Sermon Central
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The Vision Will Come To Past
Contributed by Jose Gomez Sr. on Jul 25, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: this message was preached at Open arms Ministries of Ybor City, tampa to encourage the saints.
Baseball In Heaven
Two old guys, Abe and Sol, are sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons and talking about baseball, like they do every day.
Abe turns to Sol and says, "Do you think there’s baseball in heaven?"
Sol thinks about it for a minute and replies, "I don’t know. But let’s make a deal: if I die first, I’ll come back and tell you if there’s baseball in heaven, and if you die first, you do the same."
They shake on it and sadly, a few months later, poor Abe passes on.
One day soon afterward, Sol is sitting there feeding the pigeons by himself when he hears a voice whisper, "Sol... Sol..."
Sol responds, "Abe! Is that you?"
"Yes it is, Sol," whispers Abe’s ghost.
Sol, still amazed, asks, "So, is there baseball in heaven?"
"Well," says Abe, "I’ve got good news and bad news."
"Gimme the good news first," says Sol.
Abe says, "Well... there is baseball in heaven."
Sol says, "That’s great! What news could be bad enough to ruin that!?"
Abe sighs and whispers, "You’re pitching on Friday."
THE VISION WILL COME TO PAST
2 I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint.
2 Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. 3 But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed”.
Proverbs 29:18 says; “Where there is no vision, the people perish”
The reason that you live is because of the vision.
-You would not be here today if it hadn’t been that God gave someone a vision for this ministry.
-The vision is what keeps you going when you want to give up.
-The vision keeps you going when things are not going as you planned.
-When you feel like throwing in the towel remember the vision.
The VISION of Open Arms Church is a training center that will develop pioneers of urban ministries; providing a network of support and accountability.
How?
Find the lost
Offer God’s free gift of Salvation
Restore (restoration is not an easy process)
Give (it is better to give than to receive)
Instruct (you are dealing with hard headed people)
Volunteer (the lord needs people that will step up to the plate)
Equip (part of the great commission is to teach and make disciples)
How do you accomplish your vision?
The lord has given you a scripture; *Isaiah 58:12
“Those from among you shall build the old waste places;
“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations”;
“And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach”,
“The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In”
SOME OF YOU MAY BE DOING ALL THAT AND STILL YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING; “WHERE IS EVERYTHING GOD HAS PROMISED”
The Lord sent me to tell you; Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed”.
-The reason you are in Ybor City is for you to fulfill a vision.
The historical context of Habakkuk comes before the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites in about 600 B.C.
-This passage was a challenge for those who would become captive by Babylon.
-The challenge at hand was that things were going to get hairy to the point of even losing their freedom but God had given them the vision of returning to their promised land some day.
THE QUESTION THAT YOU PROBABLY WANT TO ASK ME IS.........
HOW DO YOU WAIT FOR THE VISION TO COME TO PAST WHEN EVERYTHING AROUND YOU IS APPOSED TO THE VISION?
1. Stand and don’t leave your watch
*Habakkuk 2:1 says; “I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint”.
Paul would say;
*Ephesians 6:11, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
A. It takes everything that God has made available to stand
