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Godly Vision – A Vision of RUIN! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the November 10, 2024 sermon, “A Vision of RUIN!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Zechariah 11

“For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the LORD. “I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands.”
Zechariah 11:6 (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 continue our Godly Vision series from Zechariah, we look at the not so pleasant topic of A Vision of Ruin. To help us avoid ruin, God warns us of the dangers and consequences of rejecting Him.  A continued disobedience to God will find us facing a vision of . . .

  • Rejection:  Zechariah 11:1-6

    • A vision of ruin will have us noticing the role rejection has in the destruction of a life.  When we consistently declare our independence from God, it is our rejection of Him which results in a growing separation which eventually would lead to ruin.  While it is important to note the warning of ruin to those who reject God, the good news is that God promises that all who come to Him in faith will in no way be cast out. 

  • Uselessness:  Zechariah 11:7-9

    • A vision of ruin will reveal a uselessness of all the things of this world which we use in an attempt to justify ourselves.  The spiritual ruin which comes by separating ourselves from God will make us unfit for any good and useful purpose.  As we heed the warning of ruin which comes to those who pursue useless things and teachings, we can be filled with great hope in knowing God created us for a useful and noble purpose which He fulfills in us as we follow Him.  

  • Injury:  Zechariah 11:10-14

    • A vision of ruin will expose the injury which occurs when we live apart from God.  When we ignore the teachings of God’s Word, we live without the protection He desires to surround us with.  When we are injured, yet reject the Good Shepherd who can bring healing to us, we soon find ourselves injuring others.  The antidote which keeps us from ruin when we are injured, and keeps us from injuring others, is to accept the healing power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse us of all sin.

  • Neglect:  Zechariah 11:15-17

    • A vision of ruin can be the result of simple neglect.  The care, or lack of care, which we give something will generally indicate how likely it is to last the test of time.  For many, the ruin that is faced does not come from rejection, uselessness, or injury, but rather from a neglect of hearing and doing the Word of God.  Our neglect may not be all that intentional, but neither is our study, fellowship, and pursuit of God very intentional.  We have a tool to avoid ruin when we choose not to neglect the things of God and how He wants us to live.

Today, how will you overcome RUIN?