A Vision, Or A Cause

A Vision or a Cause

Pastor Donny Granberry

Good Morning, if you are our guest, welcome to Central and thank you for worshipping with us today.

To our church family, welcome to the Lord’s house as we gather together today and give praise and adoration to the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s.

Let’s take our bibles and make our profession together.

This morning, I want to take my initial scripture reading from a text in the bible that most of you have heard many times before.

This morning I want to take a look at the difference between a vision and a cause.

1 Samuel 17:20-26, 29

20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. 22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.

24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.

26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

Reproach – a cause or occasion of blame, discredit, or disgrace.

When David was sent from the house of his father, Jesse, he was not sent to go out and fight against Goliath, he was sent to take some corn, bread and cheese to his brothers and their captains and to see how the battle was going.

There is no way a father would send his teenage son to fight in a campaign such as this, much less to fight the champion of the Philistine army one on one.

In the chapter previous to this, (1 Samuel 16) we read where David was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to become the king over Israel.

Can you imagine David, leaving his fathers house and returning to his duties as a shepherd after the prophet of God anointed him to be king over Israel.

I am sure that he was seeking God, and a vision was being birthed in his spirit of how to lead Israel.

Could I submit to you this morning that Goliath was not a part of his vision?

When he gets to the front line of the battle, something begins to stir within him as Goliath comes out and defies the armies of God.

Something stirs in his spirit that says; say what you want about me, but when you defy God, that’s it.

David asks the army, not if there is a battle plan, neither if there is a vision, he states, “Is there not a cause!”

You see, you and I were born, not with just a vision, but we were born for a cause.

Our connection to the world is that same cause, and that cause is a Kingdom cause for the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.

There is a difference between a vision and a cause.

• A vision is often personal, but a cause is greater than any one person and bigger than any one church.

• People generally will not die for a vision, yet they die for a cause everyday around the world.

• A vision is something you possess, but a cause possesses you.

• A vision leaves you with options, but a cause leaves you with no choice, in season and out of season.

• You can ignore a vision but you can’t ignore a cause.

• Generally, you can change a vision but the cause never changes.

• A vision is linked to a lifetime, but a cause is eternal.

• A vision will generate excitement, but a cause generates power.

• If you will live for the cause of Christ, He will breathe power into your vision.