The Power of a God-Given Vision: Seeing what others can’t.

Genesis 6:13–22 “And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”

INTRODUCTION:

Q. Have you ever been absolutely convinced God told you to do something…and everyone around you looked at you like you have lost your mind?

This is what happens when God gives us a vision. A God given vision is when he reveals his plan to us.

Proverbs 12:6 “The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,” But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.”

Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”

I love what Dr. Myles Munroe one said: “Vision is the ability to see things that are not yet visible; it is the capacity to see beyond the reach of your eyes. It is what you conceive in your heart.”

Steve Jobs example:

In the 1970’s, when computers were the size of rooms and owned only by governments and universities, Steve Jobs had a vision - that one day, every home would have a computer.

People thought laughed at that idea. They asked; why would an average family need a computer? What would they even do with it?

However, Jobs wasn’t looking at the present - he was seeing what was coming. He wasn’t building for the world as it was; he was preparing for the world as it would be.

This is what vision does. Vision allows you to live in the future. It causes you to see beyond your current reality and act today based on tomorrow.

In Genesis 6, we see God give Noah a vision that was even more radical. God tells Noah about a flood. S flood was something humanity never experienced. Not only did humanity never experience a flood, God tells Noah to build an Arc, which was basically the first cruise ship.

Just like Jobs in the 70’s, Noah was working off of revelation, not confirmation. He was willing to look foolish in the present in order to be faithful to what he had been shown.

Value.

Vision from God is rarely confirmed by culture. In fact, most God - given visions sound unreasonable, impractical, or even foolish at first. But vision isn’t about fitting in - its about preparing for what God has already seen.

Context.

In Genesis 6, Noah’s story takes place when sin, violence, and corruption has spread throught the world. So much that God considered wiping out all creation. In fact, God regretted that he made mankind. Moreover, as God looked upon creation, he saw a righteous man named Noah.

Thesis:

In Genesis 6, God shows us that divine vision does three things:

It reveals what’s coming before it arrives.

It requires obedience before understanding.

It demands courage to look foolish for God’s purpose.

I. Vision sees what others cannot.

Genesis 6:13 “And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

Genesis 6:17–19 “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.”

Here we see two things:

A. We see how God was going to pass judgment on the earth, by flooding the earth.

We must understand that the concept of rain was a foreign thing. Why? Because rain did not come down from the sky, the water rose from the ground.

For Noah, the idea of God flooding the earth had to be a revelation because it was not something he could learn from.

Everything about this vision contradicted Noah’s lived experience. When God gives you a vision, it contradicts everything about your lived experience.

Here is the truth:

Noah saw judgment while others saw normalcy.

Noah prepared while others parteid.

Noah believed before there was evidence.

B. We see how God would protect Noah, and the seed of Christ. By establishing a covenant with Noah.

We see in vv 17-19 on how God would establish a covenant with Noah.

In Genesis 6:17–19, God establishes a covenant with Noah, promising to preserve life through the coming flood. A covenant in Scripture is a solemn, binding agreement initiated by God, grounded in His faithfulness rather than human effort. Unlike a contract, it is unconditional and sustained by God’s power. God didn’t ask Noah to negotiate or earn this promise—He simply committed Himself to preserve Noah and his family. This covenant gave Noah not only protection but also purpose: to build the ark according to God’s vision and ensure the continuation of humanity.

This covenant was also a key part of God’s redemptive plan, protecting the lineage through which the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would one day come. The flood threatened to destroy all life, but through Noah’s obedience and God’s faithfulness, the line leading to Christ was preserved. In other words, the ark wasn’t just about survival—it safeguarded the promise of salvation. Just like Noah, our obedience today can play a role in God’s larger plan, trusting that His covenant and vision are always faithful, even when the world around us doubts.

“God’s covenant with Noah shows us that vision backed by His promise doesn’t just preserve us—it preserves His plan for generations to come.”

II. Vision requires obedience before understanding.

Genesis 6:14–16 “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.”

In this passage, we see God get specific on building the arc. He provides the exact measurements, materials, stgructure and timing in which it was to be built.

Although God gives Noah the instructions on building the arc, God doesn’t explain how teh flood will work, he only focus on what Noah was to do.

God simply provides Noah instructions, not explanations. This is why Noah had to have faith in God in the process.

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Noah’s faith was proven obedience. Here is the thing, Faith means taking the first step without seeing the whole stair case. - Martin Luther King Jr.

God jus provided the isntruction but Noah had to execute the plan.

This is the case with our lives. God can give you the vision, but it is our responsibility to execute the plan in order for the vision to become a reality.

Here’s a way to bring it down to everyday life so your Bible study group can really see it in their world:

God gives us vision all the time, but it often comes in ways that feel ordinary. Maybe He’s showing you to start a small group at church, reach out to a coworker, spend more time with your family, or step into a new job or ministry. Those are your “planks” to build. Vision isn’t just about seeing the big picture—it’s about taking faithful, sometimes uncomfortable, steps every day to make it real. Just like Noah, we can’t wait for everyone to understand or for perfect conditions; we obey God one step at a time, trusting that what we’re building now is part of something much bigger than ourselves.

Example hooks for everyday life:

Sending that encouraging text to someone who needs it.

Serving in your neighborhood even when it feels small or unnoticed.

Learning a new skill or starting a project God has placed on your heart.

Every act of obedience, no matter how small, is like a plank in your ark—helping to preserve God’s purposes and prepare for what He has coming.

If you want, I can craft this into a 3–4 sentence punchy spoken version that fits perfectly after your Noah hook and your “vision requires execution” teaching—so it flows naturally in your Bible study. Do you want me to do that?

Conclusion:

III. Vision will make you look foolish before it makes sense.

If you think about everyone who had a vision that eventually caused humanity to progress, at one point their ideas and visions seemed foolish, until it did not.

For the Wright brothers, the thought of human’s flying was crazy. But they had the dream to be able to fly, therefore they created the air plane.

For Henry Ford, he imagined a car, during the time when most people drove around on a hourse and buggy. So, when he thought of giving an engine horse power, people thought his idea would fail.

It is the same with us. Vision will always cost you your reputation before it produces results.

Although it may look foolish with people, our priority is to focus on obeying God. It is God who gave you the dream, it is our responsibility to steward it well.

Challenge This week, take one intentional step toward the vision God has placed in your heart—even if it doesn’t make sense yet.

Closing Charge God is still looking for people who will build according to His voice, not the world’s opinion. Be willing to look foolish now, so others can be saved later.