INTRODUCTION
• Ancestry DNA VIDEO
• SLIDE #1
• In recent years, discovering family trees has grown in popularity. People want to know where they come from to help them understand who they are.
• In previous weeks, we said that DNA tells us who we are and where we come from. In this Ancestry.com commercial, Kyle learns the heritage of his DNA, and it changes how he sees himself and what does in the future.
• He even changes his style of dress, from lederhosen to kilts!
• We have spoken about the DNA of our mission and our values, but let’s talk a little bit about what that would look like visually.
• Vision deals with the future and what we can imagine. Imagination isn’t just for fantasy novels and your art class. Faith is an act of the imagination.
• In an article from Christianity Today, from July 26,2011 entitled, “Can You Imagine?—Why Imagination is Crucial to the Christian Life,” author Brandon J. O’Brien wrote:
• “If reason changes our minds, imagination changes our hearts…touching the imagination can inspire us with a vision of God’s reality that will compel us to act”
• Today we are going to examine the three things that happen or need or happen as a result of being driven by vision.
• This subject, as all in this series not only apply to the church, but they apply to each of our individual lives.
• Having a vision of what the future can look like is important because it can inspire us to reach deeper than we ever have to fulfill the vision.
• A life or a church without vision is a life or a church that is missing something important. No vision equals no direction as well as no excitement for what the future holds.
• Last week we talked about our values, love, truth, fellowship, and transformation.
• Those values are things we should build our lives and our church upon.
• Vision comes to play in this way, HOW do we envision these values play out.
• What would my life and my church look if these values were successfully implemented?
• Imagine a church where people are known by their love. Imagine a church where truth was cherished and proclaimed in all we do. Imagine a church that feels like a second family, a place of fellowship.
• Imagine a church where lives are changed. Where love, truth, and family culminate into people being transformed at the core of their being.
• Today we are going to be in the book of Joshua chapter 1.
• Joshua spends most of his life being Moses', right-hand man. Moses is now dead. The nation is about to enter into the Promised Land after 40 years of wander in the wilderness.
• The leader of the nation, Moses was dead, what now?
• God speaks to Joshua and lays a vision for him in the first nine verses of Joshua 1. Basically, he was to lead the people into the Promised Land, be strong and courageous, and he was told not to depart from the Word of the Lord.
• Given this vision by God, we find Joshua preparing the people to enter into the Promised Land.
• Driven by his vision from God, Joshua is ready to roll!
• SLIDE #2
• Joshua 1:10–15 (CSB) — 10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit.’ ” 12 Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 13 “Remember what Moses the LORD’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, dependents, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your best soldiers must cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers and help them 15 until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the LORD your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses the LORD’s servant gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Vision offers direction.
• Can you imagine the spot Joshua was in? Moses, the leader of the nation, was dead, now it all falls into the lap of Joshua.
• In Verse 1, Joshua was referred to as Moses’s assistant. Joshua saw all the garbage Moses dealt with, and now it is all in HIS hands!
• Where do you start?
• God tells Joshua that God will be with him, to be strong and courageous, and to not depart one inch from the book of instruction, God’s Word.
• With this vision, Joshua goes before the people. He tells them in three days they will cross and take possession of the land God promised them.
• These people had been wandering for 40 years in the wilderness with no home, no shoe store, no Red Lobster, no Costco (sounds like Sierra Vista ?), nothing.
• Wandering, they had to be tired. Moses is dead, how is the new guy going to do?
• Driven by his vision from God, Joshua takes on the task head on.
• One of the blessings of vision is it offers direction.
• Our values, love, truth, fellowship, and transformation are what we want to achieve. Our vision is imagining what those values would look like when applied.
• Forty years before this great day, Joshua was one of the twelves spies who first entered the Promised Land.
• He was one of the spies who were ready to take the land.
• Now for 40 years, he had to wander in the wilderness knowing what awaited them.
• Joshua saw the Promised Land, he touched the fruit of the land.
• He must have dreamed of this glorious day since the first time he entered the land.
• When we are driven by vision, we do not get stuck into the way things are today, we know how things can be in the future.
• People in life who never achieve anything fall into this insidious trap in part because they have no vision for the future.
• When I felt called by God to go into ministry, I was overwhelmed by the thought of leaving the security and the paycheck and healthcare benefits of Square D Company.
• One thing that drives me was my vision for serving the Lord in full-time ministry.
• It was not easy to have a family, and a full-time plus job and go to school, but my vision gave me direction for what the future was going to hold.
• At FCC our Vision is:
• SLIDE #4
• The vision of FCC is to be a consistently growing church where people from all walks of life can experience the love of Jesus. As part of our vision, we strive to be a church that challenges and encourages people to have a growing and active faith.
• Our Vision statement is where we want to go!
• Our Mission statement tells us how to get there!
• SLIDE #5
• The Mission of FCC is to glorify God, to reach those without a relationship with Jesus Christ with the Gospel, to equip all to share the Gospel of Jesus with others. Our Mission includes helping Christians to achieve a mature faith in Christ.
• Following our Mission allows our Vision to become a reality. And to make it simple our slogan, which is an easy summation of this vision is…
• SLIDE #6
• Changing Lives by Connecting People with Christ.
• Let’s look at verses 16-18
• SLIDE #7
• Joshua 1:16–18 (CSB) — 16 They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly the LORD your God will be with you, as he was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”
• SLIDE #8
II. Vision requires discipline.
• Joshua lays out the vision, and the people respond.
• Now for me, if I was Joshua, I may have run away after hearing verse 17.
• 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. AHHHHHH!
• To fulfill vision, it takes discipline.
• The people seemed to grasp this when they said they would do everything Joshua told them to do to the point they were going to whack folks who did not fall in line!
• When you are driven by vision, it requires discipline to stay the course and not get distracted.
• Paul understood this in a passage we will reference later also.
• SLIDE #9
• Philippians 3:13–14 (CSB) — 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
• When I was so tired, when I was about to drop from lack of sleep, my vision kept me going, when I was tempted to go out and have fun when I knew I had school work to do, my vision kept me focused.
• When I went to Bible College full-time, I was 30 years old, and there were a few of us in the same age group.
• One thing that was different between us old guys and the fresh out of High School students was we knew WHY we were there. We all had a vision of what God called us to do.
• We were not there to find ourselves, we were there to fulfill our vision.
• When others were goofing off in class, we were disciplined and focused.
• When a Church has no vision for the future, the church will do every conceivable program, hoping that a program will be their savior.
• I am not against programs, but our programs should help lead us to our vision.
• Programs for program’s sake will not work long-term. We need to build our church on our vision for reaching people for Jesus and helping them to connect with Him!
• Is the vision for your life so strong that is gives you discipline?
• Let’s jump back to verse 13.
• SLIDE #10
• Joshua 1:13 (CSB) — 13 “Remember what Moses the LORD’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’
• SLIDE #11
III. Vision leads to celebration.
• When we are disciplined and follow the passion of our vision, we can celebrate victory!
• Joshua told the folks that they were going to receive the land, the home they were promised, and they would receive REST!
• Forty years of wandering with no home, no Apple Store, REST was something to celebrate.
• One of the happiest days of my life was when I was able to walk out of Square D, which is a fantastic company and enter into ministry.
• All the disciple and lack of sleep allowed me to celebrate.
• Getting my degree was part of the vision, and that was a time to celebrate.
• When we as a church, work toward fulfilling our vision of Changing Lives by Connecting People with Christ, we can celebrate the changed lives, we can celebrate the fact that we are accomplishing what God has called us to do as a Church!
• One day, we will all celebrate together with the Lord in Heaven!
• In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul’s drive was “my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
• Each time we see someone come to Jesus through the ministry of FCC, we celebrate.
• Every time we see a life transformed by Jesus, we celebrate.
• Every time we see the love of Jesus change a life, we celebrate!
CONCLUSION
• What is the vision for your life? Is the vision driving you, exciting you, changing you?
• If not, maybe you need a bolder vision!
• What about the vision for your church home?
• Is the vision driving you, exciting you, changing you?
• When you look at a lost world, are you irritated or motivated by the vision of FCC?
