2020 Vision

Photo by Josh Rose on Unsplash

This is the sermon that I preached on Sunday December 29, 2019.  I don’t believe that we video taped the message that day, so I am sharing the notes with you so you can reflect on back on some of the things that I said.  I believe I did a lot of alibiing as well, but this give you an idea of what was in my spirit at that time.

Here we are in September 2020, and this year has truly been a ride.  The year is not yet over, so ……

KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!                 – Bishop HR,   9/12/20.

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Hebrews 2:7-9 (KJV) 7  Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8  Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Matthew 14:26-31 (KJV) 26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

This thought is so vast that it could be a series.  There are so many avenues of biblical principle and prophetic direction that it is very tempting to explore them all.  However, I want to stick with a simple thought and also give you some prophetic insight for the year of Our Lord 2020 and beyond.

I see many ‘storms’ on the horizon in 2020 , (and so do you if you are paying attention)

Some highlighted things to consider as we face a new year and a new decade

• End of a decade
• Election Year/Impeachment Trial
• A Visible shaking in the ‘evangelical’ church
• support of president and agenda
• abortion, taxes, and other big court cases (Elderly Judges)
• threats of war N. Korea, Syria withdrawal of troops
• Russian influence here and around the world
• Brexit in UK, Queen’s Age
• Protests in Hong Kong,
• climate change
• ————-
• NCCI Church Anniversary
• Several projects to solidify the stability and endurance of NCCI

What is a vision?   A dream?  A plan?

In the bible, a vision is A vivid apparition

Sometimes it is a method of divine communication

Gen. 31:11 – The angel of the Lord spoke to Jacob in a dream.

Sometimes what God wants to tell us in far beyond what we can handle in our ‘brains’.  Thankfully you are much more than brain power, and physics.  You also have a spirit and many times it is here that God speaks in order to stretch the capabilities of who you are and what you are really able to do.

vision – The act or power of seeing   : SIGHT

1. a) rays entering the eye are transformed by the retina into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve

2a: something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy– especially : a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation

b: a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination

c: a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial

3a: the act or power of imagination

b(1): mode of seeing or conceiving

(2): unusual discernment or foresighta person of vision

c: direct mystical awareness of the supernatural usually in visible form

More than in our other senses vision is a link between the spiritual and the natural elements of the world we live in.  Our sight becomes a metaphor for the perception of things that seem ‘unreal’ to us.  I believe that this is why God gave us the ability to ‘see’ in more than one realm.`

2 Kings 2: 9-10  –  Things will happen in the spiritual realm if you are able to ‘see’ it in the natural realm and vice versa.  The principle is that ‘somebody’ has to be a visionary.  Someone has to ‘see’ somethings if things are going to change, transform, and manifest.

Hab. 2: 2 – 3 – Visionaries and seers, (apostles and prophets) are speacial gifts to the church.  However there is another important link between a vision and manifestation.  There also has to be people that are tasked to make the vision happen.  This is where visions fail to manifest many times. We need more ‘runners’!

It is important to know the difference between a dream a vision, and a wish from a biblical standpoint.

When Dr. M.L. King said ‘I have a dream’, he was not talking about his thoughts while he was sleeping one night.  He was proclaiming a ‘vision’ that God put in his spirit.  In that sense he was a visionary, a prophet, and maybe even an apostle.  That dream has not been fully realized in our nation.  One of the reasons it has not manifested is because there are far too many people who are opposed to what he saw.  They refuse(d) to ‘run with the vision’, and therefore the dream remains ethereal at best.

Visions must be proclaimed, written, and followed up.

Vision becomes a passion. It must turn into a plan of action.  It must have dates associated with it so that the concept becomes realized.

The vision is for a ‘time’ and that time might even be after your lifetime.

Most groundbreaking, world-changing tasks involve other people to buy into to the vision and to do their portion to make the vision reality.  Therefore division is the most effective way to halt the vision.  This is why we are seeing a rise in hate related activities around the world.

Bottom Line: Matthew 14:26-31

The disciples ‘see’ Jesus.  The Lord is doing something that people are not supposed to do.

Note their first reaction, ‘fear’. – This seems to always be our first reaction to a vision.

Jesus calms their fears by speaking directly to them. – When things are shifting it is imperative that you are not only ‘seeing the vision’, but hearing from the right people.

It is in this moment that the leader, Peter, starts to step into the realm of the visionary.  He asks permission to participate in the vision, (buy in).  Of course Jesus says yes.  The is one of the purposes of the exercise.  (It was more than just a ‘miracle’.  It was a lesson in transforming vision into reality.

Verse 29 – Of course Peter ‘walked on the water, to go to Jesus’. This is where things get real.  We sometimes focus on Peter’s failure, but for a moment let’s focus on his success.  Like the visionary, Peter did what the others could not, or would not do.

Verse 30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

So here is where Jesus gives us the vision for 2020 and beyond.  It is so powerful in it’s simplicity.  Peter noticed the storm around him and panic set in. The Lord NEVER calmed the storm.  He could have of course, but he chose not to.  Jesus WALKED ON and OVER the storm and so at least for a brief moment did Peter.   I cannot over-emphasize this:

If you are waiting for the storms of life to cease before you step into your vision, you might miss it entirely!  The Lord has given us the supernatural ability to walk on our storms.

Peter did not sink because of the water.  He sank because he looked at the storm!  So here is the key to the 2020 vision:

‘Keep your eyes on Jesus and not the storms’!

And if you begin to get sidetracked, or fearful, do what Peter did.

‘Call on Jesus and ask Him to save you’!

Jesus grabs Peter by the hand and gives him on-the-job training.  He chides him a little, but ever so gently.  He asks Peter the pertinent question for 2020 and beyond.

‘Peter, you were doing great until your faith got weak!  If you keep your eyes on me, your faith will always keep you above the water and the storms’.

I believe that many in the church are losing faith because we only had faith that God would keep us from the storm.  Peter’s story teaches us that we also need to have faith that God would keep us IN THE STORMS.

There are storms on the horizon.  What I hear God saying is this:  ‘Keep your eyes on me.  Don’t look to anyone, or anything else for your salvation.  I have equipped you to walk in and on the storms.  And remember that this too shall pass!’

Hebrews 2:7-9 (KJV) 7  Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

8  Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.

9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

 

The writer is saying this:

The Lord Jesus Christ has dominion over all things.  As of now we don’t even have knowledge of (what is  to come, what demonic powers we are not even aware of), but WHATEVER it is, WHOMEVER they are, Jesus already has us covered!

We see JESUS!  That is The 2020 Vision.

Isa. 6:1  – Uzziah died, and I SAW THE LORD!

Dan. 1:20 – Daniel refused to compromise  (the vision) with Babylon (the storm).

Dan. 2:  Daniel is 10 times better in his interpretation of the vision because he saw the Lord.

Revelation 1:1 (KJV) ​1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;

Revelation 1:8 (KJV) 8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

So here is the principle: All great revelation, prophetic utterances, visions, dreams, insights, observations,  etc… BEGIN WITH JESUS CHRIST!   Dreams and visions become plans, then realities.  But unless they start and end, (Alpha and Omega), with Jesus, they will not endure the storms, nor will they stand the tests of time.

We are going back to Jesus.  That is the 2020 vision!