No Vision, No Restraint!
(A Message to the Ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ)
(Preached Saturday Afternoon, September 13, 2020)
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
(Proverbs 29:18)
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
(Matthew 5:13)
Introduction
“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18, NASB)
“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18, ESV)
“Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; but happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].” (Proverbs 29:18, Amplified Bible)
“Where there is no vision, the people are let loose; but blessed is he, the keeper of the law.” (Proverbs 29:18, The Interlinear Bible’s direct translation from the word-for-word original Hebrew text)
Now… what is all this, that we just read? What is all this, here in Proverbs 29:18? It sounds so different from the so often secularized understanding of this popular passage of Scripture. Why… isn’t this verse that all the experts, all the talk show hosts, all the business managers, and that, again and again, so many self-help lecturers use? Isn’t this just about having a vision for your life, or business, or marriage, or anything else you want to accomplish in your life?
Well then, what’s all this? “The people are unrestrained?” (NASB) “The people cast off restraint?” (ESV) “Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained?” (Amplified) “Where there is no vision, the people are let loose; but blessed is he, the keeper of the law?” (The word-for-word original Hebrew interlinear) So… wait a minute…
- So, did Jesus give us a model of exactly how his “people” (us… we) were to conduct things here, on Earth, during these last 2,000 years and until he returned? Was his life here actually a model? – A vision of what we’re supposed to do?
- And if he did leave us a model, a “vision”, then – in the history book of the New Testament, the “Acts of the Apostles”, the book which directly follows the four Gospels which give us four different sides of our Lord’s model of how to accomplish the business that he left for us to do – then the book of Acts, in all its powerful success, is actually a visual of that “vision” being powerfully and happily carried out!
- Yes, then if our Lord first left us his model, his “vision” of how to properly, effectively, rewardingly, blessed and happily, and in a picture of “success” to both be pleasing to and focused on God’s way (instead of the world’s) – Then what have we done with it? What have we done with… his “vision”; yes, the one he gave us to follow?
- Did we really somehow unlatch ourselves from that pattern? Did we, have we, and do we still dare to live unloosed from obedience to “the heavenly vision” once delivered unto the saints of God? (For if but a glimpse of the Savior could accomplish so much in Paul, how much more so would we be led aright in allowing ourselves to be restrained on all four sides by the wonderful vision of the life of Christ?
Perhaps a few words from Roger Thoman’s little book, Simple / House Church Revolution could help us to begin to understand how we “Christians”, here in the West, have gotten so far off track. And then, after hearing this quote, let us see what we ambassadors – here in this world on behalf of Christ – let us see what we can do to get back to actually turning this world upside down for our Lord.
“Without realizing it, we were following human traditions for church life that were developed over the centuries: cathedrals, pulpit-led services, pews, order-of-service, etc. All of these things may be useful in their place (God can use anything), but they have no place in the basic definition of “church.”
“Sadly, as the church has adopted more and more traditions and become more and more institutionalized, it has become largely ineffective in its impact on earth. In the western world, where we have created the best organizational church systems that exist, Christianity is declining. In contrast, in parts of India and China where the expression of church is largely organic, simple, and fluid, the church is flourishing.
“Our longing is to see the church restored to its essence of life and vitality so that she becomes the full expression of Christ’s power and love on earth. This is the great hope of God’s kingdom coming to influence, save, and redeem a lost planet. Priscilla Shirer made this comment:
“In the first century in Palestine, Christianity was a community of believers. Then Christianity moved to Greece and became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome and became an institution. Then it moved to Europe and became a culture. and then it moved to America and became a business. We need to get back to being a healthy, vibrant community of true followers of Jesus.” (Thoman, Roger, 2008. Simple / House Church Revolution. 1st ed. Appleseed Publications, pp.13-14.)
A Vision of the Product! A Vision of How to Sell the Product! A Vision of How to Increase Sales!
I. A Vision of the Product
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30)
II. A Vision of How to Sell the Product!
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
A. The Product (Gospel) guaranteed!
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
B. The Product (Gospel) works!
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (Matthew 28:19)
C. The Product (Gospel) sells!
“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.” (Matthew 28:20)
III. A Vision of How to Increase Sales!
A. The Amazing Doubling Penny!
“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: but be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.” (Mark 6:7-10)
[“The Doubling Penny Chart” – please see the pdf version]
A. Not the Bank!
“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.[It wasn’t working! It wasn’t working!] And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests [the bankers] heard it, and sought how they might destroy him [he was ruining their high profit/low payout model]: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.” (Mark 11:15-18)
C. The Stock Market!
“So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:21-23)
Conclusion
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18)
Jesus loaded you up with savour, with tastiness… and you turned yourselves into tasteless useless meltable sand: unhappy unsavoury/tasteless mouthfuls of… nothing.
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matthew 5:13)
Jesus loaded you up with savour, with tastiness… and you turned yourselves into tasteless useless meltable sand: unhappy unsavoury/tasteless mouthfuls of… nothing.
To you, our Lord, Jesus says…
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:5)
But you did not repent; and he did “come unto thee quickly”; and he did “remove thy candlestick out of his place.”
To the streets then, o ye people of God! The candlestick is gone. Over 200,000 were being led out of their expensive buildings each year; and the shepherds who stumbled refused to finally see. The candlestick’s gone, the whole world knows you’re wrong. COVID-19? COVID-19? Every time you still try to meet, the world sees clearer just how you “love” your sheep.
To the streets then, o ye people of God! To the highways and hedges [as our Lord, Jesus said, “to compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
“That my house may be filled.”
“That my house may be filled.”
“That my house may be filled!”
“That my house may be filled.”
He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations!”
He said, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city!”
He said, “Go out into the highways and hedges!”
“He called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two!”
“He said unto them, ‘In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place!”
Jesus said…
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35)
Jesus said…
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matthew 5:13)
O ye S – A – L – T, S.A.L.T.! O ye Savior’s Ambassadors Laboring Together! Rise Up. Rise up! Be the S.A.L.T. Be “the salt of the earth!”
Look all around you. These are, what our Savior called, “the beginning of sorrows.” The time is drawing so very very near. More so than in any generation before us, you may now cry aloud with joy to share abroad…
Jesus is coming again!
Jesus is coming again!!
Jesus is coming again!!!
OUTLINE:
No Vision, No Restraint!
“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18)
A Vision of the Product!
A Vision of How to Sell the Product!
A Vision of How to Increase Sales!
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matthew 5:13)
WORSHIP:
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (297)
Opening:
Message: