See Yourself Here Series 2, I Can See Clearly Now

See Yourself Here Series 2, I Can See Clearly Now
By: Bobby Sullivan

(Sermon notes & PowerPoint Slide links at the bottom of the page)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.”  Kris Valloton 

Isaiah 43:19 (NIV) “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

God is aggressively ramping up his agenda for a global revelation of his goodness. If you cant see it now you will see it later! There are many who see but they do not perceive it to move them action. What is he doing? He is doing what he always as. Making a way in the wilderness. Everywhere there is a lack of revelation he is peeling back the scales and allowing people to see him in his glory and splendor through dreams and visions.

Perceive:—become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.  We don’t want you to see us or what we are doing, we want you to see what Jesus is doing through us. We want to put Jesus on display so people my see, hear and understand to goodness of God. We want to present a living Jesus to a dying world.

If you don’t have an accurate perception of who Jesus is, you will lose hope of seeing who you can be like and the world will never see Christ in Action and never grasp the fullness of God. Peoples perception of God is extremely vague and distant.

HOW MANY WANT TO HELP OTHERS SEE CLEARLY??
There is a divine seed of hope in these words, God is telling us that He is about to do a new thing.
He states His intention then backs it with a  promise. God Promises to transform the Things that are Past.

God had done many mighty works but now he says do not dwell on the past.

God Promises to Transform the Things that are Present.

Their present dilemma (14-17) These verses go beyond the deliverance from Egypt to the deliverance from Babylon. How sad it is to recognize that a nation that had proven God in liberation, preservation and occupation should now find themselves captives once again in Babylon. Because of their backsliding and rebellion God had to send them in judgment into Babylon. But in answer to the prayers of a faithful remnant a great deliverance was effected.

In this prophetic picture we have the revelation of devoted truth. When God redeems us it is for a purpose, and that purpose becomes the supreme goal of our lives. God’s Purpose is to Satisfy His Own People  (20b) I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, My chosen.

God’s greatest delight is to satisfy His people.

God opened their eyes to see him in his spender so in the reflection they could see as well.

Tommy Barnett    Looking back over all your years of ministry what would you do different?

“I would dream bigger and I would risk more!” He is in his 80’s

We are believing God for Big things in 2020.

• Every chair filled!! 100  May not be big for you but when you start with 13 that’s big.
• 2^nd service
• Lets get real! Believing for a $2,000 offering each week. We will not be entirely dependent on the ACC
• Outreach /Famjam will reach thousands not a few hundred
• Friday Night Outreach Team. God will raise up an evangelism team
• Full worship team

FAITH STRETCH:  New Paved Parking Lot/Beautiful Landscaping/Believing God for a Christian Landscaper that will have the heart to take on the property as their personal service to God.

We had a prophesy years ago that God would give us the keys for a building to establish an evangelistic training center!

DREAM BIG! The dreams that have never come true are the dreams that have never been dreamt. SO dream big! There is nothing wrong with that!

“A ship is safe in the harbor but that’s not what ships are built for.” John A Shedd

“IF you are not willing to risk the unusual you will have to settle for the ordinary” Jim Rohn

“They seem to know enough about Christianity to spoil their enjoyment of the world, and yet they do not know enough to feel happy about themselves… they see, and yet they do not see”.   Martin Lloyd Jones

How many of you know that in order to see the possibilities you have to DE clutter. You have to clean house so you clean house!!

Helen Kellar “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

She was blind and deaf and still received a degree from Harvard! She taught herself how to speak and did public lectures. She could feel your lips and know what you were saying! 

TWO SLIDES …   What Color is the dress?    Buzzfeed … 2 million votes  72%   White And Gold.  (those with clear Godly vision saw gold and white) 

When God says, See Im doing a new thing..some people perceive others don’t! Why?

They don’t believe in there brain! 

John 1:17-18 “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has (Revealed nlt)  declared Him.”    (Message) “made him plain as day.”

Basically God says, If you want to see me in my glory I will send my Son 

John 1:23-51
He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (When you behold him you will never behave) 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who ]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

The First Disciples

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.(Something happens in your spirit when you get a full revelation of who he is! No one will keep you silent)

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

NOTE: Nazareth was southwest of the Sea of Galilee, and a very small community, probably less than 500 people during Jesus’ lifetime. It was located north of Jerusalem, well beyond Samaria. Being so small, and not close to major cities, it was the last place you would expect anything interesting to happen. Calling someone a “Nazarene” would have been like referring to them as a “bumpkin,” or even a “hillbilly.” Nathanael’s question is more than a little sarcastic. He assumes that Nazareth couldn’t produce much of worth, let alone the Promised One. Philip’s response is not to argue, but simply to invite. He knows already that talking about Jesus is nothing like meeting Him in person. Philip’s invitation also echoes the one Jesus gave to Andrew and John in verse 39. Too many people want God to come to them—usually in some kind of miracle or overt message—but knowing Him is as simple as making a decision to draw closer to Him.

Inspriation:  Come and see what God will do in you and through you. Declare it! Watch what happens from Bridgewater!!

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

NOTE: Pastor Sheryl and I want you to see beyond. See deep, wide, above and below. Believe God for greater visions, dreams, aspirations. See the impossible becoming the possible.

See, See Jesus, See Yourself, Community, Others (Invite), operate under an open heaven!!! 

Luke 3:5 “Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth;”  Forerunner … team that prepared the way … easy trip 

A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.

New year’s resolutions demand willpower. Your brain cells that operate willpower are located in the prefrontal cortex,

PICTURE OF BRAIN: Your brain is elastic and you have to train it.

Dr. Baba Shiv (Stanford) “So your pre-frontal cortex that handles willpower is like a muscle, that needs to be trained, If you decide to train that muscle at the start of the new year with a resolution … that’s the equivalent of a 300 pound barbell you want to lift without any previous training.”

Prepared To See: 

1. FORERUNNERS Fill The Valleys: John the Baptist did that. He made way for the monarch

Loss / Betrayal/Wounds/Walls/Barriers/Obstacles/Hurdles/

Luke 4:18 “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;” 

Thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…..The grace of God fills the holes and paves the way through the forest of frustration that forecast failure in your face.

If you look at the situation through lens of the Lord, what you perceive will take on a new picture.

2. Lower The Mountains vs. 31,33 “I did not know Him.” Mountains is pride. “I Know, I know”

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” ― John Wooden.

I think I already know what it will look like and then because of my exalted bias I miss with the Spirit is pointing out.  = PRIDE! / Religion 

3. Confront Crookedness: Confusion / Apathy / Division We cant build a divided house

Philippians 3:13 “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,…”

Acts 26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,”

Apathy will always find an allaby.

The high school teacher finally got fed up with their apathy! He grabbed a piece of chalk, whirled around to the chalkboard; and, began to slash away in big, foot-high letters, “A-P-A-T-H-Y!” He underlined the word twice; then, slammed an exclamation point on it that broke the chalk as he hammered it against the chalkboard! One of the dull students up front frowned as he struggled to read the word. Unable to pronounce it, he tilted his head to one side as he started spelling it aloud, “A-P-A-T-H-Y.” He mispronounced the word as “A-paythee.” Then, he leaned over and muttered to his friend, “What in the world is ’a-paythee’?” His friend yawned back with a sigh, “Who cares?”

4. Smooth Out The Rough Stuff: Offense / Frustrations/Stop being offended

You will find the influence of bitterness will allow you to become offended easily. When you see that rising in you guard your heart. Bitterness is a pathway to the past that opens the door to entitlement. Disappointment robs people of the courage to contend for the future. You were not designed for discouragement and disappointment but for a declared determined destiny. 

Romans 8:38 “³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTE: He mentioned today and tomorrow but not the past! Yesterday can’t remove you from the love of God but it can shut down your awareness of the love of God. You can’t define who you are and what your purpose is by looking in the rear view mirror. 

Matthew 11:3 “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

Mark 4:38 Jesus in the boat. Jesus sleeping “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Ephesians 1:16-21 “…do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;…

“…that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  which He worked in Christ when …”

“…when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”

See Yourself Here Series 2, I Can See Clearly Now, Sermon notes to print, PDF

See Yourself Here Series 2, I Can See Clearly Now, PowerPoint Slides, PDF