Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:1–7

Introduction

A. When things don’t go the way you had them planned, do you ever feel like just giving up on the dream?

B. One of the glorious things about our God is that He has never given up on His vision for His people.

Discussion

I. In spite of all that man has done, God’s vision has never changed.

A. God has always envisioned good for His children (Jeremiah 29:11; Haggai 1:5–11; Malachi 3:10).

B. In spite of their many efforts to change His mind, God maintained His vision for Israel (Jeremiah 2:2–19; 3:14–18; Exodus 32:12–13).

C. God has the unique ability to use everything for our good (Romans 8:28).

II. When the world tries to distract us, we must maintain our vision.

A. We shouldn’t be surprised when the world refuses to care about heavenly standards (1 John 2:15–17).

B. We can’t let the world distract us from our ultimate goal (cf. Genesis 3:1–7; 2 Corinthians 11:2–3).

C. No matter what this world may do, we need to keep our eyes on the goal (Philippians 3:2–14; Hebrews 12:1–2).

Conclusion

A. Unpleasant things and evil things are sure to be a part of this mortal existence, but we need to remember that God has plans and that He will carry them out in His time.

B. We need to remember that God has never given up on His vision for us, and we must never let the world distract us from the glorious vision with which He has inspired us.