Pastor’s Corner: “Losing Sight”
Proverbs 29:18 (NASB) – Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint. – (ERV) If a nation is not guided by God, the people will lose self-control, (MSG) – If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; – (KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Unrestrained is a good word to describe our world and culture today. Off the rails is another way of saying it. The picture is a train that has gone off the tracks and the ensuing result is great destruction. Have you ever seen a picture of a train-wreck? The devastation is unbelievable.
When a society rejects God and decides that they know best and that they are the smartest and wisest in their own eyes, the end result is never good! They are blind to God and their hearts become hard to Him and one another. Proverbs 14:12 (AMP) – 12 There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death. Romans 1:21 (NIV) – 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
“Where there is no vision of God….” When we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless, we cast off certain restraints, we cast off praying, we cast off the vision of God in little things, and begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating what we have out of our own hand, doing things on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on the downward path, we have lost the vision
Before Jesus Christ left this earth he said that He would return, but that before His return there would be a time of difficulty and widespread lawlessness. The seams of society would come apart, and disorders, violence and riot would be so widespread that men’s hearts would literally fail them for fear of the things that were coming on the face of the earth. So it is all bad news? Not necessarily.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 (ESV) – 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
Who is the Restrainer? The “man of lawlessness” is the Anti-Christ, a person who will some day show up on the pages of history as a world power. Only he is evil. His power can only come from satan (2 Cor. 4:4). This lawlessness is clearly already here even though the man of lawlessness has not yet been revealed. Who can oppose satan? Paul does not specifically identify what or who the restraining force is, since the Thessalonians already knew. But only God has the power – the power to oppose satan the man of lawlessness. So it is God’s Spirit…Holy Spirit who is present on earth now that is restraining satan and his work on earth. Where is Holy Spirit? In us – the church – we are the last line of defense!
How do we do this? More vision, more revelation, more truth, more of God’s words, and more Jesus! More, more, more – preach, preach, preach – serve, serve, serve – love, love love! We cannot back down from sharing the love of God and the good news of Jesus Christ. We are here so that they can see Jesus – we are His body. The worse the world gets, the more bold we need to be. The enemy absolutely wants to shut the church down, but He cannot. Only God has the last word.
While we may be discouraged and weary because of the direction the world is turning, we cannot give up. We still have work to do. If Holy Spirit is still working through us to restrain the enemy it is because there are still others to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) – 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Don’t Lose Sight!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton