February 8, 2003
A. Introduction:
1) Cartoonist’s perspective on life
a) A man chained to the wall inside a 4 by 8 feet prison cell
b) Behind the man are two guards with guns, guarding the man 24 hours a day.
c) Inside the cell, there is a small window, with vertical bars to prevent anyone from escaping through the window.
d) Outside the window, there is a river. Along the rivers are several crocodiles swimming back and forth.
e) On the other side of the river, there is a high wall. The top of the wall is lined with barbed wire.
f) On both sides of the wall, there is a guard post. You can see two guards manning a machine gun, ready to shoot at anyone who will attempt to escape.
g) In the cartoon, there is a small caption. The caption reads: “I have a plan.”
B. Body:
1) How is life treating you?
a) Is your life treating you unjustly and unfairly?
1. “I am faithful to God, but still I am suffering. Others who are less faithful to God are gaining success.”
2. “I’ve been praying for healing, but still I am sick.”
3. “I’ve tried to do my best for my children, but they don’t want to heed to my counsels.”
b) Is your life full of challenges?
1. “Envy of other people because you want to be faithful to God.”
2. “People spreading rumors against you.”
3. “Friends deserting you because of your beliefs.”
c) Is your life full of burdens?
1. Burdens with health
2. Burdens within the family
3. Problems at the workplace
4. Problems at school
5. Financial difficulties
d) Consequently, have you lost your enthusiasm for life? Because of your difficulties, you have decided to give up on life.
2) The answer: “I have a plan.”
3) Full answer: God has a plan
4) What is this plan?
a) Vision of Himself
1. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
2. Proverbs 29:18 (ASV) “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
3. Proverbs 29:18 (RSV) “Where there is no prophecy the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
b) Vision of His plans
5) Vision of God throughout the history of God’s people
a) At the Fall
1. As the pair was driven out from the Garden of Eden, it was a devastating experience.
2. As they saw the wages of sin in the death of the trees and animals, it was a heart-wrenching experience.
3. As they walked out of the gate of the garden and heard the clanging of bars, only despair filled their hearts.
4. As they saw the angels guarding the gate, they could only cry in agony.
5. Vision of God
a. Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
b. Vision of the Great Controversy
c. Vision of victory
d. God’s people will triumph
e. The Garden that Adam and Eve have lost, will be regained again.
f. The Deceiver, or the Devil, will be destroyed.
b) At the Flood
1. Genesis 6:11-14, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
2. Widespread wickedness
3. Destruction of all mankind
4. Vision of the remnant
a. God will keep a remnant for Himself
b. God will keep a faithful for Himself
c. Noah and his sons will replenish the earth
c) Isaiah’s Vision of God
1. Isaiah 6:1-4, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”
2. Widespread apostasy was the menu of everyday life in Judah.
3. Assyria, the invincible superpower of the day, was threatening Jerusalem with conquest.
4. Isaiah saw in this the culmination of God’s judgment against widespread apostasy against Judah under king Ahaz.
5. He predicted the fall of Jerusalem which took place in 586 B.C.
6. But chapters 40-66 focus on events 150-200 years after Isaiah’s day, foretelling God’s deliverance of his people from their Babylonian captors.
7. This deliverance prefigures God’s ultimate deliverance of His people from sin.
6) Ezekiel’s vision of God’s people
a) Ezekiel 37:1-3, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”
b) Who are these bones?
1. This is the house of Israel
2. In our time, it is the church
3. Ezekiel is describing a church that is dead
c) Kurt Johnson, author of the book “Small Group for the End Time,” defines a dead church is this way:
1. A church with no vision or commitment to a mission. The members have stopped seeking the lost. They have forgotten the church’s mission and reason for existence.
2. A dead church is a church that cannot see beyond the sin problems of the individual members and leaders.
3. A church of dry bones is a people not being daily renewed and filled with the Holy Spirit.
d) Ezekiel 37:9-10, “Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”
e) Ezekiel 37:12-14, “Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”
f) A vision of a great army that will finish the work of God
7) Joel’s vision
a) Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”
8) Paul’s vision of God’s coming
a) 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”
9) In what way is this vision should affect us?
a) Oswald Chambers, in his book “My Utmost for His Highest,” defines a vision in this way:
1. A vision is something that works on our lives and in our lives, not something work on. No one ever attains the vision, but we live in the inspiration of it until God accomplishes it.
2. Vision is a passion, a calling, a drive or compulsion that simply will not let us go.
3. We talk about the need to “catch the vision,” But the type of vision that God wants us to have is not caught; it catches us.
4. Vision alters us. It is impossible for one to remain the same while gripped by a vision.
C. Conclusion:
1) Vision is not something that we work on to achieve. It is something that works on us.
2) Portrait of Daniel in the lions’ dean.
a) Thrown by the king of Persia into the lion’s den as a result of conspiracy against him.
b) Surrounded by hungry lions which are ready to devour any flesh that these lions could take.
c) Daniel looking up into the sky. Rays of sun shining towards the dungeon, creating a spot on the ground where Daniel stands.
3) Circumstances may be difficult. Burdens may be heavy. Yes, God has a plan.
