Progressive

Brother Dylan, Matt, you guys understand what I say when I say this, but these guys go to a lot of events and they set up a lot of equipment and they they do a lot of things and and you don't see it. It's in the background. It's things that that have to be in place for you to be able to to visualize or do whatever that that is that you're supposed to be doing.

And I I'm I'm just saying it because these guys understand what I'm talking about. But I am so thankful that God works even when we don't we don't see that. We don't know.

We don't know what God's up to. I, you know, I I'll be the first to admit and along with pastor, he would say the same is is there's times that we we make decisions based off of what we think. Not only what we think, but brother Rob, what we want.

And the whole time God's God says, "I got this." I don't know what the situation may be in your life today, but I want to tell you just right out front, God's got it. He's got it under control. Even when we don't see it, he's got it.

And I I really think that it's it's a very timely message that God laid on my heart. And I I really feel this is that there are so many times we get caught up there. There there's a trap that we get caught up in and that is that is that vision trap.

There's a there is a what we see and that's all we see and we don't have what's inside of us to say God you got something else. I want you to lift your hands once again. Would you lift your hands to heaven right now?

Thank you, Jesus. Would you thank the Lord for what he has done thus far? Would you thank him right now in the name of Jesus across this building?

God, Lord, you're you're moving in this place. And we thank you for your presence that we feel in this place. Thank you, God, for what you're doing right now in this room, God.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Amen. Amen. God bless you today.

Earlier this week, I was thinking of, and this is not part of the message, but I'll just go ahead and kind of put this out there. I was thinking of John the Baptist and was thinking of his life, pastor. He uh we had a great lesson w Wednesday night, didn't we?

What a great message. But we were discussing some of that and in John's ministry and some of the things that John did. God bless you.

You may be seated just for a moment. But I was thinking of John the Baptist and his and what God had planned for him and the things that God was doing. And John grew up like any other child, I guess.

uh he uh he he had his issues in life and as a matter of fact we only read of his childhood as being born and we only catch that first portion of that because he's driven into the desert and he grows up as a wild man. The scripture tells us uh he is and I I say wild man because he has some ideas that are wild, right? How how many you have ever met those people that just their uh their perspective is different than yours?

Let's just put it that way. That that they what they see is a little different than how you would would see it. And and John was that type of person is is God had a plan for his life.

Let me tell you something. When God has a plan for your life, uh things won't make sense to you. H it makes no sense.

And so God has this plan for John and John is is been he knows about the scripture and what it said and and how that uh the scriptures were given and how it was prophesied that there would be a crazy man in the wilderness. He he knew about that. But then but then to say, you know, hey, I am that man that that's a different story.

Uh there there's so many things that uh just rush through my brain right now about John's life, but that John was that forerunner of Jesus Christ. There had to be somebody to set the stage for Jesus. There had to be something that had to take place before Jesus was to make his appearance.

See, there was only what, six months between their their births. So, they were basically the same age. But then we see we see Jesus is not he is as a child.

We we read about certain things of his life, but John, we don't. and and and I was thinking along the lines of how that that John had to he had to um he had to change his way of thinking. He had to change his way of focusing and had to change the the his perspective and and and again people saw him as crazy.

They saw him as one. As a matter matter of fact, the scripture says one that one crying in the wilderness. And what was his message?

His message was repent. That was his message. His message was to repent and be baptized.

And this was under John's baptism. And then we see the conversion happens. And then John steps off of the scene.

You know, that to me that is one of those areas to be able to step away from uh uh what God intends. Sometimes you just got to step away from it, right? Sometimes you got to step away from what God really has has stored because your time is finished.

And that's what John's was. But I I begin to think along John and what he may have visualized. And I I I I want to share this with you and I hope that it it's something that each and every one of you can actually glean from today.

And I I want to say thank you to all of you uh for being here today. I I I enjoy the house of God. I enjoy the house of God.

The scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians the 4th chapter in verse 18 Paul is writing here and Paul says he says he tells them not to look on the things that they cannot see and I I I am paraphrasing here and I know that you got it on the screens for the things which you don't see. He says there are things that uh you you always that's that's our character is we we see the things we see and that's the things we're going to believe in. Right?

But the things that we don't see those things that we cannot see he says he says the things that we see are only temporal. They're only temporal. They they're only here for a little while.

But there are things that we need to be thinking about in everything that we do. Do we need to be thinking about eternal? Amen.

Somebody say it again. Amen. It is something that we have to always remember is it's not about what we can see with our naked eye.

It's not about what what looks good on the outside. You know, they they've always talked about the cover of a book. You can you can't judge that book by the cover.

Right. I I I I found that out real quick. Um you go to McKay's.

How many of you know what McKay's is? Especially you homeschoolers. But you can have a book that looks like a really, really good enriched book.

Open it up and it's just full of blubber. You ever been there? Yeah.

But Paul is telling them, he says, "There's things that you're looking at. These things are temporal. They they are that's what we put our faith in a lot of times is temporal things.

But God has something that is eternal that he wants you to focus on. You see, this is the trap that we get into is a visual trap is what we see is what we're going to believe in. That is the nature of you and I.

What we see is what we're going to put our put our faith in. you you show it to me and I'll I'll trust it. But if you don't show me, I I I you know, I can't put my faith in that.

That is that is totally opposite from what the word of God says. Hebrews 1 uh Hebrews 11 and1 says this. It says, "Now faith is what?

The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Those things are spiritual. And I'm going to be honest with you, there's not many spiritual people in our world today.

They they they're looking at things the wrong way. As a matter of fact, we find many areas in the scripture where the scripture will tell us, and there's one particular one, I think it is found in Kings. I think I thought I'd wrote it down.

Kings the 6th chapter. 2 Kings the 6th chapter. we find where where the prophet he is there along with his servant and they go out onto the porch so to speak and he looks around and the the servant says oh my we're going to be taken over there there's enemy everywhere there's enemy all around us and what does the prophet say to him he says I I want to pray for you I I want to pray that your eyes be open to what thus sayeth the Lord.

Hello. I I really feel this in my spirit today. Sometimes we have to say, God, open up my eyes not to what I see, but what you see and let me see what you're you're seeing.

So many times we get caught up in that trap, though. That trap is that that all we see is just what's right here. And God says, "I've got something beyond that.

I've got something that I want you to see that is greater than that. I've got something I want you." That is one of our biggest struggles is what we see. Those spiritual battles that go on and we're saying, "Why is this happening?" I I will I will say this.

A couple of days ago, it may have been Monday, um there was um and and and I I'm sure this happens in your household. I hope it does, but you you get you get to feeling bad physically and there's there's these and sometimes it gets emotional. The roller coaster rides happen and and all of these things start happening to you and you just feel this heaviness on you.

And my wife walks in the room and she says, "I think it's time for you to do what you're supposed to do." And I said, "What's that?" She said, "We get up and pray and you drive all this stuff out of here." And and she was talking truth. She's not in here. Y'all make sure she hears what I said because so many times the devil will put us on this roller coaster ride.

Things start happening in our life and it we get this we get so caught up in everything that is going on around us what we see and God says why don't you lift up your eyes and look at what I see. I want to show you something so many times and see that is that is that lens that we we have to be careful about. I I uh so some years ago I had to get these.

How many you got these? Pastor, you talked about yours on Wednesday. I'm going to talk about mine.

As a matter of fact, I went to what the what the the doctor said is the best He said there is what they call a progressive lens. How many ever heard of those? Has anybody in here wear them?

And it got me curious, you know, because I I really enjoy them. I tried to go back to a line one time. Oh my.

Don't put a line in my [panting] Now I know. Is it I think it's uh Brother Jeff, you still wear a line? No.

Does anybody else wear a line? Yeah, got some lines. Well, I I got I got curious about this and in 1909 there was there was this British uh scientist that just started studying the eyes and he started studying and this was in 1909 and so he's he's taking glass and they're doing their best to try invent what they call a progressive lens.

They literally took two pieces of glass, put them together, and because of the uh because of the way it was just so complicated to make that because of manufacturing, they shut it down because it just would not work. Then in 1922, this guy picks it back up and he says, "I'm going to do a little better on that." He said, "I think we can get it." They did a solid glass but then again they ran into problems with the manufacturing side because they just could not get it. 1953 there was another guy that come along and he decided he was going to do the same and so he begins to uh make this and he created this lens and then when he got his made he did a good thing.

He sold it. He made some money on it. But then the company that bought it uh was not able to do anything with it until 1972.

They finally got to a place to where they could produce this. Then in 1981, we see that there was uh a Freeman company that bought it. And this Freeman company ended up generating so many of these that they were able to open market up and able to sell it in 1976.

in 1976 once they opened it up and until 2021 when this actually u was documented it was said to believe that this particular type of material or this particular type of lens in value was worth 29.9 billion but what it came down to is it came down to somebody said that I am not giving up on trying to develop this lens. I'm not trying. I'm not going to let this thing go.

And from one right after another another after another, these guys began to try their best. And then they came up with what we call the progressive lens. That's where that came from.

And as this progressive lens hit the market, people flooded the market wanting that lens. Why? Because progressive lens was the lens that actually you were able to see from one level to another.

There was no there was no split in it. There was no line in it. There was just you could progressively see what you wanted to see.

I I bring this to you today because this is something that I felt in my spirit today is that so many times we get caught up in stages. We get caught up in levels of what God is doing in our life and all we see is just that one level. How many times has it been that we have allowed our opportunities that God has opened up to us to stop because that's all we saw.

That was a God moment. That's all about God. But what we did not realize is God was trying to take us to another level.

I I I bring this to you today because I want you to get this is that God wants to open up us to a progressive type of seeing God structure and what God really wants for your life. God help me to progress and what I need and what I am getting from you Lord. That way I see it here.

I can also see it there and I can see it there. And as it moves closer, I do not lose that vision. How many of you have ever looked through the the lens that have the lines in it?

Let me tell you something. You have a child run up on you, it's whoa. Because everything goes blurry after the line.

Everything. And God says he wants you to look at this through his eyes. There is no line.

There is no place of dividing. There is no place that he says you go here and this is as far as you go. I want to see what God's promises are.

I want to see what God has down the road. I want TO SEE WHAT GOD WHAT ARE YOU doing for me? And when it gets to me, I'm not surprised.

Hello. So many times though we get caught up in that trap. We get caught up in that trap.

You see we focus on and this is something that I feel that we have to practice. We focus on the unseen. We have to I I have to focus on what I cannot see.

Amen. And how do you do that? God, I'm walking by faith.

God, I'm walking by faith. I I I don't see everything about it, but I do see that promise that you've made me, I see it coming, and I can't make it out clear enough, but as it gets closer, oh my. How How many of you ever thought that you would be where you are today?

The truth is you got to looking beyond that line. You said, "Okay, God, what is it that what is it that you've promised me? What is it that you're trying to show me?

What is it, God, that you're trying to show me? Focus on the unseen. God, I want you to fix my vision.

Let me see your glory, God. Let me see your glory." The other thing that we need to practice on and that is that we speak his word because that's that's where we get our vision from. That's where he really shows up and shows us exactly what our what his plan is for us.

So many times we get caught up in in the trap of just what we can see. But the truth is his word says that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If we will listen, God will show us his plan.

If we will listen, he will give us the direction we need to go. God, show me what my plan is for my life. We pray, God, let my spiritual eyes be open.

As a prophet spoke about the about the young lad that stepped out on the porch with him, that his eyes would be open. God, open up my spiritual eyes. Let me see what's going on.

Let me tell you something. If you ask God to do that, he will show up and he'll let you know when the enem is coming in. Hello.

He'll let you know when when things is going wrong. He'll give you those th those those insights to what his plan is. And he'll give you insights to what their plan is.

How many you know you got to know his strategy? You got to know his strategy. One more thing that I want to mention about the plan that we we have to undertake and that is that we take it that every trial that comes our way, we take it as a training ground.

Take it as a training ground. Look at it as something God. You're trying to teach me something here.

You're trying to teach me your ways, oh God. There's so many times that we look at it as it being a test and it's a trial and and I don't know about you, but I don't like to go through trials. Do you do you like trials?

No. None of us do. I don't like to go through the trials and test of life.

But the truth is that I need those in my life because I one I learn who God is. I learn who's in control. The other thing that I learn is I learn that the more that I trust him, the more that he shows me, hello.

The more that we can trust God in what his paths are for our life, the more that we know about what God's plan is for our life. You see the kingdom of God, we have to we have to realize it's that that if we're going to make this, if we're going to make this, it's because we have opened up our eyes, God, it's more than about these earthly things. It's more than about what I have here on this earth.

It's more than about what what God has what God has just put right there in front of me. Because I I like I said before, that is something that we often times look at. That was a God moment.

How many you know you cannot live for God in the past? How many you grew up in a in in churches that that we shouted and we shouted shouted our hair down and poppy pins everywhere and you was underneath the pew. And as a child I knew this.

We I I could tell you which ones I wanted to be under, which ones I didn't want to be under. But but you grew up in those those those types of churches where and and I'll tell you, we we like to shout around here, too, don't we? Yeah.

And and we we've got bobby pins that actually stay in your hair now, right? Look at the ladies. Yeah.

But but the truth is is is that so many times we get caught up in in living life in the past or living life in that. I did not realize it, but they have they have tri focals, too. I I I don't know how you'd wear that, but brother Rob, that's triocal.

That's where you can see in the middle but triocal. I I want to be able to see it in the progressive. I want to be able to see what God is doing where I see it and there is no break in it.

There is no line in it. I can see what God is doing. I can see where where he can show me where he's headed with my life.

I can see him coming. I can see whenever it gets closer and what the promises of God is. I can see those.

I I want to I want to encourage somebody today. I you we've got to get rid of the lines in our life. We've got to get rid of the lines in our life.

We can we cannot have what we called zones. We cannot have those areas where we say, "Well, uh God wants me to see and he'll show it to me." No. You need to pray and say, "God, open up my eyes that I might see." Because there are times when we just keep our eyes on what we've been doing and God says, "You hadn't seen it, but it's coming right there.

It just lift your eyes up a little bit. Look, it's right there." And the whole time God has been working on us, trying to get us to that progressive vision, asking Asking for that today. Ask him for that today.

Ask God to open up your hearts and minds to see what he is doing in your life. I I I'm here today to te to bring this message. I hope that you're getting what I'm talking about.

But God says, I need you to see what you can't see right now. I need you to see what you're not able to see right now. And the only way that is possible is we've got to open up our eyes and say, "God, that that I cannot see, help me to see it.

Help me to see it." So many times we can't get beyond that the point that we are right now because we have not asked. We have not asked him. God, show me, show me direction in my life.

Show me the paths that I need to take. Show me what I need to do and don't let it be based on what I see right now. So many times we want to copy and paste.

We want to take things and we want to we want to put it, you know, that worked for me last time. Let's do that. And the truth is, no.

It's like, man, God says it's new. It's new every day. I I got something new for you today.

God's got something for you today. I want you to stand with us right now across this room. Everyone in this building, I I I want you to just get to your feet.

God is God is moving on us. He's moving. He's moving some things in our life.

He's he's directing us in paths that he he has planned for us. And I don't know where you may be and what situation you may be in in your life, but I do know this that that God is able. He's able to open up.

He's able to open up and allow you to see some things that you cannot see. Maybe you're here today and you can say, "Brother Gibson, that's me. I I I am not able to see." Can I Can I challenge you that you find this altar and say, "God, open up my eyes.

Open up my eyes. Let those scales that may be there fall off where I can see what your plan is for my life. May I challenge you another way is say God let it be new.

Let it be something fresh. Let it be something that you have anointed. Let it be something that you are doing in my life.

Let it be God what you want me to do. Not not what not what somebody else is saying, not by what somebody else is telling me, not by what the others are doing. I I want you to let this be a move that you have moved me into God in the name of Jesus.

Across this room, would you lift your hands with us right now across this room? Maybe you're here today. Maybe you're here and you're going through that that thing, that situation.

Maybe you're facing what we're talking about here. God, I I I I want you to open up my eyes. Open up my eyes.

Come on. The altars are open. If you want to come right now, would you come?

God, open up my eyes to what what you are saying to me. This is not based on what others see. This is not based on what others are saying.

May I tell you, you're going to have to walk this walk alone. This is something that you and God have to talk about. This is something that you and God begins to show you things.

As I started out talking about John the Baptist, I don't think there's any of us in this room that would say that we had chose John's John's walk. Because in my Bible, John was he was pretty much of a loner. There was a lot of things.

He would talk things and I'm sure that he to some people it was Jimber. Don't know what he's saying but this is an interesting character. What was it?

God be to show him things. God began to open up his heart and his mind to things that was to be said and to be done. There will be words that will be placed in your heart that you will someday deliver to somebody else and it will be a God moment for that individual.

I know this to be true. Brother Rob, you probably know situations the same where you was like, "Who's that for? What is that?" and you held on to it and then all of a sudden it was something that God delivered through you.

But you got to have a willingness to say, "God, open my eyes. Let me see God beyond the levels, beyond the zones, beyond the the lines. I want to see what you have for me, oh God.

Let me see your blessings, oh God. Hallelujah. Why don't you reach out to him right now?

God, open my eyes. Open my eyes. All we see is the enemy closing in.

All we see is the things that's surrounding us. But pray that prayer like the prophet prayed. God, open my eyes.

Open my eyes that I might see you. Let me see what the next step is for me, Lord. Let me see the level that you have for me to go in, God.

God, let me see clearly in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. See, this is this is a we're talking about something that's personal here.

This is this is you and God. God, let me see beyond. Let me see beyond the walls that I have placed, the walls that I've put up.

God, let me see beyond that. Tear those walls down. Tear those limits down, God.

Let me see clear, God. Let me see. Let me see it coming.

Let me see it coming, Lord. Let me see it in a progressive view, Lord. Let me see it as it matures.

In the name of Jesus, I I've asked and I'm going to take your moment, take you a moment here. If you've got the pictures that I asked for, I asked them to. There was these pictures right here, folks.

I don't mean to step off rail here for a minute, but I want you to notice this little fella right here. This just happened this week. Notice he he didn't want to get he didn't want to get out there, but notice the little rack that they pulled out.

Now, now go to the next picture. Would you look at this guy? You you see that?

My daughter was telling me about these grandkids of ours and what they were doing and my heart was pricricked because it's so many times we don't want to get out there. He he grabbed hold of that rail and he was staggering around. Why?

Because it was it was the unknown. He had never been there before. She had another picture and I started to use it, but I didn't want to burn time.

He had one that was just one hand and said, "Look, mom, one hand." And then he took off on it without it. And and I I say that to say this. What we're doing is a progression.

What we're doing is taking a a step at a time. But we've got to be willing to sometimes step out there even though we don't see it, even though we don't understand it. Is God what is that next step?

Just as this simple illustration, I wonder if there's anybody here that's still got their hands to the little rollaround and saying, "God, I I don't want to let this go." Cuz see, brother Herb, that's that becomes our security. Our theme this year is great. greater.

You see that young lad right there? He gotten good with his little scooter. So many times we get that way as we get good, but we've got to move beyond good and get greater.

Sometimes it takes us going to that next level just saying that's great. But at some point, we let it all go. God, help us.

Help us be able to leave behind all of that stuff and say, "God, what is it that you got for me? Is it time to let this go, God? Let it go.

Grab it. Go. Something else, God, you see it." And continue.

Continue to move toward the things that God has for you. Because if we stay in one place, what does it call? We become stagnant.

We we become complacent. And all we want to do is yes, got it all right here. Can reach it with one hand.

And God says, "Why don't you get up, move on out, but I've got everything I need right here." The truth is, he he's got greater things for us. He's got greater things for us. And we've got to be able to lift our heads and look through the progressive lens that he has in our life.

That spiritual progressive land and say, "God, it's beyond this point. It's beyond that point. I don't I can't make it out, but I see it coming." And that is the anticipation.

As I know if I watch it, it'll get closer and closer and closer. Why don't you lift your hands with us right now in this room, God, in your name? Lord, I thank you, Lord, for what you're doing in my life.

Thank you, Lord, for what you're doing. Thank you, Lord, for what you have shown us. God, we need you, Lord, to open our eyes to help us to see.

Help us to see, God, through the eyes that you have, through the things that you're showing us, oh God, the things that you are providing for us, oh God, in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus. Oh, hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Tell him thank you right now. Would you do that?

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Hallelujah. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.

Hallelujah. In the name of Jesus. Thank you Jesus.

Thank you Lord. How many you thankful for his word? How many you thankful that he still talks to us today?

No, it's not some audible voice. It's out there real loud. Sometimes he just speaks in a still small voice.

Sometimes you don't actually hear anything. You just see what he's doing. And you know that's God.

You know that's God. Won't you reach over and maybe if it's appropriate lay a hand on someone's shoulder there next to you and I know we're trying to keep the hands free but if you want to let's pray together would you do that in the name of Jesus crosses for whom God a word of encouragement comes to my brother comes to my sister we speak faith today God and you're giving us that progressive view of what you have in store for us. We speak faith today, God, that you're doing a great thing in our life in the name of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus.