Do you have a vision or a dream, which you would like to have fulfilled? Most people have a secret desire, a secret dream, which they hope to have fulfilled someday. It may be a position or an achievement, financial security, marriage, a happy family. It can be hundreds of different things. Men and women continue to daydream about all these possibilities. Some people have their dreams fulfilled. However, others do not.

There may be some who have no vision, no expectations for the future. They lose their desire to live. Many even commit suicide, or turn to drugs and alcohol. But most people do have dreams they wish to fulfill, their hopes and desires, but often they do nothing or very little towards their fulfillment. Dreams alone will not get us very far.

There is a saying, “when there is a will, there is a way.” If we try hard enough we can do almost anything. Children can hear beautiful music, and have the dream to become a musician themselves. But then comes the hours of practice, lessons, day after day, for years. And most of them lose this dream and give up. But, the one who continues to keep the vision before their eyes, will become great.

Our dream, our vision is salvation, eternal life. Heaven is our future goal. Or is it? Could it be that our vision of God and heaven fades? And we see only the world, the people here, their ambitions, money, education, success, entertainment. And our glorious hope, our dream is forgotten. Or, at the least, it is dimmed.

The children of Israel had a vision. “And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:17. The Israelites wanted to be free from the cruel bondage in Egypt. With this vision before their eyes, they left Egypt. But, soon they lost this vision. And, what did they see?

“And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:11–12. Now, what did the people see? The dry wilderness, lack of water and food. The vision of the Promised Land had gone. Two months later they made a golden calf and forgot all about God and His promise to them. They constantly murmured and complained, because they had lost their vision of the future glory.

Can this happen to us? When we were baptized, we had a vision. We saw Christ’s second coming, heaven, the future glory, eternal life, a sinless condition. But then it slowly faded. “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” Luke 21:34

So many other things become important to us, to occupy our time, mind, and effort.

When I was in Finland, in school, our teachers gave each of us a chart and a compass. We had to go through a deep forest to a place a few miles away. We were not to follow the roads or pathways, only the needle of the compass, in a straight line, in one direction. Some saw pathways going almost in the right direction, and started to follow them, because they were easier to walk on. But then the pathway went off. Others did not look to the compass all the time, they only looked at it once in a while. And meanwhile, they went off course. The ones who made it to the right place followed the compass carefully all the time.

In the woods you set must set the compass in the right direction. Then in the distance you pick a tree or some other marker and walk towards it, keeping your eye on it all the time. Being one degree off leads you away. Sometimes we had to climb over hills, cross swamps, and we were not to choose an easier way around these obstacles. We were not to choose the more pleasant, comfortable way, the more popular way, because it would have taken us off this course. Going in the approximate direction was not safe.

Are there many Christians who change their course because the straight way is not convenient for them? Sabbath-keeping is not convenient. People try to get around it, if possible, asking, do I really have to keep the Sabbath? The commandment is clear, but they hesitate.

“Do I have to take care of my body, is health reform really required, or can I get around it somehow, and still make it to heaven? I am just one degree off course.”

Do I have to associate with poor, unlearned people? Judas thought it was beneath him to associate with fishermen. People are looking for a church that is convenient for them, what they enjoy, whom they like, rather than, “Does the compass guide me in this direction? Does the Word of God lead me in this direction?”

Therefore, when the whole Christian world is seeking salvation, eternal life, they are seeking God, and in their search they end up in hundreds of different directions. People go to churches in search of God. They seek salvation, happiness, and peace to their souls. It is not possible that going in so many different directions would bring all Christians to the same destination.

The churches are supposed to be lighthouses to guide the ships through the dangerous waters safely to the harbour. But, they all show a different light, a different direction. If there are different traffic lights in the intersection, red, yellow and green, all shining at the same time, what would the motorists do? This would cause accidents. Are there no accidents or collisions in the religious world? People have lost their faith in the midst of different doctrines, beliefs, and practices. They have become confused, not knowing what to believe, where to go, which is the way to heaven, or which church speaks the truth.

If Christ would come to Toronto for a visit, which church would He enter to worship? The most popular church? The one with the most eloquent speaker? Or perhaps one with the best entertainment? Would He not enter into one where the truth is spoken, where the people love the truth? One who follows the Bible, His Word closely, in commandment, in doctrine, in practice? Jesus said, “But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” John 10:26–28. Jesus is telling us, My sheep follow Me, and I give them eternal life.

Now, to find the truth. Now, to find the church of God. Now, to find salvation. We need to find Christ and follow Him. And then we will come to the right place. To find Jesus is the answer. He is the Compass. After you have found Him, all you need to do is to follow Him, go where He goes, and do what He does.

But, how can we find Him? Where is He? How many people are seeking Jesus, the buried treasure? How many people truly seek God? The Bible tells us, “Seek, and ye shall find.” Luke 11:9

Millions today are seeking the same thing as in Christ’s time. The whole Jewish nation had an earnest expectation of the Messiah to come. They were seeking, waiting. Then suddenly, they came face to face with the Messiah—the Truth. And they said, “not this man, not this church.” And today, the Jewish people are still waiting, still continuing their endless search. This is happening today, men and women find Jesus, they find the truth, but do not recognize it when they come to it.

“There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Romans 3:11. Is this true? None?

Who is then seeking? “For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. Jesus is seeking us. The Holy Spirit is seeking us. Does God have to seek us? Does He have to look for us? Does He know where we are? There is a picture of the Good Shepherd, looking for a lost sheep. We are the lost sheep. And Jesus is looking for us, seeking us, trying to find a way to save us.

Jesus has a vision of us, He has a dream to see us saved in heaven. How often His dream is broken. Many are lost after all of His efforts to save us, trying to find us. Jesus came to seek the lost sheep, and found only very few, He had only a small fold. Therefore, in looking over the city of Jerusalem from Mount Olivet, He wept. Jesus wept. After years of searching, and He could only find a few sheep. Where did He seek the sheep? In the church, among the Jewish people.

When the Bible speaks to us, that we are to seek God, it is really only a response to His call, to His searching. “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6

Jesus is near to all of us, speaking to us. Then we should seek Him, and then we can find Him, when He is right beside us.

Jesus was seeking people in the time of the flood, and found how many? He found only eight souls. When God called out to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He was looking for them. What did they do? Did they not go into hiding? They needed a Saviour because they had sinned. They were lost sinners, but when Jesus came to look for them, they went into hiding. They had no desire to see Jesus.

“These things said He in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Doth this offend you? From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” John 6:59–61, 66. They left Him alone.

The Jewish people were not looking for God. They were looking for freedom, independence, prosperity, to be free from the Romans. Judas was not looking for Jesus or God. He was looking for money, for a high position in the kingdom. If Christ would have made Himself the King of the Jews, many would have come to Him. But what were they looking for?

“When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi, when camest Thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” John 6:24–26. Many come to church for personal gain, to find benefits for themselves, blessing, protection, eternal life, they come for loaves. They do not love Jesus; His suffering and death touch them very little. All they care about is their personal gain. They have a vision, a dream, but it is an easy life, friends, comforts, good things for themselves.

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:10–13. One was seeking mercy, the other was seeking praise from others; he felt himself good.

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32. Christ is still in the world today, seeking the lost sinners. Not the righteous ones, not the self-satisfied, proud professors of religion.

The disciples of Jesus had a vision, a dream, but their dream broke, they were disappointed. “And it came to pass, that, while the communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. And He said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?” Luke 24:15–17. Why were they sad? Because of their broken dreams.

“And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto Him, Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And He said unto them. What things? And they said unto Him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.” Luke 24:18–21

Sadly they told Jesus of their broken expectations. The chief priests and rulers had delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him, and now is the third day since these things were done.

So fast did all these things come to pass. So quickly were their expectations crushed. In three days, the years of expectation were crushed. Friday was the first day, then Sabbath, and now Sunday, the third day since these things began to happen.

What did Jesus answer? “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Luke 24:25

There was no need to be sad or disappointed. It was their false dreams that deceived them, they did not understand the messages of the prophets. They should have rejoiced that now salvation is come to all people. What is your dream, your vision? Is there a secret desire in your heart? If it is anything else than to be with Jesus and to follow Him, even if it would lead you to death, you will be disappointed. Your dreams will deceive you. Selfish dreams will be broken if you seek your own good.

“Love seeketh not her own.” 1 Corinthians 13:5. Jesus did not come to be ministered unto but to minister. We are not on this earth for our own pleasure and comfort, but to serve humanity—to do the work of God, to save perishing souls. Let not the cares of this life, your hobbies, or ambitions fade your vision of Christ. Have Him before your eyes, as on the needle of a compass. Look to Him, follow Him, even if your way may lead to Gethsemane, to the Judgment hall and to Calvary, the places where many would rather stay away from. Have only one dream and that is to be with Jesus, to become like Him.

Try to fulfill your dream with all your heart, with all your strength and with all your soul, and it will be fulfilled. You will be in heaven. Do not ask, “what would I like”, only ask, “is this what the Bible says, does the Compass lead me in this way?”

Amen.

Adapted from a sermon by Timo Martin