Do You See What I See?

Do You See What I See?

Numbers 13:25-31; 14:6-8

In our text this morning there are two groups of people.

The first group is the Visionary group.

The second group is the Stationary group.??Let’s define these two words. The word "visionary" means "characterized by vision or foresight".??While the word "stationary" means "not moving or unchanging".??I have heard the word "visionary" defined from a Christian perspective as "he who sees what can be done for God, and has a passion to do it."??Now let me ask you........are you a visionary or are you stationary? Are we looking for ways that we can improve our church? Do we have an eye toward the future looking, searching for ways in which we can further, and better minister for the Lord? Do we have a vision for lost souls in our community, and a passion to reach them?

The Israelites had come from Egypt and they crossed the Red Sea. They witnessed many of the miracles of God as the army of Pharaoh had drowned; the Red Sea has parted; God has fed them manna in the wilderness; God has given them quail to eat; God has provided water in the desert. Now they come to the place where they can crossover into the Canaan land. And so God, through Moses, gives instructions that they are to spy out the land and investigate this land of promise.

So it says in verse 25, "And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the Children of Israel and the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."

Then in chapter 14, verse 6, "But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey."

You know, it is amazing how many things in our daily lives is the result of someone else's vision. The cars we drive, the computers we operate, and the planes we fly are all the result of someone else's vision. Helen Keller, who was blind, said worse than being blind would be to be able to see but, have no vision. Woodrow Wilson said we grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. The poorest man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.

"We need to become Men and women of faith that see the invisible, hear the inaudible, believe the incredible, and think the unthinkable".

Hebrews 11:27 27By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Hebrews 11:27 NIV 7 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

As your pastor, I want to be a leader with a vision. I want to lead people who have a vision. I want to pastor a church that has a vision.

The bible says that in Proverbs 29:13 that without a vision the people perished. Or without a revelation, the people perished.

Pastor Rick White, says, "Vision is the capacity to allow God through His creative powers to create within us dreams and plans for the future that will help others and bring glory to Himself."

Now we look at this story of Israel today, how God had delivered them. How they had seen so many mighty miracles. How they had gone from being slaves to freedom. They had seen the Red Sea parted. They had seen the armies of Pharaoh defeated. They had seen watered provided in the desert. They had seen manna fall from the sky. They had seen bitter water made sweet. All of these miracles are of God. Now they stood on the edge of the Promised Land. They were positioned for victory. They were poised for victory. They were promised victory. All they had to do was have the vision to go in and claim God's best, to claim all that God had promised them. All they had to do was to have vision enough to see a God big enough to provide everything they needed to have the vision.