Strike Another Arrow (2 Kings 13:14-20)

Your Expectations Shape Your Experiences

Nobody who follows Jesus would ever consciously say, "I don't need God. I don't want Him to help me. I don't want Him to work in my life. I don't want His blessing. I'm better off without His guidance." If you've given your life to Christ, you would never say that.

But if we're being honest, a lot of us live that way. We don't actively push God away. We just don't think to invite Him in. We carry on with our days, solve our own problems, work through our own to-do lists, and God ends up being an afterthought instead of the center.

What are you expecting from God? How are you factoring Him into your life beyond Sunday mornings?

A Strange Story About a King and Some Arrows

This weekend we're looking at a story from the life of the prophet Elisha. He's an Old Testament hero, and by this point in the story, he's an old man near the end of his life.

2 Kings 13:14-20a says, "When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. 'My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!' he cried. Elisha told him, 'Get a bow and some arrows.' And the king did as he was told. Elisha told him, 'Put your hand on the bow,' and Elisha laid his own hands on the king's hands. Then he commanded, 'Open that eastern window,' and he opened it. Then he said, 'Shoot!' So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, 'This is the Lord's arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek.' Then he said, 'Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.' So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. But the man of God was angry with him. 'You should have struck the ground five or six times!' he exclaimed. 'Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times.' Then Elisha died and was buried."

It's a strange story. A king visits a dying prophet, and the prophet has him act out this symbolic prophetic action with arrows. The king strikes the ground three times and stops. What Elisha wanted to see was the king striking the ground persistently, repeatedly, as a sign that he understood God was going to bring total victory. But the king didn't. And the prophet was angry because this wasn't about arrows. It was about the king's faith. It was about his expectations.

The king revealed in that moment that he didn't have high expectations. He wasn't really expecting God to move.

You Have Not Because You Ask Not

When I read this passage, another verse came to mind right away.

James 4:2b (KJV) says, "ye have not, because ye ask not."

The NLT puts it this way: "Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it."

There are good things, there are things you want, things you value, but because God is an afterthought and not the primary driver of your life, you don't invite Him in to do what only He can do.

As you're figuring out life, as you're making decisions, as you're planning and dealing with problems, taking care of responsibilities, working through today's to-do list, are you factoring God in? Are you expecting Him to be involved?

You're busy building your life, but is God the primary focus or an afterthought?

You're taking care of things, but are you leaning on Him or on your own understanding?

He's promised to stick with you every step of the way, but do you carry on as if He's busy somewhere else?

The Problem of Low Expectations

If you have a low level of expectations, it will affect your outlook and how you approach life. It becomes a cycle.

A low level of expectations leads to a low level of prayer. A low level of prayer leads to a low level of awareness. A low level of awareness leads to a low level of readiness. A low level of readiness leads to a low level of taking action. And a low level of taking action leads to a low level of experience with what God wants to do.

But it can also go the other way.

A high level of expectations leads to an increased level of prayer. That leads to a stronger level of awareness. That leads to a greater level of readiness. That leads to a better level of taking action. And that leads to a higher level of experience with God.

You set the thermostat. You set the expectations.

This Isn't Self-Help

Let me be clear. This is not surface level self-help or positive thinking. I have a deep reverence for preaching. I never come up and just shoot from the hip. Out of respect for God and for you, I always want to faithfully represent the heart of God and the truth of the Bible. I don't want to give motivational pep talks. I want our church to be grounded and transformed by the Word of God.

So please remember that what I'm saying today is grounded in the promises of Scripture.

John 16:33b says, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Matthew 28:20b says, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

2 Corinthians 1:20a says, "For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ."

Romans 15:13 says, "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

We may have difficulties and challenges and struggles, but Jesus has overcome the world. Life might be tough and even unjust, but He's promised to stick with us every step of the way. We can read through the whole Bible, pay attention to every single promise of God, and remember that Jesus has fulfilled them all and made it possible for us to be the beneficiaries of His incredible promises. In Him we can find hope, joy, and peace. Not empty words. Real contentment in the middle of a chaotic world.

All of this should change our expectations.

Citizens of Heaven

There are a few things I have in common with the Apostle Paul. We both fell off a horse. We both preached until someone fell asleep. And we're both dual citizens.

Paul was a Roman citizen and ethnically Jewish. It wasn't the same legal understanding we have today, but he was both a Jewish man and a Roman citizen, which wasn't very common in the first century.

If we're being honest, you and I would never have chosen Paul to be a key leader in the early church. He was violent and deeply opposed to Christianity. The church was terrified of him. And yet God said, "That's my guy." There are a lot of reasons Paul ended up being so effective. His intelligence. His ability to communicate. But also his Roman citizenship. If you read the book of Acts, you see how that citizenship opens doors for Paul, and for the gospel, that would have otherwise stayed shut.

I know a little about living in different countries. I was born in the UK. At 22 I moved to Australia. Three years later, when I was 25, I moved to America shortly after Megan and I got married. The UK, Australia, and the US have a lot of similarities. All of them speak English, praise the Lord. But even with the cultural similarities, there's a lot of differences. If another country was going to become home, I had to adapt.

When you take on a new citizenship, you take on new expectations.

And when we embrace our citizenship in Heaven, there's a new set of expectations.

Philippians 1:27a says, "Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ."

Philippians 3:20 says, "we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior."

Our conduct and values are going to be different because we're citizens of Heaven. But we also need to remember we're different because we have different expectations.

This Isn't Just Behavior Change

The promise of Jesus isn't just the opportunity to correct how you act. It's the promise of being born again, being made a new creation, having your relationship with God healed, and inheriting your citizenship in Heaven.

Of course our behavior changes. Our habits change. Our conduct changes. How we speak changes. But it involves so much more than behavior. A true spiritual transformation changes everything for a person. I've heard from so many of you about the miraculous change that happened in your life when you met Jesus. When the Holy Spirit changes you, when you're spiritually alive, it redefines your heart and your mind, which means it redefines how you go through life.

Philippians 4:4-8, 12-13, 19-20 says, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen."

There's so much here. This passage details what it means to live as a citizen of Heaven while still being on earth. And think about each of these as arrows you can strike, another expectation of God's victory in your life.

Being full of joy when it's tough. That's striking an arrow.

Being considerate in all you do instead of self-centered and careless. That's another arrow.

Not drowning in worry and being consumed by what-ifs. Another arrow.

Living with God's peace in the middle of scary things. Another arrow.

That peace guarding your heart and defining your countenance. Another arrow.

Your mind filled with things that are true and honorable and admirable instead of toxic and angry and bitter. Another arrow.

Whether you're up or down, knowing with confidence that you can do it all through Christ Jesus. Another arrow.

Drawing strength from your faith, not the world around you, not cultural wisdom, but Jesus. Another arrow.

Remembering He is supplying your needs when you're desperate and don't see a way out. Another arrow.

Nothing about Philippians 4 suggests this is a Sunday-morning-only thing. These things pertain to everyday, ordinary life. This is about changing how you think about life, how you understand the world, the role that God has in your life, how you walk in the new life Jesus has given you.

More Arrows Means More Jesus

More arrows means more Jesus.

John 3:30 says, "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

Think about Jesus more.

Colossians 3:1-2 says, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth."

Have an eternal perspective. Your key identity is as a citizen of Heaven, so build your life that way.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

Always. Never. All circumstances.

John 15:4-5a says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit."

What This Could Look Like

Think about what changes when you live with a high level of expectation.

For you as an individual, your prayer life shifts. Your awareness grows. You start noticing God at work in places you never noticed before. You get ready for Him to move. You take action when He prompts you. And you experience a walk with Jesus that's richer than what you've known.

For us as a church, it would deeply affect our Sunday morning services if we all rolled in full of expectation. Expecting worship to mean something. Expecting the Word to land. Expecting the Holy Spirit to move. Expecting to encounter Jesus.

And for the community around us, the church promises people that we're different. That following Jesus means experiencing something different. A big part of that difference is our expectations.

Strike Another Arrow

2 Kings 13:18-19 says, "Then he said, 'Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.' So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. But the man of God was angry with him. 'You should have struck the ground five or six times!'"

For us, this is a reminder to not only have God on our minds Sunday morning, but all day every day. To expect Him to be true to His word. To anticipate and be ready for Him to do something. Every room you walk into, wonder if God has something for you to do. Someone to encourage. Someone to be kind to. Something to pray about. A way to make a difference.

When difficulty comes, strike another arrow. Seek the Lord.

When it's a normal, ordinary, boring day, seek the Lord. Expect that He's at work. Expect that He's moving. If we're not looking for it or expecting it, there's a strong chance we'll miss it.

Your expectations shape your experiences. So what are you expecting?