(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

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🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 Good evening and welcome to Vanity Baptist Church Let's go ahead and find our seeds this evening Find seeds and find a handful of pole sheets Turn to page number 134 Song number 134 Song number 134 And we will open the service with My anchor holds Song number 134 That's why they sing it out Nice and mighty Alright, song number 134 On the first 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 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Song number 294. 🎵Music🎵 Stepping into the light, Song number 294 with your hands, on the third. Walking in footsteps of gentleoomerance Footsteps in tried mercy and love Looking to him The grace really promised Happy, how happy a journey above How beautiful to walk in the steps of a savior Stepping in the light, stepping in the light How beautiful to walk in the steps of a savior Letting paths of light Noah, go ahead 188 on the last, the love of God Stepping in the light, stepping in the light 188, sing it out, on the last Good be we, big, the ocean fill And the skies, apartments made Where every star, the earth a quill Every man, a scribe I trade To ride the love of God above God will take the ocean dry For through the soul, contain the ocean From sky to sky Oh, love of God, how rich and old How measure there, yes and shall It shall forevermore endure The saints and angels song Lainy God 63, song number 63 For the day, that will be song number 63, sing it out on the first There is coming a day When no heartache shall come No more clouds in the sky No more tears should bring me high All is peaceful evermore Not a happy, golden soul But a day for this day I will be, sing it out For the day, that will be Where my dreams as I shall see And I love the one who stays The one who saved me by his ways The man who takes me by the hand And leads me through the promised land But a day for this day I will be, sing one more song, Josiah, go on 372, song number 372, this will be the last song for favorites Song number 372, soul winning song, let the lower lights be burning Song number 372, sing it out on the first Brightly deem our Father's mercy From his lighthouse evermore But to us, he gives a keeping Of the lies along the shore Let the lower last be burning Send the gleam across the way Some profane, seem struggling seamen You may rescue, you may save, amen Amen, alright, well let's take our bulletins this evening and we'll go over some announcements If you do not have a bulletin, we don't have any for you either So, we just have to share with somebody We had 300 people in church this morning And praise the Lord for that, but that means that we have no bulletins So we gave them all out this morning The verse this week, Psalm 118-23 This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes And that's a good verse there, we like that If you open up your bulletins, you'll see our service times Sunday morning service, 10.30am Of course we had a wonderful service this morning We're glad you're back out tonight With the evening service And of course today being the opening service Opening Sunday of our new church building And we do ask that you just be patient with us We're still trying to figure everything out Regarding, you know, obviously once you start putting bodies in the building And start doing things You start realizing issues I think for tonight, we do have The mother baby rooms working So if you have a child And you want to go to the mother baby rooms on this side There's big comfortable rooms there With big screens And the monitors should be working Tonight for that Of course we invite you to be with us on Wednesday night for the Wednesday night Bible study We look at our soul winning times Our main soul winning times on Saturday mornings at 10am Then we have additional soul winning times on Thursdays and Fridays And Sundays at 2pm Thursdays and Fridays are postponed for now still But Sunday soul winning at 2 Saturday morning at 10 And then of course we are a family integrated church What that means is that children and infants are always welcome in the service We do not separate children from their parents for any reason We do have mother baby rooms and daddy rooms available So please use those You might need to get a little acquainted with the church building You'll notice in the back of the bulletin There's a layout of the church building And it'll show you where the mother baby rooms are Where the daddy room is It'll show you where the restrooms are So kind of try to get acquainted with that And start trying to know where things are at Pretty much on this side of the building All of these are going to be staff offices We do have the play room The big play room for the kids And then on this side we've got two big mother baby rooms The daddy room and of course the back rooms With the mirrored windows Our mother baby rooms as well So just be aware of that If you need to be baptized please let us know We'd love to baptize you And the baptistry is filled The water is warm, we've got everything you need And I think everybody is going to want to get re-baptized now Which is good because then we can make sure you're saved We'll get you saved this time And then baptize you And that'll be good But obviously if you need to be baptized Now is the time to do it You can do it in a real fancy way So make sure you do that If you look at the announcements and upcoming events Of course you have the thank you there From my wife and I For all of the hard work and everything People keep asking me how do I feel And honestly I just am exhausted But I'm excited But I think my wife and I need to just sleep For a little while And then we'll be relieved I'm sure But I think everything went well today And like I said This was supposed to be the soft opening So we had 300 in church this morning We have 207 in church tonight So that's our great number there And then we're going to start Dialing things in For Easter So start thinking about Easter If you would have asked me how many people I thought we would have had this morning I would have said somewhere between 250, 260 300 completely threw me For a loop If people are asking how many do you think We'll have for Easter I have no clue I mean at this point I don't know We could have 400 people And that'd be great So we'll see what happens Next Sunday though is our vision offering So we want you to be aware of that And I don't know that there's anything else that can be said About the vision offering We just want you to be praying and thinking about The vision offering We of course have these little inserts there And just be thinking about the vision offering And make sure that you're ready for that next Sunday And then on Wednesday Not this Wednesday but next Wednesday On March 6th We're going to have Pastor Steven Anderson from Faith Forward Baptist Church Preaching for us So make sure that you are here for that You're not going to want to miss that And especially If you're watching if you live within the Sacramento area Make sure you drive In for the Wednesday night service And for you obviously I'm talking to the Sunday night crowd But if you don't normally come on Wednesday night I want to encourage you to be here on that Wednesday night Pastor Anderson was the very first guest preacher We ever had Back in the house We had our first big day Was I want to say the number was 67 We had 67 in church When Pastor Anderson preached And he Preached a sermon on soul winning But we did it in the house In the living room So imagine trying to stick 67 people In your living room It was a little bit of a nightmare Our house has an upstairs area The upstairs area has like an opening And we had kids sitting on the stairs We had a little balcony Set up and it was crazy So anyway he was the first guest preacher back then And it's fitting that he'll be the first guest preacher At our new building That's great. Next generation youth rallies coming up April 9th and 10th Make sure that you are not Forgetting about that especially if you have a teen 13 to 19 years old And they can sign up for the youth rally It doesn't cost anything we just need to register them So we can get their shirt sizes And get them on teams You can do that on your communication card Or on our website so make sure you do that Don't forget about that. Homeschool group they've got PE classes Thursday, February 29th There's other things there for you to look at If you look at the back of the bulletin Birthdays and anniversaries For the month of February We have today's brother Mike DePasquale His birthday February 25th Also Isabel Johnson's birthday February 25th And then later this week we have Elijah Usher's birthday February 27th Miss Julissa Zuniga has a birthday February 28th Brother Mike and Miss Blanca Beale Have an anniversary February 28th And Valente and Miss Nicole Perez Have an anniversary on February 28th Praise report, money matters All of those things are there for you to look at Please don't forget to help us with the children We want to make sure Upstairs areas are just off limits So just make sure no one's going up there But especially kids We do not want children going up these stairs And we don't want them coming down the stairs either We don't want them getting hurt As they're coming down So parents just help us with that And we would appreciate your help with that I think that's it for all of the announcements So we're going to go ahead and take our song books And we're going to go To page number 334 Page number 334 And we're going to sing Make me a blessing As we prepare to receive The offering this evening 334, sing it out On the first Out in the highways And highways up high Many are weary and sad Carry the sunshine Where darkness is mine Make me a sorrowing blast Make me a blessing Make me a blessing Out of my mind You choose us Why? Make me a blessing Oh Savior, I pray Make me a blessing And learn to make good Page number 334, sing it out On the second Tell the sweet story of Christ and his body Tell all his power to forgive Others will trust him if only you could For every moment you made Make me a blessing Make me a blessing Out of my mind You choose us Why? Make me a blessing Oh Savior, I pray Make me a blessing And learn to make good 334, sing it out On the third Give us what's given to you in your name Love us, love us, we'll love you Be to God Bless our own great being Unknew your wish, only truth Make me a blessing Make me a blessing Out of my mind You choose us Why? Make me a blessing Oh Savior, I pray Make me a blessing Out of my mind Amen, good singing. We'll have the guys come up and help us with the offering at this time. And it's nice to have the orchestra close during the singing. I can hear them very well. They're doing a good job. And they're up front so now they have to be on their best behavior. And that's good. Let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do love you. We thank you for allowing us to gather together tonight. Lord, we pray that you bless the offering, the gift, and the giver. We ask that you meet with us over the next few moments as we open up your word and study the Bible together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Please open our mouths to Proverbs 29. Proverbs 29, if you do not have a Bible, please raise your hand and I know she can bring you a Bible. Proverbs 29, just keep your hand up and I'll show you what will come by. Proverbs 29, we'll read the entire chapter as our custom. Proverbs 29 begin in verse number 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father, but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance. The king by judgment established it in the land, but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it. A man that flattereth with his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare, but the righteous that doth sing and rejoice. The righteous considerth the cause of the poor, but the wicked regardeth not to know it. Scornful men bring a city into snare, but wise men turn away wrath. If a wise man contenteth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest. The bloodthirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul. A fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. If ruler harken to lies, all his servants are wicked. The poor and the deceitful man meet together. The Lord lighteneth both their eyes. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established forever. The rod and proof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth, but the righteous shall see their fall. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest. Yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law happy is he. A servant will not be corrected by words, for though he understand, he will not answer. Seest thou a man that is hasten his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him. He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length. An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man abounded in transgression. A man surprised shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit. Whoso is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul. He heareth cursing, and bewareth it not. The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favor, but every man's judgment cometh from the Lord. An unjust man is an abomination to the just, and he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this evening. God, I thank you for our Church, Lord, for everyone that's here. And I pray that you bless this building, Lord. And I thank you for our pastor. Please bless him tonight. Feel with your spirit, Lord. We love you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Alright, we're there in Proverbs chapter 29. And of course, normally on Sunday nights we've been going through the book of Numbers. But tonight, today being a special day, I wanted to preach a different sermon. So we're going to take a break from the book of Numbers. And we're here, of course, in Proverbs 29. And I'd like to just bring your attention to verse number 18. Proverbs 29 and verse 18. The Bible says this very well-known verse. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law happy is he. Over the years I've preached a lot on the subject of vision. This is not a theme that is new to our Church. And in fact, we host every year an annual vision offering. Of course, our vision offering is next week. And though I've preached on the subject of vision a lot. And I've preached a lot about having different types of vision. A vision for your family, for your finances, things of that respect. I want to really teach on the subject tonight of where there is no vision. And kind of dissect this verse and help you to understand it. And I think it's good. Of course, we're having our vision offering. And I think it's good for us to learn about vision and preach about vision. Let me just tell you up front, this is not a giving sermon. I'm not going to be dealing with the subject of giving. We've done that enough over the last several weeks. If you're not ready to give by now, then I don't know that there's anything I can do to help you with that. But I would like to just speak on the subject of vision itself. Where there is no vision, the people perish, the Bible says. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law happy is he. And if you're taking notes, and I do encourage you to take notes on the back of your course a week. There's a place for you to write down some things. Then maybe you can jot things down. These are just things that I gathered from this passage, from this verse. As I've thought about it and meditated upon it over the years. The first thing I'd like you to notice is the principle of vision. The principle of vision. I want you to notice just simply what the verse says. Where there is no vision, the people perish. Where there is no vision, the people perish. I think often times people are confused as to what the Bible means by vision. And what the Bible is speaking here regarding vision. And I want to be real upfront for you to know that when the Bible uses the word vision. It is often referring to revelation or revelation of the word of God. And there is a connection with this idea of vision and the Bible or the word of God. Sometimes simply the word vision is just referring to scripture and to the revelation of God. I believe that this verse is talking about more than that. It's talking about having a vision for how things could be. But I want you to understand that when the Bible says here where there is no vision. We need to begin with this understanding that biblical vision is derived from the word of God. And I want to prove that to you. But the first proof is just in the text itself, in the verse itself. Notice what it says. Where there is no vision, the people perish. And then there is a colon. The verse does not end there. There is a contrast or a comparison. You notice in the book of Proverbs, this is something that is done a lot. Where the writer will make a statement and then he'll make another statement to compare or another statement to contrast. And here he says where there is no vision, the people perish. And here is the contrast. But he that keepeth the law happy is he. I want you to notice how here even in this verse there is a connection between vision and the law. Where there is no vision, the people perish. That is the statement. And then the contrast is but he that keepeth the law. Or where there is vision, where the law of God is, happy is he. So I want to begin by helping you understand that when we're talking about vision. And obviously today if you read business books, if you read books that have to do with leading organizations or leadership or things like that. The secular world talks a lot about vision today. And companies talk a lot about vision statements and having a vision for what you're trying to accomplish. And I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with that. I think that often times the secular world and often times the business world has ripped things out of the Bible. And has ripped things off of God's word in order to utilize it in the secular world. And again I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. But I want you to understand when we look at this word vision in the Bible. We're referring to a biblical vision that is derived from the word of God. A biblical vision that is derived from the word of God. When the Bible says where there is no vision. It is referring to where there is no biblical vision. Where there is no vision that has been derived from the word of God. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Now you're there in Proverbs 29. We're going to be coming back to Proverbs throughout the sermon. So you might want to keep your place there. But go with me if you would not mind to 1 Samuel chapter number 3. 1 Samuel chapter number 3. If you can find the 1 and 2 books, they're all clustered together. 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles. We had an entirely brand new sound system installed, purchased and installed for this building. And everything came in on time and got installed even late yesterday. Everything except for the two monitor speakers that are supposed to go here. And they're supposed to help me. Because when you've got a system like this, you have to be able to hear yourself, to be able to preach, to be able to speak in a way that makes sense. So I hope that the sound sounds good to you. I'll just tell you up front that it sounds terrible to me. And it kind of makes you feel like you're in some sort of a warp or I don't know. I'll do my best to preach in a way that's not distracting. I tried to fake it this morning and I hope that it wasn't too much. But I'll just be honest with you. I'm looking forward to next week when we have those speakers, Lord willing, by then. And I'll have a better idea. I'm curious to maybe talk to the song leaders and see what they thought, how they felt. Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm bringing that up. 1 Samuel chapter 3. Look at verse 1. 1 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1. I guess I'm bringing that up in case you kind of see me being a little bit of a spaz. It's just the psalms messing with me. 1 Samuel 3 verse 1. The Bible says this, And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. Notice these words. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days. The word of the Lord was precious in those days. What does that mean? It was precious. Things that are precious, Things that are precious, they are precious because there's not a lot of it. Diamonds are a precious stone because there's not a lot of them. There's a lot more worthless rocks out there than there are diamonds and jewels or gold. And here the Bible says that the word of the Lord was precious in those days. Why was it precious? Because the Bible says there was no, notice the words here, open vision. There was no open vision. What does that mean? There was no preacher that was openly preaching the word of God, teaching the word of God. There was no revelation from God regarding scripture. There was no open vision. Nobody was preaching the word of God. And I want you to notice the connection there to the word of God. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days. And then God equates that to there was no open vision. So when we're talking about vision, we're talking about vision that is derived from the word of God. A biblical vision must always come from the word of God. Go to John chapter 4. Do me a favor, keep your place there in 1 Samuel. We're going to come back to that area as well. So if you would not mind, put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to it. 1 Samuel chapter number 3. I just, you know, when it comes, this is a little bit of therapy for me. When it comes to new buildings and new situations like this, not only do I need to get used to the speakers, I got to get used to all of it. You know, I got to get used to the new platform. I love the pulpit. I designed the pulpit. I have to get used to preaching behind this pulpit. I have to get used to all of you and the other building. You know, we had different sections and people were in different places and all of it is kind of new to me. So, you know, just bear with me as I get accustomed to these things. Keep your place there in 1 Samuel chapter number 3. We're going to come back to it and go to John chapter 4. John chapter 4. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. John chapter 4. We're talking about vision. We're doing a little bit of a Bible study on regards to vision because we want to learn the principle of vision. What does it mean to have vision? Or more importantly, what does it mean to have no vision? And the first thing we want you to notice is that biblical vision is derived from the Word of God. If we're going to have a vision that comes from the Word of God that we can apply to Proverbs 29 and 18 where there is no vision, the people perish, then we must realize that it must come from the Word of God. It must come from the Bible. But it's not just that. It's not just that vision is only referring to scripture although the word is used that way in scripture, right? And the word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision. But the Bible also uses this concept of not just having a vision derived from the Word of God but the word vision has to do with seeing things the way that God sees them. When the Bible talks about vision where there is no vision, the people perish, the idea is that nobody is seeing things the way that God sees them. Nobody is looking at things and thinking of things in the way that God would look at them and think of them. And in John chapter 4, I want to give you an example of Jesus trying to explain this or trying to use this concept with his disciples where he's trying to get them to get a vision. He's trying to get them to see things in the way that he sees them. Notice John chapter 4 in verse number 35. John 4, 35 says this, Say not ye there are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Jesus is talking to his disciples and he's talking to them about the harvest. Presumably they're standing or looking over a field because of the words that he's about to give us in the context seem to indicate that they're looking over a field that would bring in some sort of a harvest. And then Jesus, as they're there and they're looking at this physical field that would produce some sort of a harvest maybe a corn field or something like that. He looks at his disciples and he says, Say not ye there are four months and then cometh harvest. Physically, the field they were looking at, they would have said in about four months we can begin to harvest this field. We can begin to take the crops from this field. We can begin to take this yield. Jesus says, Say not ye that there are four months and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you. And I want you to notice the wording here. He says, Lift up your eyes. Notice the emphasis is on vision. Now he's telling them to lift up their eyes and he's telling them to physically look over onto the field. But I want you to notice he's trying to get them to see something that they're not currently seeing. In fact, he's trying to get them to see something that's not physically there. He's not literally talking about the physical harvest. He says, Say not ye there are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you. Lift up your eyes. Notice again the emphasis on vision. And look, the emphasis on vision. He says, Look on the field for they are white already to harvest. Jesus is literally talking about going out and harvesting corn, going out and harvesting grain, going out and harvesting a field. He says, Look, we're looking at a physical field. But what I want you to see is the harvest of souls that is out there and Jesus is trying to get them to see something biblically that they don't yet see. So we see that biblical vision is seeing things the way that God sees them is derived from the Word of God. It's something that we take from the Word of God and as a result of the Word of God, maybe we could all look at the same thing but as a result of what we see from the Bible, we would say this is what God sees. This is how God sees it. This is the vision that God has given us. So when it comes to the principle of vision, I just want you to understand. When the Bible says here, where there is no vision, we understand that what is being said, what is meant by that phrase, where there is no vision, is this. He's saying in the instance when there is not someone who gets a biblical view of what God would want done or what God would want accomplished, in the instance when there is not someone who can see things the way that God would see them, derived from a biblical worldview, He says where there is no vision. Then I want you to notice the second part of the principle. The first part is where there is no vision and I want you to understand what that means. It means where there is no one in the instance that there is no one who sees things the way that God sees things and that is found through the Word of God. By the way, let me just say this. The way that you and I get the mind of God and get the mind of Christ and begin to see things the way that God sees them is to get our minds in the Word of God. As we read the Word of God, as we study the Word of God, as we understand how it is that God thinks and what God sees and how God feels about things, then you and I can begin to have our minds renewed. It is interesting to me how often I talk to Christians who, and I think to myself, you have no clue the way you talk, the way you respond, the things that you say, the way that you're talking about this situation right now, it's so clear that you do not see things the way that God sees them. You're not thinking the way that God thinks. Because when you and I begin to see things the way that God sees them, we will see them very differently. This is why the Bible says that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. So we see where there is no vision. Now I want you to notice the second part of the phrase. The second part is this. The people perish. The people perish. Now you're there in the New Testament. You're in John chapter 4. I'd like you to flip back to John chapter 3 if you wouldn't mind. John chapter 3. Oftentimes when we think of the word perish we often associate it with people going to hell. Now there's a reason for that. The most famous verse in the Bible uses this word in the context of someone going to hell. In John chapter 3, in fact before we read verse 16, which is the most famous verse in the Bible, let's read verse 15, John 3.15. That whosoever believeth in him should not, notice the word, perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And as a result of John 3.16 using the word perish, I associate the word perish with somebody going to hell. Now don't misunderstand me. Perish is the correct word. It's the right word to be used here. And it's in the right context and all that. But I want you to understand the word perish means more than just that. And I'll prove it to you from the Bible. There's more to this idea of perish. You're there in John chapter 3. Go backwards into the book of Luke. Luke chapter number 5. You're there in John. Just flip back to Luke chapter 5. And while you turn there, let me just give you a definition for the word perish. The word perish is defined as to pass away, to disappear, to be lost, to suffer complete ruin or destruction, to decay and disappear, to waste away, to nothing. Now when the Bible uses the word perish in John 3.16, the way that it's actually being used is as the word lost. And if you remember from Luke chapter 15, the word lost is often associated with unsaved people. We understand that unsaved people are lost. They do perish. And when they die without price, they are lost in such a way that they can never be redeemed. They go to hell for all of eternity and they are lost forever. But I want you to not just think of the word perish as meaning someone going to hell, although that can definitely be used in that context because that is the worst eternal loss of all when someone dies and goes to hell. But the word perish doesn't just mean going to hell. It means to be lost. It means to pass away. It means to decay. It means to lose, to waste away, to suffer complete ruin. Let me just show you how else it's used in the word of God. Luke chapter 5 verse 37. Luke 5 37 says this, And no man put his new wine into old bottles, else the new wine will burst the bottles and be spilled, notice the words, and the bottles shall perish. The bottles shall perish. Now is the Bible telling us here that these bottles are going to die and go to hell? It's not saying that because obviously we're talking about just bottles that are filled with wine. He says look, no man put his new wine into old bottles, else the new wine will burst the bottles and be spilled. And Jesus is talking here about leather, these bottles of wine that are made out of leather, and of course we know in the ancient world they would put wine into these bottles and when the leather was fresh, and the bottles were new, and the wine was new, the wine would expand, and the leather would expand with it, and it would be fine. But if you would take new wine and pour it into old bottles, the old bottles had leather that had hardened, and when that wine would expand, it would burst the bottles because the bottles were no longer tender, the leather no longer expanded. This is what Jesus is talking about. He says no man put his new wine into old bottles, else the new wine will burst the bottles and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. And I'm not necessarily preaching on that, I just want you to notice, here when Jesus says the bottles shall perish, He's saying the bottles are going to go to waste. They're going to be wasted. Look at Luke 13 and verse 33. Luke 13 verse 33, notice how Jesus uses the word in this context. Luke 13, 33. Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow and the day following, notice what He says, He says for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. Here Jesus says, I have to keep going, I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following for it cannot be. He said I cannot stop, I cannot quit because I don't want it to be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. Is He saying that a prophet, referring to himself, is going to be lost for all of eternity? He's just saying it cannot be that a prophet would be lost out of Jerusalem. He says, I'm the only prophet right now preaching in Jerusalem, and if I don't keep going, then Jerusalem is going to lose a prophet. That's the way He's using the word perish. So I want you to notice that the word perish is not just referring to being lost to hell, but it's just a word that means to be lost in general, to be wasted in general, to lose the ability to suffer complete ruin and destruction in general. Let me give you another verse. Go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. And I'm really kind of hammering this out because I want you to understand what the Bible means here when it says, where there is no vision. The people perish. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. Now, you kept your place, I think, in 1st Samuel. I'd like you to continue to keep your place there. But also keep your place here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, look at verse 16. 2nd Corinthians 4, 16. The Bible says this, For which cause we faint not. Notice what he says. He says, But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. But yet the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. He's talking about someone that's saved. And he says, look, though your outward man, talking about your flesh, though your outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. What does the word perish mean here? He's saying, though your outward man wastes away. Because the truth is this, your outward man and my outward man is going to waste away. We took pictures today, of course, many pictures for the big day and for the opening of our building. And I was home with my wife and Brother Oliver sent me over some of the pictures and I was looking at the pictures and I said to her, I look like I've had a hard life. I mean, I just, I'm not talking about drugs or alcohol, I just look like, it looks like it's been a difficult life for this guy. And this is what this verse is talking about, though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. So the word perish means to waste away, to begin to fall apart, to disappear. So let's go back to our verse, Proverbs 29, 18. When the Bible says, where there is no vision, what does vision mean? It means a biblical view, to see things the way that God would see them. Jesus looked at his eyeballs and said, say not, yet four months and then the harvest. He says, but lift up your eyes, He said, and look, He said, I want you to see things the way I see them and I want you to realize that the harvest is here, that it's time to harvest. The phrase where there is no vision means this, in the instance when there is not someone who gets a biblical view for what God would want done or accomplished, the people perish. And that phrase, the people perish means this, that the people waste away, that the people waste their potential, that the future of the people disappears, it decays, it's destroyed and yes, even could be applied to being lost to hell for all of eternity, but it's not just that because even saved people can perish and it doesn't mean they go to hell, it means that they've lost and they've wasted their life. The principle of vision is this, if someone doesn't get a biblical view of how God sees things, then people will waste away, lives will be destroyed, people will waste their lives and what they could have done and what could have been accomplished will never come to pass. Go to Nehemiah if you would, Nehemiah chapter number 2, if you kept your place in 1 Samuel, from 1 Samuel you can go past 2 Samuel, past 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra into the book of Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. So we saw, first of all tonight, the principle of vision, the principle of vision, where there is no vision, biblical views, seeing things the way God sees them, the people perish. What does that mean? It means yes, people die and go to hell, but it's more than that, it means that if you don't get a biblical view for the things of God and begin to see things the way God sees them, people in your life are going to waste away, they're going to be ruined, they're going to come to knock, they're going to be lost, they're going to lose their opportunities in their life, that's the principle of vision. And I want you to notice secondly, what I see from this verse is not only the principle of vision, but I see the purpose of vision, the purpose of vision. And here's what I want you to understand, the principle of vision highlights for us the purpose or the need for a vision. Because if it's true, if it's true, that when and where people do not get a biblical view, the ability to see things the way that God sees them, in those instances when people do not get a vision, a biblical vision for what could be lives are wasted, futures are wasted, opportunities are wasted, potential is wasted, people even die and go to hell as a result. If that's true, which it is, then that should motivate us to have a vision. That should motivate us to get a vision. You should be motivated, look, we're having the vision offering, and our church has a vision, and praise God for it, I hope that you will get on board with the vision that God has given us here at Trinity Baptist Church. But I say to you that you need to have a vision, that you need to get a biblical view of your life and the areas of your life that you need to begin to see your family and your marriage and your children and your career and your job and your opportunities and your potential and your life, you need to get a vision for how God would have you to see what He's given you. Because if you don't, you're wasted. You'll waste opportunities, you'll waste potential, you'll waste life. The principle of vision highlights the purpose of vision, which is this, you need a vision. I need a vision. In Nehemiah chapter 2, I want you to notice that this is a passage and when Nehemiah comes back, we've talked a lot about Ezra and the second temple and of course, Nehemiah is along with that group, coming back from the captivity. Jerusalem has been destroyed, the temple has been destroyed, the wall has been destroyed, Nehemiah is coming back and Nehemiah is coming back with a vision. He has something that he wants to accomplish. He is seeing things the way that God sees them. Now I want you to notice, I think that this is one of the greatest passages in the Bible when we often refer to casting a vision. I have a vision for Trinity Baptist Church. Oftentimes my job as a preacher is to stand up behind the pulpit and to cast that vision, to try to help you to see what the Lord has shown me in regards to the future of our church. And you should have a vision for yourself, for your life, for your potential. I want you to notice how Nehemiah begins. He begins with this idea of what is, how it is that things are. I think one of the reasons that people struggle with this concept of vision and the reason that people don't have a vision is because oftentimes people are like ostriches and they want to just put their head in the sand and ignore reality. And before you and I can begin to see things the way that God sees them and begin to see what it is that God would want, we first need to see things as they truly are. Look at Nehemiah chapter 2 and verse 11. Notice what Nehemiah says here. In Nehemiah 2 and verse 11 he says, So I, this is Nehemiah speaking, came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Notice verse 12. And I rose in the night, I and some few men with me. Neither told I any man, notice what he says, neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart. Here's a man with a vision. Here's a man with a broken heart. He's broken hearted for the things he sees them as they are, he not only sees them as they are, he sees them as they could be. And he talks about the fact that God had laid something in his heart. And I just got to ask you the question, is there anything that God has led, has placed in your heart? Anything in your life that you would say, I believe this is a vision that God has given me. I'm not talking about some charismatic Pentecostal you saw of some hippie and you called him Jesus. I'm talking about a Biblical view where you got something from the Word of God and you said, yes, I see things the way God wants me to see them. He says, neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem, neither was there any beast with me save the beast that I wrote upon, verse 13, and I went out by night by the gate of the valley even before the dragon well to the dung port and notice the emphasis on vision. He says, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were, notice he doesn't sugar coat it. He's just looking at reality. He says, I viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Look at verse 15. Then went I in the night by the brook, notice the emphasis on vision, and viewed the wall and turned back and entered by the gate of the valley and so returned. Look at verse 17. Then said I unto them, ye see, notice the emphasis on vision, ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste and the gates thereof are burned with fire. I want you to notice that here we see a man who has a vision, but he begins by seeing things as they truly are. And in your life and in my life, we're just going to have to start looking at ourselves in reality and look at ourselves and say, where are we in life? How is your marriage actually doing? How is your child rearing actually coming along? How is your personal walk with God? How is your personal development? How is your soul winning going? How is your Bible time going? How is your prayer time going? I'm here to tell you, before you can begin to see things the way that God sees them, you need to start seeing them in reality. Nehemiah looks at the situation and he says, I've just got to be honest. The city lieth waste. You see the distress that we're in. The walls of Jerusalem are broken down, the gates thereof are consumed with fire. He sees what is. But Nehemiah was not just a negative individual, a critical individual, someone who was there, who just came to Jerusalem just to kick them while they're down. He begins by telling them what is and then he tells them what can be. By the way, for those of you that want to preach or preach or you lead in some sort of capacity when it comes to casting a vision, when it comes to casting a vision, you first have to tell people what the problem is and then tell them how to fix it. Tell them what the problem is and then tell them the solution. Oftentimes all anyone wants to do is tell you what the problem is. All day long people are telling me what the problem is, what the problem is, what the problem is. I'm oftentimes not looking for people to tell me what the problem is. I know what the problem is. Help me fix it. And here Nehemiah says, look, you see, you know, you understand where we are. You can look around and see that we've been destroyed, that there are no gates, there are no walls, that Jerusalem lieth in ruin. But then he casts a vision. Look at the last part of verse 17. Come and let us build up the wall. By the way, the difference between a manager and a leader is this. The manager says go. The leader says we'll go. Let us build up the wall of Jerusalem. That we, notice the words, be no more a reproach. This man had a vision, not just for what is. He clearly saw what is, but he also saw what could be. Look at verse 18. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was upon me, as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me, and they said, let us rise up and build so they strengthen their hands for this good work. Notice the response from the people. Here you had a people that were living in Jerusalem. They saw the walls broken down every day. They saw the city lying in ruin every day. They saw these problems every day. They didn't think to do anything about it. They had no desire to do anything about it. They had no motivation to do anything about it. But then a man showed up with some vision. And he said I see what you see, but I also see what could be. I see what you see, but I also see that we could be no more a reproach. And he told them of the hand of my God which was upon them. And then the Bible says they said, they began to see what Nehemiah saw, and they said, let us rise up and build so they strengthen their hands for this good work. Vision is an exercise in faith. It's seeing not only what is, but what could be. And again, I just ask you tonight, how's your spiritual life? Let's begin with reality. How are you doing spiritually, really? And then ask yourself, how does God see it? How would God want to see me? What would God's will for my life be? You ought to assess your spiritual life. You ought to assess your personal development. You ought to assess your marriage. You ought to assess your relationship with your spouse. You ought to assess your relationship with your children. You ought to assess your children's development and how your kids are developing physically and intellectually and spiritually. You ought to assess your own career and business and your finances. You ought to assess your relationship with other people's friendships and church members and things of that nature. You need to get a vision for your life. Someone said this, a man without vision is a man without a future. And you need to see what God sees. Because here's what I know about you. God sees something in you. God sees a great potential in you. God sees great potential in your children. God sees great potential in your marriage. God sees great things in you. And you need to begin to see what God sees. You're there in Nehemiah. It goes maybe what to the New Testament book of Philippians. Philippians chapter number 3. If you kept your place in 2 Corinthians, I ask you to keep your place there. You can go past Galatians, Ephesians, into the book of Philippians. 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. We talked number 1 about the principle of vision. What is it? Vision is a biblical view, seeing things the way God sees them. Perish is this, wasted, lost. And where there is no vision, please listen to me. Where there is a dad that does not have a vision for his children. Where there is a mother that does not have a vision for her children. The children perish. I'm not saying they die and go to hell, although maybe they do. I'm saying their lives are wasted. Their potential is wasted. Their opportunities are wasted. Where there is no vision, things are lost. Things decay. Things are wasted away. That's the principle of vision. That leads us to the purpose of vision. The idea is this. If it's true that where there is no vision, the people perish, then you and I need to make sure we have a biblical vision. So that things are not wasted. So that things are not wasted away. So that opportunities are not lost. So that everyone in our lives, and everyone that's influenced and impacted by us, can fulfill their redemptive potential. Then I want you to notice thirdly tonight, the pursuit of vision. The pursuit of vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law happy is he. In Philippians chapter 3, and I've preached a lot out of Philippians chapter 3. I think it's one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I want you to notice that here we see a man with vision. The apostle Paul. I know you're familiar with this passage, but I just want you to see it. Philippians chapter 3 and verse 12. The Bible says this. This is the apostle Paul speaking. He says, Not as though I had already attained. I want you to notice that Paul begins with, the same way that Nehemiah began, with a clear view of what is. Not as though I had already attained. Meaning, Paul is saying, I know that I've not arrived. And by the way, let me just say this. If the apostle Paul has not arrived, neither have you and neither have I. If the apostle Paul says there's more for me to do, there's more for me to grow, there's more for me to learn, there's more for me to accomplish, then you and I need to have the same attitude and say tonight, I have not already attained. Look, we moved into a beautiful building today, but let us never think as very Baptist church. Well now we've attained. Paul says, I've not arrived. He says, Not as though I had already attained. Either we're already perfect, the word perfect means complete or whole. He says, But I follow after. I love that little phrase, I follow after. The idea says, he says, I'm still chasing that thing. I'm still chasing, trying to fulfill the will of God. He's not chasing drugs, he's not chasing alcohol, he's not chasing fame, he's not chasing money. He says, But I follow after, that I may apprehend, that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. I don't know if you understand those words or if you've thought about those words, those are some amazing words there. You say, You want to know what I'm chasing after? You want to know what I'm following after? Let me ask you, please don't answer me, because I don't want to know. What are you following? How do I know what I'm following? Well, for some of you it would be real easy, just what are you following on Facebook? Who are you following on Instagram? What are you pursuing after and following? Because Paul says, I follow that I may apprehend. He says, I have something I want to accomplish. I want to apprehend. But then when you ask Paul, what are you trying to apprehend, Paul? What is it you're trying to get? What is it you're trying to grab? What is it you're chasing after and trying to catch up to? He says, I may apprehend that for which, he says, also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Do you understand what that means? Paul says, I'm trying to apprehend Christ, because I've been apprehended by Christ. I realize that the vast majority of Christians are not going to understand this and are never going to understand this. But there are some Christians, there are some people, and sometimes it's only for a short amount of their lives. But every once in a while, something happens in the life of a believer where they are apprehended by Christ. Where Christ becomes their life and nothing else matters. Money and fame and wealth and music and all these, none of it matters and only Christ matters. He says, I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. I pray that we'd have people in this church and I pray for myself that we would be individuals that have been not only trying to apprehend Christ, but have been apprehended by Christ. And then in that context, and by the way, let me just say this, I feel like God's been saying this to us over and over. I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. It's just the Apostle Paul way of saying what Moses said, that God had taken the children of Israel and He had borne them on eagle's wings that He might bring them unto Himself. I am apprehended of Christ. It's just the Apostle Paul's way of saying the goal is God. God is the goal. Happiness and joy comes in fulfillment, in living for Christ. He says, there's only one thing I want, it's Jesus. And when you and I get there, it makes a world of difference. In that context, He says this, verse 13, brethren, I count not myself that I'm apprehended. He said, I'm not arrived. But there's one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, all of that has to do with what is. You say, but pastor, you don't understand. If you understood the way that things are, you know what the Bible says, and I'm not trying to minimize whatever you're going through or have gone through in life, I'm not minimizing that at all, but I am telling you this, that the Bible says, forgetting those things which are behind. And then He focuses on what can be, He says, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. See, He says, I have a vision. I understand how things are, but I also see how they can be. I understand how things are, but I'm also seeing things the way that God sees them. And He says, for that reason, I'm reaching forth unto those things which are before. That reaching forth unto those things which are before is a vision. It's a biblical vision. The apostle Paul, he says, I have a direction I am going, I am apprehended of Christ. But then I want you to notice, verse 14, and this is really the key, or the secret. He says, I press toward the mark. And the word mark is a reference to a goal, that's the vision. He says, there is a mark, there is a vision, there is a direction, there is a way that I'm going, I see things the way God sees them, and I'm moving in that direction, I am apprehended. He says that I may apprehend for that which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. He says, I press toward the mark. But I want to highlight for you this evening this word press. The word press is defined as to move into a position by exerting continuous force. The idea is to try to push into something, to lean into something, to force into something, to work toward something. And that press, that word press, tells us about the pursuit of vision. Because here's the truth, you can have a biblical vision all day long, and you can even have a clear view of how things are, and how things should be, and how God sees them, and what God wants, and you can have a biblical vision, but unless you and I begin to pursue that vision, it means nothing. He says, I press toward the mark. Someone said it this way, nothing ever came by wishing, it comes by working. This beautiful building and the remodel that happened here, it didn't happen because we wished it. Now we prayed about it. But we also put feet to our prayers and got to work. At least some of us did. We also scheduled workdays and actually got in here. Well, we prayed, we had a vision. We had a vision of what it could be, how it could be. We had a vision of what could be, but we also had to press towards it. We had to work towards it. And I'm just here to tell you when it comes to vision, this is how it works. This is how it works. Because so often people look at other Christians that are further down the road, and they say, wow, look at that great biblical marriage. Wow, look at how they've raised those children. Wow, look at the financial situation that individual's in. Wow, look at the health that that person has. Wow, look at the success that that person has. Wow, look at what they've accomplished. And they have this thought and they think, oh, they must just be lucky. It's not luck, it's work. It takes work to have a good marriage. It takes work to raise children for God. It takes work to do anything, accomplish anything, do anything great for God. It's work. You got to work at it. You got to press. You got to pursue. The principle of vision is this. In situations when people do not have a vision, when people do not get a biblical view of what is and what could be, and they see it in the way that God sees it, then people perish. People are lost. Sometimes they're lost for all of eternity in hell. But even when they're not lost in hell, praise God, they can still waste away their opportunities and their potential in their life. Where there is no vision, the people perish. That's the principle. That principle teaches us that then you and I better get a vision. We need to have a purpose for life. We need to have a vision. And look, I have a vision for Verity Baptist Church. I don't need you to have a vision for Verity Baptist Church. You're not the pastor of Verity Baptist Church. But if and when you pastor a church, you should have a vision for that church. But let me say this. You got to have a vision for whatever area you find yourself in in your life. In your situation, with your family, in your context. You got to have a vision of what is and what could be. And then, and then, once you have that vision, you begin to work towards that vision. You press towards it. You pursue it. Because nothing ever came by wishing. It comes by working. Go back to Proverbs 29 and verse 18. Where there is no vision, the people perish. We've said it several times over the last several weeks because it's been on my mind and we've been, obviously, transitioning into this new property. But my wife and I started Verity Baptist Church 13 years ago in our living room. This church is the result of the vision that my wife and I had 13 years ago. My wife and I saw this church. Now we didn't see you specifically. In fact, it would be nice to not see some of you. But we would have never imagined the characters that make up Verity Baptist Church. But we saw this church. We saw that there was an opportunity, that there was a place in Sacramento that needed a church. We didn't see you. But you know what we saw? We saw the preaching of the Word of God. You know what we saw? We saw a soul winning army. You know what we saw? We saw that souls could be saved and we could knock on doors and get people saved and then follow up on those souls and bring them to church and they'd be baptized and they'd begin to grow. We saw a discipleship chorus. Look, we saw this orchestra. This church, I'm not talking about this building. This building, I'm just saying, this church is the vision we saw. We saw a church with a homeschool group with a hundred kids in it. We saw a church that had a red hot preaching conference. A church that had a next generation youth rally. We saw a church that had a hundred soul winners. A hundred and twenty soul winners going out every week. We saw what God saw. Thirteen years ago, my wife and I, we saw this church. We did not see you, but we saw what could be. Eight years ago, I saw this building. Eight years ago in 2016, we were walking around wondering where in the world we were going to go, what we were going to do. And I saw this building. Now, let me just be clear. I didn't see this building, although I did see this building. But I'm not talking about this building. I just knew that God had a place for us. That's why eight years ago, a church with a hundred people in it began to actively raise money. And I began to stand up before all of you eight years ago and began to say, in our vision offering, we're going to begin to set aside money for a future building. And some of you laughed out loud. And yes, it hurt my feelings. And you thought, a future building? We're going to purchase a building? We can't even rent a building. We're going to purchase a building? But I saw this building. And again, I didn't see this building. But it's interesting because eight years ago, and for many years after that, I remember speaking to people, and I talked to my wife about it, but I talked to other people about it here in our church. And you know, I kept telling people this. I just assumed that we would purchase some sort of a commercial, like a warehouse-type building, some sort of flex building, like half warehouse, half offices, that we would turn into a church building. And this is what I kept telling people. I kept telling people. Here's what I see. I see that we purchased a... And I kept telling people, it needs to be a building. I want it to be a building. I'm praying that it would be a building within these borders. No more south than West El Camino Avenue. No more north than I... Not I-80, but just the border of Natomas. And this is obviously back when we were in Natomas. And I kept telling people, the furthest we will go is Norwood on one side. And the furthest we'll go on another side was West El Camino off the freeway on that side. And I kept thinking, I want to find a building in that area. And this is what I kept thinking because there's a lot of warehouse-types building in that area, what I just described, what we call the big five zip codes, 9583334353815, a lot of warehouse. And this is what I kept telling people. Somewhere there's a building that we're going to purchase and it's going to have an empty lot next to it. And I kept telling people, I don't know that we'll be able to purchase both the building and the empty lot, but I'm praying that God allows us to purchase a building with an empty lot, we'll purchase the building, we'll remodel it and turn it into a church building, and then eventually we'll purchase the empty lot and we'll turn it into a field for the children to play in. And here's what I'm telling you. I was seeing this building. Not this building, but this is the layout that I pretty much said, this is what I'd like. And this is what we were working towards. Eight years ago I saw this building. I didn't see this exact building, but I saw that God had a place for us. What I'm saying to you is this, where there is no vision, lives are wasted. Potential is wasted. Opportunities are wasted. Where there is no vision, the people perish. Where there is no vision, in the instances when there is not someone who gets a biblical view of what God would want done or accomplished, in the instances where someone does not see things the way that God sees them, in those instances, and as a result of that, people waste away, waste their potential, disappear, decay, or destroy. And yes, even sometimes, die and go to hell. Where there is no vision, the people perish. So where's your vision? What vision do you have? Say, I don't have a vision. Then get a vision. Begin to look at the areas of your life and ask yourself, where am I? How are things? And how could they be? How would God see them? How does God see them? You know the Bible says in the book of Psalms about children, it says, whom we make make princes. You can make your child a prince, the Bible says. And the idea is this, begin to look at your children the way God sees them. Begin to look at your spouse the way God sees them. Begin to look at your fellow church members the way that God sees them. Begin to look at these people out on the street and we knock on their doors and begin to see them the way God sees them. Because where there is no vision, the people perish. I hope you'll get a vision. Because I wonder, I wonder, how many lives could be changed? How many people could be saved? How much eternity could be impacted if someone would just get a vision? Spire heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord we do love you. And Lord we thank you for this church. And I don't in any way, shape or form want to take credit for the things that have been done here. This has been a group effort and we have been co-laboring together with God. But Lord I understand that everything rises and falls on leadership. And as the pastor of this church I need to have a vision. Help us not to get here and to think, okay, we're done now. We've accomplished. There's nothing else for us to do. There remain as yet very much land to be possessed. Help us have a vision for that. And Lord I pray for everybody here that they would get a vision for their lives, for their children, their marriages, their jobs and career, their health, their spiritual walk with you. Help us to get a vision. To pursue that vision. To press into it. And that eternity might be impacted in an amazing way because of the things we do in pursuing what could be. In the matchless name of Christ we pray. Amen. Well I want to thank you for being with us tonight this morning. This was a wonderful day of course here as we had our opening at Verity Baptist Church. We appreciate you sharing this day with us. And I'm looking forward to just getting back into some sort of a normal routine. Obviously this building there's still lots to do and things for us to get used to. But I just want to again say thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who helped in every way to get us here. There's still lots for us to do. I've got a vision for things that God would want us to accomplish and I hope that you'll see things the way that God sees them as well. I want to just say that if you could help us to kind of pick up your area if your kids made a mess or took the hymn books out maybe you can put those back. We would appreciate your help with that. And of course my wife and I love all of you. We're praying for you and if there's ever anything you need please know that we are here for you. We're now Brother RJ lead us in a final song at this time. Amen. Let's hear our song we'll just turn to page number 304. Song number 304 and we will end the service with nothing between song number 304. The Bible says blessed by the pure in heart for they shall see God. So song number 304 sing it out on the first. Nothing between my soul and the Savior not of this world's elusive dream I have renowned with sinful pleasure Jesus is mine there's nothing between nothing between my soul and the Savior so that his blessed ways may be seen nothing preventing the least of his favor keep the way clear let nothing between song number 304 on the second. Nothing between like worldly pleasure habits of life though warmness they seem must not my heart from him ever sever he is my own there's nothing between nothing between my soul and the Savior so that his blessed things may be seen nothing preventing the least of his favor keep the way clear let nothing between nothing between like bridle like station self and friend shall not intervene though it may cost me much tribulation I am resolved there's nothing between nothing between my soul and the Savior so that his blessed things may be seen nothing preventing the least of his favor feel that nothing this feels finish strong on the last nothing between in many hard trials though the world against me coming watching with prayer and self denying I'll try my last but nothing between nothing between my soul and my Savior so that his blessed things may be seen nothing preventing the least of his favor keep the way clear let nothing between amen great see I'm gonna have brother Matt closing in a word of prayer but before we dismiss if anyone here has questions about salvation, baptism, or church membership pastor will be at the door he would love to talk to you directly someone is trained to do that as well brother Matt would you dismiss us with a word of prayer I want to honor and want you to rest in peace as well thank you for doing this Lord, and thank you for giving us the capacity to bring further this heart to have a vision to release this community of yours I pray Lord that you will help us get behind that so you can get a part of it keep us all stay here it's part of the work of our Heavenly Father and Jesus says Amen You you