Embracing God's Vision: Trust, Leadership, and Faith

 

Summary

The sermon begins with the pastor reflecting on a moment when Pastor Jerry shared a vision of having over a hundred locations for their church. The pastor emphasizes the importance of aligning with God's vision and being passionate about it. He encourages the congregation to embrace the vision God has for their lives and to remain steadfast in their calling, even in the face of challenges. The pastor also discusses the importance of faith and trusting in God's plan, even when doors seem to be closing. He highlights the significance of praising God for both open and closed doors, as God's provision lies in His intended path for us.

The pastor then discusses the value of leadership within the church, emphasizing the evangelistic nature of their leaders. He encourages the congregation to become active participants in the church community, serving in various areas and becoming channels of blessing. The pastor also highlights the importance of creating opportunities for others to join them on their spiritual journey. He shares the church's commitment to evangelism through various outreach activities and events, despite facing criticism for some unconventional methods, such as bringing an elephant named Rosie to the church.

The pastor emphasizes the importance of catching and holding onto the vision that God has for our lives. He shares a personal experience of facing difficulties when starting a new location for the church, but reminds the congregation that God is with them in every season and cares about their future. The pastor also highlights the importance of speaking out one's faith, referencing a verse in Romans that states faith comes by hearing. He shares a personal anecdote about proclaiming his calling to preach while climbing a mountain, demonstrating the power of speaking and believing in what one says.

The pastor reflects on the journey of the church after the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for visionary leadership and aligning with God's present work. He encourages the congregation to see beyond the obvious and trust in God's guidance through any challenges. The pastor also discusses the importance of having a clear vision and purpose in life, praising Pastor Jared's leadership and his drive to reach more people. He shares about the church's unique approach to evangelism, creating inviting environments that can touch people's lives and lead them to Jesus.

The pastor concludes by emphasizing the importance of trusting in God's plan and purpose for our lives. He shares his own experience of initially struggling to comprehend the vision of a hundred locations, but ultimately realizing that God is capable of making it happen. He encourages the congregation to hold onto God's promises and not be swayed by other voices or distractions. The pastor also encourages the congregation to use their gifts for God's purpose and to actively seek ways to multiply their impact and become leaders.

Key Takeaways:

- Embracing God's vision for our lives is crucial. When we align with what God is talking about, we become passionate and energized. This passion can sustain us even in challenging times ([12:45]).
- Faith is not just about open doors but also about closed ones. Sometimes, God closes doors to keep us in the position He intended for us. We should praise God for both open and closed doors, trusting in His provision ([24:33]).
- Speaking out our faith is powerful. As stated in Romans, faith comes by hearing. By speaking and hearing the word of God, faith is built up within us. This can be demonstrated by proclaiming our calling and believing in what we say ([38:12]).
- Visionary leadership is essential in the church. Leaders should see beyond the obvious and align with what God is doing in the present moment. They should also have a clear vision and purpose, always seeking growth and improvement ([52:27]).
- Trusting in God's plan and purpose for our lives is vital. Even when we face giants and walls, we should remember that God has us in the palm of His hand and has a higher vision for us. We should hold onto God's promises and not be swayed by other voices or distractions ([1:04:33]).

Study Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."
2. Matthew 28:19-20: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
3. Romans 10:17: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Observation Questions:
1. What does Proverbs 29:18 suggest about the importance of having a vision?
2. In Matthew 28:19-20, what command is given and what promise is made?
3. According to Romans 10:17, how does faith come about?

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the vision mentioned in Proverbs 29:18 relate to the vision God has for our lives?
2. How does the command and promise in Matthew 28:19-20 apply to the role of leadership within the church and the church's commitment to evangelism?
3. How does the concept of faith coming by hearing, as stated in Romans 10:17, relate to the power of speaking out one's faith?

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt God was giving you a vision for your life. How did you respond and what was the outcome?
2. In the coming week, identify one opportunity where you can fulfill the command in Matthew 28:19-20. How will you go about it?
3. Think of a situation where you felt your faith was wavering. How can you apply Romans 10:17 to strengthen your faith in such situations?
4. Can you identify a closed door in your life that you initially struggled with, but later realized it was God's provision to keep you in the position He intended for you?
5. What is one specific way you can use your gifts for God's purpose and actively seek to multiply your impact within your community this week?

Quotes

1. "Your faith is a process that you and I are walking out and along that Journey there's times when God is slamming doors to keep us in position so that we don't cross the threshold of something he never intended for you and I had to put our hands on."

2. "When God puts something when he shares something with you he stirs you about something it's really important that we write it down at the very least you need to make a mental note but but I encourage you write it down Journal that because going forward moving forward you need to be able to remind yourself of what God Said you're going to find yourself in situations sometimes when you're in a valley or or maybe a door has just been slammed in your face and maybe you thought this was finally I'm there you know finally I'm there."

3. "I want to tell you something today man God is with you and it doesn't matter what season you're in it doesn't matter how deep the ditch is how how low you feel like you've gotten there's a God in heaven that cares about you he's concerned about what your future looks and feels like he's positioning you so that you can step into it and and you need to keep reminding yourself of what God has said."

4. "It's this idea of sending people out and the purpose behind that is so that you and I can begin to create opportunities to take some people with us on this journey."

5. "I'm going to tell you something happens when you cut when your faith the measure of faith that God has put on the inside of you when you allow that to begin to birth on the inside of you with the idea with the dream with the vision that God's given you there's something very powerful that happens the Bible says that death and life are in the power of your tongue which means if God's put a promise before you when you talk about it you need to say what God's saying you need to speak it."

6. "Are you seeing what everyone else has seen today, the obvious that the news is running every single moment of the day, or are you seeing what the Kingdom of Heaven is saying? Are you in tune with what God's doing right now, this moment, right now, wherever you are in your walk with life?"

7. "In your own life, there's a lot of opportunities that come your way, there's a lot of things that God will birth on the inside of you and maybe you've leaned into that, you've taken some steps and started moving towards it, but things just didn't come together the way that you thought they should."

8. "We always encourage one another to go beyond what's easy and push for the ex push for the thing that takes everything you got and then some and um I appreciate that about Pastor Jared I appreciate his leadership in this area if you get to know him a little better you're going to realize that he's a guy who's not easily satisfied with just the way things are."

9. "In life we have a lot of opportunities to miss our purpose and God's plan for our life because there's a lot of voices that aren't speaking what God's speaking."

10. "You have to take the thing that God has gifted you in and you have to just go to God and say God how can you use this...you have to make your gift available...you just look for opportunity to take that gift and maybe it's leading a circle maybe it's just joining and being on part of another Circle maybe it's just a coffee or having lunch with somebody but using your gift using your influence what God's given you taking that and going out and duplicating it."