CALL TO WORSHIP: Romans
8:35-39
This week we started up again this past Tuesday men�s half court basketball. It has consistently been advertised as "low intensity, low competition, all for fun. If high competition and intensity is your style, this is not for you. Monday nights high energy, high competition leagues are for you.
A. Well a torn Achilles tendon and a fractured skull later in two our Tuesday night guys, we�ve been mercilessly teased we need to send any guys who need a break and some healing to Monday nights.
B. Guess who�s the one who publicly prayed for safety, encouragement and fun before we started. I�m re-thinking (Jas 5:16) "The prayer of a righteous man… C. Here�s my point: a small group of men have had a vision for what half-court basketball SHOULD be. What it was, in reality, the first night didn�t exactly match.
II. This is true of a lot of visions and dreams we have: they don�t match reality. Restored vision is a key to restoring reality. Andy Stanley has written a Christian bestseller called Vision Leaks. If we don�t guard our visions and dreams, they�ll easily evaporate like a morning fog under the hot sun of stresses, discouragements and people who want to deflate our dreams. They�ll leak under small and the intense pressures of life.
Vision leaks.
A. What I want us to think about today is how our vision for what kind of life Jesus promised can leak, and sometimes leak badly. And how restoring the vision can help restore the reality.
B. I believe our expectations, our vision, for the kind of Christian life we can live have been lowered for all kinds of reasons. The one I�m trying to remedy today is to show you in God�s Word a clear picture of the kind of life Jesus promised, to restore your vision. I believe that picture has gotten cloudy for too many reasons to explore. Some fault teaching. Some faulty thinking on our part. The Word of God can help restore that vision for the life in Christ, the abundant life He promised. A restored vision is necessary for a restored reality, practice.
C. Paul paints a clear picture of this abundant life in (Rom 8): we ARE "More than conquerors through Him [Christ] who loved us (35-37 PB 812 ).
1. That may�ve been true in our early days when our first love fires were kindled hot for Jesus. But then time dimmed that first love fire Jesus talks about in (Rev 2): "I have this against you; you�ve forsaken your first love.
2. Hannah W Smith, Quaker author of yesteryear wrote: "Your victories have been few and fleeting, your defeats many and disastrous. If I really believe the promise of (Rom 8:38-39), then why does Jesus often seem so far away, and I feel so alone?
3. We have been told Jesus is the Savior of my soul and forgiver of my sins. We buy that. But the vision I�m more than a conqueror over sin, I�m no longer a slave to sin, doesn�t match my experience. Too often sin calls the shots and is in control in my life. Has your vision leaked that sin no longer has to rule in your life (Rom 6:1-7, 14a).
D. Peter was in complete agreement saying we should walk in Jesus own steps, being dead to sin (I Pet 2:21-22, 24 P E. Jesus Himself raised our sights up to new heights after we invite Him into our lives. He held out a vision of a life brimming to overflow with living water that will BOTH refresh us AND heal many others (Jn 7:37-39a P ).
1. Does that vision match reality for you? You�ve taken that drink of the Holy Spirit and His presence was good, filling. But it�s been awhile since His overflowing presence and power surged through us. This vision has leaked.
2. I just rode to Pittsburgh with my daughter as chauffer. Nice! Before we left town I offered to gas up her little SUV. After we stopped by the bank to get a loan for the fill up, I said: "How�s the air and oil? She said she�d just had her oil changed, but when they did they said one tire was low. I checked it. Ten pounds low…in two weeks. That�s a leak to
serious to ignore.
3. Do you have a leak in your vision for the abundant life Christ promised that�s too serious to ignore?
F. John the beloved apostle tries to plug the leak that had happened to his own people. He raise tried to restore their/our vision for the abundant life, quoting Jesus defining His mission for why He came to earth for man. Jesus came to make us sons and give His abundant life "to all who receive Him and believe in His name (Jn 1:12); to give life MORE abundant…to the FULL (Jn 10:10 P ).
G. Later in John�s letter (I Jn 3:8-9), clearly the spotlight is on Jesus coming to DESTROY the devil�s work, which means allow sin to rule. Are we cooperating with or fighting this purpose? The Bible says "He saves to the uttermost…(KJV), He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them… (Heb 7:25), and "…greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world (I Jn
4:4). Has that vision leaked of Jesus continuous intercession for you? Of His victory over sin and Satan…of His "SAVING COMPLETELY. III. The illustration I�ve used of the house where you�ve got one room that you�ve hidden from Christ (and people) that needs to be cleaned out. I don�t like that illustration near as much as before, because I think it makes us think we can hide stuff from people and from Jesus. It makes us think we can keep these little sins compartmentalized in some hidden room of our life and it won�t really bother anyone much.
A. I don�t think that anymore. I believe the vision we ought to have for our house/life is to fill every room so full of Jesus we�re influenced by Him all the time.
B. That is NOT sinless perfection because our "house still resides in some pretty messed up neighborhoods (Jn 17:15-18), and the sin that it out there will still pelt the o outside of our house with dirt bombs, so that it�s still possible to fall at times. But the WHOLE house is under new management. It all belongs to Jesus. We�ve lost that vision. You don�t have these hidden, dark rooms; you don�t HAVE to have them.
C. Jesus shows that many times, but best in His parable of the house swept clean that must be FILLED with the Holy Spirit or evil will come in (Lk 11:24-26). The context of this passage, see (vs. 9-17) is the filling of the Holy Spirit because "a house divided…will fall. ( v. 17 P )
IV. When Jesus arrived on earth to fulfill His mission, the prophet Zachariah said (Lk 1:68-75, P v. 74-75). Our greatest enemy is Satan and sin, which Jesus defeated on the cross.
A. This is a promise of REDEMPTION. Jesus is called our "Redeemer. Do you know that word? It literally means to buy a slave off the auction block, to pay the ransom for a prisoner.
1. What if one of your children had been kidnapped and sold into slavery as happens in many countries of the world today, especially to many Christian children? But you heard the slave traders would sell him back to you IF you could arrange the price. You agreed to pay the full ransom price for freedom. You paid it. But then they said: "No we still get him on the weekends. You�ve paid the full price and you demand he is totally freed. That�s what Jesus did for us (Rom 6: 11-18). He�s not satisfied to have you only partially free from the rule and reign of sin in your life. He wants you "saved to the uttermost, completely free.
2. Can sin still tempt you? Yes. Can you fall? Yes. But you are a free man and that is your choice. You are also free not to go back to slavery because the full price has been paid.
3. JB used the analogy after the Emancipation Proclamation some slaves had been slaves so long they didn�t know how to live as free men.
Slavery actually felt more secure and familiar. Because they�d been slaves so long they didn�t have a vision for what freedom looked like. The Bible gives us that vision for what freedom from slavery to sin looks like for us (2 Pet 1:3 P ; Eph 1:19-20; 3:16).
B. Paul held up the vision of a glorious church, a bride dressed in white. We all know in our hearts what white stands for (Eph 5:25-27). We have tried to explain this glorious picture away at times by projecting it onto the future second coming of Christ for His Bride. But in making it future only, we show our vision has leaked, AND we make it harder to be this holy Bride He longs to return for.
C. NO! The Savior and His salvation has made it possible to be this holy Bride right now (Tit 2:11-14) Some will not like this teaching saying it�s too impossible (v. 15). But it is. Our vision has leaked. [B.I. OPT END HERE].
V. Back to HW Smith�s vision for the Christian�s abundant life: "You Christians seem to have a religion that makes you miserable. You are like a man with a headache. He does not want to get rid of his head, but it hurts him to keep it. You cannot expect outsiders to seek very earnestly for anything so uncomfortable. So she wrote in her book The Christian�s Secret Of A Happy Life, written in 1870 as one of publishing giant, Fleming Revell�s first books. It has since sold over 2 million copies, because, as her publisher put it: "She took the gloom out of the Gospel. A. How about you? Do you and the way you reflect Jesus to the world take the gloom out of the Gospel? Or do they see you bound, imprisoned by the same things they are: fears, bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, and doubts? Are you worried and sick, hurried and stressed? Do they see you bound up in rules, uptight, judgmental? Do they see us shackled by the same sins they are?
B. The Christian�s Secret of A Happy Life is for you. It is none other than the abundant life Jesus promised in (John 10:10). Has this vision leaked? A restored vision is needed for a restored reality. Ask the Lord to help you restore the vision of the life He promised.
This week we started up again this past Tuesday men�s half court basketball. It has consistently been advertised as "low intensity, low competition, all for fun. If high competition and intensity is your style, this is not for you. Monday nights high energy, high competition leagues are for you.
A. Well a torn Achilles tendon and a fractured skull later in two our Tuesday night guys, we�ve been mercilessly teased we need to send any guys who need a break and some healing to Monday nights.
B. Guess who�s the one who publicly prayed for safety, encouragement and fun before we started. I�m re-thinking (Jas 5:16) "The prayer of a righteous man… C. Here�s my point: a small group of men have had a vision for what half-court basketball SHOULD be. What it was, in reality, the first night didn�t exactly match.
II. This is true of a lot of visions and dreams we have: they don�t match reality. Restored vision is a key to restoring reality. Andy Stanley has written a Christian bestseller called Vision Leaks. If we don�t guard our visions and dreams, they�ll easily evaporate like a morning fog under the hot sun of stresses, discouragements and people who want to deflate our dreams. They�ll leak under small and the intense pressures of life.
Vision leaks.
A. What I want us to think about today is how our vision for what kind of life Jesus promised can leak, and sometimes leak badly. And how restoring the vision can help restore the reality.
B. I believe our expectations, our vision, for the kind of Christian life we can live have been lowered for all kinds of reasons. The one I�m trying to remedy today is to show you in God�s Word a clear picture of the kind of life Jesus promised, to restore your vision. I believe that picture has gotten cloudy for too many reasons to explore. Some fault teaching. Some faulty thinking on our part. The Word of God can help restore that vision for the life in Christ, the abundant life He promised. A restored vision is necessary for a restored reality, practice.
C. Paul paints a clear picture of this abundant life in (Rom 8): we ARE "More than conquerors through Him [Christ] who loved us (35-37 PB 812 ).
1. That may�ve been true in our early days when our first love fires were kindled hot for Jesus. But then time dimmed that first love fire Jesus talks about in (Rev 2): "I have this against you; you�ve forsaken your first love.
2. Hannah W Smith, Quaker author of yesteryear wrote: "Your victories have been few and fleeting, your defeats many and disastrous. If I really believe the promise of (Rom 8:38-39), then why does Jesus often seem so far away, and I feel so alone?
3. We have been told Jesus is the Savior of my soul and forgiver of my sins. We buy that. But the vision I�m more than a conqueror over sin, I�m no longer a slave to sin, doesn�t match my experience. Too often sin calls the shots and is in control in my life. Has your vision leaked that sin no longer has to rule in your life (Rom 6:1-7, 14a).
D. Peter was in complete agreement saying we should walk in Jesus own steps, being dead to sin (I Pet 2:21-22, 24 P E. Jesus Himself raised our sights up to new heights after we invite Him into our lives. He held out a vision of a life brimming to overflow with living water that will BOTH refresh us AND heal many others (Jn 7:37-39a P ).
1. Does that vision match reality for you? You�ve taken that drink of the Holy Spirit and His presence was good, filling. But it�s been awhile since His overflowing presence and power surged through us. This vision has leaked.
2. I just rode to Pittsburgh with my daughter as chauffer. Nice! Before we left town I offered to gas up her little SUV. After we stopped by the bank to get a loan for the fill up, I said: "How�s the air and oil? She said she�d just had her oil changed, but when they did they said one tire was low. I checked it. Ten pounds low…in two weeks. That�s a leak to
serious to ignore.
3. Do you have a leak in your vision for the abundant life Christ promised that�s too serious to ignore?
F. John the beloved apostle tries to plug the leak that had happened to his own people. He raise tried to restore their/our vision for the abundant life, quoting Jesus defining His mission for why He came to earth for man. Jesus came to make us sons and give His abundant life "to all who receive Him and believe in His name (Jn 1:12); to give life MORE abundant…to the FULL (Jn 10:10 P ).
G. Later in John�s letter (I Jn 3:8-9), clearly the spotlight is on Jesus coming to DESTROY the devil�s work, which means allow sin to rule. Are we cooperating with or fighting this purpose? The Bible says "He saves to the uttermost…(KJV), He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them… (Heb 7:25), and "…greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world (I Jn
4:4). Has that vision leaked of Jesus continuous intercession for you? Of His victory over sin and Satan…of His "SAVING COMPLETELY. III. The illustration I�ve used of the house where you�ve got one room that you�ve hidden from Christ (and people) that needs to be cleaned out. I don�t like that illustration near as much as before, because I think it makes us think we can hide stuff from people and from Jesus. It makes us think we can keep these little sins compartmentalized in some hidden room of our life and it won�t really bother anyone much.
A. I don�t think that anymore. I believe the vision we ought to have for our house/life is to fill every room so full of Jesus we�re influenced by Him all the time.
B. That is NOT sinless perfection because our "house still resides in some pretty messed up neighborhoods (Jn 17:15-18), and the sin that it out there will still pelt the o outside of our house with dirt bombs, so that it�s still possible to fall at times. But the WHOLE house is under new management. It all belongs to Jesus. We�ve lost that vision. You don�t have these hidden, dark rooms; you don�t HAVE to have them.
C. Jesus shows that many times, but best in His parable of the house swept clean that must be FILLED with the Holy Spirit or evil will come in (Lk 11:24-26). The context of this passage, see (vs. 9-17) is the filling of the Holy Spirit because "a house divided…will fall. ( v. 17 P )
IV. When Jesus arrived on earth to fulfill His mission, the prophet Zachariah said (Lk 1:68-75, P v. 74-75). Our greatest enemy is Satan and sin, which Jesus defeated on the cross.
A. This is a promise of REDEMPTION. Jesus is called our "Redeemer. Do you know that word? It literally means to buy a slave off the auction block, to pay the ransom for a prisoner.
1. What if one of your children had been kidnapped and sold into slavery as happens in many countries of the world today, especially to many Christian children? But you heard the slave traders would sell him back to you IF you could arrange the price. You agreed to pay the full ransom price for freedom. You paid it. But then they said: "No we still get him on the weekends. You�ve paid the full price and you demand he is totally freed. That�s what Jesus did for us (Rom 6: 11-18). He�s not satisfied to have you only partially free from the rule and reign of sin in your life. He wants you "saved to the uttermost, completely free.
2. Can sin still tempt you? Yes. Can you fall? Yes. But you are a free man and that is your choice. You are also free not to go back to slavery because the full price has been paid.
3. JB used the analogy after the Emancipation Proclamation some slaves had been slaves so long they didn�t know how to live as free men.
Slavery actually felt more secure and familiar. Because they�d been slaves so long they didn�t have a vision for what freedom looked like. The Bible gives us that vision for what freedom from slavery to sin looks like for us (2 Pet 1:3 P ; Eph 1:19-20; 3:16).
B. Paul held up the vision of a glorious church, a bride dressed in white. We all know in our hearts what white stands for (Eph 5:25-27). We have tried to explain this glorious picture away at times by projecting it onto the future second coming of Christ for His Bride. But in making it future only, we show our vision has leaked, AND we make it harder to be this holy Bride He longs to return for.
C. NO! The Savior and His salvation has made it possible to be this holy Bride right now (Tit 2:11-14) Some will not like this teaching saying it�s too impossible (v. 15). But it is. Our vision has leaked. [B.I. OPT END HERE].
V. Back to HW Smith�s vision for the Christian�s abundant life: "You Christians seem to have a religion that makes you miserable. You are like a man with a headache. He does not want to get rid of his head, but it hurts him to keep it. You cannot expect outsiders to seek very earnestly for anything so uncomfortable. So she wrote in her book The Christian�s Secret Of A Happy Life, written in 1870 as one of publishing giant, Fleming Revell�s first books. It has since sold over 2 million copies, because, as her publisher put it: "She took the gloom out of the Gospel. A. How about you? Do you and the way you reflect Jesus to the world take the gloom out of the Gospel? Or do they see you bound, imprisoned by the same things they are: fears, bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, and doubts? Are you worried and sick, hurried and stressed? Do they see you bound up in rules, uptight, judgmental? Do they see us shackled by the same sins they are?
B. The Christian�s Secret of A Happy Life is for you. It is none other than the abundant life Jesus promised in (John 10:10). Has this vision leaked? A restored vision is needed for a restored reality. Ask the Lord to help you restore the vision of the life He promised.
4/6/08 AM
Service
"Vision Leaks
(Romans 8:35-39)
Pastor Rick Sams
"Vision Leaks
(Romans 8:35-39)
Pastor Rick Sams
BIG IDEA: A restored
vision is necessary for a restored reality, practice, of living the abundant
life in Christ that He promised
