… How does a man, for a period of 120 years, constantly preach God’s Word, warn against God’s coming judgment and build an ocean liner all at the same time? Can someone please tell me how this can be done? Because, truthfully, if it had been me, I think I would have told God to just include me in the flood because there’s no way I could do it. Noah was able to faithfully fulfill God’s will because He had received God’s vision for his life. Noah was a man of vision.
If a Christian wants to experience life as God intended, then he or she had better be seeking God’s vision for his or her life because it’s vision that give us purpose, it’s vision that drives us and it’s vision that enables us to live above mediocrity. When we seek and embrace the vision that God has for our lives, we live life at the highest possible plane, right in the lap of Jesus Christ!
So how can you begin to seek the Vision God has for your life? You start by studying and understanding the following principles of vision.
Principles of Vision
1. A reality of conditions that do not now exist – Noah believed what did not yet exist.
2. Always entails change – Noah’s relatively happy, peaceful life was changed.
3. Is always God given, not man-centered – Noah allowed God to bring him the vision.
4. Focuses on what others think is impossible – Ask any of Noah’s neighbors, they would have said, “It’s impossible!”
5. Always involves risk; invites criticism – Noah was laughed at and ridiculed regularly.
6. Always makes room for God’s known will – Noah knew God’s will for man and preached it.
7. Should not get derailed by fads, trends, methods – Noah didn’t alter God’s blueprints.
8. Never acquiesces to the status quo – Despite his occasional discouragement, Noah never gave in.
9. Must never be side-stepped by human tradition over biblical truth – There were no shrines in the Ark.
10. Details of vision must never be set in concrete – Noah never ran ahead of God to a conclusion, rather, he waited for God to speak.
God used Noah in a mighty way. Noah preserved mankind through the Great Flood. Here’s a fact for you… God wants to use you and I in mighty way as well. With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great.
If I were to ask you today, what is your God-given vision? What specific mission has God called you to pour your life into? We can all experience life at the highest plane if we will actively seek God and ask Him to make it clear to us. Noah was used by God, and brethren, Noah wasn’t anyone of notoriety, Noah wasn’t a superstar, Noah wasn’t a standout, except for one thing… Key verse: “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22).
As I conclude this message; Here are the keywords for the 4 principles of vision we learn from Noah:
First, we learn that in order to receive God’s Vision for our lives, we must be connected to Him. We must be properly related to God. Listen to how Genesis 6:9 puts it: Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. The New Living Translation puts it best when it says: Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with him.
Second, we learn that when God gives someone a vision, it is usually pretty specific. God wanted to use Noah to preserve the human race. He wanted Noah to build an ark and gave Noah specific dimensions. God then gave Noah specific instructions regarding animals and provisions. And, finally, God gave Noah specific instructions on when to enter and when to exit the Ark.
Third, we learn that when God gives us a vision, He also empowers & equips us to see the vision through to completion. Noah was not completely alone in his mission, but had three sons to help him, along with his wife and daughters-in-law. Most significantly, God Himself, will use His own power to make things happen. Remember who shut the door behind them when they all entered the ark? Genesis 7:16: Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.
Fourth, we learn that when God gives us a vision, He will sustain us throughout the entire process. Let’s take a quick look at the Flood’s timeline. We see that Noah and his family were in the ark along with a host of animals for months. This situation must have gotten on everyone’s nerves after a while don’t you think? Noah must have been wondering, “God… have you forgotten us down here trapped in this floating zoo?” But then in Genesis 8:1 we read: But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
Let’s get excited about our faith! Let’s pursue God with all of our might! Let’s seek God’s Vision for our personal lives and for our church! Vision is everything in the life of a Christian!
God bless you!
