9-28-08 Next Steps Series: Vision

A few weeks ago, we asked, “What is the purpose of life?” We said that every person that is born knows when they are born, but why are we born? What’s are purpose? What’s your purpose?  Each person that attended was given a piece of paper with a box on it, and the box represented your purpose in life.

 

If you put money in your box, and you say, Money is the most important thing to me – lots and lots of money is the most important reason why I live, then that would take me in a certain direction in my life, and I would become a certain kind of person. If I put success in my box, then that would take down a certain road in life and I would become a certain kind of person. If I put pleasure in my box then that would take me down another road and I would become a certain kind of person. Each thing that we put in the box is like a road and it is a road that goes in a certain direction and we become a certain kind of person on that road.

 

In that message, we came to the conclusion that God wants to be in our box. We were created for God to be the main purpose in our life, because when God is in the box of our lives, that is a road and a direction, and we become certain kinds of people – people that God created us to be.

 

When God is at the center of our lives and the main purpose for why we live, God heals us, and transforms us, and he provides us with love, and joy, and peace, and patience. In a nutshell, God brings some of heaven to earth when we seek him and his kingdom and his righteousness as the main purpose in our lives. But the question that I was asked after that worship gathering was “how do we do that?” That’s what I’d like this series to focus on over the next month or so.

 
We looked at these two verses that tell us to: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

And

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mark 12:30 (NIV)

When our kids are small, it’s a really big thing when they learn how to take their very first steps. They teeter and wobble, and they are very unstable at first, but then each day they keep taking more and more steps. In fact, once they start taking steps they never stop, but that’s not true in our Christian lives sometimes, but there’s always a next step toward putting God in the box.

 

So, this morning we are going to be talking about spiritual growth or spiritual transformation, and the idea is that there’s always a next step to take no matter whether you’ve been a Christian a long time, or whether you are new in the faith. You can always take a next step toward Jesus.

 

Transformation always involves three different dynamic elements.

The V stands for Vision.

The I stands for Intention.

The M stands for Method.

When transformation takes place, these elements will always be present-not just in spiritual life, but in all of life.

 

Look at any NFL team. Now with any NFL football team, what’s the vision? It’s the Super Bowl, right? They want to win. And there will be a decision: Whatever it takes to do that, I will do that. And people will arrange their lives around “methods” that will become quite costly methods because the vision burns in them. They will put themselves through unbelievable blood, sweat, and tears. They push themselves in spite of pulled and sore muscles, cuts, scrapes, bruises, and even broken bones. They put themselves through unbelievable things because the vision of the Super Bowl burns within them. They will do almost anything to get there.

 

The greatest football player in the history of the NFL had workouts that were so legendary that he almost killed himself. This is a guy most of you know. The greatest player in the history of the NFL was…Walter Payton…of the Chicago Bears. This is not a vote; this is just what I’m telling you. He would be the first guy in the weight room every day, and the last guy to come off the field when the team was doing drills.

 

Then Payton would go home, and every day he would run a steep hill near his home. It took about two minutes, if you were in great shape, to run all the way up. But if you’ve ever run all the way up a real steep slope, you know how hard that is. Well, his teammates would kind of laugh at this particular training method of his, but sometimes they would go and try to do it with him. They might be able to keep up with him once up the hill, maybe twice, but by the third time any of them would be gasping for breath. None of them could keep with Payton five times up the hill, but Payton wouldn’t stop with five times up the hill, he would run up and down that hill twenty times a day. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. People were staggered by this.

 

Why did he do this? Because he was a man with a vision. And the vision burned so strongly in him that it caused this intention to be formed in him. And then he arranged his life around the realization of that vision.

 

One more example about how all three of these are important, just to help us think through this: Think about learning a foreign language because, again, that requires a vision, and then an intention, and then a  method.

 

When you think about methods, you can go to school, you can take classes, sign up for seminars. You can get books, you can get tapes or CD’s.

 

Where are the methods more readily available to learn a foreign language: in the United States or in China? In the United States, by far. But where are more people learning a foreign language? In the United States or China? In China, way more.

 

Why? Because of vision. Because people there, or very often, in places like Africa, they have a vision for how their lives would be changed, or how the doors that would be opened up, for the financial and vocational opportunities, education, that might be made available if they learned English. And when that vision gets strong enough, then it leads to an intention when they say, I will have this.  And even if the methods are hard to come by, when the vision is strong enough, people will find a way to get it done.

 

When a vision is strong enough, it’s not so much that you have a vision; it’s that the vision has you. Great and readily available methods cannot compensate where there is a weak vision. It’s a real important concept. Sometimes in churches, sometimes Christians will kind of beat themselves up because they’ll say,

I ought to be more committed,

Or

As leaders they will say, “People ought to be more engaged in these practices.”

But the real problem is:

There is not a vision that captivates the heart, in such a way, that they will rearrangement their life around it.

 

One day this man, Jesus, comes along. He’s a man with a vision, but it’s not just a man-sized vision, it’s a vision from God, and it captivated people like nothing ever had.

 

Here’s the deal, an authentic transformation in your life and mine will not happen until I actually come to believe that Jesus was so right, that He was so smart, that His information about God and life and how to live was so much better than any available alternative, so much so that I’m willing to let go of the vision of the American Dream or some other vision of money, or success, or a pleasure, or ____ you fill in the blank, in order to grasp the vision that Jesus gives us.

 

Vision is a picture of a preferred reality. Martin Luther King had it – I have a dream. Martin Luther had it – of  a church that actually represented the Bible. Ghandi had it.

 

Jesus’ vision is a picture of heaven coming down to earth. What would my life look like if heaven came down here? Would I love differently? Would I speak differently? Would I care differently? Would I see people differently? Would I have more peace and joy in my life? Would I be more content with what I have? How would I raise my children there? How would I treat my spouse? How would that affect how I work? How would it affect how I spend money? What would my purpose be?

 

When I read my Bible, I look specifically at what the writers are saying about how we ought to live and I’ve been weighing that with what heaven will be like, and especially in the New Testament, I see what the Biblical writers are giving me is a vision of how I ought to live – a vision of a preferred reality – a vision of heaven coming to earth.

 

The more that I read the Bible and the more that I talk and commune with God, the more I get what he wants for my life and it’s absolutely stunning; it is absolutely captivating; it is what gets me out of bed every morning and starts my day right, even when I know I will face many difficulties that day. That vision is something so strong that I don’t have it, it has me and it burns inside of me.

 

Jesus would often tell stories about the power of this vision. He said,

 

 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. Think of it, gold – lots and lots of gold, and rubies, and gems – a big chest just brimming with treasure. When a man found it, he hid it again and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.      Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13: 44-46)

 

Now the thing to notice here is: These are not stories about people who look like spiritual giants. These are just stories about getting rich, and how much people want to get rich when they see the opportunity, because Jesus knows that everybody can relate to that. So He tells these stories about people who are so captivated by this vision of getting rich that they say, “I’ll do anything.”

 

I’ll give you a modern day equivalent of this.

 

A man meets a woman at a party, and he is stunned by her beauty. He thinks to himself,

I cannot let this woman get away. I’ve got to figure out some way to create a connection between her and I

.

So he says to her, You know, I may not look like much, but my father is a very wealthy man, and he’s in bad health. He’s an old guy. He’s not going to live more than two years at the outside. And when he dies, I will be worth fifty million dollars. And you can tell the woman is impressed. And she asks for his business card. And three days later he gets a note that she is now his stepmother.

 

You have to think about that one for just a moment.

 

Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is kind of like that. It’s where this woman meets an old guy whose treasure is so great that in her joy she figures that she’s got to do anything she can to marry him in three days.  People “get” this opportunity. They think: I’ll just do anything.

 

 

Jesus tells these stories about people who have a chance to get rich. These aren’t spiritual stories, but the point of them is how compelling the vision is. And in Jesus’ day, that actually happened. People got this “Jesus vision,” and they come to realize that the life they have always wanted–to have authentic love and joy, to have healing from brokenness, to have forgiveness, to have passion and meaning, to know and be known, to have gratitude and wonder and courage–is found it God, and his kingdom, through the power of Jesus’ love.

 

Jesus is the vision. Jesus’ vision is not just a vision, it is THE Vision. It is what you and I were made for. It is not just one item in the box; it is the box. God made us for this vision and even though we can chase all kinds of other lesser visions, money, success, pleasure, sex, drugs, this is it! And when this vision gets a hold of people, it doesn’t matter who-Pharisees, religious leaders, tax collectors who were despised, prostitutes, fishermen, Gentiles-it doesn’t matter-when they “get it” they say,

 

I’ve got to get Jesus, and I can’t let anything stand between me and Him. If I have to tear the roof down off a house so that I can get lowered inside the room, then I’ll tear the roof off. If I’ve got to climb a tree, if I have to go without food for days, if I’ve got to get through a crowd, if I’ve got to grab onto the hem of His garment-whatever it takes.

 

People were watching folks do this. They didn’t look particularly spiritual, but they were so gripped by this vision that nothing could keep them from it. And when that happens to somebody, it doesn’t particularly matter how available all kinds of translations of scriptures and books and classes are. They will find a way. And then they form this intention:

 

I will have Jesus no matter what. And this is fundamental to spiritual transformation: To be gripped by a vision.

 

Apart from Jesus we have no power to see the vision, and apart from Jesus we have no power to make the vision come true. That’s why we’re called to love him with all that we are.

 

So that’s vision. The next one is intention.

 

Now a word about intention. An intention is not a wish, not a preference, It is a settled conviction or decision. This is kind of obvious, but we can overlook it: The only person who can make a decision for you is…you. You are not a spectator when it comes to the vision of what your life will be about.

 

If you are not gripped by the vision of up there coming down here; if you are not gripped by the vision of heaven coming to earth; if you are not gripped by the vision that God created the world good and he asks you and I to join him in bringing about goodness, and hope, and healing, and love, and joy, and peace to this dark, hurting, sad, world.

 

If you are not gripped by the vision that God wants to make you into the person that he created you to be, and not just you, but every single person that he ever created. If you are not gripped by this vision, then you cannot put God in the center of the Box, and you will never experience his vision coming true.

 

If the vision of heaven coming to earth is not the singular vision for your life and mine, then we will never achieve any part of it.

 

Can you imagine saying, “I wonder if I will learn Spanish.”  Kind of curious about that. “I wonder if I will wake up some morning and just start speaking Spanish.”  That would be kind of interesting. I’d like to be there for that moment.

 

Or can you imagine Walter Payton saying, I’d really like to win the Super Bowl this year, but then he sits on the couch eating donuts while drinking cola. He doesn’t do anything to see this vision become a reality. Or maybe he would work out for a little bit, but then he got tired and a little sweaty and his muscles got a little sore, so he quit.

 

The reason Walter Payton ran up and down that hill twenty times a day is not because it brought him a sense of inner peace and joy. It was so when the fourth quarter came and everybody was exhausted, he would be free to burst through the line when that was needed.

 

The reason why we have this vision is so that we practice it every day. We practice it every day so that it burns in our hearts and in our guts – it burns at the core of who we are, so that when we are tempted by sin; when we are tempted by things that we were not created for, we can resist and choose what is good and right. When you have the vision, so strongly that it burns inside of you, then every time that some struggle comes your way, some hurt comes your way, some difficulty comes your way, the vision that burns inside of you is so strong that you don’t just have it, it has you. it will overwhelm and overcome all the other stuff going on in your life.

 

So what’s in your box? What should be in your box? Are you captivated and compelled by the vision of the kingdom of God? Do you understand it? Does it burn inside of you? If not, I’d suggest a couple of action steps. One, as you read your Bible, ask yourself, “What is the vision that God and his disciples have? Second, Ask God to give you that which you don’t yet have. Jesus said, “You have not because you ask not”. Therefore, ask for godly things and God will be pleased to give them to you.

 

So, what’s the Next Step toward putting God in the box? Finding the right vision that will lead you in the right direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Link:

 

Leader: Are you or someone in your group planning an outreach event? Last year about this time, we bought cheap pumpkins and gave them away. We used wire to stick one of our tags to the pumpkin that said, “Our simple way of showing God’s love”.

 

Another option is to attach a 9 volt battery to a card that can be attached to a door handle. On the card remind them of when to turn the clocks back and a reminder to change the battery in their smoke detector.

 

1.      Where have you seen God move this week?

 

2.      What do you most want to be remembered for?

 

3.      Review the message: Does anyone disagree with the message on Sunday, have questions about the message or want to share how the message impacted you?

 

4.      What is vision and why is it important to have it?

 

5.      What is God’s vision and why does he call us to it? Are their other visions that try to push out God’s vision? What are they?

 

6.      How is a vision like a road?

 

7.      It is important to have vision, but it is even more important for the vision to have you? Why?

 

8.      What can you do to either A) get God’s vision or B) make God’s vision burn brighter within you?

 

9.      GLORY SPOTTING: Where have you seen God this week?

 

 

Leader: we will be looking at (We looked at Vision and Intension this week) Methods of obtaining the vision of God and his kingdom and putting them solely in the center of our Box or our purpose.