THE CHRISTIAN WITH A HEAVENLY VISION – PART TWO

Welcome back, friends. We want to conclude the message we stared last week – The Christian with a Heavenly Vision. Let me read the text from where this is taken; and that is Acts of the Apostle 26 – Acts of the Apostle 26. It is part of Paul’s defense before King Agrippa. In Acts 26 from verse 12, it says:

Acts 26:12-19

¹² “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

PRAYER

Father, we’ve come again. Open your Word to my friends in radioland, and open them up to the Word…in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

We said last time, and I’ve said it again – that this is part of Paul’s defense before King Agrippa. Festus the Governor had tried to deliver Paul into the hands of the Jewish people. And when Paul perceived that he appealed to Caesar. But Festus did not have anything to write to Caesar. So when Agrippa came to see him he decided to bring the case before him.

We said last time that the Christian with a heavenly vision will see an unusual light from heaven. The Christian with a heavenly vision will hear an authoritative word from heaven. And thirdly, that the Christian with a heavenly vision will carry out the vision from heaven. And we also said – or I observed that: we don’t mean that the Christian will have the literal experience that Paul had. But figuratively, these things that applied to Paul will apply to the one who has become a Christian.  He will see an unusual light; for the light that Paul saw from heaven was unusual. This light from heaven was a blinding light – unusual light.

Paul was blinded momentarily, and then received his sight, even his spiritual sight, permanently. And he did say so. And when he received this light he started seeing Jesus Christ differently. “Therefore from now on,” he said, “we regard no one according to the flesh even though we had regarded Jesus that way. But now, we see Him as no longer as a mere man.”

And it was also a transforming light; for his life was completely transformed. And Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:6,

⁶ For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

That light he saw – though physical light – but it has a spiritual importance: spiritual significance. As he was blinded he received light: the true light – and he started seeing Christ differently; and his life was transformed. And so he could say: in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

That “if [if any man be in Christ] if anyone [be] in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

New, not in the sense of something most recent, but new in the sense of something entirely different, as it were, out of this world.

If you have Toyota Camry 2017 (you know they are out now) you have a new car. But if you have a car that runs with water, not petrol, that’s a new car. It is in that sense that Paul uses the term new creation – something entirely different, not resent.

The Christian with a heavenly vision does not only see an unusual light from heaven but will hear an authoritative word from heaven. And Paul did hear this authoritative word from heaven. That authoritative word was exclusive to him, because he was the only one who heard what the message contained – the message from heaven. And the one who has a vision from heaven will hear God. It’s exclusive to him or her.

And I said last time that this explains why those who do not have the vision from heaven cannot understand the voice of God in the Word of God, the bible. To them the bible is closed book. And I said, no wonder they fall prey to spiritual or religious charlatans.

The authoritative voice from heaven makes the Christian with the heavenly vision a person with purpose; and makes him or her a witness for Christ.

Acts 26:15

¹⁵ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

(A minister! Some of us these days translate minister as big man. Minister simply means servant).

Acts 26:17-18

¹⁷ I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light [darkness to light – the light from heaven], and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

A person of purpose, as we see in Acts 26:16, is in the sense of “serving or effecting a useful function, having or tending to fulfill a conscious purpose or design.”

A person with purpose. Such a Christian – a Christian with purpose: heavenly purpose, such a Christian will never be aimless. Such a Christian will never loaf around: such a Christian will never be lazy – such a Christian will never be unproductive. There are a number of Christians today who are unproductive. How can you be a Christian with a heavenly vision and yet you are going to heaven empty-handed, not even with one soul with which to greet your Savior?

Friend, for what purpose are you saved, if you are saved?

Finally, a Christian with a heavenly vision will carry out the vision from heaven; and by so doing you will discover that he or she delivers. That is, he or she does not disappoint the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Acts 26:19-20, the Apostle Paul says,

“Therefore: King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” (but he delivered)

²⁰ but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea.

And then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do wonks befitting repentance.”

Friend, have you repented from your sin? Have you turned to the Lord Jesus Christ? And are you living a life worthy of that repentance? A Christian with a heavenly vision delivers.

Paul, as an apostle with a heavenly vision, fulfilled the conscious purpose or design of God. Are you a Christian that God trust? Are you a Christian God can trust to carry out His purpose in your community? A Christian with a heavenly vision does not only deliver, he or she also is durable. In Acts 26: 21-23, Paul says,

“For these reasons the Jews seize me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²²Therefore, having obtained help from God to this day I stand witnessing both to

small and great saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said will come.

To this end of durability, Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3

2 Timothy 2:3

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Today we don’t have people who would endure hardship. We want to live soft life. We want to live in pleasure and in plenty.

Finally, the Christian with a heavenly vision who delivers also is durable, is also dynamic. In verse 24 of Acts 26, ²⁴ Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

The dynamism of Paul was what caught the attention of Governor Festus.

The Christian with a heavenly vision is like a dynamite for constructive destruction. The Christian with a heavenly vision is like a dynamo with the power of the Holy Spirit constantly pulsating in him or her.

Friend, what kind of Christian are you? Are you serving the purpose of God on earth? Only such Christians can God rely upon to carry out his vision here on earth.

PRAYER

Father, we again…we want to say thank You for seeing us through our discussion today. May we be Christians with heavenly vision. And for those who have not yet become Christians may the Holy Spirit convict them of sin of righteousness and of judgment, and please bring them into the Kingdom…in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!