LIVING VISION Ezekiel 36:24-27, 37:21-26
LIVING VISION Living Vision as we make vision and all it entails part of our daily lives
LIVING VISION Where there is no vison the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he Proverbs 29:18 King James Version About the difference having God s word has on peoples lives
LIVING VISION Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law Proverbs 29:18 ESV That prophetic word speaking into peoples lives is the vision God wants us to know
LIVING VISION Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18 NIV Without knowledge of God s way people flounder
LIVING VISION When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy. Proverbs 29:18 New Living Translation Letting God guide us to his priorities
LIVING VISION Happiness is connected with following God s word, his vision to us in our lives day by day
VISION FOR NOW Ezekiel s calling meant that he had a message of repentance to preach to the people Recognition that there is an urgency in the churches task
VISION FOR NOW Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 3:17 The Vision God gives is not something to sit on
VISION FOR NOW I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26
VISION CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE God's people were always called to be distinctive in the world Actions speak a thousand words so the saying goes and if we are to communicate a different way of being then it is in how we live that will be most effective
VISION CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE Whatever it takes to fulfill God s vision
VISION CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:27 Vision will be uncomfortable but God promises us his Spirit to equip, enable and sustain us
VISION ALWAYS COMMUNICATES HOPE He preached about being the people of God He preached about inheriting a kingdom He preached about a new covenant He preached a coming king
VISION ALWAYS COMMUNICATES HOPE In Ezekiel's ministry we see the trailer for the main feature which was to come Any uncomfortable moments, any resulting pressures, any loss of standing, influence or power are as nothing when we consider what the vision contains
VISION ALWAYS COMMUNICATES HOPE Whatever the personal vision God gives us and the vision we seek to fulfil as a body of God s people in our community it is filled with hope
LIVING VISION Living Vision for now - in a hurting, pain filled world we have a vision Living Vision can be uncomfortable in a world of low standards we have a vision
LIVING VISION Living Vision always communicates hope - in a world which needs good news we have a vision
RESPONSE TO VISION What word is God speaking to us today as we come to the end of this short series? As we seek to capture a renewed vision for us as individuals and a church ask God for a single word to share now.