The danger of unrealistic expectations is that it can lead to: 1) failure, anger, depression and being deceived (Pro 19:3; Gen 4:3-5; 1Th 3:1-4 “disturbed” = deceived). 2) apostasy and hell (Gen 4:6-14 “from your face I will be hidden” = No longer able to bring sacrifice for forgiveness; Pro 11:7).

1. If we have the truth/true gospel, then it will not cause problems with blood family.

1.1. (Mat 10:34-37; Luk 2:34-35; Luk 12:51-53).

1.2. (Mar 3:20-21 w/31-35) = Rabbi Jesus (the One Whose life we must imitate for Him to be our Savior) chose God’s family over His physical family – including His mother. This BTW is the same Jesus Who gave us the 5th commandment (“honor your father and mother”).

1.3. Hence why (Luk 9:59-62) = The agenda of God’s family/kingdom trumps even the most sensitive or important of blood family traditions/demands.

1.4. As we should expect, the disciples followed Jesus’ lead by choosing God’s family over their blood family (Mat 19:27-29).

2. If we have the truth/true gospel, then we will be in the majority (or at least there wb others around like us).

2.1. (Rev 2-3) = Along with the Jerusalem church, only two of the seven churches in Asia minor were not on the brink of losing their lampstands (becoming false churches).

2.2. (1Pe 3:20 ) = There were only eight saved people when God destroyed the world the first time.

2.3. (Rev 20:7-9) “surrounded the camp of the saints” = What is left of Christ’s true followers at the time of His return will be a singular camp [or congregation] small enough to be surrounded (hence why - Luk 18:8).

2.4. (Act 1:15 ) = 120 people were left after Jesus’ earthly ministry. They were the only ones on planet earth still following Him.

2.5. Hence why they referred to the early church as a cult (Act 24:14 “sect” being used in a derogatory sense).

2.6. Jesus’ popularity was short-lived and He never controlled the majority.[1] The Pharisees were the dominant religious party/group (i.e., the group wielding the most influence and power over the Jewish community – including over the priests). In Jesus’ day, they occupied most of the seats in the Sanhedrin – the Jewish version of our three branches of government (legislative, executive and judicial: they were who created new laws, enforced the laws and were seen as the law’s experts in interpretation). The Pharisees were who the nation listened to and believed were the curators of their religion.

2.7. In reality however, they were hypocrites and counterfeits. They could not defend their positions from Scripture (hence the reason it says that when Jesus preached it was different than them – He possessed authority – i.e., He could defend His position from Scripture- whereas they could not). Which is why they resorted to bullying: to threats, manipulation, slander and blasphemy (e.g., Mat 12:22-32).

2.8. In many ways the Pharisees were the first Evangelicals:

1) they preached a FAG (Joh 8:31-39 w/Mat 3:7-10).

2) they embraced many wicked, unethical, Scripture-violating traditions (Mat 15:1-14; e.g., Evan: grape juice for the LT [leavened grapes versus unleavened grapes or wine; Original Sin, Penal Substitution and Moral Inability]).

3) they practiced unjust justice (Joh 8:1-11; e.g., Evan: church discipline w/o discipline – or the discipline prescribed by God).

4)  they possessed embarrassingly bad theology (Mat 12:1-21; Mat 22:41-46; e.g., Evan: monotheistic view of the Trinity).

2.9. Hence why Jesus’ entire ministry was a direct attack against the Pharisees (e.g., His first public address – SotM is directed at them – they are the ones whose horrible teaching He is correcting in Mat 5, who He is referring to as “hypocrites” in Mat 6, and the false teachers paving a broad path He warns against following in Mat 7).

2.10. Jesus stood up to the Evangelical bullies of His day. And He didn’t need to be in the majority to do it (or to be the One possessing the truth). If the Bible’s history teaches us anything, it is that the truth is most often found among the very small minority.

3. If we have the truth/true gospel, then nobody claiming to follow God will persecute us or accuse us of evil.

3.1. The previous point should have made it abundantly clear that this too is an unrealistic expectation.

3.2. Jesus promised we wb presecuted and accused of all kinds of evil (Mat 5:10-12, 9:3, 11 w/[11:19 ], 10:16-22, 12:24 , 24:9-11; Luk 4:28-29; Joh 8:41 , 48, 9:22 , 28-29, 10:20 , 15:25 , 16:1-3; Rev 2:9-10).

3.3. Paul also spoke about this so we should not be surprised – especially as we enter the last days (2Co 11:26 ; Phi 1:29-30; 2Ti 3:12 w/1-11).

4. If we have the truth/true gospel, then nobody in our church will ever disturb, deceive or betray us, or go apostate and leave the church.

4.1. This too is highly. unrealistic thinking. Didn’t Jesus have the truth/true gospel – yet He and the early church faced all kinds of internal trouble or problems (Mat 26:24-25, 45-46; Joh 6:66 [w/Act 1:15 ]; 2Co 11:3-4 w/13-14; Gal 1:6-7; Phi 3:18-19; 1Jo 2:19 )

4.2. Jesus (and again the apostle Paul) warn us that this wb the norm in those churches with the truth/true gospel (those who are the true kingdom of God on earth – especially once more as we get closer to the end of history (Mat 10:21 , 13:18-23, 36-43, 24:12-13; Rom 16:17-18; 2Ti 3:13 , 4:1-5, 16).

CLOSING CONTEMPLATION: 1Pe 5:12-13

[1] See Kent Yinger, The Pharisees: Their History, Character, and New Testament Portrait