Dream On!
Ephesians 3:20-21
Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(NIV)
What good are dreams? The very animated philosopher, Cinderella, of Walt Disney fame, claims that “a dream is a wish your heart makes!” I believe the dreams God has for us are far more potent than just what we wish for. God-sized dreams have eternity written on them. God-sized dreams will grow you on the inside so you can do what God is calling you to do.
We are looking today at five people to whom God gave a dream, a dream bigger than they were, a dream which was absolutely beyond anything they could imagine. Beyond themselves! Beyond anything they knew or could do! And they dared to pursue that dream!
And, by the way, all these dreamers are named “Joe”!
1) WHAT TO YOU DO WHEN GOD REVEALS HIS PLAN TO YOU? DREAM ON!
Genesis 37:1-5
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, …
(NIV)
Joseph shared his dreams. When God reveals His plan for you, you need to share it. When Joseph shared his dream with his brothers and his parents, it was like handing your baby over to barbarians! They did not see it the same way Joseph did. In fact, they wanted to get rid of him!
It is always so when you share what God has revealed to you about His plan for you. But do not lose heart or become disenchanted just because others do not “buy-in” to your dream. Vision is seeing what has not yet been seen.
2) WHAT DO YOU TO DO WHEN GOD TELLS YOU TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE? DREAM ON!
Joseph, husband of Mary, followed his dreams.
Matthew 1:18-24
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-- which means, "God with us."
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
(NIV)
According to singer and actor Will Smith, everything his father did, he did for a reason. Smith recalls: "Once Dad wanted my brother Harry and me to repair a sixteen-by-fourteen-foot wall in front of his business. We had to dig a six-foot-long trench and rebuild the structure. It took six months. Years later Dad explained why he’d given us that task. ’When a kid’s growing up,’ he said, ’he needs to see something that looks impossible to do, and then go out and do it. There are always going to be walls in life.’ My father helped us get over one wall, so we would never be scared to take the first step and try to do the impossible."
Vision is often misunderstood. It is not predicting the future, because no one can do that. Instead vision is seeing the timely opportunity God gives you in the current moment and acting in faith and obedience before it passes. You don’t criticize a wave; you just ride it as best you can. Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.
If you are going to dream, DREAM BIG!!!!
3) WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR DREAM DIES? DREAM ON!
Joseph of Arimathea protected his dream.
Luke 23:50-52
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,
51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.
52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.
(NIV)
4) WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR DREAMS CALL FOR GREAT SACRIFICE? DREAM ON!
Joseph, nicknamed “Barnabas”, dreamed for the Church.
Acts 4:36-37
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement),
37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
(NIV)
Acts 9:26-28
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
(NIV)
A lively church has parking problems;
a dead church doesn’t.
A lively church has lots of "noisy" children and young people;
a dead church is fairly quiet.
A lively church often changes the way things are done;
a dead church doesn’t.
A lively church often asks for more program and mission money;
a dead church tries to keep plenty of money in the treasury.
A lively church asks people to open up and risk involvement;
a dead church plays it safe and never risks.
A lively church sees challenges and opportunities;
a dead church sees problems and dangers.
A lively church apologizes, forgives, and seeks forgiveness;
a dead church never makes mistakes.
A lively church uses its tradition and facilities to serve people;
a dead church uses people to preserve facilities and traditions.
A lively church believes in God’s future and "lets go" with faith;
a dead church believes in the past and "holds on."
A lively church is filled with committed givers;
a dead church is filled with tippers.
A lively church dares to dream great dreams for God’s kingdom;
a dead church has nightmares.
5) “Average” Joe – your dreams. WHAT DREAMS HAS GOD GIVEN YOU? DREAM ON!
In 1966 Lou Holtz was unemployed and drifting. He wasn’t sure what the future had in store for him, but he knew he was capable of doing more with his life than his current situation indicated. He sat down with a pen and paper and listed 107 lifetime goals. At the time, many of them seemed impossible, if not ridiculous. He decided he wanted to become head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. His goal was to win a championship. Another goal was to have dinner at the White House, appear on the ’Tonight Show,’ and be the proud owner of a 1949 Chevrolet. These have all been accomplished. In fact, more than ninety of the goals have been realized. Holtz’s advice is, "Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by."
Ephes. 3:20
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (The Message)
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school’s students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all that attended.
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son Shay cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is God’s plan reflected in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself and it comes in the way people treat that child."
Then, he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay’s father knew that the boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him much-needed sense of belonging. Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first, run to first" Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher’s intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head. Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.
As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay Run home!" Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team.
"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."
