This is our 4th and final message from Proverbs. Behind each of the sayings in this book is a vision of a community committed to living God’s way. This ideal community contradicts the foolish, immoral tendencies of the world, encouraging us to live productively and harmoniously to carry out the purposes of God.
In fact, this verse could serve as the central theme of the entire book, because if God’s people don’t claim God’s vision of community for themselves and instead disregard the ordered life God desires, eventually they will no longer be called God’s people, they will perish. The older wording of this verse says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. The NRSV says Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint.
Today I want to preach about this thing called vision. Vision is not just a day dream that we hope will come true some day. When I was in 4th grade, I imagined becoming a good basketball player. I knew it would take practice. We lived on a farm, so I made a backboard out of old boards, found a hoop of metal, and decided to mount it on the pole that held our bird house. It was too heavy to lift up there, so I got a ladder, fastened a pulley up high, put a rope through it, and started to pull this contraption up. I got it about half way up and the pulley let loose, coming down on my head. A good conk on the head was all it took to convince me to give up my hope of becoming a great basketball player. Today I’m not talking about a childhood dream that soon disappears. I’m talking about vision that comes from God.
When the Bible talks about vision, it means something higher than we can reach by ourselves. Vision is a God thing. It has to do with finding out what God is up to in our world and then joining Him in doing it. In the Old Testament, the role of the prophets was to “see” what God was going to do. Habakkuk said, “I will keep watch to see what God will say to me.” And the Lord “Write the vision. Make it plain.” Vision that comes from God sets our direction. It keeps us focused. It helps us to know where to concentrate our energy, so we can fulfill God’s purposes for us. Biblical vision comes from God.
The other part of our verse from Proverbs tells us what happens when there is no vision, no word from the Lord. It says, “the people cast off restraint.” When people lose their desire to work with God, they turn to their own pursuits and no longer live by the guidelines that God set out for them.
Remember the story of Moses when he went to get the 10 commandments? During the few days he was gone, the people turned away from the vision that had carried them across the Red Sea toward the promised land. They shrugged off the laws and guidelines God had given them. They persuaded Aaron to make a golden calf and when Moses came back down, things were a terrible mess. They had cast off every restraint.
There is nothing sadder to see than a church that has lost its vision. My wife and I have been asked to assist congregations that have lost their way. In one case, a pastor who had been there many years lost his passion for church growth and as a result the vision of the congregation suffered. Some members began talking about what was happening and some talked about what wasn’t happening. Some blamed the pastor; some blamed other members. Some members refused to talk with each other and some talked too much. On Sunday mornings the organist and the pianist tried to see which one could play louder. Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint. And before long, the vision of that congregation slipped away and so did the people. The conflict got bigger, the church got smaller and its witness in the community nearly disappeared. That’s not what God intended for the church.
Last month, the adult Sunday school class studied Acts 2. Every time I read the end of that chapter, I get goose bumps. Here was a community of believers who were so totally committed to Christ and to each other that they experienced really deep Christian fellowship as they prayed, ate, laughed and cried together. They shared not only their spiritual lives, they shared their material lives to the point that social barriers melted away and cultural and ethnic differences didn’t matter anymore. Their fellowship was so irresistible that people who saw it were drawn to them. And v. 47 says “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” That picture of the church has inspired me ever since I was a teenager. I’m so grateful for the times I have seen elements of that description become a reality.
I think of the late 50s when my parents and my wife’s parents committed themselves to begin a new church in a town 20 miles away from their farms in a poverty-stricken area. The core group of 5 couples was so united in their purpose that they poured themselves into the mission of that new congregation. They dedicated their time, energy, and financial resources to the work of that church. In a few short years that church grew and made an impact on many lives in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Where else but in the church can you see what can happen when people band together with a common purpose?
When we went to Japan in the 60s, the small church we attended welcomed us, even though we were foreigners. They tolerated our stumbling with the language. They listened when we offered what must have seemed like strange ideas. Those humble, faithful believers became our brothers and sisters in Christ and some adopted our children as their grandchildren. Where else but in the church can you experience close family relationships that are not biological?
I remember the church we attended in Iowa in the 70s, where one Sunday morning a man stood before the congregation to confess his sin of pilfering money from the Laundromat where he worked. He knew he had failed his Christian brothers and sisters and he asked forgiveness of the entire church. And the church offered it to him. Where else but in the church can people accept one another after moral failure?
In 1985 we came to Elm Street. More than once we have seen God’s spirit break into the life of this congregation. I’ll never forget the 1997 planning retreat when we were working on a statement to summarize the mission of this congregation. I was listening to the ideas from each discussion group and writing them on newsprint. We came to the last group and one person in that group, said “You’ve got to hear this.” And a man who had been in church only a couple of years uttered a sentence that made everyone’s mouth drop open. In one short sentence he encapsulated what this church was about. And we knew the Spirit of God had visited us that day. That statement is now glued to the wall above the water fountain. And I hope it is glued in the minds of members as well. Where else but in the church can you experience the power of God in that way?
It probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that sometimes Sue and I get discouraged because of what happens or doesn’t happen in the church. But you also need to know that sometimes we look at each other and say, “You know. That is what the church is supposed to be like.” Bill Hybels says, “There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breath taking. Its potential is unlimited.” (Courageous Leadership) God is in the business of changing lives through this community of believers.
Soon after Sue and I moved to Lima in 1990, we saw kids milling around on our street and in the center of the circle two kids were fighting. They were pre-teens, pretty evenly matched, a boy and a girl. They had drawn blood and the crowd of a dozen kids around them was egging them on. I walked up to separate them, but two big guys came up and said, “Let ‘em go.” They were bigger than I was, so I waited. I cringed as the two kept fighting. But in a few seconds, the big guys moved in and took the fighters off in different directions.
I have thought about that situation a lot. Did my actions change anything? I don’t know. But, what could change the direction of those kids’ lives? Could a new educational curriculum do it? Could family counseling do it? Those are good things, but I believe there is only one power that can change lives - the power of the love of Jesus, the power that can change the world one life at a time. And to think that God has entrusted this congregation with the power, plan, and purpose of God.
As Bill Hybels says, I believe that the local congregation is the hope of the world. (Courageous Leadership) That is why wherever Sue and I have gone, we have become members of the local congregation so we could fully participate in their efforts to minister to a broken world. That is why when we were invited to come to Elm Street we felt God’s call to join you in reaching out to others. That is why we felt we needed to live in this neighborhood. That is why we spend nearly every waking moment thinking about what we can do to help this congregation prosper. That is why we give 100% of our offerings to the ministry of this church. There are a lot of good causes, but when organizations call for donations, we always say “We give our money through the church.” We believe God has called us to give first and foremost through the local congregation.
Several years ago Sue and I proposed a vision statement for the congregation. It goes like this: A vibrant, diverse congregation of 100 people who have purposed together to continue the work of Jesus by exercising their spiritual gifts and sharing their financial resources for ministry in His name. Can you imagine such a congregation? That is the kind of vision we are asking you to throw yourself into.
Have you thought about the impact this church has on kids who spend their formative years with us in Sunday school, VBS, and camp? We won’t have them forever. We only have a few short years. Have you thought about the people sitting beside you whose lives have been transformed? Maybe, through God’s providence, it would have happened elsewhere, but then again maybe not. Have you thought about the ways members of this church use their spiritual gifts to teach, encourage, and help each other? Have you thought about the ministry this congregation offers to people in need? Some of you are here today because help from this congregation was available at a time of need.
How can we make our vision a reality? By sharing the pain of those about us. When Sue’s brother was here a couple of weeks ago, he helped us understand how important it is to feel the pain of those around us. He owns a NAPA store and he has a burden for those around him who don’t know Jesus. He told us about a managers meeting he attended. Just before the meeting started, his knee began to hurt, making him uncomfortable. He noticed the guy beside him was squirming. This guy called his secretary to bring some aspirin. She brought five; he swallowed three. Sue’s brother asked for the other two. They didn’t help. Soon the guy called out for an ice pack. The man put it on his knee. Then her brother knew what was happening. He was feeling the pain of the other man. And at his seat he prayed in the name of Jesus to let this man be healed. When the meeting was over and the man left, her brother’s knee stopped hurting. It was a wonderful object lesson. For our vision to become reality, we need to feel the pain of the people around us. I have heard many of you say after a trial, “I don’t know how I would have made it through without the church.” That is the way it should be because we feel each other’s pain.
All around us are people whose lives are fragmented, and lonely. Several weeks ago, I spoke with a 15-year-old who told me, out of the blue, “I need Jesus.” (Oh, don’t we all.) He and I walked over to the church. I opened a Bible and showed him John 3:16. He had never heard it before. We talked about God’s love and the separation we feel from God and that Jesus is the only way to bridge the gap. I asked if what we were talking about made sense. He said it did. Eventually, he prayed the prayer of faith and I tried to help him see that this is the first step of fulfilling God’s purpose for his life. I urged him to join with our youth. So far, he hasn’t. I know that if our youth could come alongside him, he would see what it means to live for Jesus.
I believe that the vision Jesus had for his work here on earth was the formation of faith communities like ours who are willing to go into a broken world. And he has also promised to be with us “even to the end of the age.” What more could we ask for?
If the vision I’ve just described for this congregation is one that stirs your heart, determine right now that you will step forward and with God’s strength apply the resources and talents God has given you to make it a reality.
