All right, so take your Bibles once again, and let's go to Proverbs 29.
Proverbs 29, and the reason I changed my original plans to preach through Genesis today is just
this is the final time I get to preach a sermon to you before the start of the new year.
This is the final sermon for the end of the year from me.
So if you look at Proverbs 29 and verse 18, I'm going to cover some of the same territory
that I covered with the men's leadership class, but when I preach on the men's leadership
class, I preached regarding the church, regarding the goals and the vision that we have as a
church, but I want to apply this to each one of us.
So look at verse number 18 there, Proverbs 29 verse 18.
The Bible reads, where there is no vision, the people perish.
But here that keepeth the law, happy is he.
What is it that we should strive to do, brethren, when you look at this verse alone, what is
it that we should take from that verse?
Well, if you look at the end of the verse, we want to be happy.
I want you to end 2019 and go into this new year, 2020.
I want you to go into the year happy.
I want you to go into the new year with joy.
I want you to enjoy life.
You know, I don't want you to be the Christian who's constantly depressed, who's constantly
upset about this world, and yes, there's times to get upset, to get angry about the wickedness
of this world, but God has also given you this life to enjoy.
He's given us a beautiful country.
He's given us beautiful brethren, brothers and sisters of the Lord, and we seek to be
happy in life, right?
How is it that we're happy according to that verse?
But hear that, keepeth the law.
So what you should be striving to do this coming year, just like you did this past year,
is to keep the law of God, know the law of God, keep the law of God, and that's going
to produce happiness, right?
But the first part of that verse, what else do we need to have as we go into this new
year?
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
I don't want you to perish in 2020, you know?
So what is it that you need in 2020?
Not only do you need to keep the law, but you need to establish a vision for the new
year.
And I love preaching about this at the end of the year as we go into the new year.
A lot of people call this a new year's resolution, don't they?
A new year's resolution.
What is it that I lacked in the previous year?
What is it that I want to attain coming in the new year 2020?
And I believe this is a great time for you to reassess, you know, what is it that I have
done?
Rejoice in the success, rejoice in your productivity, but at the same time pause and say, well,
what is it that I wanted to achieve in 2019 that I didn't get to achieve in, you know,
this year?
You know, what is it that I can carry over into 2020 and make sure I complete these things?
You need to establish a vision.
I'm not talking about a new year's resolution, I'm talking about a new year's vision.
The title for the sermon this morning is 2020 Vision, 2020.
We're going into 2020 next year, all right?
And of course, you know, when you go to the optometrist, when you're checking your eyes,
they're checking if you've got 2020 vision.
What that means is that you can see objects clearly 20, 20, what is it, 20, ah, it's because
it's not metric.
What is it?
20 feet in front, that's it, feet, you're familiar with that, brother.
20 feet in front of you, you can see something clearly 20 feet in front of you.
If you can see that, you can read something 20 feet away from you, you've got 2020 vision.
Now, that doesn't mean you've got perfect vision, it just means you've got normal standard
vision, okay?
And you can see clearly, 20 feet for us would be about 9 meters.
So if you want to test out your vision, check out your eyesight, put something 9 meters
away from you and have a look, can you see it clearly?
And if you can, you've got 20, 20 vision.
So I want to talk about having clear eyesight, right?
Having a clear vision for this coming year, 2020.
And the first point that I want to bring to your attention, number one, is for you to
have a clear vision, for you to have a vision in 2020, is that your vision must be aligned
with the law of God, right?
Where there is no vision that people perish, but he that keepeth the law happy is he.
The reason these two thoughts are together there is when you establish a new year's resolution,
when you establish a new vision for the coming year, you've got to make sure it's aligned
with God's word.
There's no point of having a vision if it's not aligned with God's word.
In fact, if you try to establish that, that's when you start becoming blind.
That's when you start losing the vision that God wants you to have as you go into this
new year.
Please make sure you align it with the word of God.
Please go to Ezekiel chapter seven now.
Ezekiel chapter seven, Ezekiel chapter seven, and you see how this principle in Proverbs
played out in Old Testament Judah, okay?
You know, the Bible puts these Proverbs in there, they could go over your head, but many
times you can see how by not following the wisdom, the teaching in Proverbs, how it's
destabilized believers, how it destabilizes the children of God, how it causes them to
be perished.
Ezekiel chapter seven, verse 25, Ezekiel chapter seven, verse 25, this is about Judah and by
extension Jerusalem.
It's a time when Jerusalem would be destroyed without, you know, they would be taken captive
and it says here in verse number 25, destruction cometh and they shall seek peace and there
shall be none.
I don't want this for you in the coming year.
I don't want this for you in your life when you can see destruction coming your way and
you can't do anything to stop it.
What happened?
Verse number 26, mischief shall come upon mischief and rumor shall be upon rumor.
Look at this.
Then shall they seek a vision of the prophet.
Then when it's too late, when destruction is coming and you're seeking peace, you're
going to seek for a vision and it's going to be too late.
Let's go, let's say there from the prophet, but the law shall perish from the priest.
What did we see in Proverbs 29, 18?
But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
You need to make sure your vision is aligned with the law of God.
The reason why Judah at this point in time had no vision, were lacking vision is because
the law of God had perished from the priest.
You've got to be careful about the people you get yourself under, the books you read,
the preaching you listen to.
Make sure that it's a preacher who's teaching the law of God.
If they're preaching the law of God, guess what, there's going to be clear vision as
to what you need to do in your Christian life.
When you go to a church, the preacher behind the pulpit preaches one verse and the rest
of it's poems and wisdom of man.
That's a cloudy vision and destruction will come your way.
Make sure you're learning from the right kind of people.
Make sure when you establish a vision, you have the law of God side by side.
Look at this, but the law shall perish from the priest and counsel from the ancients.
Verse 27, the king shall mourn and the prince shall be clothed with desolation and the hands
of the people of the land shall be troubled.
I will do unto them after their way and according to their deserts will I judge them and they
shall know that I am the Lord.
So you can see here that the destruction coming upon Jerusalem or Judah is coming from the
Lord.
The Lord has allowed this.
He's returning the fact that I had no vision, no law, the Lord is bringing judgment upon
them.
And brethren, for you to establish your vision, make sure it's aligned with God's word.
What is it that you want in 2020?
You know, I want a red Ferrari.
Is that aligned with God's word?
Maybe God just wants you that old Corolla back there that's got hail damage and the
paint's starting to strip off.
That's going to get you from point A to point B. But if you get a Ferrari, praise God, thank
God, okay?
But you know what?
But make sure whatever your vision is established on, it's aligned with God's word, please.
Okay?
Because when it's not, you're going to lose vision, you're going to be facing destruction.
I don't want to see people in this church destroyed.
I want you more successful in 2020 than any year in your life.
I want you walking after the Lord more so than you did in the previous years.
I want you to take the most out of church in 2020 more than you have in the past.
I want you to continue to grow and be more Christ-like, okay?
And please the Lord, not just in your house, not just in this church, in the community,
in your families, in your workplace, everywhere that you have an influence, everywhere that
you have interaction with people, set a vision for all these places in alignment with God's
word.
Please turn to 1 Samuel now, 1 Samuel chapter 3, 1 Samuel chapter 3.
So the first point was align your vision with the law of God.
The second point is found here in this passage, 1 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1, the story of Samuel.
You may remember the story that as a little child, he was given into servitude for the
Lord, he was given to the high priest Eli to serve the Lord, and the Lord started to
speak to Samuel, okay?
And it's such a sad time in the nation of Israel.
You know, even the judges were corrupt, and it seems like the only godly man we can see
in this point in time for Israel was Samuel, okay?
And look at verse number 1, it says, and the child Samuel, so 1 Samuel chapter 3 verse
1, and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli, Eli was a high priest, and
the word of the Lord was precious in those days, what does that mean?
You know, does that mean everyone enjoyed the word of God who was so precious to their
eyes they were constantly reading it?
Is that what he means there?
No.
It says here, was precious in those days, look at this, there was no open vision.
There was no vision in the land of those days.
When the Bible says it was precious in those days, it's not like people enjoying reading
it, it's precious in the sense that it was rare, it was hard to come by.
You know when something is rare, hard to come by, like you know mining for gold or silver,
it becomes very precious.
The thing is they couldn't find the vision, they couldn't find the law of God, and that's
why the word of God was precious in those days.
It was rare, it was hard to find, there was no vision for the people.
Look at verse number two, and it came to pass at that time when Eli was laid down in
his place, he's going to sleep, but then it says this, and his eyes began to wax dim that
he could not see.
This is more than just the fact that he's getting older, yes the Bible is telling us
he's getting older, yes his eyes are becoming maybe cataracts or he's getting older, he
can't see very well, but the reason these verses are together for you is to bring the
spiritual truth, right?
There is no open vision, even the high priest cannot see.
And brethren the reason why you need a new year's resolution or a vision is because without
it you're going to go blind, without it you're going to struggle to see, you need clarity,
you need clarity as to what your goals are, what your vision is in this new year.
And look at verse number three, not only was the priest's eyes becoming to wax dim,
but verse number three, and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of God.
So even in this temple, yes, you know the practical application is there's a lamp in
the temple going out, why?
Because it's midnight, it's time to sleep, but get the spiritual truth, even the light
was not shining brightly.
You know when you get into a church with a bad preacher, a church where they preach with
no vision, not preaching the law of God, guess what's likely going to happen?
The light of the church is going to go out.
The lamp will go out.
That's the situation we come across in this time.
The lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord and the ark of God was, sorry where
the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep.
Now look at this, verse number four, and the Lord called Samuel and he answered, here
am I.
So it's dark, a dark place, not only physically dark in the temple, but spiritually dark,
and Samuel as a young child was able to hear the Lord God.
The Lord God is speaking, the Lord God wants to give a vision, and the one that receives
a vision was the young child Samuel, okay?
Praise God for people like Samuel.
Praise God for a godly man who's righteous at a young age and was ready to hear God's
voice speak to him.
And brethren, I don't want your eyes going dim.
I don't want your eyes going dark.
I don't want your light being pulled out.
I don't want the light going out in New Life Baptist Church.
We need to stay alert.
We need to stay listening to the voice of God, opening the scriptures, establishing
visions for our church, but also for each one of you.
Brethren, what I want you to do, I'm going to drum this in today, establish a vision
for 2020.
You have this afternoon.
You have Monday.
You have Tuesday.
Wednesday is the first of January.
Wednesday is the new year.
You got time.
Start thinking about a vision for the new year if you haven't already, okay?
Have clarity of mind.
You don't need to turn there.
I'm going to read to you from Revelation.
Actually, you guys go to Mark 8 for me.
Go to Mark chapter 8, and while you're turning to Mark 8, I'll read to you from Revelation
3.18.
Again, I've read this many times this year, but I think it's practical, the lay of the
sea and church.
Remember that they thought they were rich?
Remember they thought so well of themselves, but then Jesus Christ speaks of the lay of
the sea and church in Revelation 3.18, and he says to them, I counsel thee to buy of
me gold tried in the fire, thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest
be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and it says this, and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
What does Jesus want the church to do?
To see, to have a vision, and he says, look, if it's getting dark, it's getting cloudy,
you can't see well, go to the Lord Jesus, ask him for the eyesalve.
Ask him for the medicine.
Ask him to help you establish a vision for this church.
Yes, and also for your life.
Go to Jesus Christ.
Your vision must be clear.
That was my second point.
Your vision must be clear.
Don't have a vision that's up in a cloud somewhere.
It's got to be a clear vision.
It's got to be something that is attainable, something you can communicate to other people.
Say I've got a vision, I don't know how to establish.
You don't have to have some grandiose vision.
It's not about being that billionaire or something like that.
Just realistic tasks, just realistic things that you are aiming to achieve in this coming
year.
Start establishing those.
Make it clear.
Maybe even share it with your loved ones.
Share it with your wife.
Share it with your children.
Children, share it with your parents.
Share it with your friends so that way other people understand what you're striving to
do and maybe they can then help you along the way as well, help you in that journey.
Okay.
Now look at Mark chapter 8 please.
Mark chapter 8 verse 22.
So my first point was align your vision with the law of God.
The second point was your vision must be clear.
Okay.
Now let's take the third point about your vision.
Mark chapter 8 verse 22.
And he cometh to Bethsaida and they bring a blind man unto him and besought him to touch
him.
And of course a blind man coming to Jesus for healing, verse number 23.
And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.
And when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking.
After that he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up and he was restored
and saw every man clearly.
I said that your vision must be clear.
What's the story that we get here?
A blind man goes to Jesus, blind, right, needing help.
Jesus, what's he do?
Spits on his hands, puts his hands upon him and his vision becomes clearer, right?
He starts to see, but he can't see 100% clearly.
He doesn't have 20-20 vision at this point, right?
What he can see is men as trees walking.
He can see some shadows, he can see some lights, he can see the people, not just hear the people.
He can see the people, but he can't make them out.
They just look like trees to him.
So what does Jesus have to do again?
He puts his hands upon his eyes once again and then he's fully restored.
And then it says there and he can see, he saw every man clearly.
What's the third point about your vision?
Number three is reassess your vision from time to time.
Reassess your vision from time to time.
You may have had a vision in 2019, okay?
And you may not have accomplished the things you wanted to do.
And you look back now and it's become blurry.
You see men as trees walking.
Well, this is what's wonderful about the end of the year is a lot of people stop and say,
well, what can I do for the next year?
You know, they reassess their vision.
They reestablish the clarity.
They bring the clarity back.
What is it that I need to do?
And this is a healthy thing to do.
Create a vision but understand as time goes on, as life changes, as things around you
change, that vision might become cloudy.
And that's when you need to reassess your vision.
You need to go to Christ one more time and clear up that vision, establish it all over
again.
This is a great time, brethren.
It's a great time at the end of the year.
Now look, you can do this at any point in your life.
Every day is a new day, all right?
I could preach a sermon any time, right?
Every day, if you need to reassess your vision, stop and reassess.
I've shared this with the men, I believe, and maybe the church.
There was a time when I was working a job.
I was there for nine years and I know why I was there.
I had a vision.
I had to provide for my family.
We bought a house.
We had a lot of things going on.
It was local.
It was somewhere where I could go to church and all these kinds of things.
But after nine years and after whatever number of kids we had, I can't remember now, six
or seven kids, life had changed from just being a single man, not a single man but a
married man with no kids.
Life changes and I had to stop.
I had to reassess.
I took time off work because my vision was cloudy.
Do I continue just doing what I've been doing for the last nine years?
Life has changed.
We've got a whole bunch of kids now, all right?
So what did I do?
I stopped working because I could.
I had saved up.
I had a bit of a buffer there.
Stopped working.
Just with Christina, what is it that we need to do now?
What is the next challenge over the next decade?
What is it that we need to do?
What is it that we need to change?
I had to reassess the vision because men look like trees walking to me.
I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
Brevin, if you're at a point where maybe in the past, things were clear to you and now
you're like, I'm not sure where to go, reassess your vision, nothing wrong with that.
Reassess it.
Praise God that it's gotten you where you are today.
Hey, maybe you've reached your vision.
Maybe you've accomplished what you wanted to accomplish.
Great.
Create a new vision now, right?
Create a new vision for the coming years because life changes, okay?
Life changes and you all know that and that's why I love this teaching here.
I love this story about Christ having to heal this blind man twice because that teaches
us many things.
Many things.
This is like doctrine.
You might learn doctrine but it's not just fully clear to you.
You believe it but it's not clear.
You go back, you establish it, you read the Bible again, you learn, you nail down those
doctrines, now you can see clearly.
Many practical ways we can take the story that Jesus has and apply it to our lives but
I want to apply it to your vision.
Reassess your vision.
Don't let the other one become tainted or cloudy.
Reassess it.
And the final thing that I have for you, the fourth point here on establishing your vision
is to share your vision with the Lord, okay?
I said, hey, share it with others but share it with the Lord.
Go to the Lord in prayer about this.
You know, God, I need a full-time permanent job.
Take it to the Lord.
That's my vision.
I need a permanent job.
Great.
Lord, I want to get married.
Take it to the Lord.
It's a great vision to have.
These are things that are aligned with the word of God.
Lord, I want to read my Bible cover to cover for the first time.
I planned to do it in 2019 and I couldn't do it.
You know, Lord, I want to do this in 2020.
Great.
Take it to the Lord.
The Bible says in Psalm 37, 4, delight thyself also in the Lord, look at this, and he shall
give thee the desires of thine heart.
You want the desires of your heart, brethren?
Then you've got to find delight in the Lord.
Spend time with the Lord.
Take it to the Lord, what it is that you want to accomplish.
Verse number five, commit thy way unto the Lord.
Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.
Shall bring it to pass, brethren.
You know, there's no need to doubt your vision's aligned with the word of God.
You delight in the Lord.
You delight in his word.
You trust in the Lord.
You take it to God.
He's going to carry you through.
He's going to help you see it through.
Share your vision with the Lord.
Maybe you've had a vision in the past and you say, well, it's not come to be.
Maybe you forgot to take it to the Lord.
Maybe you forgot to ask him to help you.
Maybe you forgot to delight in his name.
Proverbs 16, verse nine says, a man's heart diviseth the way, but the Lord directeth his
steps.
You know what God wants for you?
Make a way.
Okay?
God's given you smarts.
He's given you intuition.
He's given you the gut feels.
He's put a personality in you.
He's given you desires.
He's given you the word of God.
He's given you direction.
He says, what is the way you want to walk?
Walk in that way.
Create that vision and I'll help direct your paths.
Have you gone to the Lord with your visions?
Maybe they failed.
Maybe you forgot to take it to the Lord.
All right, so let me just repeat those four points on a vision.
Number one, your vision with the law of God.
Number one, number two, your vision must be clear.
Number three, reassess your vision from time to time.
And number four, share your vision with the Lord.
Okay?
Now, the next question is, well, that's great.
You told us to have a vision, but how do I establish a vision?
All right?
How do I do?
What is it that I do?
And basically, this isn't complicated brethren.
It's not.
It's not, you know, life is challenging, but life is not like if you're a believer.
If you're a believer, life is not complicated.
If you're a believer, it's not complicated.
It's quite clear.
Okay?
But it can be challenging.
It can be challenging as you live your life.
But here's a few questions you should ask yourself.
Number one, where do I need to be in 2020?
What is it that I need to accomplish?
Where do I need to be?
Brethren, let me just start off straight away.
Have you read your Bible cover to cover yet?
If you haven't, that's where you need to be in 2020.
Finish it.
Okay?
Get to Revelation or stop reading Revelation.
Read the rest of the Bible.
Okay?
Because I know what that was like when I was young, right?
I just kept reading Revelation.
That was my favorite book.
No, like read all of it.
Okay?
It's not complicated.
Where do I need to be?
Finish the Bible.
Okay?
Finish the Bible.
Oh, here's the other thing.
Where would I like to be?
You know, where would I like to be?
What is it that I would like for my life to look like?
You know?
You know, I would like to get married or something like that, right?
I would like to have that permanent job in place, right?
I would like to have a better marriage.
You know, I would like to spend more time with the kids.
I would like to, whatever it is, brethren, we all know where we lack in our lives.
None of us are perfect, okay?
We all have areas that we lack.
We have areas that we need to be, and we have areas that we would like to be.
Well, that's what you need to work on, and you probably already have a vision for these
things.
You've just not really established that very well.
You probably already, in your heart, do want to finish the Bible cover to cover, but you
just haven't done it, you know?
And here's the thing.
Put it down.
Write it down.
Take it to the Lord.
Share it with others.
When you're open about your vision, you're going to be more likely to accomplish it,
okay?
Because it's a bit of a shame if you don't finish it, right?
When you're sharing it, you're a bit embarrassed if you don't finish it, but having accountability
of other people can help you establish that vision.
And like I said, you know, have a vision, you know, a few ways, you know, it shouldn't
just be the one vision.
Have a vision for different aspects of your life, you know?
Like I said, you know, have a vision for your own personal fulfillment, whatever that is.
You know, like I said, getting a job, getting married, establish a vision.
It might be about your health.
You know, your vision might be to get on that keto, I don't know, whatever, you know, lose
a bit of weight or something, right?
Establish that vision.
Maybe it's just to get fitter, you know, maybe it's just to, you know, be able to run with
brother Jason on a marathon, half marathon or whatever, you know, just establish a vision.
You know, God wants you to be healthy.
Nothing wrong with that, having a healthy body, you know, your body's the temple of
the Holy Spirit.
You know, the healthier you are, the more God can do with you, you know, in your body.
So there's nothing wrong with that, you know, set a vision for your own personal fulfillment.
You know, even if it's just getting more smart, you know, Lord, I want to learn X subject
this year.
Great.
I want to learn another language.
Great.
Establish a vision, whatever it is, you know, that's, you know, set something personal for
yourself that you would like to improve so at the end of 2020, you can look back and
be thankful that you were able to do, you were able to work on yourself, you know, make
yourself more productive in some way, shape or form.
The second thing you ought to be looking at is a vision for your family.
A vision, especially fathers, because you're the head of your home, a vision for your family.
And let me start off by your heavenly family, your heavenly father, the Lord God, you know,
create a vision with God, you know, like I said, read your Bible cover to cover.
That's how God speaks to you today.
You know, you neglect the word of God, you're not going to be able to hear him the way Samuel
heard him.
You know, and, you know, maybe your vision is to spend more time in prayer.
Maybe you're not a praying man, you know, and you've got to say, well, you know, Lord,
I want to, I want to pray, you know, seven days a week, you know, before I go to bed,
just five minutes, Lord, I'm going to spend time praying for the brethren in the church,
you know, praying, whatever it is, you know, you know, pray that we would be able to get
more people saved.
Pray that I would be a more effective soul winner.
Maybe soul winning is your vision.
Maybe you've not gone soul winning yet.
Maybe that ought to be your vision.
Or maybe you are a soul winner, but you want to, you know, set more hours toward it.
That ought to be a vision.
Lord, I want to, you know, set five hours a week for soul winning.
Whatever it is, brethren, I'm not telling you what you should do.
I'm saying you need to find out what that vision is, establish that with the Lord.
Maybe your vision is I need to be more consistent with church attendance.
You know, maybe I need to make sure that I'm here.
We're open three times a week, you know, services are three times a week.
I want to try to be here, Lord, for those services.
Establish a vision with God, you know.
And also with your spouse if you're married, husbands and wives.
Maybe you want to spend more time with your wife.
Establish that vision.
Okay?
Establish that vision.
Maybe it's, you know, you need to lock in dates with your wife or with your husband.
Just lock in a day.
Just say, honey, the first Friday of every month, that's our day.
I don't care.
Whatever it is.
Whatever else is on, we're putting that aside.
You and I, that's our date.
Say, but what if church is on Friday night?
That's our date at church.
Okay?
Whatever it is, you know, find a vision for your spouse, for your husband and wife.
Lock in that time.
A vision for your children.
You know, teach them, like say, Lord, you know, I want to make sure I teach my children
doctrine this year.
You know, the fundamentals of the faith that I go through that with them once again.
Not Pastor Kevin, but me in the house with the children.
You know, maybe your vision is to participate in their hobbies.
You know, your kids have interest, they have hobbies.
Maybe that's what you ought to be striving for, you know, to spend more time with your
children or maybe just share stories of your childhood with your children.
Maybe you've not interacted with your children.
You know what children love?
They love to hear stories of their parents, what they were like when they were kids.
You know, my kids laugh when I tell them stupid things I did as kids.
As a kid, you know, they love that stuff.
You know, a vision for your family, you know, a vision for your heavenly family, a vision
for your earthly family, a vision for your workplace, brethren.
A workplace, you know, establishes like, look, I want to be the most productive I've been
in my workplace in 2020.
I want to be an efficient worker.
I want to gather more skills.
I want to gain more training so I can be better at the workplace.
Praise God.
You know why you should do that?
Because Jesus is your employer.
That's why.
You establish Jesus as the one you serve.
You ought to serve him in every capacity you have, even in your workplace.
Maybe that requires spending a few more hours on the job.
Maybe that requires you spending less hours on the job.
Maybe you're spending too many hours on the job.
You know, whatever it is, brethren, establish a vision for your workplace.
Maybe it's just your fellow employees that you work with, your colleagues.
Lord, when I have a time with them, Lord, please help establish time that I can give
them the gospel.
You know, times that we can find ourselves alone and I can share the gospel.
That's a great vision to have.
You can do that even in your workplace.
And brethren, a vision for your church, for New Life Baptist Church.
I have a vision.
I've shared that with the men.
I won't go through that here, but just yourselves.
What is it that you want to get out of New Life Baptist Church?
What do you want?
Do you want to grow?
Do you want to be more Christ-like?
Hey, maybe you need to take down notes when the preaching is going on so you can go back
and remember, if you find yourself forgetting what the sermon's about, take down your notes.
Revisit those things.
You know, there might be a time where, yeah, that sermon wasn't completely applicable to
you today, but it might be a couple of months later, you go, that sermon that was preached,
what was it?
You can go back to your notes and read whatever it is, brethren.
What is it that you want out of this church?
Maybe you just want to be more encouraging to the brethren.
Maybe you want to edify the brethren.
Maybe you say, well, this year I'm not going to be focused on my own self-interest.
This year I'm not going to be focused on just me.
I'm going to focus my attention on the brethren.
How can I serve the brethren?
Great.
Maybe it's a ministry in this church.
Maybe it's something, Lord, I want to serve.
That ought to be your vision in 2020.
What is it that I can, how can I contribute to the church?
And there are so many things to be done, brethren, so many things, you know?
And even the small things are valuable, the small things, even the things behind the scenes
that nobody sees, God sees it, God rewards you, and the church will be thankful that
you're doing that job.
You know, establish a vision for your local church.
What can I do if you're not serving?
And you guys know we teach, you know, chapter by chapter in the Bible.
Maybe your vision ought to be just I want to get more out of the preaching, right?
So you go and before the, you know, during the week you read that chapter.
You read that chapter first.
You see what God can tell you from that chapter.
Then you go into the preaching better prepared.
That's an advantage you've got here.
A lot of churches, you know, won't tell you what they're preaching in advance and you
don't know.
You just turn up and you didn't know what I was preaching on this morning.
You don't know.
So, you know, well, that's one thing.
But here's the thing.
When you're preaching chapter by chapter, you can be better prepared.
You can read that chapter.
You can see what the Lord is speaking about to you prior to the preaching.
When you go in, you'll be better prepared.
Establishing a vision, brethren, establishing a vision.
And do you notice that it's not some complex thing here?
These are just basic things that you should be striving for in your life.
Your vision needs to be clear.
Okay?
It needs to be attainable.
Something you can achieve.
All right?
One of my brothers, I don't know, I was speaking to one of my brothers in the Lord.
I won't say who it is.
And I said to him, so, you know, what's your vision?
What is it that you want to achieve?
And you know, if you're listening to this, I'm not trying to offend you, but it's a good
example, right?
It's like, well, I want to be basically like a multimillionaire, you know, a billionaire.
I want to have all these properties.
I want to be like, that's such a cloudy vision.
How do you attain that?
In fact, if you're serving mammon, you're probably not going to be able to serve the
Lord.
All right?
I mean, if that's your vision, that's, you know, that's a horrible vision because as
a child of God, God's just not going to allow you to have that.
I really know that.
It's not going to happen.
And you're going to go for the rest of your life cloudy.
Unsure.
You know, unsure of your steps because it's a vision that's just way out there.
No.
Make your visions clear.
Make them attainable in this coming year.
Please go to Luke 14 for me, please.
Luke 14, Luke 14, Luke 14.
So once you establish a vision, this is what I want to get out of 2020 or whatever.
This is what I want to get by the end of five years, 10 years, whatever it is.
How far you need to establish your vision.
Once you've set your vision, and this is why it's got to be attainable, realistic, you
know, you need to establish achievable goals and milestones once you've established a vision.
Okay?
Achievable goals and milestones.
All right?
Luke 14, verse 25, Luke 14, verse 25.
And I know the context of this story is about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, but we
can take the principle, we can take the lesson and apply it to this sermon this morning.
Verse 25.
And there went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said unto them, If any man
come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Let's take the principle here in verse number 28.
For which of you intending to build a tower, let's stop there.
What's the vision here that Jesus is speaking of?
Someone wanting to build a tower.
That's his vision.
That's what he wants to achieve, right?
For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost
whether he have sufficient to finish it, lest happily, after he have laid the foundation
and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began
to build and was not able to finish.
So what's the lesson there, brethren?
When you establish a vision, this is what I want to do.
I want to build this tower.
You can't just go from point A to point Z and build a tower, okay?
You first need to sit down, count the cost.
Have you got the resources?
Have you got the manpower?
What is it that you need to accomplish that vision, to have that task, right?
If not, what did it say there?
People will begin to mock, mock you, okay?
Verse number 31, let's have a look at that.
Verse number 31, a what king going to make war against another king sitteth not down
first, all right?
So what's the vision this king wants?
I want to defeat that army.
I want to defeat that king.
But before he just goes out there and fights, he first sits down, right, and consulteth
whether he be able with 10,000 to meet him that cometh with him against him with 20,000.
So this is a war.
He's got 10,000 soldiers.
The other guy's got 20,000, and he's got to sit down and say, well, can I win this war?
Maybe my soldiers are better prepared.
Maybe we have better weapons.
Maybe we have better tactics.
Yes, we can win this war, you know?
Then you go and fight that war, right?
Then you go and accomplish the vision.
But what if you sit down and go, well, man, they got double the people.
They've got more resources.
They've got double the skills.
What do you do then, right?
They've got double the, you know, the strength, whatever, verse number 32, or else, else,
if you figure out, well, I can't win this war, I can't make this vision, or else, while
the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambrosage and desire of conditions of peace.
So he goes, I can't win this.
I can't beat these guys with 20,000.
What I'll do, I'll send some ambassadors.
I'll make sure we have peace, all right?
That's what you do.
So if your vision is not attainable, you change the vision, okay?
That's what I'm talking about.
Make sure you can achieve it first.
Put some plans in place before you achieve the vision.
And if you can't achieve the vision, then it's not a vision.
It's not clear anymore.
It's not something you can achieve.
Then you've got to set that aside and come up with a plan B. In this case of warfare,
go and make peace before they destroy you.
Verse number 33, so likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he
have, he cannot be my disciple.
Like I said, I know this context is about being a disciple of Jesus, but the principle
is true.
The teaching is there, okay?
You establish your vision.
Now you sit down and work out, how do I do this?
Can I do this vision?
Can I achieve this?
No point of having a vision that you cannot achieve, okay?
Now if you can please go to Proverbs 24 for me.
Proverbs 24, I'm almost done now, Proverbs 24.
I want to give you an example of this, an example of this that we see here in the Bible.
Proverbs 24 verse 27, Proverbs 24 verse 27, let's see an example of this.
Proverbs 24, 27, and again, the book of Proverbs is the book of wisdom, okay?
Gives you knowledge.
It says here, prepare thy work without, one, number two, and make it fit for thyself in
the field, that's number two, number three, and afterwards build thine house.
What's the vision here?
This guy wants to build a house, okay?
Now whether that's a physical house or whether that's having a family, establishing a business,
whatever it is, it's some type of house, maybe it's the house of the Lord, maybe your heart
is to be a pastor and start a church out there, the house of the Lord somewhere, right?
That's your vision.
This guy has a vision to build his house.
Does he just go and start building the house?
No, we had two steps in place before that, right?
How do we achieve the vision?
Like I said, we need to establish achievable goals and milestones, but the first thing
he does is he prepares the work without.
What does the word without mean?
Outside, okay?
So instead of first going to build a house, before he goes out there, first he's not even
close to it, he's without.
He's outside of those doors, right?
And what does he do?
He prepares.
He goes, okay, I want to build house.
I need concrete for the foundation.
I need the wood for the framework, right?
I don't have plumbing skills, so I'm going to have to get a plumber.
I'm going to need an electrician to come here.
I'm going to need resources for the roof.
You know, how am I going to lay the floor?
Am I going to get carpet, am I going to get tiles, and he goes, I need all these things,
and then he stops and goes, well, do I have the money?
Can I afford all these things?
That's what he does first.
He prepares, right?
And he prepares, and he makes sure he has what he needs to be able to accomplish the
vision, all right?
This would be an example.
Maybe your vision, let's just say, keep it simple here.
Maybe your vision is to read the Bible cover to cover in 2020.
Listen, if you don't prepare, you're going to fail January 1st, okay?
So you say, okay, I want to read my Bible cover to cover.
What do you do?
Do I have a Bible?
Let's start there, right?
Do I have a Bible?
All right, praise God, I've got my Bible.
Say, but, you know, I'm not a good reader.
I struggle to read.
Well, great, you know, we've got audio resources.
You know, Alexander Scorby or, you know, different readers of the Bible, you can get
the FWBC app on your phone and there's a reader on there, I forget his name, you know, there's
a reader on there.
There's people that can read the Bible to you, so as you're hearing it, you can follow
along.
Maybe that's what you need.
Maybe you're a good reader and you don't need that.
By the way, I would encourage you to first try to read it yourself before you listen
to someone else.
Because when you listen to someone else, sometimes you can just completely miss, you know, just
go by the motions, but it's better to read it yourself.
But if you're struggling in that, get the resources you need to help you to finish that.
What else are you going to need to make sure you accomplish your Bible within a year?
You're going to have to figure out, okay, I've got this many books, this many chapters,
this many verses, and I've got 365 days in a year.
I need to get it done by then.
So what do you do?
You create a plan, right?
You go on the internet, download a one-year plan, and Brevin, if you need help on this,
ask me.
I've got a software, my computer that can create plans, really detailed ones.
Maybe you've tried to get through your Bible cover to cover this year.
Maybe you got stuck in, what's the book of the Bible?
Isaiah, and you only got to Isaiah, let's say, well, you know, you don't have to start
from Genesis again.
If you want, talk to me, I will create a plan for you from Isaiah, January 1st, to get through
your whole Bible, okay?
I'll help you along that path if you need it.
It won't take me too much time.
You're not bothering me if you want that.
But you prepare, you know, you don't just go, you start, no, you first prepare.
You get the resources you need.
And then it says here, after you prepare your work, you make it fit for thyself in the field.
I love that.
Fit for thyself, brethren.
And you know, I preached on this many times.
And this has to do with every aspect of life.
Work out for yourself.
Work it out, brethren, what you need to accomplish for yourself, for your family.
There's no one on this earth just like you.
There's no other family on this earth just like yours.
There's no children on this earth like your children.
Work it out for thyself, brethren.
Don't be lazy.
Don't think my first port of call when I need help, when I need guidance is to go and ask
brother and sister so-and-so.
There's a time and place for those things.
But first, establish it for yourself.
Brethren, we have the same God.
God doesn't change.
We have the same Bible.
We have the same commandments.
We have the same instructions, all right?
Now let's say, for example, I believe strongly in homeschooling your kids.
And there are many families here believes very strongly on homeschooling your kids.
Guess what?
We have the same vision then.
We want to homeschool our kids.
Great.
But do you think the way you homeschool your kids is going to work for my family?
Do you think the way I homeschool my kids is going to work for your family?
No.
You need to go and what did it say there?
And make it fit for thyself in the field.
You can't just download somebody else's life and upload it to your life.
It's not going to work.
We can have the same vision.
We can have even the same preparation, but then you need to apply it to your own life.
This is why husbands and wives, you get your heads together, work out the vision for your
family.
Not sister so and so.
Not pastor so and so.
They're not going to be able to help you.
Yes, they'll help you prepare.
Maybe they'll even help you with a vision.
But then you need to take all of that and apply it, fit, make it fit for thyself.
Fit for thyself.
And afterwards, build thine house.
Once you've got, well, let's apply it to the Bible reading.
Once you've got the resources you need, listen, you might be a morning person.
You might be a night person.
Some people might be able to get through their Bible reading during the morning.
Some people during the night, 15 minutes on average.
Maybe you're a fast reader.
Maybe you just need 10 minutes.
Maybe 15 minutes is too hard for you to find in one sitting.
Then do seven minutes at one point.
Seven or eight minutes the next sitting during the day.
Fit for thyself, okay?
You might say, when do you read your Bible, in the mornings or in the night or whatever?
Okay, well, it might not work for you.
Work it out for you.
When that works, your husband probably gets home at different times.
You know, your children probably finish homeschooling at different times.
You know, preparing a meal is going to take you longer, the more family you have.
You know, you need to make it fit for yourself for your life.
Don't steal someone else's plans.
It's not going to work for you, okay?
Yes, we can share the vision.
Yes, we can even help the preparation.
But then you need to make it fit for thyself.
I can't stress that enough, Brethren.
I've seen too many Christians fail in their Christian life
because they just tried to be a carbon copy of someone else.
It's not going to work, okay?
So vision, preparation, and fit for yourself.
That's how you establish goals and milestones.
And, Brethren, when you reach a goal as you work your way to your vision, celebrate it, okay?
When my kids finish reading a book of the Bible, we celebrate.
I give them a little bit of money, right, a little bit of pocket money
for finishing that book of the Bible.
It doesn't matter if that book of the Bible had 50 chapters or one chapter.
I celebrate.
They've done well.
They've finished that goal.
Now they're progressing in their vision to finish in their Bible reading.
And I'm just using that one example.
Of course, you can take this and apply this in all other aspects of your life.
I want you to be productive.
I want you to be successful.
I want you to have joy in 2020.
I want you to have a clear vision.
And whatever you do, Brethren, just make sure it's aligned with the Word of God, you know,
and make sure that you share it with God.
Share it with God.
Make sure it's clear.
Make sure it's attainable.
Let's pray.