Intro
Our primary text is Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but
blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction (NIV)”i The KJV says, “Where there is no
vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Both versions are instructive.
The discipline of living in God’s boundaries follows revelation and the vision that comes out of
that. The Hebrew word translated revelation in the NIV and vision in the KJV is chazown.
It refers to divine communication. But divine communication produces vision. Vision that only proceeds from the heart of man does not qualify. God speaks, and because he speaks, we know what to do. We know what to pursue. Vision that comes from God is a very powerful thing.
It is a difficult thing, perhaps impossible, to live a godly disciplined life without a strong sense of
purpose from God. When God gives vision in the heart, it empowers the purpose to defer
immediate gratification in order to fulfill that mission or purpose. It is the dream, the anticipation
of a greater thing, that gives motivation to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
That is why the Devil works very hard to destroy your dreams, destroy you hope, rob you of a
sense of purpose. That is why God often begins in our lives with a revelation of calling and
purpose.
When God created Adam, what was the first thing he did? Many people think the first thing God
did was give them a rule: Don’t eat of that tree in the middle of the garden—the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you will die. That is the concept that many have of the
early Genesis experience. But Genesis 1:27-28 preceded the warning: “So God created man in
His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.’” Genesis 2:15 says, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the
garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” So, God gave them a grand vision for their lives and a
meaningful assignment. After that, in the next verse he gave the rule: “And the Lord God
commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall
surely die.” With Adam, God did not begin with a rule; he began with a reason, a purpose.
God has something more for you than just religious rules. He has a grand vision for your life, and
the more clearly you see that vision, the better off you are. He has made you and me to live life
“with purpose,” to be intentional as you go through your day.
“When God called Abraham to leave his city and go to what would later be called the
Promise Land, how did God inspire the journey? What motivated Abraham to take the
risky journey? God gave him a glimpse of the future that he had prepared for Abraham
and his posterity. Genesis 12:1-4:
“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”ii
There was good reason for the journey; it was going somewhere in God’s plan for Abraham. There were a lot of things Abraham and Sarah did not know about God’s plan for their lives. But they knew enough to know the trip would be worth it.iii
At the young age of seventeen, God gave Joseph a dream (Gen. 37:5-11). God did not begin with showing Joseph the mean things his brothers would do to him or the hardship he would experience in an Egyptian prison. He first put a sense of destiny in Joseph’s heart: something Joseph could recall and say to himself, “This is why I’m doing what I’m doing. This is why I am serving without complaint. This is why I am denying myself Potiphar’s wife. This is why I keep a positive attitude in the midst of discouraging circumstances. With that dream in his heart, Joseph did not give in to discouragement along the way.
I ask you today: What is your dream? Why do you get up in the morning and work hard? Are you convinced there is purpose in it all? Are you convinced it will be worth it all? Are you going someplace and accomplishing something or are you just surviving each day? God has more for you than just surviving. He wants you thriving, and a key to that is a revelation of his purpose for you.
This principle of vision empowering discipled progress through challenging circumstance is exemplified often in Scripture. When God called Israel out of Egypt, he talked to them about a land flowing with milk and honey—a Promise Land so wonderful that it was worth crossing a terrible desert to get there.
God planted vision in David’s heart at a young age. In 1 Samuel 16:13 the prophet poured the oil on David anointing him as the future king. That verse tells us the Spirit of the Lord came on David. God was revealing vision for his life. He endured considerable hardship when King Saul later sought to kill him, but he never lost sight of what God said he would do in his life. Study the lives of Elishua (1 Kings 19:19-21), Nehemiah, Ezra, and Esther (4:14) and you will see God’s purpose driving their lives.
All these are examples for us (1 Cor. 10:6; Heb. 12). It’s not just for Bible characters. God has a purpose that fits you perfectly. Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (NIV).
When Jesus called Andrew and Peter, the calling was packed with purpose. In Matthew 4:18-20 we read: “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” They had a purpose when they met Jesus. Their purpose was to catch fish and make a living. But Jesus gave them vision for something far greater when he added “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Why would they leave what they had? They did it for a greater cause. Why would you and I give up our comfort, our own agenda, our pursuit of personal pleasure? We have seen something far greater than all that. The prize we pursue outshines anything this world has to offer. In Philippians 3, Paul said everything else in comparison to that prize is nothing more than garbage.
Listen to what he says in 1 Cor. 9:24-27:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
Paul is declaring what motivates him, what keeps him going during the hard times, what enables and inspires him to live a disciplined life. Our walk with Jesus requires disciple and obedience. But it is not just rules for the sake of rules. It is not sacrifice and self-denial for no reason. There is a prize. Do you see the prize. Are you full of vision? Do you know why you do what you do?
HOW do we get vision and direction for our lives? How do we find meaning a purpose that produces results?
Vision requires discipline for its fulfillment, but vision inspires discipline. Here are three principles to keep in mind.
1. Vision is conceived in intimacy with God. Adam heard God tell him to subdue the earth and rule over it. Noah heard God tell him to build an Ark. Nehemiah got his vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem as a man of prayer and fasting.
For a vision to qualify for God’s blessing, it must be initiated by him—it must be according to his purposes. God must drop the seed of that into our hearts just like he did for Joseph and David. Samuel’s prophecy anointing young David as the future king did not come in a vacuum. I believe David’s heart was conditioned to receive that prophecy with humility. David was in intimacy with God—he was a man after God’s heart before the prophecy came. People run to and from to get a prophecy for their lives. That’s not the way to pursue it. Pursue God in personal intimacy with him, and he will orchestrate the right time and place to show you more.
The people I know who live with inspired purpose from God, received that sense of purpose in intimacy with the Lord. When have talked about dreams, visions, and prophecies but those highlight moments came in a context of pursuing the Lord.
2. Vision is strengthened by intentional nurturing of that vision from God.
In Genesis 15 the Lord met with Abraham. Abraham was trusting God to fulfill the vision he had given him back in chapter 12, but he was not seeing the results he had hoped for. So, in verse 3 he asked that Lord about it: “Then Abram said, ‘Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” Now in verses 4-5, God refreshed the vision by affirming it and giving him something that could serve as a daily reminder of the promise. “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’ 5 Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” Almost daily, Abraham would be able to look up each night and be reminded of God’s promise to him.
When God came to Abraham in that passage, Abraham was discouraged? Why? He had lost sight of what God was doing in his life. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He had begun to replace the vision with a lower level of fulfillment: Looks like it will have to happen through my servant instead of a child. First, God corrected his wrong thinking. Then he told Abraham to look up. Look into heaven and see the stars. God gave him a concrete reminder of his plan for Abraham. If we will keep walking with God, he will encourage us along the way. Perhaps he is doing that for you today.
Cherish any assignment the Lord gives you. The dignity of your assignment is found in the one who gave you that assignment. Man’s evaluation of the assignment means nothing. If God told you to do it, then it is important. Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22). Rather than trying to find a grandiose thing to do, just do what God tells you to do. If it’s cleaning the bathrooms at the church, do it as unto the Lord. If it being a light in an ungodly work environment, faithfully fulfill the mission. He that is faithful in little things can be trusted with bigger things.iv Do not despise the assignment the Lord gives you. Celebrate the opportunity to serve him in any way he chooses.
Are you wanting to know the Lord’s assignment for the days ahead? The first question that must be answered is this: Have you done the last thing he told you to do? Don’t try skipping an assignment. That never works. Be faithful in what God tells you to do regardless of how large or small it may be.
Nehemiah’s life is an excellent study in God-given vision and purpose. Here was a man who had it made. He was a high official in the king’s palace. In the eyes of many, he had arrived. But in God’s plan, he was just getting started. The future for Nehemiah opened up as he saw a need. The walls of Jerusalem were torn down. God’s name was being dishonored in that. Nehemiah started praying about that need.
Do you see a need? Do you see a need in the life of the church? In our society? In the equipping and training of the next generation? In nursing homes full of lonely people? George Meuller saw a need in the orphaned children of Bristol, England. It filled his heart with God-inspired purpose. “Is there not a cause?” David said in 1 Samuel 17. David caught sight of a cause greater than himself. A God-given vision always includes the honor of God and the wellbeing of others.
How did Nehemiah nurture the vision God put in his heart? He went to where the need was (Nehemiah 2:11-16). He looked at the broken-down walls. He pondered the situation. He shared his vision with others (Neh. 2:11-16). The started the process. They stepped into the fulfillment of the dream. They took a step of faith and began. Nehemiah 4:6 records the result: “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” One reason they had a mind to work was that they caught a glimpse of the vision and purpose God had for their lives.
3. Vision is fulfilled through obedient, disciplined execution of the plan.
There was a lot of opposition to Nehemiah’s dream. Just because the vision is from God, it does not mean it will be easy. Nehemiah and those with him had to work very hard in difficult circumstances. Nehemiah made great personal sacrifice to see God’s will fulfilled. They had to stay focused on their purpose. Sanballat opposed the vision with intimidation, false accusations, and distractions.
In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat tried to distract Nehemiah from his God-given purpose, inviting him to come visit. Verses 3-4 records Nehemiah’s response: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” Verse 4 says, “But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.” Nehemiah was determined to stay on track.
In 1 Kings 13, there was a prophet sent by God from Judah to Bethel where an idolatrous calf had been set up by Jeroboam. That prophet prophesied against the idolatrous altar and God backed him up. When King Jeroboam stretched forth his hand ordering the prophet to be arrested, the king’s hand immediately withered, and the altar split apart just as the prophet said it would. Seeing all that, the king asked the prophet to pray for him. When the prophet prayed, the king’s hand was healed.
The story continues in 1 Kings 13:7.
“Then the king said to the man of God, ‘Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward. 8 But the man of God said to the king, "If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 9 For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.'" 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.”
So far, so good. The prophet is doing exactly what God told him to do. But in the rest of the story he faltered. An old prophet living in the area heard what had happened. As the young prophet was on his way back to Judah, the old prophet found him and gave him an invitation similar to what Jeroboam had given. He invited him to come back with him for a meal. At first, he gave the same answer he had given Jeroboam. 1 Kings 13:16-19: “And he said, ‘I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 For I have been told by the word of the Lord, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’” Verse 18: “He said to him, ‘I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.' (He was lying to him.) 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.”
That act of disobedience cost that young prophet his life. Just because we pass one test, it is no guarantee that we will pass the next one. We must remain diligent and do exactly what the Lord
tells us to do. We must not turn to the right or the life. We must not be distracted by anything. We must continue on the task the Lord gives us to do.
Conclusion
Revelation/vision from the Lord is essential for a disciplined life. God-given vision fills the heart with purpose and strengthens the Christian to resist temptation. When you have discovered the joy of serving the Lord, the attraction of the world is weakened. When your life is occupied with assignments from God, you’re too busy to live a life of vanity. “Where there is no vision [revelation from God], the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Prov. 29:18).
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Abraham was exactly my current age (75) when he was given this assignment. We never get too old to receive fresh assignments; we are never too young to receive vision from the Lord. I thank God for the revelation he gave me as a teen and later as a young adult. That revelation has been a major factor in the direction of my life. Your young men shall see visions, but that’s not all: your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17).
iii Cf. Heb. 11:9-10.
iv Cf. Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 16:10; Prov. 28:20.
