People Of Vision Series

People of Vision Prov 29:18

This is part two of a series called BACK TO THE FUTURE but it is fine as a stand alone sermon also.

I want to speak to you this morning about people of vision.

We find them in many places.

We find them in community organizations.

We find them in our schools.

We find people of vision in the church and we certainly find people of vision in the Bible.

As your find Proverbs chapter 29 let me share with you a true story of a person of vision.

Someone that many of you have met. Tim Rhodus.

During his youth, Tim Rhodus was a very active part of much of the sports going on at Mt. Zion. His coaches had encouraged him to participate in track as part of an overall conditioning for the other sports. Primarily Tim ran sprints, and hurdles.

At one particular meet that Tim went to …his track coach said to him

“Tim, I want you to run the steeplechase.” “I know you have never run it before and Tim ….you will not finish it, don’t worry about that … but I just want you to get out there and do your best.”

Tim had never run the steeplechase before but he got it straight in his mind before he even started that he would run his best and that he would finish and finish well. All of this even though Tim’s injury of a broken leg had only recently healed.

The event began

With every time around coach curry would call out to Tim saying,

“pace yourself Tim, pace yourself.”

Tim was giving it his all. When the event was over Tim lay on the ground exhausted. Not only had he finished but he had finished well.

The coach came up to him with joy expressed by uncontrollable happy laughter.

The coach could not believe what he had just witnessed. Not only did Tim finish the event but he placed third. The two guys that came ahead of Tim were both all star state champions. Tim had not only finished the race coming in third but he also set a new historical school record time of that event for his school.

All of this and it was the first time he had ever run the steeplechase?

How many of you are ready to accomplish the unexpected?

How many of you are ready to do what some might say, can’t be done.

How many of you are ready to REACH HIGHER, RUN FASTER and Take a LEAP OF FAITH …believing that God can do amazing things in and through you and through this church.

Tim believed …He adopted the right attitude…

He had an amazing vision for completing in that race.

He had a dream in his heart to do well and then he followed it through with the right attitude.

Many others have done this and I invite you to join in having vision, believing and then seeing God make the dreams possible.

Play Movie Clip (Sermon Spice Clip Power of a Dream)

Proverbs 29: 18

Is a verse in the Bible that is probably most commonly quoted from the from the King James Version of the Bible ….there the verse says

18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

In the New International Version the same verse reads

18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;

but blessed is he who keeps the law.

No matter which translation your reading from

the principle is entirely the same….and essentially what this verse is saying is :that

where God’ people fail to find and follow His direction for their lives they abandon themselves to their own sinful ways.

the second half of the verse says to us …On the other hand/// following God’s direction is the way to find happiness.

The word used in this verse that describes vision is actually in the original bible language the word.

(ḥāzôn)

It’s meaning carries the idea of revelation…

God’s revealing or God’s showing.

God gives us vision. He reveals to us marvelous plans ….It happens when we with great passion and enthusiasm look to God.

To be people of vision as God plans for us to be is to look to God for His revealing.

What are the hopes that God is putting in your heart?

What are the hopes and dreams of the people of this church?

Identifying people who loved God and who were people of vision goes all the way back to the Patriarchs.

Genesis reveals to us the great man Abraham and he was a man with vision.

Gen 12

We could say that Abraham was a

I. PIONEER of VISION because when God lead him to trail blaze into unknown area Abraham was willing to go.