What is a Vision

Good morning Church, and welcome to a new week and almost a new year, we have had a lot of new this last few months so why stop now. I have something exciting that I want to share with you, but I don’t know if you are ready. I know God is ready to work through you to a big thing. With much prayer and study and with the help of the Leadership, God has crafted a vision for our congregation. A what? A vision is simply a direction and a focus for our part of the Church here in Kaw Valley. A vision is a revealing or revelation of God’s mission just like in the book of Revelation especially in 21:3-4 where Jesus reveals the final vision for all Christians, he says:

Revelation 21:1–4 NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Pray

Alright I am going to need a couple of volunteers. (Set-up people) Now I want you both to go in the same direction. Pretty difficult to do, especially without being able to see huh? This is like a congregation without a vision. Now, let me remove the blindfolds, now head in the same direction. You see when we have vision, it creates clarity, direction and focus for our congregation. Direction and focus help us to stay on task with the great commission and our vision is derived directly from the great commission, which we read every week and it includes

I. Seeing the Unseen -

Revelation 21:1 NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

1. Clarify

a. Jesus tells us he will come back

Mark 13:31–33 NIV

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

b. John clarifies the vision in revelation - vs 1

c. Gives us a visual hope and destination

2. Unify

a. All a royal priesthood

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

b. God selected us on purpose for a purpose

i. vision helps to seal that purpose

ii. Everyone knows what McDonalds does and Wal-Mart does and Bed Bath and Beyond (well no one knows beyond)

(volunteers)

iii. People must know us for our vision and mission

II. Doing the Impossible

Revelation 21:2 NIV

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

1. Direct

a. Know where we are going

b. Know where God is

2. Believe

a. God can move mountains

b. He can use anyone

3. Faith

a. Seeing what is unseen and making it seen

b. Stepping out into the most impossible

i. Have you ever set impossible goals for yourself?

c. Never know what’s possible until you test faith

i. Seen the impossible possible with God

ii. Military and Tornado - Whiteman

iii. Difficult we do now, the impossible just take a little longer

III. Letting God Be Big

Revelation 21:3–4 NIV

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

1. Bigger than me

a. Bigger than my thoughts and ways

Isaiah 55:8 NIV

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

b. Bigger than I can imagine

i. David

ii. Peter

2. Bigger than my faith

a. That’s what makes my faith big

1 Peter 2:2–5 NIV

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

b. Abraham’s faith

i. Struggled but grew

ii. All the way to the point he trusted God with his son

Genesis 22:7–8 NIV

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

b. Jesus faith brought Him to through the cross

i. To Resurrection/brought the kingdom

ii. Saved the people

Conclusion:

God is bigger and He can work bigger through each and every one of us if we are willing. I have already seen God move in this place and in this town and in this community of Kaw Valley. I have seen God’s love poured out, his healings have come and His mercies have been made known. But what about our vision you ask? Well, I am gonna keep you wondering for at least one more week because I want you to pray and I want you to study and I want your heart to be ready for what God has prepared for us to do. So this week I am going to challenge you to pray about this vision and mission maybe even do a little fasting so might be prepared for it, just like Moses calling on the people to ready themselves, I want you to ready yourselves for this great work God is going to do.

I want to close with this, because vision will take maturity and require us to grow so from 1 Cor 13:11

1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

Pray