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Godly Vision – A Vision To BLESS! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 20, 2024 sermon, “A Vision To BLESS!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Zechariah 8

“As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.” 
Zechariah 8:13 (NIV)

As God revealed Himself in Old Testament times to His chosen people, He often did so in visions seen by His prophets.  Zechariah was one of those prophets who was given a series of godly visions to share with God’s people of his time and with God’s people of today.  Today we continued a sermon series from the book of Zechariah as we consider how his godly vision should teach us now.  As we gaze into God’s Word, we find this Godly Vision looked forward to the coming of Jesus and the work He would accomplish through His life, death, burial, and resurrection.  As we return to God from wherever we are, we find He fills us with a vision to . . .

  • Believe:  Zechariah 8:1-6

    • A vision to bless calls for us to believe in people in the same manner in which God believes in us.  God calls us to Himself to be a blessing to the world not because He believes in our ability to do so, but because He believes in His ability to work through us.  When we believe in God’s ability to transform any person, we are better able to bless them. 

  • Love:  Zechariah 8:7-13

    • A vision to bless will result in a choice to love people with the same love which God has for us.  The love of God is poured out upon mankind in a manner which reflects His nature and His desire to bless us without regard to our worthiness.  It is our experience of God’s love which should lead us to bless others regardless of our view of their worthiness..  

  • Express:  Zechariah 8:14-17

    • A vision to bless will lead us to express God’s goodness to others.  When we believe in people and love people the way God believes in us and loves us, we find appropriate ways to express that belief and love.  There is something special and significant about an expressed blessing that lifts a person beyond themselves as they begin to see the potential which God has put in their life.  It is God’s expression of His love for us which ought to lead us expressing a blessing upon others.

  • Serve:  Zechariah 8:18-19

    • A vision to bless will result in a greater desire to serve God in the way we serve others.  Jesus made it clear through His words and His example that we rise to greatness when we choose to serve others.  In fact, Jesus says that the way we serve “the least of these, my brethren” is the way we serve Him.  While we may be tempted to “bless” others in the way we would want to be blessed, God gives us a vision to bless others as we serve them according to their need.

  • Sacrifice:  Zechariah 8:20-23

    • A vision to bless will be a costly decision of sacrifice, but one which is worth all that you might be asked to pay.  As we take on the nature of Jesus, we must consider the needs of others to be more important to us than our own.  As God’s children, we are called to be a blessing to the world and we do so when we are willing to sacrifice our own wants, desires, and even needs in order to see others blessed by God through us.

Today, how will you choose to BLESS?