Vision: Why God Calls
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We’ve been talking about God’s vision over the last several weeks. What does God’s vision provide and who does God call to be involved in that vision. This morning, we’ll look at why God calls us into His vision.
Our primary verse is
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,
but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Where there is no prophetic vision (or revelation), people cast off restraint (or perish); but blessed is he who keeps the law. (ESV)
Just a reminder, that God’s revelation (His revealed law or ethos - ethos is a set of principles that guide an individual or organization) gives us the best …
Just a reminder, that God’s revelation (His revealed law or ethos - ethos is a set of principles that guide an individual or organization) gives us the best …
God’ revelation gives us the best Purpose (why we exist)
- why we exist
God’ revelation gives us the best Boundaries (how we should exist)
God’ revelation gives us the best Perspective (how we view existence)
· Perspective (how we view existence) - how we view the world, humanity, morality, spirituality etc.
God’s law or ethos is what is best for humanity.
However, our human nature is the desire to be autonomous - to be self-governing. We want to exert our independence from God (which started with the Fall of Adam and Ave). We want to manage our own lives and we want life to be about self, self-comfort, self-pleasure etc.
As we pursue independence from God’s law, we accept less than God’s best for humanity. Is God’s best a bunch of rules like some people think? No. Think about it – God’s best is a world of love, respect, honesty, and fidelity, of peace, and contentment – that’s why He says don’t murder, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery and so on.
But human nature rejects God’s ethos, and we cast off restraint (we do whatever we want), and consequently we create our own purpose, boundaries and worldview. We create our own morality and ethics.
And we become our own managers because we want what we perceive to be “freedom” - freedom to do whatever we want without consequence. So what happens to a world that wants to live independent of God’s law and ethos?
Let me ask this: How well do you do at managing your own life? How many things have you done that you wish you never would have done; wish you never would have said; wish you never would have gone? How many times have you said, “I know I shouldn’t, but …? I know I shouldn’t eat that, smoke this, drink that, go there - but ….” How well do you live up to your own standards? If we’re honest, we probably haven’t done too well.
If we struggle to manage our own lives, what about the 321 million people in the United States? This is a great nation, no doubt, however, in the U.S. alone, every year there are over 15,000 murders, over 90,000 rapes, nearly a million abortions, over 800,000 divorces, over 24 million children and adults use illicit drugs, there are an estimated 300,000 children and women trafficked in the sex industry, over 58,000 cases of child abuse - and approximately 10 million reports of domestic violence each year - and to top it off, each day 30 million people log onto pornographic websites.
That’s dire news, and I didn’t even mention anything about our financial debt crisis, mental illness, diseases, accidents and politics. I don’t want to be a downer this morning, but I wanted to prove a point - that we don’t do very well at managing this thing called life. We live in a world that has rejected God’s boundaries, and consequently we have a very selfie-centered world that is full of anger, hatred, brokenness, suffering - it’s inhumane, oppressive and ultimately hopeless.
And for Christians, we can forget or even worse, ignore how broken our world is.
Why is it so broken? If God created this world then why is it like this? I mean it doesn’t seem like He’s doing a good job at managing this world either. That’s because He’s not managing this world. Understand God is in control - He is never not in control. God is the Sovereign ruler of this universe! However, in the beginning God gave stewardship or management of the earth to whom? Adam and Eve - to humanity. And one day, the first Mr. and Mrs. surrendered management of the earth to whom? To the devil.
We know that the devil is the accuser and deceiver.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
he’s known as the god of this age who has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the truth of the gospel.
he’s called the ruler of the kingdom of the air - the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Satan, though defeated, is the current manager of this world.
In he’s called the ruler of the kingdom of the air - the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Satan, though defeated, is the current manager of this world.
Because stewardship was abrogated (surrendered), sin and death entered the world. And that has been our malady ever since.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
- Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned ….
And the wages of sin is death - physical, emotional, spiritual, eternal and relational.
And the wages of sin is death - physical, emotional, spiritual, eternal and relational.
Sin destroys everything it invades – and it has invaded every human heart and taken each person captive.
So if this not what God desires for humanity, what is He doing about it?
To answer that, let’s go back to Exodus and see what God did with Israel when they were in captivity to the Egyptians. Now understand this story, a real historical story by the way, parallels what Jesus Christ did on the cross. In Exodus, we find the gospel - the good news that Jesus Christ came to rescue humanity and deliver them from sin and death and to give them true freedom.
Understand, there are two operating systems or ethos in this story: Pharaoh’s system and Jehovah’s (God’s) system. Pharaoh’s system is really the ethos of the world - it’s how the world operates and ultimately, it’s a system of death and fear and oppression and bondage and destruction and it’s temporary. There is no freedom in Pharaoh’s system - it’s hopeless under Pharaoh.
The other system is Jehovah’s - God’s. His system is life, and love, and freedom and wholeness and it’s eternal. God’s system is a system of redemption, and restoration, and hope.
Remember, Israel had been in captivity for 430 years. They needed a deliverer, someone to rescue them. And at the right time, out of a burning bush God called out to this poor shepherd named Moses and invited him into God’s vision of redemption.
Keep in mind our question - if the condition of this world is not what God desires for humanity, what is God doing about it?
God calls to Moses from this burning bush, Moses goes to check it out and God says this,
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
I want to point out a few things here that are probably a little obvious, but nonetheless, important to understand.
I want to point out a few things here that are probably a little obvious, but nonetheless, important to understand.
In verse 7, Jehovah says “I have seen the misery of my people” - that’s another way of God saying “I’m not blind. I know what’s going on. I’m not oblivious to the afflictions and hardships and suffering. I see it!”
1. God Sees
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
God knows what’s going on. He’s not blind to the chaos and brokenness and suffering in the world. He’s not oblivious to your pain or the pain of those around you. God sees; He knows, He is aware.
God knows what’s going on. He’s not blind to the chaos and brokenness and suffering in the world. He’s not oblivious to your pain or the pain of those around you. God sees; He knows, He is aware.
For example, China – God sees those little children, 2 or 3 crammed into a crib. I don’t have to tell Him about the inhumane treatment – He sees ....
But there’s more than that. Jehovah says, “I have heard them crying out, I have heard their cry of distress.” So …
2. God Hears
But what is it that God hears? It says that He hears, He is attentive to the intense crying of people who are in deep sorrow and anguish. The cry of the abused, the cry of the lonely, the cry of the addict, the cry of the oppressed - God hears.
Specifically, God says I heard them crying because of what? The slave drivers - that’s Pharaoh’s system, a system of oppression and pain and slavery. So, God hears the cry, not of whiners and complainers, but of those who desire freedom from Pharaoh’s system. God hears the cry of those who desire freedom from sin, freedom from fear, freedom from death.
Jehovah is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
God allows and orchestrates certain events … “so that [we] would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though [God] is not far from any one of us.” God longs for people to cry out to Him because He desires to rescue them. Jesus said, I have come to seek and save the lost.
God allows and orchestrates certain events …
God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
“so that [we] would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though [God] is not far from any one of us.” God longs for people to cry out to Him because He desires to rescue them. Jesus said, I have come to seek and save the lost.
God longs for people to cry out to Him because He desires to rescue them. Jesus said, I have come to seek and save the lost.
God sees, He hears, and He also says, “I am concerned about their suffering.” A more literal translation would be “I know their sufferings,” implying a deep empathy and compassion.
3. God Deeply Cares
The idea here is similar to a friend who comes along side of you when you’re at the bottom and what you need the most is a friend who really understands you, a friend who though they may not have the answers, provides comfort simply by being there - putting a shoulder around you and letting you know they deeply care. That’s God.
But God doesn’t stop there. What does He do?
4. God Rescues
- v8 So I have come down to rescue them - from what? From slavery, oppression – Pharaoh’s system – sin. Sounds very much like what Jesus said when He began His ministry
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
So what’s the point here? God sees, hears, cares deeply for and desires to rescue all who are captive by sin, all who are oppressed, all who are brokenhearted and hopeless.
So what’s the point here? God sees, hears, cares deeply for and desires to rescue all who are captive by sin, all who are oppressed, all who are brokenhearted and hopeless.
Great! Get busy God. Go rescue people. Go save people! Go feed the hungry and heal the sick and …
If God wants to rescue the world, if He wants to save all those who are lost and separated from Him because of sin - what’s the hold up?
So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
so God says to Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Now get this - Moses was raised for 40 years in Egypt. He escaped and now 40 years later God is doing what? Sending Him back.
Now get this - Moses was raised for 40 years in Egypt. He escaped and now 40 years later God is doing what? Sending Him back.
5. God Sends
God always calls people to partner with Him in saving and redeeming the world. Just as God called Moses, He called the judges, and then prophets - then He sent His son Jesus Christ, and Jesus sent His disciples and continues to send them today.
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
A little while later Jesus sent out 72 disciples for the same reason. And then in
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
A little while later Jesus sent out 72 disciples for the same reason. And then in “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
To the ends of the earth - guess what? That’s our part.
Ethos - the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution