A Sermon For You
A Ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Today’s Message Title
Where There Is No Vision
By- Evangelist Gary Huckaby D.D. L.L.D
We will take our texts from two books in the Bible today. Acts and Proverbs. Acts is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and Proverbs is the book of wisdom.
Acts 16:6-10, "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of
Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them."
Now look with me at one scripture in Proverbs, from where I take my title.
Proverbs 29:18, " Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."
(Prayer)
Dear Heavenly Father, meet with us in this message today. Speak to each heart, and deal with each life.
We need a vision today, that we may serve you in a great way. Forgive our faults, cleanse our sins, and create in us a clean hear and renew a right spirit within us this hour. In the Name above every Name, the Lord Jesus Christ, I ask this. Amen!
God wants a Christian to have a vision! Now I am not talking about a vision from an outside source such as from drugs, or from a transcendental trance, but a vision or goal in our life in several areas of our life.
First the Lord wants each of His children to have a vision for;
Lost Souls
A vision for lost souls! This is the first and the most important point of this message today, so don’t miss this please! God will not use a preacher, nor a Church who does not win souls. The whole purpose for our being left on earth after our salvation is to tell others about Jesus Christ. God could have spared us all of our troubles, and heartaches, and trials by catching us up to glory the moment we were saved had He wanted. He left us here though to grow, and witness for Him. New Christian, you must get a vision like Jesus had; a vision for the lost souls of mankind. Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Paul the great apostle had such a vision of lost souls. In Acts 20:31, we see that vision.
Acts 20:31, "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Again Paul states that Jesus came to save the lost in 1Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
Great men of God gad a vision for lost souls! Paul stated that he ceased not to warn everyone night and day of the coming judgment. This he did with tears. Tears of compassion for their souls. He even went so far as to say that he would himself become a cursed for them if he could. Paul had a vision for souls!
David Brainerd had a vision for the souls of the Indians of North America.He died at the age of 29 and spent his life going after the native Americans. David Livingston gave his life in Africa spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. When he died the African people begged that his heart be buried in the land that he loved so. His heart was to reach the people of the African continent. He had a vision for souls!
Hudson Taylor had a vision for souls in China. He loved the Chinese so that he dressed and ate just as they did. He was instrumental in winning many to the Saviour because of his vision for lost souls.
General William Booth had a vision for souls in England and to all the world, thus came the Salvation army. Many lost souls came to Christ then because of William Booth’s vision for the lost souls of mankind. Dear friends, if we are to be of any use in the service of Jesus Christ, we must have a vision for lost souls! Without that vision, we are useless in our service to Him.
A Vision of Hell
Next we need a vision of HELL! The reason we are gathered at this soul winning conference today, is because we believe in a real literal hell ,where the lost will one day spend eternity, separated forever from God. I don’t know about you, but I believe there is a hell. I believe what the Word of God says about that terrible place where the unbeliever will be for eternity. Matthew 5:29-30, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."
When I was in Canton Ohio once, I visited a steel mill. I have been as close as a spectator could get to
liquid metal. The heat was intense, so intense that I had to shield my face with my hand to keep my skin from blistering. I was some 75 to 100 feet away from it too. When I saw the liquid metal being poured from the vat into another, I could only imagine what hell was really like from the Bible standpoint. It caused me to weep for the lost who are headed there.
General William Booth, of whom i have already mentioned, once said this about his army of believers. "If I could take my people and send them to hell for just five minutes. Then bring them back to this earth, It would not take us a thousand years to win this lost world. They would do it in a manner of weeks or months" The problem today is that only a hand full really believe in a hell, and then there are only a few of them that really grasp the torment of that place. Oh, my friends, and fellow Christians, we need a vision of Hell today! It will change our way of easy living, and get us on the job of winning the lost to Jesus Christ.
A Vision of Bible Separation
Proverbs 28:18, "Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once."
It seems to me today that we are getting further and further away from separation of the world and it’s ways.My heart breaks often when I see young men and women, Adults too, living like the world. What has happened to the believer today? Where is the obedience that a Christian must have to live a holy life before the Lord? We who name the name of Jesus Christ are to be a different people. We are not to be like the worldly crowd. We should dress different, look different, talk different, act different! We are told in Scripture to come out from among them and to be separate. 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"
1 Peter 2:9, tells us; "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"
We are to be different from this sinful world. Today it seems we think nothing of looking, talking, acting just like the lost. God help us to get some standards in our Christian lives. Be different young people! Be different men and women! Be different that the world, live for God! The Bible tells us in 1 John 2:15-17, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
A Vision of The Power of Prayer
The greatest need of today in the Church of our Lord is a return to Prayer. We will lose this country if we do not return to the old fashion power of prayer. God blessed us when the Christian Church prayed. Today I go to prayer meetings ( so they call them) but find that they are anything but that. They have becomes gossip sessions, study hours, youth nights, adult discussions and everything but what they should be. We find that the early Church at Jerusalem shook the world because the were with one accord in prayer. Acts 1:14, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Acts 12:5, "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him."
We must quit playing and start praying dear friends. We must get back to the power of prayer if we are to see the hand of God working through us today. I truly believe that a lot of the problems in America started when the Church lost her fervent seasons of prayer. The Church lost her power because she lost sight of the power of prayer. We must, we must, we must return to our knees in fervent prayer if we are to win this country back to God. Do you pray? I am not talking of, now I lay me down to sleep, but rather, do you spend time daily before God’s throne of Grace, seeking help in our time of need? If you are not a prayer warrior, you have to get a vision of the power of prayer. Before you will know the mighty power of God in your life, you must learn to talk with Him. We can do anything that God can do only if we pray.
A Vision of The Cross
In closing this message, I must give you the object of our attention as Christians. A vision of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Here is where the blood was shed for the sins of the world. Here was where the Son of God gave His life for lost mankind. Here is where the victory emblem was lifted above this earth so that all who would could come and drink of the river of life. Here Jesus died for you and for me. We dear friends must ever keep the vision of the cross of Christ before us if we are to live a victorious Christian life. Here the evil one is stripped of his power. Satan is defeated, sin now has a means of cleansing from the records of every man woman and child. The cross is the divider of man. To reject it spells eternal doom. To receive it, gives life, eternal life forever in the presence of our Lord who died on that cross.
1Corinthians 1:17, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." Again in ,1Corinthians 1:18,
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
Galatians 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
The Lord came from heaven to die on the cross to make a way for us to live forever with Him.
Do you believe in Him today? Are you a child of God? If you died today do you know that you would go to heaven? Come to The Lord Jesus Christ and be saved today, come right now!
Come and Pray something like this; Oh God please save me from my sins. I receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour right now. I repent of my sins, and confess with my mouth, and believe in my heart the gospel. Live your life through me and in me from this moment on. In Christ Jesus name I ask this. Amen!
If you have made a decision to trust Christ now, please write and let us rejoice with you in this your greatest decision in life. We will send you some literature to help you get started in your new life in Christ.
Our mailing address is;
Huckaby’s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
Pine Mountain, GA. 31822
--- glhuck@earthlink.net
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