Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience

How Is Your Vision

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2023-10-27

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Proverbs 29:18, arguing that the 'vision' is not a dream or personal ambition but the authoritative public proclamation of God's Word. He demonstrates from Scripture that without such preaching, people perish—not only in eternal judgment but through the removal of moral restraints, leading to societal chaos. The sermon contrasts those who have and appropriate the vision with those who do not, emphasizing that true happiness comes from hearing and obeying God's law.

[John Weaver] Proverbs 29 verse 18 The title of the message is how is your vision? How is your vision? You'll understand the title just momentarily You may not understand some questions. I'm going to ask but the title you shall I Proverbs 29 verse 18 the scripture says where there is no vision the people perish But he did keep it the law happy is he So here's my questions. How is your vision? Do you see clearly? Do you hear clearly?

[John Weaver] Now you're going to probably ask me what in the world does hearing have to do with seeing and Well, I will explain that just a little bit later, because hearing is very vitally connected to seeing in this passage. There's been much confusion concerning this text of Scripture. And for the most part, and for most people, there still is a great deal of confusion. This text is a favorite text of many individuals. It's the favorite text of pastors who want to build a big church plant and have what we call big programs. Because they always say that if you really want to do something, you must have the vision or you must catch a vision. And I've heard pastors say, well, I envision having three to four hundred people in this church by the next six months. Well, they always talk about the vision. That's strange, though, that they can never delineate from scripture exactly what the vision is. This text is also the favorite text of many missionaries, because when they go to a local church and they begin to talk about their field of labor, And they begin to talk about the squalor, the misery, the poverty, the illiteracy, and the lostness of the people to whom they're going to minister.

[John Weaver] And then when respondents begin to cry and weep and give, then they're said to have really caught the vision. So the vision means something different to a missionary than it does to a pastor. And then, of course, there are those evangelists who will use unscriptural, unbiblical and ungodly methods, devices and tricks, gimmicks and gadgets to reach people. And they say very plainly that they'd do anything to save a soul.

[John Weaver] And I've had one to tell me that in times past. My response was well, it's just stop and think about this. God will not do anything to save us all He will not save anyone apart from Jesus Christ. He will not save anyone apart from repentance and faith He'll not save anyone who's still in rebellion against him who refuses to cast down his weapons of warfare So the point I'm trying to make is this verse and still Carrying a lot of confusion for some people and I find it strange that this verse can mean so many things to so many different people and Consequently there must be a private or personal interpretation Concerning this verse and most of the people who quote this verse really and truly cannot even explain what the vision is So let me just try to take this a little bit

[John Weaver] farther to the mystic He will say the vision is experience To the pietist, he will say the vision is meditation. To the Pentecostal, he will say that the vision is speaking in tongues. To the pragmatist, he will say the vision is what works. To the Arminian, he will say the vision is soul winning. To the soul winner, he will say the vision is witnessing. And to the promoter, he will say that the vision is success. So the question is not what all these people say about the vision, but what in the world does God say about the vision? What does scripture teach? And how do we compare scripture with scripture and find out exactly what the vision really is?

[John Weaver] So I want to give you three things today. The very first one is I want to share with you the nature of the vision. And when we talk about the nature of the vision, we're talking about its essence. We're talking about that which makes up its parts, its constituent parts, what it is formed of.

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word for vision in Proverbs 29 and verse 18 is the word kazon. And when we hear the word vision, we normally think of dreams, trances, sometimes some type of ecstatic utterance. And the truth of the matter is, occasionally, that is the way it is used in Scripture. Not always, but occasionally it is used like that. For instance, we think about the visions that were given to Daniel. We think about the visions that were given to Ezekiel.

[John Weaver] Remember that trance that Peter was in in Acts chapter 10 where the sheep came down from heaven with all kind of animals on it and God said, Arise, Peter, kill and eat. You remember. So there were all kinds of things in the Bible that spoke of this. Let me give you an illustration. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Job and chapter 33, if you would, please, at verses 15 and 16. Job chapter 33 look at it if you would please in fact, let's read there with verse 14 Watch this job 33 verse 14. The Bible says for God speaketh once yay twice and man perceiveth it not Now watch verse 15 in a dream.

[John Weaver] I in a vision of the night. When deep sleep followed upon men, in the slumberings upon the bed, then He opened the ears of men and sealed their instruction." So there are times, yes, that the Bible says that God did indeed give dreams in the Old Testament, and some in the New Testament. And visions as such, because men saw things in the night, that is for sure. But the Hebrew word, Kazan, not only talks about a vision or a dream, it not only means that, but it also means an oracle, a prophecy, a communication. We talk about the books of vision. We can talk about the vision of the book of Joel, or the vision of the book of Daniel, or the vision of the book of Ezekiel. And so the word vision in that sense refers to a prophetic divine revelation. It has nothing to do with a dream. It has nothing to do with a trance. It just simply means that which God has revealed. Now, the Bible in Proverbs 29 and verse 18 says, where there is no vision, people perish.

[John Weaver] Obviously, clearly, the word vision here refers then to what you and I would call an authoritative proclamation of the Word of God. Let me put it another way. He is saying where there is no public preaching, people perish. Where there is no declaration of the Word of God, people perish.

[John Weaver] Now you remember in fact go ahead and turn there to first corinthians chapter 1 Just to show you how this is connected If you'll look in first corinthians chapter 1 beginning there with verse 18 Look at what the scripture says For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness But in us which are saved it is the power of god For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe?

[John Weaver] Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, here it is, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. So the truth is most of the time when the scripture uses the word vision It really refers to public preaching or the authoritative Proclamation of the gospel.

[John Weaver] So let me show you this in scripture I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations right after Jeremiah you have Lamentations and look if you would at Lamentations chapter 2 and Of course Lamentations deals with the fall of Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet is there witnessing the fall of Jerusalem And of course he is writing these poems concerning the fall So in Lamentations chapter 2 if you will look at verse 9 the scripture says Her gates are sunk. That is Jerusalem's gates. Her gates are sunk into the ground He had destroyed and broken her bars.

[John Weaver] I Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles. The law is no more, that is, there's no one to proclaim it. Her prophets also find no vision from the Lord. In other words, God is not speaking to these false prophets. God is not giving them any divine revelation. Her prophets also find no vision No prophecy from the Lord now skip down to verse 14 Remember now there were a bunch of false prophets in Jerusalem God says in verse 14 thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee That is the false prophets now watch and they have not discovered thine iniquity to turn away thy captivity. I But have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment." In other words, the point of the vision or the point of preaching was to pinpoint sin and iniquity and to cause people to turn from their sins and turn unto God. But here the false prophets were not teaching the true vision of God and consequently they did not discover the sins or the reasons why God banished the people and It is the ministry of the Word of God alone.

[John Weaver] That is the appointed ordinance to communicate that particular blessing Think about this preaching. The Word of God is the only human means involved in the conversion of sinners now, I'm just trying to show you that what God says is That where there is no vision the people perish he's talking about the public preaching of the Word of God So if you will turn back in your Bibles to 1st Samuel chapter 3 And then we're going to go to 2nd Samuel chapter 7, but look in 1st Samuel chapter 3 beginning there with verse 1 Look in 1st Samuel chapter 3 in verse 1. I Note if you would what the Bible says specifically and there is a reason notice if you would First Samuel chapter 3 verse 1 and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli And the Word of the Lord was precious in those days There was no open vision Now what in the world does that mean? The Word of the Lord was precious in those days What makes something precious?

[John Weaver] Because it's scarce It's rare. And so he says the word of the Lord was precious in those days. Why? Because there was no open vision. There was no public proclamation of the word of God. You remember Eli was rebuked by God and Hophni and Phinehas, his sons were wicked reprobates and God killed them. That's when God raised up little Samuel. So during this time the Word of God was precious because there was no open vision No public preaching of the Word of God. So if you will turn over in your Bibles to 2nd Samuel chapter 7 2nd Samuel chapter 7 and let's begin reading there with verse 1 and And I want you to pay close attention to the words.

[John Weaver] Watch this it came to pass when the king sat in his house The lord had given him rest round about from all of his enemies That the king said unto nathan He said see now I dwell in a house of cedar but the ark of god dwells within curtains and nathan said to the king Go do all that is in thine heart for the Lord is with thee and it came to pass that night that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan saying Go and tell my servant David Thus saith the Lord shalt thou build me in house for me to dwell in now look at verse 4. I And it came to pass that night that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan. So we know now the word of God came specifically to Nathan. But I want you to skip down to verse 17 and see what the scripture says. Here it is. Second Samuel 7, verse 17. According to all these words, according to this vision, so did Nathan So did Nathan speak unto David.

[John Weaver] Note, if you would, according to all these words in this vision. So the prophetic revelation, the truth from God, was referred to as a vision. Did Nathan speak? Did Nathan preach and teach? And the answer is yes. But it's referred to as a vision, but we know specifically that the Word of God came unto him, for that is exactly what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] Now, if you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 12, I'll show it to you in this passage as well. Look in Ezekiel chapter 12, and we'll be in reading there with verse 21, and we'll read through verse 28. So Ezekiel chapter 12 and let's begin reading there with verse 21 watch this and The Word of the Lord came into me saying So note if you would it's the Word of the Lord the Word of the Lord came into me saying son of man what is that proverb that you have in the land of Israel saying the days are prolonged and every vision faileth and That is, every prophecy faileth.

[John Weaver] You have to remember now, all of these false prophets were prophesying a quick and soon return from the people from Babylon. In fact, Ezekiel was also in Babylon at this particular time. So, note if you would what he says. Son of man, what is that proverb that you have in the land of Israel saying? The days are prolonged and every vision faileth. Tell them therefore thus saith the Lord there is the word again thus saith the Lord I will make this proverb to cease and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel But say unto them note that word say unto them the days are at hand and the effect of every vision I'll talk about the word effect in just a moment. I He said for there shall be no more any vain vision. That is useless worthless nor flattering divination within the house of Israel He's going to cut off the false prophets now watch verse 25 for I am the Lord I will speak and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass It shall be no more prolonged now.

[John Weaver] Wait a minute Remember they were talking about the vision failure. Then the vision is prolonged now God says For I am the Lord I will speak in the word that I shall speak shall come to pass it shall no more be prolonged For in your days a rebellious house. Will I say the word and will perform it saith the Lord God again the word of the Lord came into me saying Son of man behold they of the house of Israel say the vision that he seeth that is that which Ezekiel sees that which Ezekiel was preaching is for many days to come and And he prophesieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord. Now, notice if you would please, the words of the Lord and the vision are synonymous.

[John Weaver] They are one and the same. Every false vision was going to fail, that is every false prophecy, but not God's. When you look in verse Let's see, what is it verse 25? I think it is he said for I'm the Lord I will speak in the word that I shall speak shall come to pass It shall be no more prolonged for your days or rebellious house. Will I say the word and will perform it set the Lord God? Yes And then the truth of the matter, he talks about the effect in verse 23, the effect of every vision. The word effect there, of course, refers then to speech, to utterance, to words and saying. He said the dazzled hand and the words or the preaching or the teaching or the speech or the utterance every vision. In other words, his will be fulfilled, theirs will not be. And then in verse 28 he says, Therefore thus say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, there shall none of my words be prolonged. And here the word vision and the word are equated, they are synonymous.

[John Weaver] And so when you speak about the vision in the Bible, we're talking about the Word of God. We're not necessarily talking about dreams Trances we're talking about the divine revelation of God and the authoritative proclamation of that word Let me show you one more look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea Turn right on over to to Daniel Hosea and look if you would in Hosea chapter 12 and verse 10 Hosea 12 and verse 10 look at this the Bible says that God is speaking. I have also spoken by the prophets Now note that I have also spoken by the prophets and I have multiplied visions and use similitudes by the ministry of the prophets Now God said I've spoken by the prophets. I'm altered multiplied visions. What does that mean? He gave them divine revelation. He gave them his word and And you similitudes note by the ministry of the prophets."

[John Weaver] So the vision there refers then to that which has been divinely revealed and that which is being publicly proclaimed and publicly preached. So the nature of the vision is it is the revealed Word of God. He's not talking about some trance or some dream. When He said, where there is no vision, people perish. So the nature then is that of the proclamation of the Word of God. The second thing I want you to see in this verse is the necessity of the vision. And the necessity of the vision is very easily seen, for he said, for where there is no vision, the people perish. So I would say the vision must be vitally important because without it, people perish. Now, the Hebrew word for people is the word of which refers then to a people, to a kindred, to a countrymen or basically to a nation. So he says, well, there is no authoritative proclamation of the word of God. Then a nation perish, perishes, a people perish, a kindred perish. Countrymen perish. In other words, here's the absolute necessity of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the interesting thing. The word perish. It's the Hebrew word parah. When you and I think of the word perishing, we think of death. We think of destruction. We think of eternal judgment. The word perish here does include that. But includes far more than that. Because when you and I think about death and destruction, eternal judgment, that is the end. There is something in between that brings us to that end. And that is what this word reveals. In fact, when you get to this, the Hebrew word para literally means this. Are you listening? It means to make naked. to loose restraints, to let something go. So when he talks about where there is no vision, people perish. He is talking about the fact, yes, there's going to be death. Yes, there's going to be destruction. Yes, there's going to be the ultimate judgment. But there is going to be something that is happening in between that's going to lead up to that death, destruction and judgment. And that is the people are going to be made naked.

[John Weaver] That is, there's not going to be any restraints, nothing to hold them back. They will give themselves over to lasciviousness to wickedness to greediness to immorality. It doesn't matter There's no restraints. So if you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of first Timothy chapter 1 I want to show you that one of the reasons God gave the law Was of course as a means of restraint So the Bible does indeed speak about the restraints of the law. For instance, the Bible says thou shalt not kill. Basically, thou shalt not murder.

[John Weaver] So if I decided, well, what I need to do is I just need to pull out a pistol and shoot Steve right now. I just want to shoot him. And so I shoot him. Well, what would stop me from just really wanting to shoot him? Well, when I stop and think, wait a minute, if I kill him, the scripture says, Whosoever shed of man's blood by man shall his blood be shed now. I'm fixing to get killed I better think twice where I shoot him because I don't want to die.

[John Weaver] So there is a restraint In the law of God. So if you look in first Timothy chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 8 The Apostle says for we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully now, let me stop right there there is a lawful use of the law and And there's also an unlawful use of the law. The law was never given to save. The law was never given to justify. So when someone tries to be justified by their works or saved by their obedience, they're using the law unlawfully. So here's a lawful use of it. In his restraint, he says knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man now, wait a minute Why is the law not made for a righteous man? Because the righteous man is obeying God doing that which is right and therefore The law is not needed as a restraint for that individual He's living obediently now watch knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient and for the ungodly and for sinners

[John Weaver] for unholy and profane for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers for manslayers for Whoremongers for them that defile themselves with mankind for men-stealers for liars for perjured persons And if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine And here's an interesting thing. You can do this for yourself. I did it years ago. I went by and I looked up every one of these Delineations And I compared them to the Ten Commandments. Basically, what you have in verse 9 is a violation of the Ten Commandments on every hand.

[John Weaver] It doesn't matter which ones, but it's all violations of God's law. Now, so the perishing then not only speaks now of the ultimate end of death and destruction and eternal judgment, but it also speaks then of all that wickedness in between that leads up to that death and destruction. So, where there is no vision, Where there is no vision the people perish the people were made naked and consequently Society and the nation do a tailspin down into violence and wickedness in immorality Aha All you have to do is compare where we are today To where we were 50 years ago in our society in our nation I'm just simply pointing out the fact that Where there is no open vision where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God People perish and they have to perish because there is no exposition.

[John Weaver] There is no explanation There is no application and how in the world Can they obey if they've never given anything to obey? how in the world can they be restrained if they're not said God said thou shalt not and So where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God the eyes of men are shut up. They cannot see Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God the ears of man are shut up. He cannot hear Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God the mind of man is shut up. It cannot understand He's not given anything to understand. I Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, their hearts are shut up to unbelief. They cannot believe anything because nothing is given them to believe. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, people are carried away as a prey into hell because they're made naked.

[John Weaver] All the restraints are loosened. And without the proclamation of the Word of God, fallen man descends into anarchy, chaos, and confusion.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you where we are. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Hosea chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, go back to Hosea chapter 4. Because there is no vision, that is there is no real authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, in the land people are perishing, and God has a controversy with the people in the land. So look at it. Verse 1, Hosea 4. Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel. For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

[John Weaver] So let me ask you a question. How can you have any truth, any knowledge of God, or any mercy without the public proclamation of the word of God? And the truth is you can't. Well, what happens when there is no public proclamation of the Word of God? Well, we said men perish, they are made naked, they lose restraints. Skip down to verse 2, Hosea 4, By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood.

[John Weaver] Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish. With the beasts of the field, with the fowls of heaven, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. In other words, When men are made naked by a failure to preach and teach the whole counsel of God Creation itself suffers Creation itself suffers as well as society That's exactly where we are How in the world can there be any knowledge any truth in the land without the proclamation of his word? you remember that passage in Ephesians chapter 4 and Verses 17 and 18 where the Word of God says this this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you henceforth walk not like other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind having understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through

[John Weaver] the ignorance that is in them Did you hear that? being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them and In other words, it is ignorance that causes alienation. It's what it amounts to. We're alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us because of the blindness of our hearts. That's what the Bible says. And when there is no real, genuine proclamation of the word of God, men are alienated through God and from God through their ignorance. If you would just stop and think about all the church buildings that are in this land and how few really truly teach the Word of God. Stop and think how many churches you can go into and be out in 30 or 40 minutes. I'm just simply pointing out the fact alienation the Bible says is through ignorance. So the Bible says where there is no vision the people perish. So to be without the vision is to be in a perishing state. Does that mean then that people who do not hear the Word of God are lost?

[John Weaver] Are the heathen lost? And the answer is Yes, you know how the Bible describes people without Jesus Christ Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter 2 in verse 12, and he said this concerning their unconverted state He said that at that time you were without Christ being aliens From the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise. Listen having no hope And without God in the world So those who are without Jesus Christ are without hope. Now, people say, Well, I have a hope. But if your hope is not in Jesus Christ, it's a false hope. It's not a true, genuine hope. In fact, the Bible says in the book of Job, chapter eight and verse 13. So are the paths of all they that forget God. The hypocrite's hope shall perish. So just like he is perishing, his hope will perish as well. So let's ask this question again and try to answer it from scripture. Will the heathen perish? And the answer is yes. Romans chapter 2 and verse 12 the Bible says for as many as have sinned Without the law shall also perish without the law But as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law So men will perish without the law without the authoritative proclamation of the Word of God

[John Weaver] they will when you stop and think Well, let's see. Look at all these countries that do not have the preaching of the Word of God. That's true. But look at America and all the states that really do not have the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Stop and think about how God has spoken. The Bible tells us that God has spoken to us in creation. God has spoken to us in our consciences, Romans 2. God has spoken to us in his commandments. God has spoken us in Jesus Christ and so in light of just creation The Bible says in Romans 1 in verse 20 for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse so even God's creation Shows us there is a God he has eternal power and He is God now. Let me show you something else in light of this look in your Bibles the Romans chapter 10 Romans chapter 10 And let's begin reading there in verse 13.

[John Weaver] This is a passage that just about everyone can Quote Romans 10 verse 13 The Bible says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved I've had preachers use that verse many, many times in talking to sinners. But, you know, usually when you take something out of context, it's not really going to help much. So let me ask you this. I know the scripture says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Here's a good question. Does calling save you? Well, let's see. Calling is something that you do.

[John Weaver] So would that be classified as a work? Well, let me ask you another question. Why in the world would sinners ever call upon him anyhow? Well, look in verse 14. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him and whom they have not believed? Now, wait a minute. I thought it was faith that saved you. It's believing in Jesus Christ that saves you. Do you understand that calling then is a result of the consequence of and the effect of believing? The only reason people call upon the Lord is they believe in him. You don't call upon someone that you don't believe in.

[John Weaver] I've never in my life called upon Vishnu. I've never called upon some pagan God because I don't believe in him. But let's go far forward look at it He said first ever shall call upon the name Lord shall be saved How then shall they call on him whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? It's not heard about if you hear about someone he's not present But if you hear someone he is present So here's what is being said Christ must speak for you to believe and when you believe then you call What did our Lord say in John chapter 10? I know my sheep and I call them by name and they follow me Wow now watch this He asked, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And then he asked this, and how shall they hear without a preacher?

[John Weaver] In other words, there is usually the public proclamation of the word of God. And Jesus Christ speaks through his word as that word is being preached. And then he said, then how shall they preach except they be sent? In other words, God sends his preachers. Then he says, as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. Now, here's the problem. We can see from these verses the necessity of the vision, the necessity of the preaching of the word of God. Why is it then That we really don't put our efforts into the preaching of the word of God. And the answer is that proud reasoning revolts against God and against his word and presumes to be more merciful than God.

[John Weaver] I've had people say what I would quote the scripture that the heathen were lost and that they would perish. I've had people say, but wait a minute. They haven't had a chance. And my response is. No one is saved by chance. We're saved by God's eternal purpose and God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. God never saves anybody by accident. It is always purposeful and it is always deliberate. So, it's not by chance. The reason we do this is because it's easier to presume upon God's mercy than it is to fulfill our responsibilities, our obligations, and our duties. It's easier to find fault with God than to acknowledge our sin and our disobedience. It's easier to deny our responsibility and say somehow God will work it out for them, which is not true. I've heard people say, well, do you not believe that God is sovereign?

[John Weaver] And the answer is yes. God is absolutely sovereign. Do you not believe God has his elect? Yes, God has his elect. Then I've had people say, well, if God is sovereign, then his elect is going to be saved anyhow. And my response is no. God's elect are going to be saved. God's how? And God's howl is through the preaching and the proclamation of His Word. That's what His Word teaches us.

[John Weaver] So here's the necessity of this vision. Without it, people perish. They're made naked. There's no restraints, and they're pushing headlong straight into death, destruction, and eternal judgment. There's a third thing I want you to see, and that is the appropriation of the vision. God said where there is no vision, people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Just stop and think about this. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law. In other words, the vision and the keeping of the law have to be connected. How can you keep the law if the law is never taught to you or explained to you? So the vision is the preaching of the word of God. But the appropriation is, happy is he. Who keeps that law? So, if one does not hear the Word of God he cannot believe the Word of God, he cannot receive the Word of God, he cannot obey the Word of God because he doesn't even know the Word of God. So, clearly then if he is going to be blessed, if he is going to be happy he has to hear, and he has to know, and he has to receive.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to tell you that there are actually two contrasts in Proverbs 29 and verse 18. I want you to look at that verse. He says, where there is no vision the people perish. But he that keepeth the law happy is he. So first of all, there is the contrast between those who have the vision and those who have not the vision. So where there is no vision, people perish.

[John Weaver] The opposite would also be true. Where there is a vision, people are being saved or are saved. In other words, there is that contrast between those who have the vision and those who do not have the vision. The second contrast is found also in verse 18, and it is between those who appropriate the vision, that is the preaching, and those who do not appropriate it or apply it. Because he said in verse 18, but he that keepeth the law happiest he. That means he that does not keep the law, he that does not obey, is not happy, is not blessed. So there is a contrast then between those who have the vision, those who do not have the vision, those who appropriate the vision, those who do not appropriate the vision.

[John Weaver] So when the Word of God is preached, some neglect it, some receive it, some despise it, some love it, some refuse it, and some apply it. Now, how in the world do you know whether or not you appropriate the vision? How in the world do you know you appropriate the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? Well, that individual's life is identified by two characteristics. First of all, his life is constantly and continually being brought into greater conformity to the Word of God. We're not perfect. We're never going to be perfect in this life. But it does mean that we're constantly and continually changing our lives, our thought processes, the way we live, the way we do things and bringing our lives into greater conformity to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] The second characteristic is the Bible said he's a happy man. That is, he is a blessed man. You know, there's a multitude of blessings. that are enumerated in the Bible of those who believe, but I'll give you one good one. Proverbs 16 in verse seven, the Bible says, when a man's ways please the Lord, he make it even as enemies to be at peace with him. So clearly you can be a blessed, happy individual just simply by being obedient to the word of God.

[John Weaver] So we see then the necessity. the preaching of the Word of God just not only the nature of the vision but the necessity of the vision and now you see the appropriation of the vision it was Martin Luther the Reformer who said this the meanest village and by meanest he means the smallest the tiniest so he says the meanest or the smallest and tiniest village that has a pastor and a flock is a palace of ebony He said, if you have a pastor, if you have a flock of God, it is a palace, no matter how small, no matter how tiny.

[John Weaver] Thomas Watson, the Puritan, said it like this. It was by the ear that our first parents, listening to the serpent, that we lost paradise. And it is by the ear, by the hearing of the word that we get to heaven. And he quotes Isaiah 55 in verse 3. Incline your ear and come unto me here and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David. And that is true. So we need to know how to appropriate and how to apply the preaching of the word of God.

[John Weaver] Now I want to make a couple of applications But I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would first of all to 2nd Chronicles chapter 36 2nd Chronicles 36 and We're going to begin reading there at verse 15 in light of the message that I'm preaching I Want you to understand this passage I Want you to think about this Whenever God Is going to have mercy or compassion upon a people He always sends them his preachers He always sends them his word Whenever God is going to judge a people He removes his preachers you remember during the time of Ahab and Jezebel and God took Elijah and put him out of the land with a widow of side that the Bible says for three and a half years and there was a drought that three and a half years of drought that physical picture was nothing more than an illustration of demonstration of a spiritual truth because they were without the preaching of the Word of God the man of God was not in the country they were destitute they were dying even creation was dying Without the truth of God when he comes to Jeremiah Now God kept Jeremiah in the land, but it's Jeremiah 8.

[John Weaver] I think it is Jeremiah 4 11 where God told Jeremiah pray not for this people He left Jeremiah in the land. He said just don't pray for him when you got to chapter 14 Jeremiah really wanted to pray for the people and God said, okay. I'm gonna let you pray for them. I But you pray that I'm going to destroy them because that's exactly what I'm gonna do so God moved Elijah out of the land. He kept Jeremiah in the land. He just shut his mouth now watch this 2nd Chronicles 36 verse 15 And the Lord God of their father sent to them by his messengers rising up be times and sending why? because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place and Whenever God has compassion upon a people he sends them his word. He sends them in to teach and preach his word Now watch what happened in verse 16, but they that is the people are Mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets Until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy Therefore he brought

[John Weaver] upon them the king of the Calvary's who slew their young men with a sword in the house of their Sanctuary and had no compassion upon young men or maiden or old man or him that stooped with age He gave them all into his hand Now, let's go back to verse 16. God sent his messengers. God sent his truth because he had compassion upon his people and on his dwelling place. Well, look what happened. Verse 16. But they mocked the messengers of God. Note messengers is plural.

[John Weaver] There was more than one. But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words. And his is singular. They were despising the word of God that God sent by his messengers. They misuse the messengers they despise his word and God says therefore The wrath of the lord arose against his people till there was no remedy. He gave them all Into the hand of nebuchadnezzar who slew them who captured them and carried them away into captivity It's a serious serious calamity To have the vision removed from a people the public preaching and teaching of the word of god. It's a serious calamity For the people to refuse and despise the word of god Secondly, I want you to turn in your bibles to the book of jeremiah jeremiah chapter 3 if you would jeremiah chapter 3 And let's begin reading there with verse 14 Jeremiah 3 and verse 14 Here's one of the greatest blessings that God can bestow upon the people And we always take these blessings for granted But God says in Jeremiah 3 and verse 14 turn Oh backsliding children set the Lord for I'm married unto you and And I will take you one of a city and two of a family and I

[John Weaver] will bring you to Zion and look at the promise God gives and I will give you pastors According to my heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding In other words, it's the blessing of God to give you men who will preach and teach who will expound and explain and apply his word and So, let me ask you a question. How is your vision? Do you hear the Word of God clearly? Do you appropriate? Do you apply the Word of God? One more.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. And look, if you would please, at verse 13. Look at what the Apostle Paul said to these Thessalonians. This is absolutely astounding. This is where you and I need to be look at what he said first Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13 The Apostle said for this cause Also, thank we God without ceasing Here's a reason to be thankful Because when you receive the Word of God which you heard of us You received it not as the Word of men But as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. So when they heard the Apostle Paul preach, they didn't say, that's what Paul thinks. When they heard Silas or Barnabas, they didn't say, well, that's just Barnabas' opinion. No, when they heard the Word of God, Paul said, you received it not as the Word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe. Can you imagine the change our churches If just the Christians received the proclamation of the Word of God as the Word of God himself That's not what the preacher says that's what God says Listen, there's a big difference between me telling you.

[John Weaver] Well, I think this in my opinion is Well for my consideration, I would say that's one thing but when I say thus saith the Lord Here is what the Word of God says. That's a totally different thing Your opinion is as good as mine Your reasoning is as good as mine But when it comes to the Word of God, that's a horse of a different color. And the truth of the matter is you need to receive it, not as the Word of man, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also on you that believe.

[John Weaver] Which brings me to this. Do you realize that our business as Christians is not to save sinners? That may shock you. But it's true. I've preached for nearly 59 years. I've never saved anybody. I can't save anybody. I can't even convict anybody. Saving people is not my business. That's the business of the Lord Jesus Christ. What did He say in Matthew 1 in verse 21? Thou shalt call His name Jesus. Why? For He shall save His people from their sins. And then when you get to Luke chapter 19 in verse 10, For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Only Jesus Christ can save. My responsibility is to preach His Word and teach His Word and point people to Jesus Christ who can save them.

[John Weaver] The truth of the matter is preaching is the most important duty obligation responsibility and privilege that we have That means this As much as I love music I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than have a the best music program in town I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than I had that had the biggest and best youth Program in town. No, no, it's the Word of God. I We need it's the Word of God that will change the young people. It's the Word of God That'll magnify everything and better everything the truth of the matter is this the scripture says that God chose by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe and the Bible says in Hebrews 1 It is true that in times past God spoke to the fathers and How? By various and sundry means. He gave dreams. Yes, he gave trances.

[John Weaver] But listen to verse two. But he hath in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he had appointed heir of all things. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. The Bible is the full and final revelation of God. We don't live by dreams. We don't live by trances. We live by the Word of God. And Jesus Christ is the fullness of God's revelation.

[John Weaver] I've had people tell me, well, Brother Weaver, I had this dream. Everybody dreams. But your dreams usually do not mean, as we say in South Georgia, pea doodly squat. The Bible says that a dream coming through the multitude of business you usually dream about what your mind has been occupied upon I Tell people jokingly if you want to have a dream I can tell you how to do this Oh just before you go to bed You eat you a peanut butter

[John Weaver] mayonnaise ketchup mustard and pickle and onion sandwich and you'll end up dreaming It may not be anything good, but you'll end up dreaming. No, we're not living by dreams. We're living by the Word of God and And Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. Where there is no vision, the people perish. They're made naked. They lose their restraints. They cast everything off and plunge headlong into violence, immorality, sin, wickedness, and rebellion, and finally end up in death, destruction, and judgment. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he, blessed is he, because he has the word of God and he keeps it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth, Lord.

[John Weaver] We thank you that you have appointed the preaching of the gospel to reach the hearts and minds of men and women. And Lord, I pray that you'd raise up men who would indeed preach and teach thy word. And Lord, we ask for healing. As you clothed Adam and Eve, Lord, clothe us again. May we put the restraints back on by preaching and teaching your truth. Thus saith the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. ♪ ♪ ♪ you

How Is Your Vision

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	q6xtFKpNihc
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-10-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 135: Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification - Volume 2 — Chapter 36
Source Timed Segments	64

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Confusion Around 'Vision'

Weaver introduces Proverbs 29:18 and notes how pastors, missionaries, and evangelists misuse the term 'vision' for personal ambitions, emotional appeals, or pragmatic methods, creating confusion about its biblical meaning.

Proverbs 29:18. The title of the message is "How Is Your Vision?" How is your vision? You'll understand the title just momentarily. You may not understand some questions I'm going to ask, but the title you shall. Proverbs 29:18, the Scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:18

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

So here's my questions: How is your vision? Do you see clearly? Do you hear clearly?

Now you're going to probably ask me, "What in the world does hearing have to do with seeing?" Well, I will explain that just a little bit later, because hearing is very vitally connected to seeing in this passage. There's been much confusion concerning this text of Scripture. And for the most part, and for most people, there still is a great deal of confusion. This text is a favorite text of many individuals. It's the favorite text of pastors who want to build a big church plant and have what we call big programs. Because they always say that if you really want to do something, you must have the vision or you must catch a vision. And I've heard pastors say, "Well, I envision having three to four hundred people in this church by the next six months." Well, they always talk about the vision. That's strange, though, that they can never delineate from Scripture exactly what the vision is. This text is also the favorite text of many missionaries, because when they go to a local church and they begin to talk about their field of labor, and they begin to talk about the squalor, the misery, the poverty, the illiteracy, and the lostness of the people to whom they're going to minister.

And then when respondents begin to cry and weep and give, then they're said to have really caught the vision. So the vision means something different to a missionary than it does to a pastor. And then, of course, there are those evangelists who will use unscriptural, unbiblical, and ungodly methods, devices and tricks, gimmicks and gadgets to reach people. And they say very plainly that they'd do anything to save a soul. And I've had one to tell me that in times past. My response was, "Well, let's just stop and think about this. God will not do anything to save a soul. He will not save anyone apart from Jesus Christ. He will not save anyone apart from repentance and faith. He'll not save anyone who's still in rebellion against Him, who refuses to cast down his weapons of warfare." So the point I'm trying to make is this verse is still carrying a lot of confusion for some people. And I find it strange that this verse can mean so many things to so many different people. Consequently, there must be a private or personal interpretation concerning this verse, and most of the people who quote this verse really and truly cannot even explain what the vision is. So let me just try to take this a little bit

further. To the mystic, he will say the vision is experience. To the pietist, he will say the vision is meditation. To the Pentecostal, he will say that the vision is speaking in tongues. To the pragmatist, he will say the vision is what works. To the Arminian, he will say the vision is soul winning. To the soul winner, he will say the vision is witnessing. And to the promoter, he will say that the vision is success. So the question is not what all these people say about the vision, but what in the world does God say about the vision? What does Scripture teach? And how do we compare Scripture with Scripture and find out exactly what the vision really is?

The Nature of the Vision

The Hebrew word 'chazon' can mean a dream or trance, but in Proverbs 29:18 it refers to divine revelation—the authoritative proclamation of God's Word, synonymous with public preaching.

So I want to give you three things today. The very first one is I want to share with you the nature of the vision. And when we talk about the nature of the vision, we're talking about its essence. We're talking about that which makes up its parts, its constituent parts, what it is formed of.

Now, the Hebrew word for vision in Proverbs 29:18 is the word chazon. And when we hear the word vision, we normally think of dreams, trances, sometimes some type of ecstatic utterance. And the truth of the matter is, occasionally, that is the way it is used in Scripture. Not always, but occasionally it is used like that. For instance, we think about the visions that were given to Daniel. We think about the visions that were given to Ezekiel. Remember that trance that Peter was in in Acts chapter 10 where the sheet came down from heaven with all kinds of animals on it and God said, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat." You remember. So there were all kinds of things in the Bible that spoke of this. Let me give you an illustration. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Job and chapter 33, if you would, please, at verses 15 and 16. Job chapter 33, look at it if you would please. In fact, let's read there with verse 14. Watch this. Job 33:14, the Bible says, "For God speaketh once, yea twice, and man perceiveth it not." Now watch verse 15. "In a dream,

in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction." So there are times, yes, that the Bible says that God did indeed give dreams in the Old Testament, and some in the New Testament. And visions as such, because men saw things in the night, that is for sure. But the Hebrew word chazon not only talks about a vision or a dream, it not only means that, but it also means an oracle, a prophecy, a communication. We talk about the books of vision. We can talk about the vision of the book of Joel, or the vision of the book of Daniel, or the vision of the book of Ezekiel. And so the word vision in that sense refers to a prophetic divine revelation. It has nothing to do with a dream. It has nothing to do with a trance. It just simply means that which God has revealed. Now, the Bible in Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

Obviously, clearly, the word vision here refers then to what you and I would call an authoritative proclamation of the Word of God. Let me put it another way. He is saying where there is no public preaching, people perish. Where there is no declaration of the Word of God, people perish.

Now you remember, in fact go ahead and turn there to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, just to show you how this is connected. If you'll look in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 beginning there with verse 18. Look at what the Scripture says:

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, here it is, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

So the truth is most of the time when the Scripture uses the word vision, it really refers to public preaching or the authoritative proclamation of the gospel.

So let me show you this in Scripture. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations, right after Jeremiah you have Lamentations, and look if you would at Lamentations chapter 2. And of course Lamentations deals with the fall of Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet is there witnessing the fall of Jerusalem. And of course he is writing these poems concerning the fall. So in Lamentations chapter 2, if you will look at verse 9, the Scripture says, "Her gates are sunk." That is Jerusalem's gates.

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 2:9, 14

"Her gates are sunk into the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more;" that is, there's no one to proclaim it. "Her prophets also find no vision from the LORD." In other words, God is not speaking to these false prophets. God is not giving them any divine revelation. "Her prophets also find no vision,

no prophecy from the LORD." Now skip down to verse 14. Remember now there were a bunch of false prophets in Jerusalem. God says in verse 14, "Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee:" that is the false prophets, now watch, "and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment." In other words, the point of the vision or the point of preaching was to pinpoint sin and iniquity and to cause people to turn from their sins and turn unto God. But here the false prophets were not teaching the true vision of God and consequently they did not discover the sins or the reasons why God banished the people. And it is the ministry of the Word of God alone

that is the appointed ordinance to communicate that particular blessing. Think about this: preaching the Word of God is the only human means involved in the conversion of sinners. Now, I'm just trying to show you that what God says is that where there is no vision the people perish. He's talking about the public preaching of the Word of God. So if you will turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 3, and then we're going to go to 2 Samuel chapter 7, but look in 1 Samuel chapter 3 beginning there with verse 1. Look in 1 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1. Note if you would what the Bible says specifically, and there is a reason. Notice if you would, 1 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1: "And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision." Now what in the world does that mean? "The word of the LORD was precious in those days." What makes something precious?

Because it's scarce. It's rare. And so he says the word of the LORD was precious in those days. Why? Because there was no open vision. There was no public proclamation of the word of God. You remember Eli was rebuked by God and Hophni and Phinehas, his sons, were wicked reprobates and God killed them. That's when God raised up little Samuel. So during this time the Word of God was precious because there was no open vision, no public preaching of the Word of God. So if you will turn over in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 7, 2 Samuel chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. And I want you to pay close attention to the words.

Watch this:

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 7:4, 17

"And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?"

Now look at verse 4.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 7:4, 17

"And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan."

So we know now the word of God came specifically to Nathan. But I want you to skip down to verse 17 and see what the Scripture says. Here it is. 2 Samuel 7:17: "According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David."

Note, if you would, "according to all these words, and according to all this vision." So the prophetic revelation, the truth from God, was referred to as a vision. Did Nathan speak? Did Nathan preach and teach? And the answer is yes. But it's referred to as a vision, but we know specifically that the Word of God came unto him, for that is exactly what the Bible says.

Now, if you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 12, I'll show it to you in this passage as well. Look in Ezekiel chapter 12, and we'll be reading there with verse 21, and we'll read through verse 28. So Ezekiel chapter 12 and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Watch this:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,"

So note if you would, it's the word of the LORD.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?"

That is, every prophecy faileth. You have to remember now, all of these false prophets were prophesying a quick and soon return of the people from Babylon. In fact, Ezekiel was also in Babylon at this particular time. So, note if you would what he says.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD;"

there is the word again,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them,"

note that word "say unto them,"

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision."

I'll talk about the word effect in just a moment. He said,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"For there shall be no more any vain vision"

—that is useless, worthless—

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"nor flattering divination within the house of Israel."

He's going to cut off the false prophets. Now watch verse 25:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged."

Now,

wait a minute. Remember they were talking about the vision failing, then the vision is prolonged. Now God says, "For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD." Again, "the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth"—that is, that which Ezekiel sees, that which Ezekiel was preaching—"is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD." Now, notice if you would please, the words of the Lord and the vision are synonymous.

They are one and the same. Every false vision was going to fail, that is every false prophecy, but not God's. When you look in verse—let's see, what is it, verse 25? I think it is—he said, "For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD." Yes. And then the truth of the matter, he talks about the effect in verse 23, "the effect of every vision." The word effect there, of course, refers then to speech, to utterance, to words and saying. He said the effect, the words or the preaching or the teaching or the speech or the utterance of every vision. In other words, His will be fulfilled, theirs will not be. And then in verse 28 he says, "Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more." And here the word vision and the word are equated, they are synonymous.

And so when you speak about the vision in the Bible, we're talking about the Word of God. We're not necessarily talking about dreams, trances; we're talking about the divine revelation of God and the authoritative proclamation of that word. Let me show you one more. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Turn right on over to—Daniel, Hosea—and look if you would in Hosea chapter 12 and verse 10. Hosea 12:10, look at this. The Bible says that God is speaking: "I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." Now God said, "I've spoken by the prophets. I have multiplied visions." What does that mean? He gave them divine revelation. He gave them His word. "And used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets."

The Necessity of the Vision

Without the vision, people 'perish' (Hebrew 'para'), meaning they are made naked, lose restraints, and descend into anarchy, leading to death and judgment. Scripture shows that ignorance of God's Word causes alienation and destruction.

So the vision there refers then to that which has been divinely revealed and that which is being publicly proclaimed and publicly preached. So the nature of the vision is it is the revealed Word of God. He's not talking about some trance or some dream. When He said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." So the nature then is that of the proclamation of the Word of God. The second thing I want you to see in this verse is the necessity of the vision. And the necessity of the vision is very easily seen, for He said, "For where there is no vision, the people perish." So I would say the vision must be vitally important because without it, people perish. Now, the Hebrew word for people is the word am, which refers then to a people, to a kindred, to a countrymen, or basically to a nation. So He says, where there is no authoritative proclamation of the word of God, then a nation perishes, a people perish, a kindred perish, countrymen perish. In other words, here's the absolute necessity of the Word of God.

Now, here's the interesting thing. The word perish. It's the Hebrew word para. When you and I think of the word perishing, we think of death. We think of destruction. We think of eternal judgment. The word perish here does include that. But it includes far more than that. Because when you and I think about death and destruction, eternal judgment, that is the end. There is something in between that brings us to that end. And that is what this word reveals. In fact, when you get to this, the Hebrew word para literally means this—are you listening?—it means to make naked, to loose restraints, to let something go. So when He talks about where there is no vision, people perish, He is talking about the fact, yes, there's going to be death. Yes, there's going to be destruction. Yes, there's going to be the ultimate judgment. But there is going to be something that is happening in between that's going to lead up to that death, destruction, and judgment. And that is the people are going to be made naked.

That is, there's not going to be any restraints, nothing to hold them back. They will give themselves over to lasciviousness, to wickedness, to greediness, to immorality. It doesn't matter. There's no restraints. So if you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 1, I want to show you that one of the reasons God gave the law was of course as a means of restraint. So the Bible does indeed speak about the restraints of the law. For instance, the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill." Basically, "Thou shalt not murder."

So if I decided, well, what I need to do is I just need to pull out a pistol and shoot Steve right now. I just want to shoot him. And so I shoot him. Well, what would stop me from just really wanting to shoot him? Well, when I stop and think, wait a minute, if I kill him, the Scripture says, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Now, I'm fixing to get killed. I better think twice before I shoot him because I don't want to die.

So there is a restraint in the law of God. So if you look in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 8. The Apostle says, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Now, let me stop right there. There is a lawful use of the law, and there's also an unlawful use of the law. The law was never given to save. The law was never given to justify. So when someone tries to be justified by their works or saved by their obedience, they're using the law unlawfully. So here's a lawful use of it: in its restraint. He says, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man." Now, wait a minute. Why is the law not made for a righteous man? Because the righteous man is obeying God, doing that which is right, and therefore the law is not needed as a restraint for that individual. He's living obediently. Now watch: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners,

for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." And here's an interesting thing. You can do this for yourself. I did it years ago. I went by and I looked up every one of these delineations, and I compared them to the Ten Commandments. Basically, what you have in verse 9 is a violation of the Ten Commandments on every hand. It doesn't matter which ones, but it's all violations of God's law. Now, so the perishing then not only speaks now of the ultimate end of death and destruction and eternal judgment, but it also speaks then of all that wickedness in between that leads up to that death and destruction. So, where there is no vision, where there is no vision the people perish, the people are made naked, and consequently society and the nation do a tailspin down into violence and wickedness and immorality. Aha! All you have to do is compare where we are today to where we were 50 years ago in our society, in our nation. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that where there is no open vision, where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, people perish. And they have to perish because there is no exposition.

There is no explanation. There is no application. And how in the world can they obey if they've never been given anything to obey? How in the world can they be restrained if they're not told, "God said, Thou shalt not"? And so where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, the eyes of men are shut up. They cannot see. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, the ears of man are shut up. He cannot hear. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, the mind of man is shut up. It cannot understand. He's not given anything to understand. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, their hearts are shut up to unbelief. They cannot believe anything because nothing is given them to believe. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, people are carried away as a prey into hell because they're made naked.

All the restraints are loosened. And without the proclamation of the Word of God, fallen man descends into anarchy, chaos, and confusion. Now, let me show you where we are. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Hosea chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos—go back to Hosea chapter 4. Because there is no vision, that is there is no real authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, in the land people are perishing, and God has a controversy with the people in the land. So look at it. Verse 1, Hosea 4: "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."

So let me ask you a question. How can you have any truth, any knowledge of God, or any mercy without the public proclamation of the word of God? And the truth is you can't. Well, what happens when there is no public proclamation of the Word of God? Well, we said men perish, they are made naked, they lose restraints. Skip down to verse 2, Hosea 4:

Scripture Reading — Hosea 4:1-3

"By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood." "Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away."

In other words, when men are made naked by a failure to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, creation itself suffers. Creation itself suffers as well as society. That's exactly where we are. How in the world can there be any knowledge, any truth in the land without the proclamation of His word? You remember that passage in Ephesians chapter 4 and verses 17 and 18 where the Word of God says this: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through

the ignorance that is in them." Did you hear that? "Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them." In other words, it is ignorance that causes alienation. It's what it amounts to. We're alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us because of the blindness of our hearts. That's what the Bible says. And when there is no real, genuine proclamation of the word of God, men are alienated from God through their ignorance. If you would just stop and think about all the church buildings that are in this land and how few really truly teach the Word of God. Stop and think how many churches you can go into and be out in 30 or 40 minutes. I'm just simply pointing out the fact: alienation, the Bible says, is through ignorance. So the Bible says where there is no vision the people perish. So to be without the vision is to be in a perishing state. Does that mean then that people who do not hear the Word of God are lost?

Are the heathen lost? And the answer is yes. You know how the Bible describes people without Jesus Christ? Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter 2 and verse 12, and he said this concerning their unconverted state: He said

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 2:12

that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

So those who are without Jesus Christ are without hope. Now, people say, "Well, I have a hope." But if your hope is not in Jesus Christ, it's a false hope. It's not a true, genuine hope. In fact, the Bible says in the book of Job, chapter 8 and verse 13, "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish." So just like he is perishing, his hope will perish as well. So let's ask this question again and try to answer it from Scripture. Will the heathen perish? And the answer is yes. Romans chapter 2 and verse 12, the Bible says, "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." So men will perish without the law, without the authoritative proclamation of the Word of God.

Scripture Reading — Romans 2:12

They will. When you stop and think—well, let's see. Look at all these countries that do not have the preaching of the Word of God. That's true. But look at America and all the states that really do not have the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Stop and think about how God has spoken. The Bible tells us that God has spoken to us in creation. God has spoken to us in our consciences, Romans 2. God has spoken to us in His commandments. God has spoken to us in Jesus Christ. And so in light of just creation, the Bible says in Romans 1 and verse 20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." So even God's creation shows us there is a God, He has eternal power, and He is God. Now, let me show you something else in light of this. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, and let's begin reading there in verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:20

This is a passage that just about everyone can quote. Romans 10 verse 13. The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." I've had preachers use that verse many, many times in talking to sinners. But, you know, usually when you take something out of context, it's not really going to help much. So let me ask you this. I know the Scripture says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Here's a good question: Does calling save you? Well, let's see. Calling is something that you do.

So would that be classified as a work? Well, let me ask you another question. Why in the world would sinners ever call upon Him anyhow? Well, look in verse 14. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" Now, wait a minute. I thought it was faith that saved you. It's believing in Jesus Christ that saves you. Do you understand that calling then is a result of, the consequence of, and the effect of believing? The only reason people call upon the Lord is they believe in Him. You don't call upon someone that you don't believe in.

I've never in my life called upon Vishnu. I've never called upon some pagan god because I don't believe in him. But let's go further. Look at it. He said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 10:13-15

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?"

It's not "heard about." If you hear about someone, he's not present. But if you hear someone, he is present. So here's what is being said: Christ must speak for you to believe, and when you believe, then you call. What did our Lord say in John chapter 10? "I know my sheep, and I call them by name, and they follow me." Wow. Now watch this. He asked, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" And then he asked this: "and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

In other words, there is usually the public proclamation of the word of God. And Jesus Christ speaks through His word as that word is being preached. And then he said, "And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" In other words, God sends His preachers. Then he says, "As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Now, here's the problem. We can see from these verses the necessity of the vision, the necessity of the preaching of the word of God. Why is it then that we really don't put our efforts into the preaching of the word of God? And the answer is that proud reasoning revolts against God and against His word and presumes to be more merciful than God.

I've had people say, when I would quote the Scripture that the heathen were lost and that they would perish, I've had people say, "But wait a minute. They haven't had a chance." And my response is: No one is saved by chance. We're saved by God's eternal purpose and God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. God never saves anybody by accident. It is always purposeful and it is always deliberate. So, it's not by chance. The reason we do this is because it's easier to presume upon God's mercy than it is to fulfill our responsibilities, our obligations, and our duties. It's easier to find fault with God than to acknowledge our sin and our disobedience. It's easier to deny our responsibility and say somehow God will work it out for them, which is not true. I've heard people say, "Well, do you not believe that God is sovereign?"

And the answer is yes. God is absolutely sovereign. "Do you not believe God has His elect?" Yes, God has His elect. Then I've had people say, "Well, if God is sovereign, then His elect are going to be saved anyhow." And my response is no. God's elect are going to be saved, God's how? And God's how is through the preaching and the proclamation of His Word. That's what His Word teaches us.

So here's the necessity of this vision. Without it, people perish. They're made naked. There's no restraints, and they're pushing headlong straight into death, destruction, and eternal judgment. There's a third thing I want you to see, and that is the appropriation of the vision. God said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Just stop and think about this. "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law." In other words, the vision and the keeping of the law have to be connected. How can you keep the law if the law is never taught to you or explained to you? So the vision is the preaching of the word of God. But the appropriation is, happy is he who keeps that law. So, if one does not hear the Word of God, he cannot believe the Word of God, he cannot receive the Word of God, he cannot obey the Word of God because he doesn't even know the Word of God. So, clearly then if he is going to be blessed, if he is going to be happy, he has to hear, and he has to know, and he has to receive.

The Appropriation of the Vision

The verse contrasts those without the vision who perish with those who keep the law and are happy. Appropriating the vision means hearing, believing, and obeying God's Word, resulting in blessing and conformity to His will.

Now, I want to tell you that there are actually two contrasts in Proverbs 29:18. I want you to look at that verse. He says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." So first of all, there is the contrast between those who have the vision and those who have not the vision. So where there is no vision, people perish. The opposite would also be true. Where there is a vision, people are being saved or are saved. In other words, there is that contrast between those who have the vision and those who do not have the vision. The second contrast is found also in verse 18, and it is between those who appropriate the vision, that is the preaching, and those who do not appropriate it or apply it. Because he said in verse 18, "But he that keepeth the law, happy is he." That means he that does not keep the law, he that does not obey, is not happy, is not blessed. So there is a contrast then between those who have the vision, those who do not have the vision, those who appropriate the vision, those who do not appropriate the vision.

So when the Word of God is preached, some neglect it, some receive it, some despise it, some love it, some refuse it, and some apply it. Now, how in the world do you know whether or not you appropriate the vision? How in the world do you know you appropriate the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? Well, that individual's life is identified by two characteristics. First of all, his life is constantly and continually being brought into greater conformity to the Word of God. We're not perfect. We're never going to be perfect in this life. But it does mean that we're constantly and continually changing our lives, our thought processes, the way we live, the way we do things, and bringing our lives into greater conformity to the Word of God.

The second characteristic is the Bible said he's a happy man. That is, he is a blessed man. You know, there's a multitude of blessings that are enumerated in the Bible of those who believe, but I'll give you one good one. Proverbs 16:7, the Bible says, "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." So clearly you can be a blessed, happy individual just simply by being obedient to the word of God.

So we see then the necessity of the preaching of the Word of God, just not only the nature of the vision but the necessity of the vision, and now you see the appropriation of the vision. It was Martin Luther, the Reformer, who said this: "The meanest village"—and by meanest he means the smallest, the tiniest—so he says, "The meanest or the smallest and tiniest village that has a pastor and a flock is a palace of ebony." He said, if you have a pastor, if you have a flock of God, it is a palace, no matter how small, no matter how tiny. Thomas Watson, the Puritan, said it like this: "It was by the ear, that our first parents, listening to the serpent, that we lost paradise. And it is by the ear, by the hearing of the word, that we get to heaven." And he quotes Isaiah 55:3:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."

And that is true. So we need to know how to appropriate and how to apply the preaching of the word of God.

Applications: God's Messengers and Our Response

God sends preachers out of compassion; rejecting them brings judgment (2 Chronicles 36). Receiving preaching as God's Word itself (1 Thessalonians 2:13) is essential. The church's priority must be the proclamation of Scripture, not programs.

Now I want to make a couple of applications. But I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, first of all to 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles 36, and we're going to begin reading there at verse 15 in light of the message that I'm preaching. I want you to understand this passage. I want you to think about this. Whenever God is going to have mercy or compassion upon a people, He always sends them His preachers. He always sends them His word. Whenever God is going to judge a people, He removes His preachers. You remember during the time of Ahab and Jezebel, and God took Elijah and put him out of the land with a widow of Zarephath, and the Bible says for three and a half years there was a drought. That three and a half years of drought, that physical picture, was nothing more than an illustration or demonstration of a spiritual truth, because they were without the preaching of the Word of God. The man of God was not in the country. They were destitute, they were dying, even creation was dying without the truth of God. When it comes to Jeremiah—now God kept Jeremiah in the land, but it's Jeremiah 8,

I think it is Jeremiah 4:11 where God told Jeremiah, "Pray not for this people." He left Jeremiah in the land. He said, "Just don't pray for them." When you got to chapter 14, Jeremiah really wanted to pray for the people, and God said, "Okay, I'm gonna let you pray for them. But you pray that I'm going to destroy them, because that's exactly what I'm gonna do." So God moved Elijah out of the land. He kept Jeremiah in the land. He just shut his mouth. Now watch this. 2 Chronicles 36:15:

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 36:15-17

"And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place."

Whenever God has compassion upon a people, He sends them His word. He sends them men to teach and preach His word. Now watch what happened in verse 16: "But they"—that is the people—"mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought

upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand." Now, let's go back to verse 16. God sent His messengers. God sent His truth because He had compassion upon His people and on His dwelling place. Well, look what happened. Verse 16: "But they mocked the messengers of God." Note messengers is plural.

There was more than one. "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words." And "his" is singular. They were despising the word of God that God sent by His messengers. They misused the messengers, they despised His word, and God says, "Therefore the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." He gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who slew them, who captured them and carried them away into captivity. It's a serious, serious calamity to have the vision removed from a people—the public preaching and teaching of the word of God. It's a serious calamity for the people to refuse and despise the word of God. Secondly, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 3 if you would. Jeremiah chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 14. Jeremiah 3 and verse 14. Here's one of the greatest blessings that God can bestow upon a people. And we always take these blessings for granted. But God says in Jeremiah 3:14, "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I

will bring you to Zion: and look at the promise God gives: "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." In other words, it's the blessing of God to give you men who will preach and teach, who will expound and explain and apply His word. So, let me ask you a question. How is your vision? Do you hear the Word of God clearly? Do you appropriate? Do you apply the Word of God? One more.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. And look, if you would please, at verse 13. Look at what the Apostle Paul said to these Thessalonians. This is absolutely astounding. This is where you and I need to be. Look at what he said. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. The Apostle said, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing." Here's a reason to be thankful: "because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So when they heard the Apostle Paul preach, they didn't say, "That's what Paul thinks." When they heard Silas or Barnabas, they didn't say, "Well, that's just Barnabas' opinion." No, when they heard the Word of God, Paul said, "Ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." Can you imagine the change in our churches if just the Christians received the proclamation of the Word of God as the Word of God Himself? That's not what the preacher says; that's what God says. Listen, there's a big difference between me telling you,

"Well, I think this, in my opinion, is..." Well, for my consideration, I would say that's one thing. But when I say, "Thus saith the Lord, here is what the Word of God says," that's a totally different thing. Your opinion is as good as mine. Your reasoning is as good as mine. But when it comes to the Word of God, that's a horse of a different color. And the truth of the matter is you need to receive it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Which brings me to this. Do you realize that our business as Christians is not to save sinners? That may shock you. But it's true. I've preached for nearly 59 years. I've never saved anybody. I can't save anybody. I can't even convict anybody. Saving people is not my business. That's the business of the Lord Jesus Christ. What did He say in Matthew 1:21? "Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." And then when you get to Luke chapter 19 and verse 10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Only Jesus Christ can save. My responsibility is to preach His Word and teach His Word and point people to Jesus Christ who can save them.

The truth of the matter is preaching is the most important duty, obligation, responsibility, and privilege that we have. That means this: As much as I love music, I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than have the best music program in town. I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than one that had the biggest and best youth program in town. No, no, it's the Word of God. We need—it's the Word of God that will change the young people. It's the Word of God that'll magnify everything and better everything. The truth of the matter is this: the Scripture says that God chose by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And the Bible says in Hebrews 1, it is true that in times past God spoke to the fathers, and how? By various and sundry means. He gave dreams. Yes, He gave trances.

But listen to verse 2: "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things." Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. The Bible is the full and final revelation of God. We don't live by dreams. We don't live by trances. We live by the Word of God. And Jesus Christ is the fullness of God's revelation. I've had people tell me, "Well, Brother Weaver, I had this dream." Everybody dreams. But your dreams usually do not mean, as we say in South Georgia, pea doodly squat. The Bible says that a dream cometh through the multitude of business; you usually dream about what your mind has been occupied upon. I tell people jokingly, if you want to have a dream, I can tell you how to do this. Oh, just before you go to bed, you eat you a peanut butter,

mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and pickle and onion sandwich, and you'll end up dreaming. It may not be anything good, but you'll end up dreaming. No, we're not living by dreams. We're living by the Word of God. And Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. Where there is no vision, the people perish. They're made naked. They lose their restraints. They cast everything off and plunge headlong into violence, immorality, sin, wickedness, and rebellion, and finally end up in death, destruction, and judgment. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he, blessed is he, because he has the word of God and he keeps it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your word. We thank You for Your truth, Lord.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Vision as Preaching of God's Word

Summary: The 'vision' in Proverbs 29:18 is not a personal dream or goal but the public, authoritative proclamation of divine revelation—the preaching of Scripture.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the word vision here refers then to what you and I would call an authoritative proclamation of the Word of God' and supports this with multiple Scripture passages equating vision with God's word.

Consequences of No Vision: Moral and Societal Collapse

Summary: Without the preaching of God's Word, people are 'made naked'—restraints are removed, leading to rampant sin, societal breakdown, and ultimately eternal destruction.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Hebrew word 'para' means 'to make naked, to loose restraints,' and cites Hosea 4:1-3 to show how lack of truth leads to violence and creation's suffering.

Hearing and Obeying the Word Brings Blessing

Summary: The second half of Proverbs 29:18 promises happiness to those who keep the law, which requires first hearing and then appropriating the preached Word.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'he that keepeth the law, happy is he' and explains that appropriation involves bringing one's life into greater conformity to God's Word.

God's Sovereignty in Sending Preachers

Summary: God shows compassion by sending messengers with His Word; rejecting them brings judgment, while receiving them as God's own Word leads to effective faith.

Evidence: Weaver cites 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13 to show God's initiative in providing preachers and the proper response of believers.

Key Arguments

The biblical 'vision' is synonymous with the preached Word of God, not subjective experiences.

Summary: Weaver argues from Hebrew usage and parallel passages (1 Samuel 3:1, 2 Samuel 7:17, Ezekiel 12:21-28) that 'vision' means divine revelation proclaimed publicly.

Evidence: He states, 'the words of the Lord and the vision are synonymous' and shows how 'no open vision' in 1 Samuel 3:1 meant no public preaching.

Without the vision, people perish both temporally and eternally.

Summary: The Hebrew 'para' implies a process of losing restraints and being made naked, leading to societal decay and final judgment, as seen in Hosea 4.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'the people are going to be made naked... there's not going to be any restraints' and connects this to the law's restraining function in 1 Timothy 1:8-10.

Ignorance of God's Word causes alienation from God.

Summary: Citing Ephesians 4:17-18, Weaver argues that lack of preaching leads to ignorance, which alienates people from the life of God, making the vision essential.

Evidence: He quotes, 'being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them' and applies it to churches that fail to teach the whole counsel of God.

Faith comes by hearing Christ speak through preaching.

Summary: From Romans 10:13-15, Weaver shows that calling on the Lord results from believing, which comes from hearing Christ Himself through the sent preacher.

Evidence: He emphasizes, 'how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?' and notes that hearing implies Christ's presence in the proclamation.

Rejecting God's messengers brings irrevocable judgment.

Summary: Using 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, Weaver warns that mocking and despising God's Word leads to wrath 'till there was no remedy,' as seen in the Babylonian captivity.

Evidence: He reads, 'they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words... until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 29:18

Context: The central text: 'Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.' Weaver uses it to define vision as preaching and to contrast perishing with obedience.

Job 33:14-16

Context: Cited to show that God sometimes speaks in dreams and visions of the night, but this is not the primary meaning in Proverbs 29:18.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Context: Used to connect the 'perishing' of Proverbs 29:18 with the 'foolishness of preaching' by which God saves believers.

Lamentations 2:9, 14

Context: Shows that false prophets had no vision from the Lord and failed to expose sin, illustrating the need for true prophetic preaching.

1 Samuel 3:1

Context: Demonstrates that 'no open vision' meant the Word of the Lord was rare, equating vision with public proclamation.

2 Samuel 7:4, 17

Context: The Word of the Lord came to Nathan, and what he spoke is called 'this vision,' showing vision equals divine revelation.

Ezekiel 12:21-28

Context: God equates His words with vision, promising that His word will not be prolonged, contrasting with false visions.

Hosea 12:10

Context: God says He has spoken by the prophets and multiplied visions, linking vision to prophetic speech.

1 Timothy 1:8-10

Context: The law is for the lawless as a restraint; without the vision (preaching of the law), people lose restraints and perish.

Hosea 4:1-3

Context: Because there is no truth or knowledge of God in the land, violence and environmental decay follow, illustrating perishing.

Ephesians 4:17-18

Context: Gentiles walk in vanity, alienated from God through ignorance, showing the necessity of the vision to dispel ignorance.

Ephesians 2:12

Context: Those without Christ are without hope, confirming that the heathen perish without the vision.

Job 8:13

Context: The hypocrite's hope shall perish, reinforcing that only hope in Christ is genuine.

Romans 2:12

Context: Those who sin without the law will perish without the law, affirming the fate of those without the vision.

Romans 1:20

Context: Creation leaves men without excuse, but the vision (preaching) is still necessary for salvation.

Romans 10:13-15

Context: Calling on the Lord follows believing, which follows hearing Christ through a preacher, showing the chain of salvation through the vision.

Proverbs 16:7

Context: When a man's ways please the Lord, even his enemies are at peace, illustrating the happiness of keeping the law.

Isaiah 55:3

Context: Quoted by Thomas Watson: hearing God's Word brings life and an everlasting covenant.

2 Chronicles 36:15-17

Context: God sent messengers out of compassion; the people mocked them, leading to wrath without remedy, showing the danger of rejecting the vision.

Jeremiah 3:14-15

Context: God promises to give pastors after His own heart who feed with knowledge, a blessing of the vision.

Historical References

Martin Luther

Context: Weaver quotes Luther: 'The meanest village that has a pastor and a flock is a palace of ebony,' emphasizing the value of even a small church with preaching.

Thomas Watson (Puritan)

Context: Watson is quoted: 'It was by the ear... that we lost paradise. And it is by the ear... that we get to heaven,' linking hearing the Word to salvation.

Important Quotes

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Significance: The foundational text of the sermon, defining the vision and its consequences.

The word vision here refers then to what you and I would call an authoritative proclamation of the Word of God.

Significance: Weaver's central thesis that the vision is public preaching, not subjective experience.

Where there is no vision the people perish, the people are made naked, and consequently society and the nation do a tailspin down into violence and wickedness and immorality.

Significance: Explains the process of perishing as loss of moral restraints leading to societal decay.

When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Significance: The ideal response to preaching: receiving it as God's own Word, which transforms believers.

Discussion Questions

How does the common modern use of 'vision' (as personal ambition or strategic planning) differ from the biblical meaning Weaver presents?

Context: Weaver critiques pastors and missionaries who use 'vision' for church growth or emotional appeals, arguing the biblical vision is the proclamation of God's Word.

In what ways does the absence of authoritative preaching lead to societal 'perishing' today, as described by the Hebrew word 'para'?

Context: Weaver explains that 'perish' means to be made naked and lose restraints, resulting in violence and immorality, as seen in Hosea 4.

According to Romans 10:13-15, what is the relationship between hearing, believing, and calling on the Lord? How does this shape our view of evangelism?

Context: Weaver argues that calling results from believing, which comes from hearing Christ through preaching, emphasizing the preacher's role.

What does it mean to receive preaching 'not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God'? How can we cultivate this attitude?

Context: Weaver cites 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and challenges believers to treat biblical preaching as God's direct communication.

How does the example of 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 warn us about the consequences of mocking or despising God's messengers?

Context: Weaver uses this passage to show that rejecting God's Word leads to judgment without remedy.

Applications

Prioritize the Preaching of God's Word

Summary: Believers should value churches that faithfully preach Scripture over those with impressive programs, because the Word is God's appointed means for salvation and sanctification.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than have the best music program in town' and emphasizes that God chose preaching to save.

Receive Preaching as God's Word

Summary: When Scripture is faithfully proclaimed, hearers should receive it not as human opinion but as the very Word of God, which works effectively in believers.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and urges, 'you need to receive it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God.'

Obey the Law for Blessing

Summary: Happiness comes from keeping God's law, which requires hearing and appropriating the preached Word, leading to a life conformed to His will.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'he that keepeth the law, happy is he' and describes the blessed man as one whose life is brought into greater conformity to Scripture.

Recognize the Danger of Rejecting God's Messengers

Summary: Mocking or despising biblical preaching can lead to God's wrath and the removal of His Word, resulting in societal and personal ruin.

Evidence: Weaver warns from 2 Chronicles 36:16 that the people 'mocked the messengers of God... until the wrath of the LORD arose... till there was no remedy.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:53:35Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:13:28Z

Clean Transcript

How Is Your Vision

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Proverbs 29:18. The title of the message is "How Is Your Vision?" How is your vision? You'll understand the title just momentarily. You may not understand some questions I'm going to ask, but the title you shall. Proverbs 29:18, the Scripture says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." So here's my questions: How is your vision? Do you see clearly? Do you hear clearly?
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Now you're going to probably ask me, "What in the world does hearing have to do with seeing?" Well, I will explain that just a little bit later, because hearing is very vitally connected to seeing in this passage. There's been much confusion concerning this text of Scripture. And for the most part, and for most people, there still is a great deal of confusion. This text is a favorite text of many individuals. It's the favorite text of pastors who want to build a big church plant and have what we call big programs. Because they always say that if you really want to do something, you must have the vision or you must catch a vision. And I've heard pastors say, "Well, I envision having three to four hundred people in this church by the next six months." Well, they always talk about the vision. That's strange, though, that they can never delineate from Scripture exactly what the vision is. This text is also the favorite text of many missionaries, because when they go to a local church and they begin to talk about their field of labor, and they begin to talk about the squalor, the misery, the poverty, the illiteracy, and the lostness of the people to whom they're going to minister.
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And then when respondents begin to cry and weep and give, then they're said to have really caught the vision. So the vision means something different to a missionary than it does to a pastor. And then, of course, there are those evangelists who will use unscriptural, unbiblical, and ungodly methods, devices and tricks, gimmicks and gadgets to reach people. And they say very plainly that they'd do anything to save a soul.
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And I've had one to tell me that in times past. My response was, "Well, let's just stop and think about this. God will not do anything to save a soul. He will not save anyone apart from Jesus Christ. He will not save anyone apart from repentance and faith. He'll not save anyone who's still in rebellion against Him, who refuses to cast down his weapons of warfare." So the point I'm trying to make is this verse is still carrying a lot of confusion for some people. And I find it strange that this verse can mean so many things to so many different people. Consequently, there must be a private or personal interpretation concerning this verse, and most of the people who quote this verse really and truly cannot even explain what the vision is. So let me just try to take this a little bit
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further. To the mystic, he will say the vision is experience. To the pietist, he will say the vision is meditation. To the Pentecostal, he will say that the vision is speaking in tongues. To the pragmatist, he will say the vision is what works. To the Arminian, he will say the vision is soul winning. To the soul winner, he will say the vision is witnessing. And to the promoter, he will say that the vision is success. So the question is not what all these people say about the vision, but what in the world does God say about the vision? What does Scripture teach? And how do we compare Scripture with Scripture and find out exactly what the vision really is?
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So I want to give you three things today. The very first one is I want to share with you the nature of the vision. And when we talk about the nature of the vision, we're talking about its essence. We're talking about that which makes up its parts, its constituent parts, what it is formed of.
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Now, the Hebrew word for vision in Proverbs 29:18 is the word chazon. And when we hear the word vision, we normally think of dreams, trances, sometimes some type of ecstatic utterance. And the truth of the matter is, occasionally, that is the way it is used in Scripture. Not always, but occasionally it is used like that. For instance, we think about the visions that were given to Daniel. We think about the visions that were given to Ezekiel.
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Remember that trance that Peter was in in Acts chapter 10 where the sheet came down from heaven with all kinds of animals on it and God said, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat." You remember. So there were all kinds of things in the Bible that spoke of this. Let me give you an illustration. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Job and chapter 33, if you would, please, at verses 15 and 16. Job chapter 33, look at it if you would please. In fact, let's read there with verse 14. Watch this. Job 33:14, the Bible says, "For God speaketh once, yea twice, and man perceiveth it not." Now watch verse 15. "In a dream,
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in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction." So there are times, yes, that the Bible says that God did indeed give dreams in the Old Testament, and some in the New Testament. And visions as such, because men saw things in the night, that is for sure. But the Hebrew word chazon not only talks about a vision or a dream, it not only means that, but it also means an oracle, a prophecy, a communication. We talk about the books of vision. We can talk about the vision of the book of Joel, or the vision of the book of Daniel, or the vision of the book of Ezekiel. And so the word vision in that sense refers to a prophetic divine revelation. It has nothing to do with a dream. It has nothing to do with a trance. It just simply means that which God has revealed. Now, the Bible in Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
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Obviously, clearly, the word vision here refers then to what you and I would call an authoritative proclamation of the Word of God. Let me put it another way. He is saying where there is no public preaching, people perish. Where there is no declaration of the Word of God, people perish.
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Now you remember, in fact go ahead and turn there to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, just to show you how this is connected. If you'll look in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 beginning there with verse 18. Look at what the Scripture says: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe?
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Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, here it is, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." So the truth is most of the time when the Scripture uses the word vision, it really refers to public preaching or the authoritative proclamation of the gospel.
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So let me show you this in Scripture. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations, right after Jeremiah you have Lamentations, and look if you would at Lamentations chapter 2. And of course Lamentations deals with the fall of Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet is there witnessing the fall of Jerusalem. And of course he is writing these poems concerning the fall. So in Lamentations chapter 2, if you will look at verse 9, the Scripture says, "Her gates are sunk." That is Jerusalem's gates. "Her gates are sunk into the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars.
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Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more;" that is, there's no one to proclaim it. "Her prophets also find no vision from the LORD." In other words, God is not speaking to these false prophets. God is not giving them any divine revelation. "Her prophets also find no vision, no prophecy from the LORD." Now skip down to verse 14. Remember now there were a bunch of false prophets in Jerusalem. God says in verse 14, "Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee:" that is the false prophets, now watch, "and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment." In other words, the point of the vision or the point of preaching was to pinpoint sin and iniquity and to cause people to turn from their sins and turn unto God. But here the false prophets were not teaching the true vision of God and consequently they did not discover the sins or the reasons why God banished the people. And it is the ministry of the Word of God alone
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that is the appointed ordinance to communicate that particular blessing. Think about this: preaching the Word of God is the only human means involved in the conversion of sinners. Now, I'm just trying to show you that what God says is that where there is no vision the people perish. He's talking about the public preaching of the Word of God. So if you will turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 3, and then we're going to go to 2 Samuel chapter 7, but look in 1 Samuel chapter 3 beginning there with verse 1. Look in 1 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1. Note if you would what the Bible says specifically, and there is a reason. Notice if you would, 1 Samuel chapter 3 verse 1: "And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision." Now what in the world does that mean? "The word of the LORD was precious in those days." What makes something precious?
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Because it's scarce. It's rare. And so he says the word of the LORD was precious in those days. Why? Because there was no open vision. There was no public proclamation of the word of God. You remember Eli was rebuked by God and Hophni and Phinehas, his sons, were wicked reprobates and God killed them. That's when God raised up little Samuel. So during this time the Word of God was precious because there was no open vision, no public preaching of the Word of God. So if you will turn over in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 7, 2 Samuel chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. And I want you to pay close attention to the words.
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Watch this: "And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?" Now look at verse 4. "And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan." So we know now the word of God came specifically to Nathan. But I want you to skip down to verse 17 and see what the Scripture says. Here it is. 2 Samuel 7:17: "According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David."
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Note, if you would, "according to all these words, and according to all this vision." So the prophetic revelation, the truth from God, was referred to as a vision. Did Nathan speak? Did Nathan preach and teach? And the answer is yes. But it's referred to as a vision, but we know specifically that the Word of God came unto him, for that is exactly what the Bible says.
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Now, if you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 12, I'll show it to you in this passage as well. Look in Ezekiel chapter 12, and we'll be reading there with verse 21, and we'll read through verse 28. So Ezekiel chapter 12 and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Watch this: "And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying," So note if you would, it's the word of the LORD. "The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?" That is, every prophecy faileth.
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You have to remember now, all of these false prophets were prophesying a quick and soon return of the people from Babylon. In fact, Ezekiel was also in Babylon at this particular time. So, note if you would what he says. "Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD;" there is the word again, "Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them," note that word "say unto them," "The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision." I'll talk about the word effect in just a moment. He said, "For there shall be no more any vain vision"—that is useless, worthless—"nor flattering divination within the house of Israel." He's going to cut off the false prophets. Now watch verse 25: "For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged." Now,
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wait a minute. Remember they were talking about the vision failing, then the vision is prolonged. Now God says, "For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD." Again, "the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth"—that is, that which Ezekiel sees, that which Ezekiel was preaching—"is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD." Now, notice if you would please, the words of the Lord and the vision are synonymous.
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They are one and the same. Every false vision was going to fail, that is every false prophecy, but not God's. When you look in verse—let's see, what is it, verse 25? I think it is—he said, "For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD." Yes. And then the truth of the matter, he talks about the effect in verse 23, "the effect of every vision." The word effect there, of course, refers then to speech, to utterance, to words and saying. He said the effect, the words or the preaching or the teaching or the speech or the utterance of every vision. In other words, His will be fulfilled, theirs will not be. And then in verse 28 he says, "Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more." And here the word vision and the word are equated, they are synonymous.
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And so when you speak about the vision in the Bible, we're talking about the Word of God. We're not necessarily talking about dreams, trances; we're talking about the divine revelation of God and the authoritative proclamation of that word. Let me show you one more. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Turn right on over to—Daniel, Hosea—and look if you would in Hosea chapter 12 and verse 10. Hosea 12:10, look at this. The Bible says that God is speaking: "I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." Now God said, "I've spoken by the prophets. I have multiplied visions." What does that mean? He gave them divine revelation. He gave them His word. "And used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets."
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So the vision there refers then to that which has been divinely revealed and that which is being publicly proclaimed and publicly preached. So the nature of the vision is it is the revealed Word of God. He's not talking about some trance or some dream. When He said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." So the nature then is that of the proclamation of the Word of God. The second thing I want you to see in this verse is the necessity of the vision. And the necessity of the vision is very easily seen, for He said, "For where there is no vision, the people perish." So I would say the vision must be vitally important because without it, people perish. Now, the Hebrew word for people is the word am, which refers then to a people, to a kindred, to a countrymen, or basically to a nation. So He says, where there is no authoritative proclamation of the word of God, then a nation perishes, a people perish, a kindred perish, countrymen perish. In other words, here's the absolute necessity of the Word of God.
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Now, here's the interesting thing. The word perish. It's the Hebrew word para. When you and I think of the word perishing, we think of death. We think of destruction. We think of eternal judgment. The word perish here does include that. But it includes far more than that. Because when you and I think about death and destruction, eternal judgment, that is the end. There is something in between that brings us to that end. And that is what this word reveals. In fact, when you get to this, the Hebrew word para literally means this—are you listening?—it means to make naked, to loose restraints, to let something go. So when He talks about where there is no vision, people perish, He is talking about the fact, yes, there's going to be death. Yes, there's going to be destruction. Yes, there's going to be the ultimate judgment. But there is going to be something that is happening in between that's going to lead up to that death, destruction, and judgment. And that is the people are going to be made naked.
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That is, there's not going to be any restraints, nothing to hold them back. They will give themselves over to lasciviousness, to wickedness, to greediness, to immorality. It doesn't matter. There's no restraints. So if you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 1, I want to show you that one of the reasons God gave the law was of course as a means of restraint. So the Bible does indeed speak about the restraints of the law. For instance, the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill." Basically, "Thou shalt not murder."
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So if I decided, well, what I need to do is I just need to pull out a pistol and shoot Steve right now. I just want to shoot him. And so I shoot him. Well, what would stop me from just really wanting to shoot him? Well, when I stop and think, wait a minute, if I kill him, the Scripture says, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Now, I'm fixing to get killed. I better think twice before I shoot him because I don't want to die.
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So there is a restraint in the law of God. So if you look in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 8. The Apostle says, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Now, let me stop right there. There is a lawful use of the law, and there's also an unlawful use of the law. The law was never given to save. The law was never given to justify. So when someone tries to be justified by their works or saved by their obedience, they're using the law unlawfully. So here's a lawful use of it: in its restraint. He says, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man." Now, wait a minute. Why is the law not made for a righteous man? Because the righteous man is obeying God, doing that which is right, and therefore the law is not needed as a restraint for that individual. He's living obediently. Now watch: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners,
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for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." And here's an interesting thing. You can do this for yourself. I did it years ago. I went by and I looked up every one of these delineations, and I compared them to the Ten Commandments. Basically, what you have in verse 9 is a violation of the Ten Commandments on every hand.
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It doesn't matter which ones, but it's all violations of God's law. Now, so the perishing then not only speaks now of the ultimate end of death and destruction and eternal judgment, but it also speaks then of all that wickedness in between that leads up to that death and destruction. So, where there is no vision, where there is no vision the people perish, the people are made naked, and consequently society and the nation do a tailspin down into violence and wickedness and immorality. Aha! All you have to do is compare where we are today to where we were 50 years ago in our society, in our nation. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that where there is no open vision, where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, people perish. And they have to perish because there is no exposition.
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There is no explanation. There is no application. And how in the world can they obey if they've never been given anything to obey? How in the world can they be restrained if they're not told, "God said, Thou shalt not"? And so where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, the eyes of men are shut up. They cannot see. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, the ears of man are shut up. He cannot hear. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, the mind of man is shut up. It cannot understand. He's not given anything to understand. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, their hearts are shut up to unbelief. They cannot believe anything because nothing is given them to believe. Where there is no authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, people are carried away as a prey into hell because they're made naked.
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All the restraints are loosened. And without the proclamation of the Word of God, fallen man descends into anarchy, chaos, and confusion.
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Now, let me show you where we are. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Hosea chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos—go back to Hosea chapter 4. Because there is no vision, that is there is no real authoritative proclamation of the Word of God, in the land people are perishing, and God has a controversy with the people in the land. So look at it. Verse 1, Hosea 4: "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."
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So let me ask you a question. How can you have any truth, any knowledge of God, or any mercy without the public proclamation of the word of God? And the truth is you can't. Well, what happens when there is no public proclamation of the Word of God? Well, we said men perish, they are made naked, they lose restraints. Skip down to verse 2, Hosea 4: "By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood."
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"Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." In other words, when men are made naked by a failure to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, creation itself suffers. Creation itself suffers as well as society. That's exactly where we are. How in the world can there be any knowledge, any truth in the land without the proclamation of His word? You remember that passage in Ephesians chapter 4 and verses 17 and 18 where the Word of God says this: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through
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the ignorance that is in them." Did you hear that? "Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them." In other words, it is ignorance that causes alienation. It's what it amounts to. We're alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us because of the blindness of our hearts. That's what the Bible says. And when there is no real, genuine proclamation of the word of God, men are alienated from God through their ignorance. If you would just stop and think about all the church buildings that are in this land and how few really truly teach the Word of God. Stop and think how many churches you can go into and be out in 30 or 40 minutes. I'm just simply pointing out the fact: alienation, the Bible says, is through ignorance. So the Bible says where there is no vision the people perish. So to be without the vision is to be in a perishing state. Does that mean then that people who do not hear the Word of God are lost?
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Are the heathen lost? And the answer is yes. You know how the Bible describes people without Jesus Christ? Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter 2 and verse 12, and he said this concerning their unconverted state: He said that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. So those who are without Jesus Christ are without hope. Now, people say, "Well, I have a hope." But if your hope is not in Jesus Christ, it's a false hope. It's not a true, genuine hope. In fact, the Bible says in the book of Job, chapter 8 and verse 13, "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish." So just like he is perishing, his hope will perish as well. So let's ask this question again and try to answer it from Scripture. Will the heathen perish? And the answer is yes. Romans chapter 2 and verse 12, the Bible says, "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." So men will perish without the law, without the authoritative proclamation of the Word of God.
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They will. When you stop and think—well, let's see. Look at all these countries that do not have the preaching of the Word of God. That's true. But look at America and all the states that really do not have the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Stop and think about how God has spoken. The Bible tells us that God has spoken to us in creation. God has spoken to us in our consciences, Romans 2. God has spoken to us in His commandments. God has spoken to us in Jesus Christ. And so in light of just creation, the Bible says in Romans 1 and verse 20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." So even God's creation shows us there is a God, He has eternal power, and He is God. Now, let me show you something else in light of this. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, and let's begin reading there in verse 13.
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This is a passage that just about everyone can quote. Romans 10 verse 13. The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." I've had preachers use that verse many, many times in talking to sinners. But, you know, usually when you take something out of context, it's not really going to help much. So let me ask you this. I know the Scripture says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Here's a good question: Does calling save you? Well, let's see. Calling is something that you do.
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So would that be classified as a work? Well, let me ask you another question. Why in the world would sinners ever call upon Him anyhow? Well, look in verse 14. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" Now, wait a minute. I thought it was faith that saved you. It's believing in Jesus Christ that saves you. Do you understand that calling then is a result of, the consequence of, and the effect of believing? The only reason people call upon the Lord is they believe in Him. You don't call upon someone that you don't believe in.
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I've never in my life called upon Vishnu. I've never called upon some pagan god because I don't believe in him. But let's go further. Look at it. He said, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" It's not "heard about." If you hear about someone, he's not present. But if you hear someone, he is present. So here's what is being said: Christ must speak for you to believe, and when you believe, then you call. What did our Lord say in John chapter 10? "I know my sheep, and I call them by name, and they follow me." Wow. Now watch this. He asked, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" And then he asked this: "and how shall they hear without a preacher?"
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In other words, there is usually the public proclamation of the word of God. And Jesus Christ speaks through His word as that word is being preached. And then he said, "And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" In other words, God sends His preachers. Then he says, "As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Now, here's the problem. We can see from these verses the necessity of the vision, the necessity of the preaching of the word of God. Why is it then that we really don't put our efforts into the preaching of the word of God? And the answer is that proud reasoning revolts against God and against His word and presumes to be more merciful than God.
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I've had people say, when I would quote the Scripture that the heathen were lost and that they would perish, I've had people say, "But wait a minute. They haven't had a chance." And my response is: No one is saved by chance. We're saved by God's eternal purpose and God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. God never saves anybody by accident. It is always purposeful and it is always deliberate. So, it's not by chance. The reason we do this is because it's easier to presume upon God's mercy than it is to fulfill our responsibilities, our obligations, and our duties. It's easier to find fault with God than to acknowledge our sin and our disobedience. It's easier to deny our responsibility and say somehow God will work it out for them, which is not true. I've heard people say, "Well, do you not believe that God is sovereign?"
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And the answer is yes. God is absolutely sovereign. "Do you not believe God has His elect?" Yes, God has His elect. Then I've had people say, "Well, if God is sovereign, then His elect are going to be saved anyhow." And my response is no. God's elect are going to be saved, God's how? And God's how is through the preaching and the proclamation of His Word. That's what His Word teaches us.
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So here's the necessity of this vision. Without it, people perish. They're made naked. There's no restraints, and they're pushing headlong straight into death, destruction, and eternal judgment. There's a third thing I want you to see, and that is the appropriation of the vision. God said, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Just stop and think about this. "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law." In other words, the vision and the keeping of the law have to be connected. How can you keep the law if the law is never taught to you or explained to you? So the vision is the preaching of the word of God. But the appropriation is, happy is he who keeps that law. So, if one does not hear the Word of God, he cannot believe the Word of God, he cannot receive the Word of God, he cannot obey the Word of God because he doesn't even know the Word of God. So, clearly then if he is going to be blessed, if he is going to be happy, he has to hear, and he has to know, and he has to receive.
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Now, I want to tell you that there are actually two contrasts in Proverbs 29:18. I want you to look at that verse. He says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." So first of all, there is the contrast between those who have the vision and those who have not the vision. So where there is no vision, people perish.
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The opposite would also be true. Where there is a vision, people are being saved or are saved. In other words, there is that contrast between those who have the vision and those who do not have the vision. The second contrast is found also in verse 18, and it is between those who appropriate the vision, that is the preaching, and those who do not appropriate it or apply it. Because he said in verse 18, "But he that keepeth the law, happy is he." That means he that does not keep the law, he that does not obey, is not happy, is not blessed. So there is a contrast then between those who have the vision, those who do not have the vision, those who appropriate the vision, those who do not appropriate the vision.
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So when the Word of God is preached, some neglect it, some receive it, some despise it, some love it, some refuse it, and some apply it. Now, how in the world do you know whether or not you appropriate the vision? How in the world do you know you appropriate the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? Well, that individual's life is identified by two characteristics. First of all, his life is constantly and continually being brought into greater conformity to the Word of God. We're not perfect. We're never going to be perfect in this life. But it does mean that we're constantly and continually changing our lives, our thought processes, the way we live, the way we do things, and bringing our lives into greater conformity to the Word of God.
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The second characteristic is the Bible said he's a happy man. That is, he is a blessed man. You know, there's a multitude of blessings that are enumerated in the Bible of those who believe, but I'll give you one good one. Proverbs 16:7, the Bible says, "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." So clearly you can be a blessed, happy individual just simply by being obedient to the word of God.
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So we see then the necessity of the preaching of the Word of God, just not only the nature of the vision but the necessity of the vision, and now you see the appropriation of the vision. It was Martin Luther, the Reformer, who said this: "The meanest village"—and by meanest he means the smallest, the tiniest—so he says, "The meanest or the smallest and tiniest village that has a pastor and a flock is a palace of ebony." He said, if you have a pastor, if you have a flock of God, it is a palace, no matter how small, no matter how tiny.
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Thomas Watson, the Puritan, said it like this: "It was by the ear, that our first parents, listening to the serpent, that we lost paradise. And it is by the ear, by the hearing of the word, that we get to heaven." And he quotes Isaiah 55:3: "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." And that is true. So we need to know how to appropriate and how to apply the preaching of the word of God.
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Now I want to make a couple of applications. But I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, first of all to 2 Chronicles chapter 36. 2 Chronicles 36, and we're going to begin reading there at verse 15 in light of the message that I'm preaching. I want you to understand this passage. I want you to think about this. Whenever God is going to have mercy or compassion upon a people, He always sends them His preachers. He always sends them His word. Whenever God is going to judge a people, He removes His preachers. You remember during the time of Ahab and Jezebel, and God took Elijah and put him out of the land with a widow of Zarephath, and the Bible says for three and a half years there was a drought. That three and a half years of drought, that physical picture, was nothing more than an illustration or demonstration of a spiritual truth, because they were without the preaching of the Word of God. The man of God was not in the country. They were destitute, they were dying, even creation was dying without the truth of God. When it comes to Jeremiah—now God kept Jeremiah in the land, but it's Jeremiah 8,
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I think it is Jeremiah 4:11 where God told Jeremiah, "Pray not for this people." He left Jeremiah in the land. He said, "Just don't pray for them." When you got to chapter 14, Jeremiah really wanted to pray for the people, and God said, "Okay, I'm gonna let you pray for them. But you pray that I'm going to destroy them, because that's exactly what I'm gonna do." So God moved Elijah out of the land. He kept Jeremiah in the land. He just shut his mouth. Now watch this. 2 Chronicles 36:15: "And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place." Whenever God has compassion upon a people, He sends them His word. He sends them men to teach and preach His word. Now watch what happened in verse 16: "But they"—that is the people—"mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought
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upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand." Now, let's go back to verse 16. God sent His messengers. God sent His truth because He had compassion upon His people and on His dwelling place. Well, look what happened. Verse 16: "But they mocked the messengers of God." Note messengers is plural.
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There was more than one. "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words." And "his" is singular. They were despising the word of God that God sent by His messengers. They misused the messengers, they despised His word, and God says, "Therefore the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." He gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who slew them, who captured them and carried them away into captivity. It's a serious, serious calamity to have the vision removed from a people—the public preaching and teaching of the word of God. It's a serious calamity for the people to refuse and despise the word of God. Secondly, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 3 if you would. Jeremiah chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 14. Jeremiah 3 and verse 14. Here's one of the greatest blessings that God can bestow upon a people. And we always take these blessings for granted. But God says in Jeremiah 3:14, "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I
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will bring you to Zion: and look at the promise God gives: "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." In other words, it's the blessing of God to give you men who will preach and teach, who will expound and explain and apply His word. So, let me ask you a question. How is your vision? Do you hear the Word of God clearly? Do you appropriate? Do you apply the Word of God? One more.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. And look, if you would please, at verse 13. Look at what the Apostle Paul said to these Thessalonians. This is absolutely astounding. This is where you and I need to be. Look at what he said. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. The Apostle said, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing." Here's a reason to be thankful: "because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." So when they heard the Apostle Paul preach, they didn't say, "That's what Paul thinks." When they heard Silas or Barnabas, they didn't say, "Well, that's just Barnabas' opinion." No, when they heard the Word of God, Paul said, "Ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." Can you imagine the change in our churches if just the Christians received the proclamation of the Word of God as the Word of God Himself? That's not what the preacher says; that's what God says. Listen, there's a big difference between me telling you,
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"Well, I think this, in my opinion, is..." Well, for my consideration, I would say that's one thing. But when I say, "Thus saith the Lord, here is what the Word of God says," that's a totally different thing. Your opinion is as good as mine. Your reasoning is as good as mine. But when it comes to the Word of God, that's a horse of a different color. And the truth of the matter is you need to receive it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
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Which brings me to this. Do you realize that our business as Christians is not to save sinners? That may shock you. But it's true. I've preached for nearly 59 years. I've never saved anybody. I can't save anybody. I can't even convict anybody. Saving people is not my business. That's the business of the Lord Jesus Christ. What did He say in Matthew 1:21? "Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." And then when you get to Luke chapter 19 and verse 10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Only Jesus Christ can save. My responsibility is to preach His Word and teach His Word and point people to Jesus Christ who can save them.
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The truth of the matter is preaching is the most important duty, obligation, responsibility, and privilege that we have. That means this: As much as I love music, I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than have the best music program in town. I'd rather go to a church that preaches the Word of God than one that had the biggest and best youth program in town. No, no, it's the Word of God. We need—it's the Word of God that will change the young people. It's the Word of God that'll magnify everything and better everything. The truth of the matter is this: the Scripture says that God chose by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And the Bible says in Hebrews 1, it is true that in times past God spoke to the fathers, and how? By various and sundry means. He gave dreams. Yes, He gave trances.
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But listen to verse 2: "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things." Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. The Bible is the full and final revelation of God. We don't live by dreams. We don't live by trances. We live by the Word of God. And Jesus Christ is the fullness of God's revelation.
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I've had people tell me, "Well, Brother Weaver, I had this dream." Everybody dreams. But your dreams usually do not mean, as we say in South Georgia, pea doodly squat. The Bible says that a dream cometh through the multitude of business; you usually dream about what your mind has been occupied upon. I tell people jokingly, if you want to have a dream, I can tell you how to do this. Oh, just before you go to bed, you eat you a peanut butter,
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mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and pickle and onion sandwich, and you'll end up dreaming. It may not be anything good, but you'll end up dreaming. No, we're not living by dreams. We're living by the Word of God. And Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. Where there is no vision, the people perish. They're made naked. They lose their restraints. They cast everything off and plunge headlong into violence, immorality, sin, wickedness, and rebellion, and finally end up in death, destruction, and judgment. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he, blessed is he, because he has the word of God and he keeps it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your word. We thank You for Your truth, Lord.
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We thank You that You have appointed the preaching of the gospel to reach the hearts and minds of men and women. And Lord, I pray that You'd raise up men who would indeed preach and teach Thy word. And Lord, we ask for healing. As You clothed Adam and Eve, Lord, clothe us again. May we put the restraints back on by preaching and teaching Your truth. Thus saith the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:53:35Z

How Is Your Vision

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Proverbs 29:18, arguing that the 'vision' is not a dream or personal ambition but the authoritative public proclamation of God's Word. He demonstrates from Scripture that without such preaching, people perish—not only in eternal judgment but through the removal of moral restraints, leading to societal chaos. The sermon contrasts those who have and appropriate the vision with those who do not, emphasizing that true happiness comes from hearing and obeying God's law.

Introduction: The Confusion Around 'Vision'

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:18

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

So here's my questions: How is your vision? Do you see clearly? Do you hear clearly?

The Nature of the Vision

The Hebrew word 'chazon' can mean a dream or trance, but in Proverbs 29:18 it refers to divine revelation—the authoritative proclamation of God's Word, synonymous with public preaching.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, here it is, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

So the truth is most of the time when the Scripture uses the word vision, it really refers to public preaching or the authoritative proclamation of the gospel.

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 2:9, 14

"Her gates are sunk into the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more;" that is, there's no one to proclaim it. "Her prophets also find no vision from the LORD." In other words, God is not speaking to these false prophets. God is not giving them any divine revelation. "Her prophets also find no vision,

Watch this:

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 7:4, 17

"And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?"

Now look at verse 4.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 7:4, 17

"And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,"

So note if you would, it's the word of the LORD.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?"

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD;"

there is the word again,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them,"

note that word "say unto them,"

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision."

I'll talk about the word effect in just a moment. He said,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"For there shall be no more any vain vision"

—that is useless, worthless—

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"nor flattering divination within the house of Israel."

He's going to cut off the false prophets. Now watch verse 25:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 12:21-28

"For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged."

Now,

The Necessity of the Vision

Scripture Reading — Hosea 4:1-3

"By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood." "Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away."

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 2:12

that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

Scripture Reading — Romans 2:12

They will. When you stop and think—well, let's see. Look at all these countries that do not have the preaching of the Word of God. That's true. But look at America and all the states that really do not have the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Stop and think about how God has spoken. The Bible tells us that God has spoken to us in creation. God has spoken to us in our consciences, Romans 2. God has spoken to us in His commandments. God has spoken to us in Jesus Christ. And so in light of just creation, the Bible says in Romans 1 and verse 20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." So even God's creation shows us there is a God, He has eternal power, and He is God. Now, let me show you something else in light of this. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, and let's begin reading there in verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:20

This is a passage that just about everyone can quote. Romans 10 verse 13. The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." I've had preachers use that verse many, many times in talking to sinners. But, you know, usually when you take something out of context, it's not really going to help much. So let me ask you this. I know the Scripture says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Here's a good question: Does calling save you? Well, let's see. Calling is something that you do.

I've never in my life called upon Vishnu. I've never called upon some pagan god because I don't believe in him. But let's go further. Look at it. He said,

Scripture Reading — Romans 10:13-15

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?"

The Appropriation of the Vision

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."

And that is true. So we need to know how to appropriate and how to apply the preaching of the word of God.

Applications: God's Messengers and Our Response

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 36:15-17

"And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place."

How Is Your Vision

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	q6xtFKpNihc
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-10-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 135: Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification - Volume 2 — Chapter 36
Source Timed Segments	64

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Confusion Around 'Vision': Weaver introduces Proverbs 29:18 and notes how pastors, missionaries, and evangelists misuse the term 'vision' for personal ambitions, emotional appeals, or pragmatic methods, creating confusion about its biblical meaning.
The Nature of the Vision: The Hebrew word 'chazon' can mean a dream or trance, but in Proverbs 29:18 it refers to divine revelation—the authoritative proclamation of God's Word, synonymous with public preaching.
The Necessity of the Vision: Without the vision, people 'perish' (Hebrew 'para'), meaning they are made naked, lose restraints, and descend into anarchy, leading to death and judgment. Scripture shows that ignorance of God's Word causes alienation and destruction.
The Appropriation of the Vision: The verse contrasts those without the vision who perish with those who keep the law and are happy. Appropriating the vision means hearing, believing, and obeying God's Word, resulting in blessing and conformity to His will.
Applications: God's Messengers and Our Response: God sends preachers out of compassion; rejecting them brings judgment (2 Chronicles 36). Receiving preaching as God's Word itself (1 Thessalonians 2:13) is essential. The church's priority must be the proclamation of Scripture, not programs.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The biblical 'vision' is synonymous with the preached Word of God, not subjective experiences.

Weaver argues from Hebrew usage and parallel passages (1 Samuel 3:1, 2 Samuel 7:17, Ezekiel 12:21-28) that 'vision' means divine revelation proclaimed publicly.

He states, 'the words of the Lord and the vision are synonymous' and shows how 'no open vision' in 1 Samuel 3:1 meant no public preaching.

Without the vision, people perish both temporally and eternally.

The Hebrew 'para' implies a process of losing restraints and being made naked, leading to societal decay and final judgment, as seen in Hosea 4.

Weaver explains, 'the people are going to be made naked... there's not going to be any restraints' and connects this to the law's restraining function in 1 Timothy 1:8-10.

Ignorance of God's Word causes alienation from God.

Citing Ephesians 4:17-18, Weaver argues that lack of preaching leads to ignorance, which alienates people from the life of God, making the vision essential.

He quotes, 'being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them' and applies it to churches that fail to teach the whole counsel of God.

Faith comes by hearing Christ speak through preaching.

From Romans 10:13-15, Weaver shows that calling on the Lord results from believing, which comes from hearing Christ Himself through the sent preacher.

He emphasizes, 'how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?' and notes that hearing implies Christ's presence in the proclamation.

Rejecting God's messengers brings irrevocable judgment.

Using 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, Weaver warns that mocking and despising God's Word leads to wrath 'till there was no remedy,' as seen in the Babylonian captivity.

He reads, 'they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words... until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 29:18: The central text: 'Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.' Weaver uses it to define vision as preaching and to contrast perishing with obedience.
Job 33:14-16: Cited to show that God sometimes speaks in dreams and visions of the night, but this is not the primary meaning in Proverbs 29:18.
1 Corinthians 1:18-21: Used to connect the 'perishing' of Proverbs 29:18 with the 'foolishness of preaching' by which God saves believers.
Lamentations 2:9, 14: Shows that false prophets had no vision from the Lord and failed to expose sin, illustrating the need for true prophetic preaching.
1 Samuel 3:1: Demonstrates that 'no open vision' meant the Word of the Lord was rare, equating vision with public proclamation.
2 Samuel 7:4, 17: The Word of the Lord came to Nathan, and what he spoke is called 'this vision,' showing vision equals divine revelation.
Ezekiel 12:21-28: God equates His words with vision, promising that His word will not be prolonged, contrasting with false visions.
Hosea 12:10: God says He has spoken by the prophets and multiplied visions, linking vision to prophetic speech.
1 Timothy 1:8-10: The law is for the lawless as a restraint; without the vision (preaching of the law), people lose restraints and perish.
Hosea 4:1-3: Because there is no truth or knowledge of God in the land, violence and environmental decay follow, illustrating perishing.
Ephesians 4:17-18: Gentiles walk in vanity, alienated from God through ignorance, showing the necessity of the vision to dispel ignorance.
Ephesians 2:12: Those without Christ are without hope, confirming that the heathen perish without the vision.
Job 8:13: The hypocrite's hope shall perish, reinforcing that only hope in Christ is genuine.
Romans 2:12: Those who sin without the law will perish without the law, affirming the fate of those without the vision.
Romans 1:20: Creation leaves men without excuse, but the vision (preaching) is still necessary for salvation.
Romans 10:13-15: Calling on the Lord follows believing, which follows hearing Christ through a preacher, showing the chain of salvation through the vision.
Proverbs 16:7: When a man's ways please the Lord, even his enemies are at peace, illustrating the happiness of keeping the law.
Isaiah 55:3: Quoted by Thomas Watson: hearing God's Word brings life and an everlasting covenant.
2 Chronicles 36:15-17: God sent messengers out of compassion; the people mocked them, leading to wrath without remedy, showing the danger of rejecting the vision.
Jeremiah 3:14-15: God promises to give pastors after His own heart who feed with knowledge, a blessing of the vision.

Historical References

Martin Luther: Weaver quotes Luther: 'The meanest village that has a pastor and a flock is a palace of ebony,' emphasizing the value of even a small church with preaching.
Thomas Watson (Puritan): Watson is quoted: 'It was by the ear... that we lost paradise. And it is by the ear... that we get to heaven,' linking hearing the Word to salvation.

Important Quotes

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

The foundational text of the sermon, defining the vision and its consequences.

The word vision here refers then to what you and I would call an authoritative proclamation of the Word of God.

Weaver's central thesis that the vision is public preaching, not subjective experience.

Where there is no vision the people perish, the people are made naked, and consequently society and the nation do a tailspin down into violence and wickedness and immorality.

Explains the process of perishing as loss of moral restraints leading to societal decay.

When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

The ideal response to preaching: receiving it as God's own Word, which transforms believers.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the common modern use of 'vision' (as personal ambition or strategic planning) differ from the biblical meaning Weaver presents?

[Context]

Weaver critiques pastors and missionaries who use 'vision' for church growth or emotional appeals, arguing the biblical vision is the proclamation of God's Word.

[Question]

In what ways does the absence of authoritative preaching lead to societal 'perishing' today, as described by the Hebrew word 'para'?

[Context]

Weaver explains that 'perish' means to be made naked and lose restraints, resulting in violence and immorality, as seen in Hosea 4.

[Question]

According to Romans 10:13-15, what is the relationship between hearing, believing, and calling on the Lord? How does this shape our view of evangelism?

[Context]

Weaver argues that calling results from believing, which comes from hearing Christ through preaching, emphasizing the preacher's role.

[Question]

What does it mean to receive preaching 'not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God'? How can we cultivate this attitude?

[Context]

Weaver cites 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and challenges believers to treat biblical preaching as God's direct communication.

[Question]

How does the example of 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 warn us about the consequences of mocking or despising God's messengers?

[Context]

Weaver uses this passage to show that rejecting God's Word leads to judgment without remedy.

Applications

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