Would Jesus ever say to you, “I’m so disappointed in you.”? This question never occurred to me even though this had been a constant belief of mine every time I sinned. Because I believed God was so disappointed in me, it usually took days before I would go to Him to ask forgiveness.
Many times, we attribute to God human attitudes, reactions or characteristics that are not even close to who He really is or what He would think about us.
Disappointment – To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of. The feeling of being let down. A feeling of sadness or frustration because something or someone was not as good, attractive, or satisfactory as expected, or because something hoped for did not happen.
Now we know what the definition of disappoint is, ask yourself this question. When we sin, is God disappointed in us? How does God see us when we do sin and have not yet asked Him to forgive us? Do we forfeit our salvation when we sin? If I would die before I get a chance to ask God to forgive me of the sin I committed, will I be rejected from entering into heaven? To easily answer these questions all we have to know is what does the Bible tell us about who God is?
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When we sin, why do we feel that we disappointed God? One reason is because of our intimate or personal relationship with Him. We know that God loves us, He died for us, and He saved us. We cherish our relationship with Him, and we know it cost Jesus His life to make our relationship with God possible. And when we sin, we think we have failed Him, for some it is easy to feel we have disappointed Him. So much so, that we believe that we are of lesser significance to God because He thinks less of us. As a result, we feel like we have really let God down, and for some of us it is difficult to gather up the courage to turn back to Him to ask Him to forgive us. Thoughts like these leaves us vulnerable to be lied to by the enemy.
Have you thought these any of these lies about yourself when you sin? “You are constantly letting God down.” “Once again you haven’t lived up to God’s expectations.”, “You will never be who God expects you to be in Christ.” And so on.
Hebrews 10:19-24
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
All italics are excerpts from the book, 10 Things Jesus never Said, and why you should stop believing them, by Will Davis Jr.
“If you think about it, that reasoning makes sense. We’re human and sinful. No matter how hard we try and how much we have yielded to sanctification in our lives, we are not going to be perfect.” In addition, when we read some of the following verses, we really feel worse about our sin.
Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
1 Peter 1:15-16
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying we do not need to feel bad or remorseful when we sin. Feeling bad after we sin is the first step to our repentance or confession. By our repentance we are forgiven, which leads to our cleansing, and because of our cleansing we can and will experience the process of restoration.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Also, please read Psalm 51 which gives us a very good example of this process.
The truth is God has never been disappointed in you. Not once, ever. The emotion of disappointment is something that he can never feel. Our enemy, the devil, is skilled at painting a picture of God as the brokenhearted—or, worse, angry deity who has been failed one time too many by us. But that simply isn’t true. God has never been and never will be disappointed with you.
God knows everything, He is omniscient. “Think about it: at the very core of disappointment is a failure to meet expectations. But if God knows everything, how can you disappoint Him?” How can you let God down who always knows what is going to happen before it happens? “If we think we can somehow do something that God didn’t expect or surprise him in some way, then we seriously underestimate the scope of God’s knowledge.”
Concerning the limitless nature of God’s mind, Isaiah wrote, “Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?” (Isa. 40:13-14). In other words, “Who taught God?” Implied answer? No one!
Or again, back to Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thought’ (Isa. 55:8-9). In other words: “You’ll never be able to fully understand my mind. I think on an entirely different level.”
God’s mind is infinite. There are no limitations of what God knows about us, what we will do or what will happen to us. God will never be surprised by what we do.
Psalm 139:1-4, 39
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
“How can you let down someone who knows every possible choice you have made and ever will make? With God knowing all that, how are you possibly going to disappoint him? You don’t. No way. It’s one of those spiritual laws of heaven. It’s simply impossible.”
Pastor John
Psalms 51:1-17 NIV
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
