What You See is What You Get

Joel 2:28-32

            Many years ago a friend and I were riding around Northeastern Ohio.  We were out seeing the sights.  All of a sudden he got excited and called out, “Look in that field!”  I looked and saw a rusting hulk of metal that appeared to have once been an automobile.  I said to him, “What do you mean?  That piece of junk?”  He replied, “That’s not junk.  It’s an old Packard.”  He then began to describe how it would look if someone took the time and money to fix the dents, sand off the rust, give it a paint job and do a thousand other tasks involved in restoring an old automobile.  Soon I caught his excitement and began to see that it was not just a pile of metal rusting in a field but an opportunity waiting for the right person to restore it to its former glory.  What you see is what you get.

            The reading from the Old Testament this morning comes from the Prophet Joel.  He writes of a time when the Spirit of God will be poured out on everyone.  He speaks for God as he says, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit (Joel 2:28-29).” 

            The Prophet Joel’s message turns up again in the Scriptures.  This time it is in the Book of Acts of the Apostles.  Jesus’ followers have mourned his death, been amazed at his Resurrection and have spent day after day together in prayer.  After fifty days had passed, while they were praying together, something marvelous happened.  God’s Spirit descended on the entire group, and everyone was filled with his Holy Spirit.  They began to talk in foreign languages.  The people in Jerusalem who were from all the countries of the world heard them speaking in their own languages and were amazed and confused.  They asked, “What does this mean?” Others saw the strange group of disciples and assumed they were intoxicated with wine.  Some made fun of Jesus’ disciples.

            Peter stood up and began to speak to the crowd of people.  He said, “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.  These people are not drunk, as you suppose: it is only nine O’clock in the morning.  Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about…(Acts 2:14-16).”  The time came when God poured out his Spirit upon those who prayed and sought his Spirit.  Something powerful happened as the Holy Spirit came upon the believers.  For on that day, the Church was born.  God’s people were filled with power from on high.  Sons and daughters spoke God’s message; young men saw visions; old men had dreams.  Yes, everyone, regardless of social status and position, received the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s Good News.

            Nothing happens unless it first begins as an image in someone’s mind.  This morning we all had the image of traveling to the chapel to worship God.  We would not be here unless we first had the image or thought of going to chapel.  When one travels over the Nation, one sees numerous church buildings all over the land.  You do not have to travel far before you see a church building.  Some are huge cathedrals in the center of big cities; others are little buildings at the intersection of two country roads.  Every one of those church buildings first began as a vision in someone’s mind.  That vision was shared with others, and as it caught on, dirt began to fly, and they built their vision of a church building.  Sometimes you will see a church building that was abandoned.  The vision that prompted the building of the church lost its power and energy, and the church disbanded.  Yet, in other places you will see church buildings which are well cared for and kept up.  The vision continues to burn brightly in the hearts of the people and they worship and serve God.

            When my friend and I were looking at the rusting hulk of an old Packard, I saw nothing but junk in the field but he saw a beautiful classic car beneath the rust.  More and more I am coming to realize that when it comes to life and faith, what you see is what you get.  The vision you have about life and faith determines how you will live life and live out your faith.  What you see in your mind, you will most likely get in reality.  When you envision something in your mind, you will likely achieve it.

            There are people of great vision in the world.  If you read the biographies of people who changed the course of history, you will soon discover that their lives were centered on a vision—a mental image—that brought direction to their lives.  Jesus of Nazareth, the man who has had the greatest influence on Western Civilization, had a vision of the kingdom of God.  He called people to repentance and proclaimed the reality of God’s kingdom.  Down through the centuries, people have made Jesus’ vision their vision, and as they lived out that vision their lives were enriched and transformed.  Not only were their lives transformed but, as they shared the vision others’ lives were also transformed.

            What is the vision that provides direction for your life?  In America we have been blessed with people who have had strong visions that were shared with others and which changed the way people lived.  Some of those changes have been good and others have harmed the Nation.  We call the basic collective vision the American Dream.  It began with a hope for freedom and a better life.  That vision resulted in the press toward material success and then materialism.  In the 1980’s, a favorite bumper sticker spoke about American materialism.  Do you remember it?  “Whoever dies with the most toys, wins.”  It speaks clearly to the vision of materialism, a poor goal.  Is your vision the vision of self-centered materialism?  To some degree many of us have been indoctrinated in that vision. 

            John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Movement in England in the 18th Century, had a vision to proclaim God’s Good News to the working people of Great Britain.  The Anglican Church served the wealthy and neglected the poor.  They lost the vision that Jesus gave them.  However, Wesley and his friends followed the vision of Jesus and brought the Good News to people who were lost.  Historians report that the Methodist Movement in England prevented the country from having a bloody revolution as France and other nations had. 

            However, Wesley also had a vision of what might happen to Methodists in the future and this applies to all Christians.  He wrote, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America.  But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.  And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”  He then went on to write that, “I fear, wherever riches have increased, [exceeding few are the exceptions], the essence of religion, the mind that was in Christ, has decreased in the same proportion . . . For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality; and these cannot but produce riches.  But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches.”  Was Wesley on target?  As we have grown in riches there is the tendency to diminish the mind that was in Christ Jesus that is within us.  Whether one is a Methodist Christian or a Baptist Christian, or an Anglican Christian, or any other kind of Christian, we are tempted toward materialism.  What kind of vision do you have that centers your life and gives it purpose?  Is it the materialism of today or is it centered on Christ Jesus?

            There are all kinds of visions going around today.  Some are grand and beautiful; others may look nice but lead nowhere good.  It is good to test visions to see if they are in tune with the mind of Christ Jesus.  The best and perhaps the only way to test visions are through Scripture and prayer.  If you are not grounded in both Scripture and prayer, you will have limited ability to see the difference between the things of God and the things of the evil one.  Look at those who have been deceived by the false visions of certain preachers.  Some of us remember the horror of the photographs of more than nine hundred people lying dead in the South American jungle of Guyana in 1978 as they were deceived into committing mass suicide by Jim Jones, a demonized preacher.  There are many visions going around but all visions must stand the test of Scripture, and if they fail that test, they must be avoided and quickly discarded. 

            The Church was born by the power of the Holy Spirit.  It came out of the shared vision of people who believed that Jesus is the Messiah of God, God’s anointed Son.  They were people who developed and sustained the vision given them by Christ Jesus through gathering together in prayer.  The kind of vision you will have depends on how you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into the truth of God.  The kind of vision you will have depends on how seriously you take your faith in Christ Jesus.  The Holy Spirit came upon the believers who were in prayer in Jerusalem, and as they were filled with the Spirit, they were filled with power to live out the vision Christ Jesus gave them and gives to us today.

            My friend and I looked at the remains of a Packard automobile rusting in an Ohio field.  Where I saw a rusted heap of metal, he saw a wonderful opportunity to restore a classic car.  As you look at your life, what do you see?  As you move into the future, what kind of vision do you have that guides your life?  Are you too caught up in the popular materialistic visions of today?  Can you see the cross of Christ Jesus and hear him teach through Scripture?  When you think about your future, remember this truth: What you see is what you get.  What you envision in your mind is what you will likely achieve.

A sermon preached by Chaplain (COL) Michael W. Malone

at Veterans Memorial Chapel in Indianapolis, Indiana