People of Vision Prov 29:18
This is part two of a series called BACK TO THE FUTURE but it is fine as a stand alone sermon also.
I want to speak to you this morning about people of vision.
We find them in many places.
We find them in community organizations.
We find them in our schools.
We find people of vision in the church and we certainly find people of vision in the Bible.
As your find Proverbs chapter 29 let me share with you a true story of a person of vision.
Someone that many of you have met. Tim Rhodus.
During his youth, Tim Rhodus was a very active part of much of the sports going on at Mt. Zion. His coaches had encouraged him to participate in track as part of an overall conditioning for the other sports. Primarily Tim ran sprints, and hurdles.
At one particular meet that Tim went to …his track coach said to him
“Tim, I want you to run the steeplechase.” “I know you have never run it before and Tim ….you will not finish it, don’t worry about that … but I just want you to get out there and do your best.”
Tim had never run the steeplechase before but he got it straight in his mind before he even started that he would run his best and that he would finish and finish well. All of this even though Tim’s injury of a broken leg had only recently healed.
The event began
With every time around coach curry would call out to Tim saying,
“pace yourself Tim, pace yourself.”
Tim was giving it his all. When the event was over Tim lay on the ground exhausted. Not only had he finished but he had finished well.
The coach came up to him with joy expressed by uncontrollable happy laughter.
The coach could not believe what he had just witnessed. Not only did Tim finish the event but he placed third. The two guys that came ahead of Tim were both all star state champions. Tim had not only finished the race coming in third but he also set a new historical school record time of that event for his school.
All of this and it was the first time he had ever run the steeplechase?
How many of you are ready to accomplish the unexpected?
How many of you are ready to do what some might say, can’t be done.
How many of you are ready to REACH HIGHER, RUN FASTER and Take a LEAP OF FAITH …believing that God can do amazing things in and through you and through this church.
Tim believed …He adopted the right attitude…
He had an amazing vision for completing in that race.
He had a dream in his heart to do well and then he followed it through with the right attitude.
Many others have done this and I invite you to join in having vision, believing and then seeing God make the dreams possible.
Play Movie Clip (Sermon Spice Clip Power of a Dream)
Proverbs 29: 18
Is a verse in the Bible that is probably most commonly quoted from the from the King James Version of the Bible ….there the verse says
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
In the New International Version the same verse reads
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
but blessed is he who keeps the law.
No matter which translation your reading from
the principle is entirely the same….and essentially what this verse is saying is :that
where God’ people fail to find and follow His direction for their lives they abandon themselves to their own sinful ways.
the second half of the verse says to us …On the other hand/// following God’s direction is the way to find happiness.
The word used in this verse that describes vision is actually in the original bible language the word.
(ḥāzôn)
It’s meaning carries the idea of revelation…
God’s revealing or God’s showing.
God gives us vision. He reveals to us marvelous plans ….It happens when we with great passion and enthusiasm look to God.
To be people of vision as God plans for us to be is to look to God for His revealing.
What are the hopes that God is putting in your heart?
What are the hopes and dreams of the people of this church?
Identifying people who loved God and who were people of vision goes all the way back to the Patriarchs.
Genesis reveals to us the great man Abraham and he was a man with vision.
Gen 12
We could say that Abraham was a
I. PIONEER of VISION because when God lead him to trail blaze into unknown area Abraham was willing to go.
Chapter 12 says
12 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
God gave revelation to Abraham and Abraham being a man of vision for God followed God’s leading with obedience and the end result was great blessing.
In a like manner you and I must look to God’s revealing and then follow in obedience the path we see God placing before us.
The church that is filled with vision are a people who are always on the path with God. They are always moving along the path of God’s plan and purpose for why the church is there.
We are never to be stagnant or stuck in the mud.
God’s people who are filled with vision will be like Abraham…ON THE MOVE…and honoring God with obedience in the movements we make.
Abraham was a pioneer of vision.
II. King David was a plateau pusher of vision.
When I say that David was a plateau pusher of vision what I mean is that David possessed the quality that through God working in David…. the people could be inspired to move off of the plateau mark….
To move off of the same old plane and reach….. a higher ground for God.
If David had known the song….
He could have easily sang…
I’m pressing on…. the upward way
New heights I’m gaining… ev’ry day
Still praying as… I onward bound
Lord plant my feet… on higher ground
Being a person of vision for God means that you want to take whatever you do for God and take it up one more notch and then take it up another notch and another.
We at Mt. Pleasant …Are a people who are reaching for higher ground for God.
Were not happy with the mundane or the routine but we want more of God and we want more for God.
Think with me about David as a person of vision.
The Philistines and the Israelites were in pretty much a stagnant standoff and David is going to move God’s people off of the Plateau.
1 Sam 17 tells us that
David went out to the battle lines… he had been sent by his father Jessie to deliver roasted grains and bread to his brothers.
In verse 21 we read
21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.
Let’s take a look.
Look at those last words of verse 24
24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.
The devil will use many things to keep God’s people from going forward with vision.
Fear and Doubt are two the greatest tools of the devil in defeating the vision of God’s people.
When we look at this passage with David we see that all of the people including their leader Saul were filled with fear and doubt.
But not David….David boldly believed that God was with Him…. and with the Israelite people and therefore he marched out fearless and full of trust in God to defeat Goliath and lead God’s people forward.
I am convinced that many churches including Mt. Pleasant are not fulfilling the complete vision that God would have them carry out… many times because of fear and doubt.
God places a dream in the hearts of a few people… and then right away…the devil will raise up a Fear and Doubt committee that will be formed by some naysayers in the church,
God gives to someone vision …and that person shares the vision …..they say
“Hey what if we did this…?”
And the Fear and Doubt Committee says…
“Oh I doubt we could ever do that….
“And if we attempted it what if this happened or what if that happened.”
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies in fulfilling the vision God has for us….
But if we have faith enough to trust God….
to act in faith ….
and to believe.
Then instead of fumbling around going nowhere with fear and doubt we will instead accomplish all that God has for us. Remember what the Bible says about fear…
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Let’s make a commitment to trust God in fulfilling the vision He has for us.
Let’s agree not to let fear or doubt keep us plateaued.
Let’s keep pressng on the upward way to higher ground.
Abraham was a Pioneer of Vision
David was one who could Push the Plateau of vision
III. And Paul had People as his vision.
What is the best vision a church can have?
Shouldn’t the churches highest aim always be reaching people for Jesus?
The greatest vision we ought to have is not about the latest or greatest programs.
The greatest vision we can have is not to out give everyone else in mission giving.
The greatest vision we can have is not about an elaborate or large beautiful building.
The greatest vision we can have is People as our Vision.
Paul makes it quite clear in 1 Corinthians that he has a rock solid focus and his vision to be fulfilled is reaching as many people possible through whatever means necessary.
Look at 1 Corinthians with me and let’s consider that Paul is putting it all out on the table to say I am eager to reach as many people I can through whatever means possible.
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone,
(WHY)…. to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Are we in agreement with Paul in saying Lord I want to reach as many as I can for you and I would be willing to use whatever means possible to reach them.
If it means decorating the sanctuary like an Antartic Adventure Area for Vacation Bible School to reach children then Lord were ready to do it.
If it means having an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting in our church so that we can reach those battling alcohol than lead us to do it Lord.
If it means having a ministry to single parents so we can reach single parent families.
How ready are we to reach everyone we can through whatever means possible?
I believe when we get to that point then we like Paul can say that our real vision as a church is People as Our Vision.
What are our hopes, what do we believe God is about to do in the life of this church. What is He about to do in our own lives. Would you just walk this aisle this morning and say YES LORD .
I want to be a pioneer of vision blazing a trail to higher ground we have not yet been to.
Yes Lord I want to be a part of over coming Fear and Doubt so that we can push away from any plateau that Satan would seek to hold us on.
Yes Lord…I love people because you love people and therefore Lord reaching people is my vision.
Come and Yes Lord to following God with real vision today.
