I Can See Clearly Now

Introduction:

A. If you noticed my title to this sermon, “I Can See Clearly Now,” you may have wondered if I was going to have us sing the words to that classic 1972 song by Johnny Nash.

1. Sorry to disappoint, but we are not going to focus on the words to that song.

2. But I’m using that title as a launching pad for a discussion of having a clear vision.

B. The famous country singer, Hank Williams, once said, “A man has to know what he wants to do, and then do it and keep his mind on it, and don’t let nothing else get in the way to clutter his life.”

1. Hank Williams was right, we need to have a vision of our target or our goal, and to keep it clearly in mind, and then not let anything else get in the way of reaching it.

C. A man named Robert Woodruff did just that.

1. You are probably wondering: Who is Robert Woodruff?

2. Woodruff was the president of Coca-Cola from 1923-1955.

3. While leading that company during WWII, Woodruff had the audacity to state, “We will see that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents, wherever he is and whatever it costs.”

4. After WWII ended, he said his goal was for everyone in the world to have a taste of Coca-Cola.

5. How is that for having a clear vision and goal?

6. His vision enabled the employees of Coca-Cola to work to accomplish both of those goals.

D. Vision is critically important.

1. Without a shared vision, we have no idea what our target is.

2. Without a shared target or direction, then we have no hope of getting anywhere.

3. Just like the story of the businessman who rushed into the airport and demanded: “Give me a ticket.” “Where to?” asked the ticket agent.

a. To which the businessman replied, “It doesn’t matter…I’ve got business all over!”

4. A lack of definition, or purpose, or vision, leaves us disorganized.

5. We need a target to shoot at. We need a goal to strive toward.

6. That is true for individuals. That is true for corporations. And that is true for churches.

E. How would you answer the question: What is the mission of the Wetzel Road Church of Christ?

1. Can each of us state clearly and concisely what we are about?

2. What is our business? What are we trying to accomplish?

3. See, until we have a handle on what we are trying to do, how can we begin to determine how to do it?

4. In the end we don’t want just activity…we want productivity.

5. If efficiency is doing things right and effectiveness is doing the right things, then excellence is efficiency and effectiveness. Doing the right things, right.

F. But it all must begin with a vision; a shared vision.

1. When we talk about vision with regard to the church, we have to realize that the vision originates with God. He is the one who inspires and communicates the original vision.

2. God’s vision for the church has been clearly communicated in the NT.

3. There, by command and example, we discover God’s purposes, goals and tasks for the church.

G. As your elders, it is our responsibility to teach God’s Word, and to clearly define God’s will for us.

1. Together with the ministers, we have worked to state, concisely and clearly, what we are striving to do as a community of Christ-followers.

2. Today, we want to share with you this new way for us to describe God’s unchanging will for the church.

3. The Wetzel Road Church of Christ is striving to be a group of Christians who are loving God, loving people, and loving truth.

4. Let’s spend a few minutes seeing how these goals for us come directly from Scripture.

H. As you know, the Bible is a very big book.

1. The Bible is filled with hundreds and thousands of commands and examples.

2. So, people over the history of humankind have found themselves asking God: “But what is the bottom line, God? What is the most important thing to you?”

3. So, from the depths of our hearts, we ask God: “What do we really need to do to please you?”

I. You might recall, that on one occasion during Jesus’ ministry, an expert in the Old Testament law came to Jesus and asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Mk. 12:28)

1. Here is the answer that Jesus gave to the great question: “29 The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mk. 12:29-31)