Dreamers & Cynics

Are there dreamers in the room tonight??? Those who know how to believe God for the things others struggle to believe God for.

MAIN POINT- There is more to come than what you are standing on.

POINT- Our God is super natural.

BIB ILLUSTRATION- The Christmas story…

(ESV) — 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

MAIN POINT- There is more to come than what you are standing on.

KEY VERSE- (NLT) — 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

CHALLENGE- Are you maxing out your dreams?

I believe that there are some here who have given up on their faith, some who have given up on believing God for big things…

Tonights message is titled Cynic or Dreamer…

DEFINE- Cynic is defined as a person who questions whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile.

DEFINE- A dreamer is defined as a person whose ideas or projects are considered audacious or highly speculative; someone who is visionary.

Let’s look at the book of Zechariah… God had placed massive dreams in the heart of Joshua the priest…

Here in this passage God is reestablishing the duties of the Priest and has chosen Joshua to lead it. This not only speaks to the great purpose of Joshua, but to the fact that God has removed the sin from Israel.

(NLT) — 1 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.” 3 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. 4 So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.” 5 Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by. 6 Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, 7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here. 8 “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. 10 “And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”

Understand that the temple was in ruins, and while there was still a remnant things were not good…

CHALLENGE- If you were in the shoes of the people of Israel returning home after captivity in Babylon, would you be able to believe that everything could be restored? Would you be able to believe that there was more to come then what you were standing on?

a person whose ideas or projects are considered audacious or highly speculative; visionary.

KEY- You need to understand here tonight that there is a battle taking place over your hope, over your faith, and the battle ground is in your reality.

(NLT) — 1 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

POINT- There is one who accuses you who desires for you to be a cynic not a dreamer.

(NLT) — 10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

The enemy tries to remind you daily… You can’t, you’re insecure, you messed up before and you’ll mess up again, why try.....

MAIN POINT- God has set you above and called you out, why would you hold the accusations of the enemy over your faith.

(NLT) — 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

(NLT) — 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

KEY- You are that burning stick that has been pulled out of the fire… This represents the remnant that was close to being destroyed but has been pulled out just in time.

CHALLENGE- Don’t let your burns determine your future… Don’t let your burdens redirect your purpose… Don’t let your hurts stop you.

You have a choice today to acknowledge who you are in Christ, and be his dreamer or be the enemies cynic.

(NLT) — 3 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. 4 So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

ILLUSTRATION- Showing up extremely underdressed.

KEY- Here we see Joshua is standing in a place of judgement and all his mistakes are visible.

KEY- Think of what it would be like if you wore your sin so its obvious to everyone of your mistakes… all the things you looked at, all the things you said, all the times you lied, all the things you thought, all the things you stole, all the idols you made, all the times you rejected God…

DEFINE- The Hebrew word for filthy is the word “soim” which means disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter.

KEY- …And here we have Joshua standing in this place of judgment, and note that his clothes were judged by God. This is why he gave them new ones.

KEY POINT- God judges sin and deems it unfitting for his people. This is why he gave you a way to get rid of it.

(NLT) — 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

The dreamer takes grace and utilizes it so they can change the world, but the cynic says I don’t need to change.

(NLT) — 7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

KEY- You can not know your purpose if you don’t follow God’s ways.

KEY- If you do what God has called you to do and be who God has called you to be, when the time is right you’ll be exactly where you need to be for God’s assignment to find you.

(NLT) — 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.

When God called Samuel he was serving a priest who lost his passion…

When God called David he was tending sheep…

When God called Elisha he was plaguing a field…

KEY POINT- David found the heart of God in isolation and preparation, the thing Saul never had.

POINT- Don’t mistake your lack of promotion for punishment, it’s possible God is just grooming you to take down a giant.

BUT… Cynics can’t see this....

KEY POINT- A cynic can’t see growth where there was not already growth, but dreamers can see growth before anything is planted.

(NLT) — 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

(NLT) — 8 “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.

DEFINE- The Hebrew word for branch is the word semah meaning to sprout forth… But if you look closer it says “The Branch” the word Semah is used in this way 12 other times in scripture. When Semah is used in this way it is the title of the future king from the lineage tree of David, who is Jesus Christ the savior of the world!

You see when God lays out his plan you see God uses proses, he uses steps.

QUESTION- At the fulfillment of your purpose are people going to see Jesus or see you?

QUESTION- What do people see when they see you?

KEY- In light of Jesus I can look at David’s life and see a representation of Jesus all the way through it.

QUESTION- When revival hits your friends and they find Jesus will they realize you were representing Jesus this whole time.

ILLUSTRATION- Story of mistaken identity.

(NLT) — 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

(NLT) — 10 “And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”

POINT- I am way more interested with what my God is going to do then what has happened in my past.

KEY- Joshua’s father was a priest while in exile, and his grandfather was a priest right before the exile… What example did Joshua have for being who he was supposed to be.

POINT- My history is not a catalyst for how my God operates.

CHALLENGE- Make it right today.

MAIN POINT- There is more to come than what you are standing on.

POINT- Our God is super natural.

KEY VERSE- (NLT) — 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

CHALLENGE- Are you maxing out your dreams?

I believe that there are some here who have given up on their faith, some who have given up on believing God for big things…

I am asking you tonight, do you want to be a cynic or a dreamer?

Dreamers & Cynics

1. Dreamers Utilize Grace - Cynics take grace for granted.

2. Dreamers walk out their purpose - Cynics waste away their purpose.

3. Dreamers point to Jesus - Cynics distract from Jesus.

4. Dreamers look ahead - Cynics look behind.

Conclusion…