Disappointment is more than a feeling – It’s a direction

• Leads you on a path

This is important because our series is called “LOST”

• A WAY out of the wilderness

Part of this learning is learning HOW to handle Disappointment

• Especially disappointment with God

What is disappointment?

Disappointment is magnified in “WILDERNESS” season because we are already stressed/worried/anxious/frustrated

“When God’s timing seems questionable, his lack of intervention seems hurtful, and his promises seem doubtful, I get afraid. I get confused. And left alone with those feelings, I can’t help but feel disappointed that God isn’t doing what I assume a good God should do.” ~ Lysa Terkeurst

This is exactly where some of you are right now—disappointed with God:

• You keep praying, but he keeps ignoring you.

And you’re like, “God, I don’t understand! How can this be your perfect plan? How can this be good? God, I had dreams but all you’ve left me with are disappointments.”

Examples:

Disappointed in a previous relationship, so you overcompensate in the next one

• Overly Jealous

Disappointed with yourself, so you second guess or push yourself too hard

• Never have any joy

Disappointed in how you were raised, so you choose to either over-control or passively parent

Disappointed in your life, so you look for someone to blame

What we must know:

Disappointment in life is unavoidable, but how we handle it matters and the story the Bible is telling has a lot to say about that…

Catching the story up to this point

• Freed the people from Egypt

Exodus 32

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!”

They forgot what ALL God has already done for them

What all had God done for them:

• Fed them

But as soon as Moses was gone a little too long, they FORGOT

• What God had commanded

Disappoint causes us to come down with…

Spiritual Amnesia

How do we handle disappointment?

GOD IS FAITHFUL

2 Thessalonians 3:3

3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

1 John 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Forgetfulness is not Disappointment’s only problem…

• This God Yahweh is uncontrollable, different, and scary

“Come, make gods for us who will go before us…”

We would NEVER make a God of our own…

• We literally do it ALL THE TIME

What is “god” (The idea of)

And Ideal that gives purpose, meaning, and direction

That Means…

What God values is valuable, and what he doesn’t value is not valid

“Because humanity is made in the Image of God, then ALL human life is Valuable – From the beginning of life to the end

My Jesus loves EVERYONE

• Don’t Judge, Love is love, love wins, God created me this way,

My Jesus is a PATRIOT

• Law and order over alone.. No mercy, Might makes right, Judgement, and religion

The reason these stories are SO IMPORTANT is because the Bible is telling us a very important story…

The story the Bible is telling is any God we make in our own image to control is no God at all but just a fake, sad attempt to control our own lives, which always ends in our own destruction

Disappointments last problem direction is…

Exodus 32

2 Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf. Then they said, “Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

Disappoint makes us:

• Forget – Giving us the freedom to…

False gods, whatever they are or whatever they look like, don’t give us freedom; they only make us slaves

What do I mean by CAPTIVITY?

Back to patterns of Sin that Jesus has freed us from

• Patterns of broken thinking

Don’t go back to those things

• This is the ONLY PLACE disappointment leads

Finishing the Story…

• God sees what the Israelites had done

This is a PICTURE of the gospel

• We deserve God’s wrath – Instead, he offers salvation

But the Gospel says this…

Romans 5:8

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• On our worst day

That’s the God of the Bible

• That the God who created you

Disappoint is Inevitable

• We will all experience it

But don’t let disappoint direct you, instead let the TRUST of God be your guide

97 How I love your instruction! It is my meditation all day long.

98 Your command makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me.

99 I have more insight than all my teachers because your decrees are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the elders because I obey your precepts.

101 I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow your word.

102 I have not turned from your judgments, for you yourself have instructed me.

103 How sweet your word is to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth.

104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.