Extravagant Generosity - 3 - Bucket Lists: Vision and Hope are Inspirations of the Heart

Scripture: Joel 2:28, Matthew 6:33, and Colossians 3:1

Joel 2:28 NIV

28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Matthew 6:33 NIV

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Colossians 3:1 NIV

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

11/17/2024

Order of Service:

Announcements

Opening Worship

Prayer Requests

Prayer Song

Pastoral Prayer

Kid’s Time

Shannon Dalton - Explanation of Giving Estimate Cards

Offering (Doxology and Offering Prayer)

Scripture Reading

Sermon

Closing Song

Benediction

Special Notes:

Week 5: Church Update

Shannon Dalton sharing about Giving Cards

Opening Prayer:

God, as we walk through the world each day, we see many self-centered visions of life. We are tempted to do everything for short-term gain and to give no thought to eternal glory. We ask you, O Lord, to give us the courage to live by your grand vision and not the small visions of this world. Keep our hearts ever focused on Christ, the one though whom you revealed yourself to the world. Amen.

Bucket Lists: Vision and Hope are Inspirations of the Heart

The Faith of a Builder

It takes a lot of faith to be a builder.

When I was in high school, my parents started dreaming about their retirement years. One of the big things on their bucket list, or the things they wanted to accomplish before the end of their life, was moving out of their home and building a house in the country. They had inherited a small plot of land that was essentially unused pasture, and they began working the land, clearing out overgrown weeds, tearing down a couple of unused structures, and preparing the foundation for their new home.

Then, the storms of life came. The initial energy of that dream wavered as they refocused on caring for more immediate concerns. Shortly afterward, an existing house came up for sale in the country, and settling for something already built was easier. Almost 30 years later, that dream is lost and forgotten.

That’s a minor example of the challenges we face when we try to turn our dreams into reality. Our dreams often do not align with God‘s will, or we mistakenly build on the wrong foundation, and they don’t work out. But what if we put ourselves in the shoes of those taking on building projects that are not luxuries? Consider the bridge builders who have the task of repairing the Baltimore Bridge that collapsed this year. They are under enormous pressure to complete it as soon as possible. This is a massive endeavor, and I’m sure those architects and managers want as much information as possible about how the previous bridge collapsed and how they can prevent it from happening again before they start building a new one in the exact location. Or we might consider those people whose homes were destroyed by hurricanes along the East Coast. Many have lived in the path of hurricanes and faced these challenges almost every year. Knowing the risks they face, they need a lot of faith to rebuild in the same place. We never know what tomorrow will bring, so planning for the future always requires faith.

Do you have a dream home or a special project you have been investing in over the years? We encourage each other to be good stewards and live within our means. We work to keep our dream houses and personal projects small enough to be manageable, minimizing the risk and maximizing the chances that they will become a reality.

Those dream projects take on a different level of significance when we begin working and investing in something that is not primarily for us but for the benefit of someone else. We invest differently when we are building for children and grandchildren. It becomes a labor of love that pushes us outside our comfort zone. As I shared last week, we give differently when we know and love the people who are on the receiving end.

But it goes to a whole new level when we grow beyond the love for those people we hope will be blessed by our efforts and step into the role of building for God. That is a whole new level of faith, a whole new level of risk, and a different kind of love. This God-sized vision requires faith and stepping out of your comfort zone.

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God’s Building Projects

When we think about building for God and the stories from scripture, we often think of Solomon‘s Temple first. It was a fantastic structure that took many, many years to build. Taxes, donations, and wealth from other nations brought enormous wealth to build it, and it was undoubtedly one of the most extravagant building projects of the people of God.

The worship center that God asked His people to build, known as the Tabernacle, was established before the temple. Built by Hebrew slaves using treasures given by the Egyptians during the Exodus, it resembled the temple but was mobile. Instead of being a permanent structure that brought everyone to one place, it was a large tent with furniture that could be packed up and moved like a traveling circus. Through this moving temple, God guided His people throughout the Middle East, making His name great and performing miracles among them. This left a lasting impression on the pagan nations. The scriptures emphasize that the larger purpose was to train God’s people to represent Him rather than rely on a building for this task.

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Let’s face it: if we want to discuss a building project completed with God‘s vision, which involves high risk and requires a lot of work, investment, and faith, we need to return to the original example: Noah and the Ark. I can think of no greater instance of stepping outside one's comfort zone and investing in God‘s vision by faith than what Noah achieved. He spent years constructing that boat to the exact specifications God provided him while his neighbors ridiculed him. When the rains came and the floods were unleashed, Noah’s work following God’s vision was validated, and he helped save the future of humanity and many animals. However, even that monumental project had a very specific, limited purpose. Although the Ark took decades to build, it was only used for a year, and then it was no longer necessary. Again, God was more interested in what was inside the Ark than the construction itself. Once it had fulfilled its purpose, everyone moved on.

But God never stopped sharing his vision with his people, inviting them to participate with Him, and making His dreams a reality.

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Focus on Christ

It is difficult to catch God‘s vision because he sees a bigger picture than we do. Most of the time, it’s easier to follow along blindly, not knowing why he’s asking us to do what he does. But that is not God‘s will for our lives. He invites us to see a bigger picture than what we have right in front of us. He knows we are limited, but he knows he can help us to see more with him than we can on our own.

He could have stepped down from the heavens at any time and spoken to us directly, but he often sent a messenger. These messengers, the prophets, did not always fully understand the message they were bringing, but they often had conversations with God about that message and grew to understand Him better in time.

One of the incredible promises from the prophet Joel was that in the future, God wanted everybody—men and women, young and old—to have a vision of a world closer to Him. Instead of having the prophet serve as an intermediary between Him and His people, God desired everyone to be like a prophet, having personal access to Him. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples and upon the thousands who came to faith in Christ in the following days. That promise continues to be fulfilled every day because we all have access to that same Holy Spirit, who shares God‘s vision with us.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit and sharing God‘s vision is not accidental. Heaven does not have a leaky bucket that sometimes drips on our heads. We call this an outpouring because Jesus is in heaven, asking the Father to turn the faucet on us. When we say we have access to the same Holy Spirit in Jesus, it means we receive it from the same source and in the same amount that he did. God‘s Holy Spirit could fill all creation a hundred times over, and plenty would still be left. He does not have to ration out the Spirit in portions between us, so there’s enough for everyone. There is always more than we can handle and more than we know how to use. That is why receiving the Holy Spirit and catching that vision from God is not enough. We still need to seek God‘s guidance on what to do with it and how to understand it.

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Jesus is our focus point. Whenever we have questions or struggles, we start there. He is our foundation for everything. The Scriptures guide us to him, but we know they can be twisted for our ends. When we try to take a handful of passages and create a system to build upon, claiming we are using scripture as our foundation, we misuse God’s word and fail to put Jesus first. We never outgrow our need for a personal relationship with Jesus as individuals, as families, as a church, and as his people in the world.

That’s why Paul continually reminded us to set our sights on Christ. Paul knew the law better than any of us, and he had studied how to build a community of faith, recognizing many ways it had failed and many possibilities for moving forward. He could easily have presented a three-point plan on how to build a church, set up leaders, coordinate budgets and building plans, and aim for growth in the years to come. But he didn’t because he knew there was no one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter solution to being the faithful people of God. Perhaps all those strategies boil down to trying to figure it out on our own after receiving a little guidance to get us started. But the whole point of this was and always will be, that we are meant to be led by Jesus. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.

Jesus taught us that we must seek God‘s kingdom first in all things. If we do that, all the other important details will fall into place. If we seek God‘s kingdom first, we stand a better chance of understanding the greater work in the bigger picture that God is leading us through. Even if we can’t fully understand what God is doing, we will at least follow him faithfully. We will be working with Jesus, instead of making things up, trying to fix everything for Him, hoping it will all pass, knowing the only ones who will be fooled are ourselves.

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Seek Ye First

We know Moses was terrified when he caught God‘s vision. I suspect Noah was a bit frightened as well. I think Solomon should have been more afraid. Fear is a natural reaction when we glimpse God’s view of our world and his will for our lives.

But God calls us to have faith that is bigger than our fear. While fear can sometimes seem the enemy of faith, we can use it to bring us closer to that God-sized division for our lives and church. How do we do that? We start right where our fear begins.

What are you afraid God may be asking you to do? It may be something enormous, something you have never heard of anyone doing before, or maybe something very small and personal—something you don’t think anyone else would understand. Regardless of whether it is big or small, ordinary or unique, whatever you are afraid God is asking you to do, take it to Him first. That’s part of what it means when Jesus told us to seek His kingdom first. Before figuring out what it means or how we think we can do it, we must take it to Jesus first. Going to Him first filters out about 90% of the ideas that do not come from Him. Going to Jesus in prayer first keeps us honest and allows Him the time and space to share more of that God-sized vision with us.

Check the scriptures if you doubt whether this is the right thing to do after taking it to Jesus in prayer. Most of the time, the Bible will not give specific instructions for what you should do in a particular situation, but it is quite good at telling us what we should not do. If you don’t feel confident in your knowledge of the scripture to find what you need, come and talk to Bekah or me. You can ask a Sunday school teacher or Bible study leader. Find someone you trust to go to God with you for guidance.

Then, talk to the people whose lives will be affected by this choice. You may need to talk to your family and maybe some church leaders. If God is calling you to do or give something that will affect many lives, you must discern with those people, praying and seeking God‘s will so that no one trips up and falls back into doing things on their own. Remember, the days of God sending one lonely prophet to his people are over. God took that promise from the prophet Joel, fulfilled it at Pentecost, and continues to fulfill it every day. He wants all His people to share in His vision together.

So start right where your fear is. Turn it into a marker, like a giant billboard pointing out where God is leading you in your faith and how many more miles you have to go. The bigger that fear, the more opportunity it gives you to seek that God-sized vision from Jesus.

However, let me leave you with a word of caution. Many times in life, God calls us to go, grow, and give beyond ourselves in ways that make us afraid. But when we finally accomplish God’s vision, we realize it is not as big, scary, or permanent as we thought it would be. Go back and read the story of Noah, the first builder for God. He spent decades on that enormous project, investing his whole life. That ark was the vessel of mercy that allowed the justice of God to rain down and purify the Earth. But, one year after they entered that boat, they finally got out onto dry land and never wanted to see that boat again. Ultimately, God didn’t care about the boat; He cared about the people. That was the whole purpose of the boat in the first place.

Jesus is our model. He gave everything, including his life, even though no one asked. All his friends and family tried to persuade him not to, but no one applauded or cheered as he made his sacrifice. They spat on him and cursed him. They mocked and humiliated him. But he wasn’t doing it for their approval. He was doing it because God asked him to, and he was doing it because we needed Him to.

As God‘s only Son, Jesus was the Prince of Heaven, set to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, even before He came to Earth, born in that manger in Bethlehem. So, He didn’t gain much more glory through His sacrifice, coming to Earth and dying on the cross. What did Jesus, our model for faithfully following a God-sized vision, gain for all He gave? Adopted brothers and sisters in Heaven. Because of His faithful and sacrificial offering, He didn’t have to be an only child anymore.

That is the kind of reward we can hope for when we seek God‘s vision for our lives: we gain new brothers and sisters in Christ, and that reward is ours to keep for eternity. Don’t let your fear stop you; instead, turn it into a marker that leads to even greater faithfulness. When you catch that vision from God, don’t let your pride get in the way or try to take over. Keep your eyes on Jesus and let him lead You into His vision for your life.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we face many challenges each day. But we are grateful that your mercies are new each day as well, and they are there every time we turn to you. We know you call us to live beyond ourselves, And we know that when we offer ourselves to you, you can take what little we have and multiply it like you did with the fish and the loaves. And when we read that story, we remember that there was a purpose for every single piece of bread and fish. All the leftovers were used. You even used the whole experience as a sermon illustration when you taught your disciples later. Lord, you’ve shown us that nothing is ever wasted in you, no matter how big or small. You have already blessed us so much, so we come to you today and humbly ask you to help us to be good stewards of what you have given us and to be faithful in seeing, hearing, experiencing, and most importantly, faithfully following your vision for us today. In Jesus name, amen.

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