Catch a Fresh Vision for Your Life
Dr. George Bannister
Renewal/Revival • Sermon • Submitted
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Catch a Fresh Vision for Your Life
Proverbs 29:18
18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
ETS: Spiritual Vision/guidance is vital to the Believer
ESS: The Christian must be guided by vision from above.
OSS: Christians will seek God for spiritual vision.
PQ: What is spiritual vision and how can I receive it?
UW: Points
Introduction:
I- THE DEFINITION OF VISION
I- THE DEFINITION OF VISION
A. The Hebrew word “khaw-zone”:
1. Refers to vision that comes from God.
a) Isaiah's vision (Isa. 6)
b) Ezekiel's vision (Ezek. 37)
c) Peter's vision (Acts 10:9-16)
d) Polycarp's vision
Three days before his arrest, Polycarp fell into a deep trance. On regaining consciousness, he declared that he had received a vision. He had seen his pillow bursting into flame around his head. Polycarp had no question what the vision meant. Turning to his companions, he said, “I am going to be burned alive.”
Not long after, the Roman authorities captured two slaves. One of them broke down under torture and revealed the location of the farm where Polycarp was staying. When soldiers arrived on horseback to seize him, Polycarp refused to run. Instead, he offered his captors hospitality and food, requesting only that he be allowed an hour for prayer. When they agreed, Polycarp prayed so earnestly that one hour became two, and several of the soldiers regretted their role in the arrest of such a venerable old man.
They then put Polycarp on a donkey and led him back into the city. Upon arrival, his captors ushered him into the carriage of a man named Herod, the captain of the local troops. Herod tried to convince Polycarp to save himself. “Why, what harm is there in saying, ‘Caesar is Lord,’ and offering incense?” When Polycarp refused the very suggestion of renouncing Christ, the official grew threatening and forced him out of the carriage so roughly that he injured his shin.
Without even turning, Polycarp marched on quickly as they escorted him to the stadium, where a deafening roar arose from the throngs of spectators. As he entered, his Christian companions heard a voice from above say, “Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man.” He was brought before the proconsul, who urged him to deny his faith and bow before the emperor: “Swear by the spirit of Caesar! Repent, and say, ‘Away with the atheists!’”
Turning with a grim look toward the crowd calling for his death, Polycarp gestured at them. “Away with the atheists,” he said dryly.
Undeterred, the proconsul pressed him further to deny Christ. Polycarp declared, “Eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me?”
Furious, the proconsul said, “Don’t you know I have wild beasts waiting? I’ll throw you to them unless you repent.”
Polycarp answered, “Bring them on, then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil.”
Next the proconsul threatened to burn him alive. To this Polycarp replied, “You threaten me with fire which burns for a little while and is soon extinguished. You do not know the coming fire of judgment and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. What are you waiting for? Do what you wish.”
The proconsul sent his herald out into the arena to announce that Polycarp had confessed to being a Christian. At this, the assembled crowd seethed with uncontrolled fury and called for Polycarp to be burned alive. Quickly, they assembled a pyre, gathering wood from workshops and the public baths. Polycarp removed his clothes and tried to take off his shoes, though his advanced age made it difficult. His guards prepared to nail him to the stake, but he told them calmly, “Leave me as I am, for the one who gives me strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to remain at the stake unmoved without being secured by nails.” They bound his hands behind him. Polycarp offered a psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God. His captors ignited the wood.
According to observers, as the flames grew, they did not consume Polycarp as expected. The fire formed a circle around him, but his body did not burn. Since the fire did not have its intended effect on Polycarp’s body, an executioner was ordered to stab him to death with a dagger. His blood extinguished the flames.
Observers that day were shocked by the contrast between Polycarp’s martyrdom and the deaths of non-Christians they had witnessed. They beheld the same faithful discipleship in Polycarp’s death that had characterized his life: a humble acceptance of God’s will; praise of God in the most extreme trial; and a joyful, unwavering commitment to Christ even when faced with death.
Polycarp’s was among the first recorded Christian martyrdoms. His steadfast obedience to Christ was a powerful testimony, an inspiration not only to the church he pastored so faithfully in Smyrna, but to Christians throughout the centuries.
B. The hallmarks of this type of vision:
1. You will see through the eyes of faith.
a) Like those in Hebrews 11
2. You will see others through the eyes of Christ.
a) (Luke 13:34)
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
b) (Luke 19:41)
41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.
c) (Matt. 9:36)
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
3. You will see self and sin for what they are.
a) (Rom. 7:13b, 24)
13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
4. You will see the Christian warfare for what it is.
a) (Eph. 6:10-18)- READ
II. THE DANGERS OF NO VISION
II. THE DANGERS OF NO VISION
A. Steps become ordered by what we see through the eyes of the flesh.
1.We see only in part; not the whole picture.
a) (1 Cor. 13:12)
12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
2. We fret over what God has already taken care of.
a) Like Elisha's servant
(2 Kings 6:17)
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
3. We focus on the problem rather than the problem solver.
a) (Phil. 4:13, 19)
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
B. Stripped of defenses, sin and Satan have a field day.
1.We see only the false image of sin Satan paints for us.
a) (2 Cor. 11:14)
14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2. We fail to see the enemy we are fighting; leaving us open for attack.
a) (Eph. 6:12)
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
C. Soul-winning ceases to be a focus because we don't see others the way Jesus does.
1. We fail to see the peril of the lost.
a) (John 4:35)
35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.
2. We fail to understand the heart of the savior.”
a) (Luke 19:10)
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
3. We develop a bitter, critical spirit; turning on other believers.
a) (Hebrews 12:15)
15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
b) (Galatians 5:15)
15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
c) (Ephesians 4:31-32)
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF VISION
III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF VISION
A. Conversion Experience
A. Conversion Experience
1. It is impossible to see through spiritual eyes without conversion.
a) (1 Cor. 2:14)
14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
b) (Eph. 2:1)
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
2. When conversion occurs, the Holy Spirit enters the believer, imparting the capacity for spiritual vision.
a) (Eph. 1:13)
13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.
b) (John 16:13)
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
B. Consecration to prayer and listening
B. Consecration to prayer and listening
1. It is vital that the believer spend time praying and listening to God.
a) (John 10:27)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
b) (Psa. 46:10)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
•Like Peter (Acts 10:9-16)
9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon,
10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.
12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.
13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”
16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
•Like John (Rev. 1:10)
10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.
C. Continual study of the scriptures.
C. Continual study of the scriptures.
1. Since God speaks to us through His Word, it is vital that we allow it to have its full effect upon our lives.
a) (1 Thess. 2:13)
13 Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.
b) (Heb. 4:12)
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
D. Completly yielded to the Holy Spirit.
D. Completly yielded to the Holy Spirit.
1.The Spirit of God reveals the will of God to those who are yielded to Him.
a) (Rom. 8:27)
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
b) (1 Cor. 2:11-12)
11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.
12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
2. Yieldedness produces obedience.
a) (Rom. 6:16)
16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Conclusion: