causes them to blame God. His lies abound in the Christian world. Acts of Satan are called acts of God. When someone gets sick and dies, it was God's will -- and thus God's fault.
How is it possible to know that God loves you if you perceive Him as a hateful, cruel God? It isn't.
We mentioned above Satan's lie about the subject of grace. He has caused Christians to confuse grace with mercy. In so doing they deny the power of God in their lives. Jesus is grace personified. He is the power that works in our life to do things that please our Father, to become like our Father.
You may be asking now, “So what are the things that please our Father?” Here are a few.
Things That Please God
- Setting priorities
- Spending time in prayer praising Him
- Sounds of joy – David appointed singers to “raise sounds of joy” (I Chr. 15:16)
- Songs of joy
- Bringing sinners to Jesus
- Hearing us speak His words back to Him
- Hearing us speak His words over others
- Binding Satan (and his demons) and casting him out
- Seeing His children walk in His will
- Joining together to take back dominion from Satan
- Standing fast against Satan, the flesh and the world
- Giving cheerfully
- Relying on Him for our daily needs
- Seeking God’s face – not only His hand (i.e., His blessings)
- Speaking blessings over others
- Receiving His blessings with thankfulness
- Walking in humility, love and righteousness
- Showing love to Him and His children
- Putting faith and hope into action
- Showing patience in waiting on God
- Listening to His voice
- Listening for His voice
- Seeking intimacy and quiet time with Him
- Studying His Word
- Asking the Holy Spirit to guide us
- Gathering together in His name
Things That Make Our Father Proud of Us
In Matthew 25:10, Jesus shut the door to the wedding feast for some. What opens the door?
- Giving for the joy of giving
- Taking communion and binding ourselves to Jesus by the blood
- Accepting Jesus as Divine Master in our life
- Accepting in our heart our identity as children of God
- Fasting to set people free
- Obeying God’s voice (written or spoken word)
- Praying in the Spirit (in tongues); shows we want our spirit man to rule over the flesh
- Using the name of Jesus
- Being a witness of the gospel, people seeing Jesus in us
- Declaring God’s Word over our life
- Resisting Satan (e.g., quoting the Word correctly to him)
- Walking in integrity
- Having a serving heart
- Willingness to stand in the gap for someone else
- Issuing blessings over people
- Walking in righteousness and love
- Praising Jesus
- Worshipping Jesus
- Accepting God’s leadership in our life
- Walking by faith
- Waiting on God
- Praying together in one accord
- Asking God for direction and waiting for His answer before we act
- Not accepting a gift from Satan (physical symptom or temptation to satisfy the flesh)
- Yielding our will to God
These actions cause our Father to exclaim with pride, “That’s my son!” “That’s my daughter!”
Our Father has great expectations of us. By His grace, we can live up to all His expectations of us!