PURPOSE: 3B WRESTLING WITH PURPOSE
REVELATION THROUGH VISION
God reveals His mind. What a profound thing! God reveals His mind! But how?
Let’s take a logical course of action. Let’s refer to the most powerful illustration of revelation we have in Scripture- The Book of Revelation:
The Living Bible, in modern vernacular, opens this way:
Revelation 1:1 This book unveils some of the future activities soon to occur in the life of Jesus Christ. God permitted him to reveal these things to his servant John in a vision; …
In the original Greek, there are three different words used for ‘vision.’ In every case, the word conveys a sense of something ‘coming into view.’ A reality that wasn’t seen before - is now seen.
We witness God opening reality to seven different churches. But, what kinds of things were revealed through this vision? Let’s look at an example:
Rev 2:1-5
1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
(NIV)
God speaks to seven radically different churches, in seven very different circumstances. And yet, the vision reveals the same elements to each:
1) The reality of who they were, good and bad- their collective identity.
2) The reality of their circumstances- a God’s eye view of their time and place
3) The reality of a particular direction they must follow- their collective purpose.
4) The reality of what will happen if they do follow.
5) The reality of what will happen if they don’t follow.
And did you notice? –It wasn’t the ‘Church OF Ephesus’. It wasn’t the ‘Ephesus Community Church,’ it was the church IN Ephesus. Canaan Community Church is an institution to which many of us hold a loyalty. Canaan Community Church is a historical building we want to see preserved. But if we take a Biblical perspective- we see God’s vision really isn’t for ‘Canaan Community Church’ at all. He has a vision for each life in here, in context to the whole… each life in relation to all the others. God’s vision sees you when this place is a memory dimmed by a billion years in eternity. THAT- is the ‘golden lampstand’ IN Coatesville.
God reveals through vision. It is vision that gives us our real self-identity. It is vision that opens up the practical steps to our collective purpose. It is vision reveals the mind of God.
So what am I saying? -That until we all have a mystical experience, we are wasting our time? No, not at all- Scripture tells us God does communicate that way, but the instances are special and frankly, quite rare.
But the all-encompassing principle is this: Unless we all see things the way God sees them… unless we see through His eyes, we will not see things as they really are. And if we don’t see things as they really are- we cannot move ahead.
But when God’s vision becomes the quest, this is what it looks like:
We discover our principle purpose for being here. And this all-encompassing focus serves as a practical filter for everything we do. There will be no scattering in several directions. The left hand will know what the right hand is doing. And even more important, the left hand won’t resent what the right hand is doing. We will be of ‘one accord’ and bring glory instead of embarrassment to His name- which, unfortunately, too many churches do.
DISCUSSION TIME
GOD’S VISION IS REVEALED TO US WHEN WE START THINKING AS HE THINKS; HOW DO WE BEGIN TO THINK LIKE GOD?
WHAT DO YOU SENSE AS GOD’S VISION FOR YOUR CHURCH?
VISION THROUGH WRESTLING
Ø God’s vision is the answer- but how do we gain this kind of vision?
First, it is not something we work out in a day.
Gen 32:
24. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
25. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks.'' But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!''
27. So He said to him, "What is your name?'' And he said, "Jacob.''
And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.''
Imagine wrestling for that length of time! From the passage, we know this was a heavenly being. And we know, even in victory, this wrestling caused pain. But we also see the reward for refusing to let go. Jacob learned who he really was – no longer a mama’s boy who stole his brother’s inheritance. No longer Jacob, but Israel, the root of the greatest promise ever given a nation.
Ps 13:2-3
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? …
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes…
(NIV)
To know, to really know who we are- we must wrestle with God and refuse to let go. We need to wrestle with our circumstances; we even need to wrestle with ourselves. We need to wrestle with what’s positive, and what’s painful. (We must wrestle with the core of ourselves, our traditions, and what we truly value.)
Ps 13:5-6
But I trust in your unfailing love; …
[And when we do, we can expect something extraordinary.]
But first- We must wrestle with all these things and take them captive in real trust. And when Scripture talks about REAL trust, it means this:
Ø Really trusting that God has brought our particular mix of people together for a reason. That He is setting in motion, a particular work through us- specifically.
Ø Really trusting that God’s timeless truths are not so fragile that they cannot be applied in new ways. Not contemporary or traditional- but in that way which speaks to the heart.
Ø Really trusting that God is powerful and interested enough to lift us to His purpose.
For those of us who are happy watching from the sidelines, you can continue doing that. For those who get inspired about what might come… until it involves changing something you don’t want to change- you don’t have to change a thing. For those who claim to follow Christ even though major things in their lives say the opposite, those who have sensed God’s movement but quench it, those who are yet to have a truly honest moment with God- you can go on just as you are.
Here is the truth:
Only when we trust… and only when we trust the way God says to trust- can we expect what God promises. And what is that?
…my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
(NIV)
We can expect to celebrate in the good that will certainly come.
Do we have the courage to wrestle? Do we really have the heart to grab hold of God and say, “Lord, I will not let go until you bless me.”
Moving ahead comes from unity. And unity comes from a legitimate, collective purpose. And collective purpose comes through revelation. And revelation comes through vision.
A CHALLENGE FOR CLOSING THE CLASS
This morning, as the class closes in prayer, ask for these things:
Ø Let each of us ask God to reveal to us who we really are- individually, and as a church
Ø Let each of us ask God to reveal the details of His purpose for us- this particular mix of His people.
Ø Let us ask God to reveal what needs to be revealed- openly and honestly.
©2007 Kevin Thompson, pastor,
Canaan Community Church
Coatesville, IN