TOWARD EMOTIONAL-SPIRITUAL HEALTH: VISION

TOWARD EMOTIONAL-SPIRITUAL HEALTH: VISION Philippians 3:10-14 November  28, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory As you read this section of the letter of Paul to the Philippians, one thing about Paul stands out very clearly--he is a man with a vision. He is absolutely convinced he understands who he is, what he is here for and how he is to get it done. Could that be said of you? That you know who you are, why you are here and how you are to get there? Many people stumble through life with only a vague idea of these things--who they are, what they are to do and how to do it. I want to suggest right off that if you have a clear, unshakable idea of who you are, what you are to do and how to do it, you are not only blessed and more fulfilled as a human being, but you also have that one, elusive, all-important ingredient to mental and emotional health that can give you wisdom about your past, balance and perspective in your present and hope for your future. You have vision. What gave depth of character and the drive to continue in the face of overwhelming odds to the likes of Abraham, Moses, David, Nehemiah and Paul? Vision! The great leaders of history all had it: from Alexander the Great to Alexander Solzenitsyn, from Napoleon to MacArthur, from Christopher Columbus to Charles Lindbergh, from Winston Churchill to John F. Kennedy, from the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to the giant and successful moguls of technology today. They had this one thing in common: vision. Philip Knight had a crazy idea in the early 1960's. He decided he would sell imported running shoes from the back of his station wagon in Portland, Oregon. As an auditor he was financially astute and figured he could make money by purchasing shoes from Japan and selling them in the U.S. his shoes were improved in the later part of 1963 when he was joined in this venture by his college coach. Coach William Bowerman modified the imported shoes to make them better. Nike is now worth billions of dollars, but their start-up investment was just $1,000. When it comes to vision, the most important thing to remember is Just do it! Of course there were others in history who had vision, visions that were less than honorable, treacherous even--Hitler, Lenin, Saddam Hussein. These were men with vision, too. The fact that, even if their vision was unhealthy, it still drove them to remarkable, though infamous, accomplishments, is another evidence that vision is critical to success. Each individual and each culture must define what is worthwhile pursuing, but once the valued target is identified, and the vision is birthed, there is no stopping the leader with a vision. But let's bring our focus to what the apostle Paul taught and modeled. He was a man with an admirable and godly vision--he was to do whatever he needed to do to take the gospel to the gentile world. For him it meant giving up everything of apparent value in his life to that point, but he said, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. (Phil. 3:8) That vision drove him to personal denial and radical change. He said, I discipline my body daily and I become all things to all men so that by any means I might save some. Paul was a man with great vision. As the Holy Spirit trained that vision and empowered him he became the great apostle for the Lord. What is vision? Among the many good definitions, I like the one offered by George Barna: Vision is a clear mental portrait of a preferable future....based on an accurate understanding of God, self and circumstances. I want to suggest that it is not just historic leaders who need or benefit from having vision, but each of us will find ourselves more focused, alive and fulfilled when we find and pursue our vision. You will be happier, better adjusted and mentally and emotionally healthier when you discover the vision God has for you. What will vision do for you? First, vision will give you focused direction. The late Supreme court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, was on a train years ago when the conductor came through collecting tickets. Holmes was unable to locate his ticket and became very distraught. The conductor tried to reassure him, saying, "Mr. Holmes, don't worry. When you find your ticket, just mail it in. We trust you." But Holmes responded in continued frustration, "My dear man, that's not my problem. I need my ticket to tell me where I am going." In many ways, if we don't hear from God about how He has gifted and called us, and just what He wants us to do, we'll just be riding along. You need to know where you are going in your life--you need purpose and direction--you need a vision. And if you are a Christian, you need to get that vision and direction from no one else but God. Proverbs 29:18 is a familiar quote in the King James: Without a vision, the people perish. But the better translation of that verse is the NIV: When there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint. The fact is that, until we know where God wants us to go, all of our going is futile and pointless. If Jesus is your Lord, and you have not received from Him a revelation of what He is doing and how you are a unique part of that vision, you're just riding along. Vision will give you "focused direction", but it will also Vision will give you that necessary sense of identity and purpose. Lily Tomlin once said, "I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever thought, "Until I get to know who I am, and what I am supposed to do, I am not going to be much use to anybody!" Certainly, part of the answer to that is to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and understand, first, just how important you are to Him. Then, search out God's intended purpose for yourself. Once you understand who you are in Him and what He has planned for you to do for Him, you will experience and irreplaceable sense of fulfillment. There is great freedom and joy in knowing your calling in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-10 says that God saved you by His grace through your faith in Jesus Christ, and it was nothing more or less than a pure gift from Him. But verse ten gives you the "purpose" for His saving you--that verse says, for you are His WORKMANSHIP (His "work of art"), created in Christ Jesus TO DO GOOD WORKS which God prepared in advance for us to do. In my 29 years as a Christian I have come to understand there are two kinds of those "good works" for you as a Christian. The first good works are those virtuous and holy activities the Lord called every Christian to do (they're all over the New Testament)--love, forgive, bless, help, serve, and so on. These are the "universal" good works that every believer is called to do and equipped by the Holy Spirit with the power to do. The second kind of good works are those you are uniquely good at, because God created those good works especially for you. And do you know how you discover those? You just go about your business as a Christian, doing all the good works God wants you and every Christian to engage in, and suddenly you'll stumble into something that you'll suddenly know is your specialty. You'll feel extra good about these works, you'll be confirmed that you are doing these works very well--you're a natural! And you'll say to yourself, "Now those are GOOD good works that I should walk in! That's my groove!" And everybody who is in Christ is gifted and outfitted for some special work. Everybody in the body has some unique roles to play to make the rest of the body of Christ more efficient, productive and whole. There is the story about a huge barbecue that was thrown as a fundraiser to get Senator Snuffelump reelected. When it came time to go through the line for the food, the good Senator was among the first in the line. When the server put one piece of chicken on his plate, he said he'd like two, please. The lady responded that nobody got two pieces until everybody got one--that was her orders. The proud man was not to be put off so easily, so he said, "Maybe you don't understand who I am--I am the Senator in whose honor this party is given. Now I'd like another piece of chicken!" The woman looked him in the eye and said, "And maybe you don't understand who I am--I'm the lady who hands out the chicken, and you only get one piece!" Vision gives you "focused direction" and "identity and purpose," but Vision will give your life MOTIVATION. Once you know your purpose and goal in life, you will never be the same. It will give you energy. No matter what your particular calling is in the kingdom of God, once you understand what exactly He wants you to do, there is a spiritual energy that will come upon you. Now there are a lot of people who are lethargic all around you. They have a ho-hum attitude about life, where they are going and even about God. it's a shame to have to admit it, but even many Christians lead unchallenged, unmotivated lives. They lack a life-giving, energy-inducing vision! It doesn't make any difference what your calling is--you may be the woman who hands out the chicken, but, if it's your calling, God will grant you tons of satisfaction and fulfillment doing what it is He has called you to do. In the critical days of World War II, when England was in great crisis, Winston Churchill called a meeting of laborers and labor leaders to share with them the facts about the crippling shortage of coal. His object was to boost their morale and to get even more productivity out of the already tired and overworked coal workers. He closed his speech by asking the workers to picture in their minds a parade which would surely be held in Piccalilli Circus after the war was over. There would come the men of the Royal Navy whom everyone would know had kept the vital sea lanes open. There would pass the Army who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa and fight under Montgomery in Berlin. There would come the Air Force who had driven the Luftwaffe out of the sky and beat them at their own game. Then, he said, last of all, there would come a great host of sweat-stained, soot streaked miners. Someone would cry out from the crowd, "Where were you?" And from ten thousand throats would come the answer: "we were deep in the earth with our faces against the coal." Churchill sat down, while hundreds of labor leaders cheered wildly, and then went on, encouraged and challenged, to provide the needed coal. My friend in Christ, if you lack motivation in your work for Him, if you feel like no kingdom work looks like good works, if you're just ready to throw in the towel and confess you will probably never feel like you'll measure up, then, you need vision. You need to re-visit biblical texts like this one and get challenged once again by the high calling of the Christian. And you need a fresh, personal word from the Lord about your calling. When you get that word, when you know that vision, nothing will deter you. Look a little closer at Paul's words as he passionately sets before his readers what really matters to him the most--the guiding principle of his life, and, in general, that of every Christian. This is the vision we all have in common with each other as Christians. Paul said in verses 10-11, I want to know Christ, I want to know the power of his resurrection and I want to know the fellowship of his sufferings. In essence, he said, I want to become as much like Christ as I humanly can, so I want a deep intimacy with Him in the Spirit, and I want to serve Him in power-- the power that only He can give me--resurrection power in my life, and I want to do whatever it takes, endure whatever sufferings, just as He did, in order to advance the kingdom of God in this world, and in my life. Next, in verse 12, he admits he has not attained his vision yet. He knows that is what he is destined for, because it was Paul whom the Holy Spirit moved to write in Romans 8:29, we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. And he says, "I'm not there yet." "But," he says, I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. He is saying, I was apprehended by Jesus to play an important part of His glorious plan, and I am going to keep moving forward to do it, no matter what. He had already faced beatings, imprisonment, harassment, shipwrecks and all kinds of other difficulties, but, he said, I am pressing on! Whatever it takes, I am committed to accomplishing that for which Jesus called me. He virtually repeats himself in verse 13, when he says, Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: I press on. Notice what "pressing on" entails in verse 13--two behaviors: Behavior #1 - Forgetting what is behind... Paul says, "I refuse to live in the past." Brothers and sisters, if we want to arrive at all that Christ has for us, and do all He has for us to do, we cannot live in the past. The past is already gone, and there is danger in continuing to live in it. What is the danger of the past? There are three dangers: nostalgia, guilt and complacency. Have you ever known someone who is always saying, "Man, back in the good old days..." or "I remember when this church was really on fire..." or "If things could just be like they were back then, I would be more than ready to serve..." There is nothing but sickness in dwelling on the past. There is no room for nostalgia in the heart of the committed Christian.for those who serve the Lord the past is only a place where lessons were learned and where foundations were laid. there is much more to be done in the NOW. For others, the danger of the past is GUILT. It seems all some people can think about are their mistakes and failures in the past. Listen, if you are hung up on the guilt of your past, you are under Satan's spell. He is the "accuser of the brethren" and he considers it a wonderful privilege to keep you under the oppression of guilt! Look at his tactic--he is keeping you convinced that you are nothing because of your past mistakes, and all the while the Holy Spirit is trying to get through to you with the truth that all of that is forgiven in the blood of Jesus! God has buried your miserable past in the sea of His forgetfulness, and is urging you to lay hold of your present treasure. You are forgiven, and you are called to service for the King of Glory! Stop visiting the dead past and get busy in the living present! Nobody wants you wallowing in that guilt slop except the devil. Jesus says, "We've already taken care of that--you are in Christ and you are a NEW CREATION--old things have passed away and BEHOLD, all things are new! The third danger of the past is even more dangerous than guilt--and that is COMPLACENCY. Complacency is the belief that you have already arrived, or that at least you've done more than other people. Now it's time to rest, and let someone else work. That is a dastardly deception! And Paul's whole point in sharing his testimony about how good a religious guy he had been was to show that, unless we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ RIGHT NOW, there is absolutely no value in past accomplishments. Lee Iacocca was a true American hero at one time. He engineered Chrysler's comeback in the early 80's.And it was a truly remarkable accomplishment. But, once he did that he got complacent, and he and Chrysler, suffered major setbacks. Eugene Jennings professor of business at Michigan State University, studied Iacocca's life more than perhaps anyone else. His analysis? "He is at his best when he is climbing the mountain. He gets careless when he's on top." Paul said we must understand that 1) we have not arrived, and 2) we are still climbing. There can be no room for the pride that is complacency in the Christian life. I want to bring a serious and solemn warning to this congregation once again: the Lord has blessed us by leading us to a new worship and training facility, and we will be making an important move in December. But we must remember two things: 1) this is only a step in accomplishing the vision the Lord has put before us--so don't become complacent (and the same holds true when we build Phase One, then Phase Two and Phase Three, and whatever else the Lord leads us to), and 2) most importantly, we are in the business of people, not property. Christ has called this congregation to DRAW PEOPLE to salvation in Jesus Christ, to DEVELOP PEOPLE to maturity in Christ, and to DEPLOY PEOPLE into ministry for Jesus Christ. It is ministry, service, loving people, EVANGELISM AND EDIFICATION of PEOPLE that is of paramount importance, and buildings and facilities are way down the line in importance. The first behavior of "pressing on" as people of vision is "Forgetting what is past" Behavior #2 - Straining toward what is ahead Paul said, "All that occupies my thinking is how I can reach more people for Jesus, how I can plant new churches in new cities around the Roman empire, how I can help those churches to stay strong and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. And that is what I keep reaching for." Paul said that nothing in the past is important any more (the good, the bad, or the ugly), and all that is in my present is bent toward the future. I press on, straining toward what is ahead. Paul was a true visionary--to him all that matters is what is yet to come, and all he did was a straining toward that vision. God has given this church a vision. We have a common mission with every other life-giving congregation on the planet--to make disciples of all peoples, to baptize them and to go on teaching them. That is the mission of the Church of Jesus wherever the church is, and in whatever form. But the game plans of congregations differ, according to what He has specifically called those congregations to be and do in the work of the mission. While we affirm all other church work and styles of ministry that are dedicated to saving and perfecting people in Christ, we are committed to getting that job done by planting, staffing and encouraging small groups of believers (we call cells) all over the metro area, equipping these groups of believers to get the mission done. Why do we do it this way? Because the Lord gave us a specific vision- to see the people of God as a kingdom of priests and to encourage them to serve in a medium where they can share in meaningful fellowship (intimacy and accountability) and reach their neighbors and friends with the help of their close brothers and sisters in Christ. He told us to work hard at raising up and training leaders who would never surface in any other large group setting and release them into ministry among Christian people and their relatives and friends who are not yet Christians. He told us to establish small groups as the primary ministry venue--groups small enough for meaningful relationships, but just big enough to reach and teach people as effectively as did the house groups in the early church. Finally, the Lord told us He wanted to establish 1,000 such groups in the St. Louis metro-east area, which would actually meet and minister in 3,000 neighborhoods. That is humanly impossible--and I am so thankful it is. Because as we face the impossibility of it all, we are forced to pray and trust God to empower the work. I'm thankful for every setback we face, because it forces us to strain toward what is ahead and forget what is behind. And one day, as His faithful people, who are called to labor alongside us in this glorious vision, keep pressing on, the Lord Jesus will do what He said He would do. There's one more thing about a vision--it sets people free to serve. Once you know what you are called to do, there is no more worry or fear about "missing God" or doing the wrong thing. you are free to "press on". I was reminded a couple of weeks ago when Mary Lou Retton shared her testimony at the Billy Graham Crusade, of that day in the 1984 Olympics when she needed to win the vault to take the gold. By the time she reached her final vault, she had already earned enough points to know she had won the gold medal. But there was one vault yet to go. And this young lady, freed from the worry of having to do it right (because she'd already won), launched confidently into her approach to the vault and pulled off the perfect "10" in a spectacular display of talent. She didn't have to worry about anything--she was free to do her best. That's what vision will do for you, for us. Once you know what God has called you to do, and once you are confident that it will be His power that will get it done, and not your own, you are free to go for the gold. You can bet all your chips, throw yourself fully into the work, get fully captivated by the vision, give yourself 100%, forget what is behind, strain toward what is ahead and PRESS ON! Getting your vision from God 1. Come to him through Jesus 2. Grow deeper in the knowledge of His Word 3. Be filled with His Spirit (seek, invite) 4. Discover your identity (spiritual gifts and calling) a. through study of His Word b. through the leading of His Spirit c. through the counsel of the body of Christ d. through experiencing the full range of good works 5. Ask God fervently for His vision for you                   [Back to Top]