Ideals, Dreams and the Future

Introduction: 2 Cor. 12:1-7

Last Sunday, we discussed “Lessons from the Past,” based on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. A very different kind of text is 2 Corinthians 12:1-7. The first looked backward for lessons for life; the second looks forward to heaven, called paradise and the third heaven. This man, no doubt Paul the apostle, was caught up into paradise where he saw and heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful for a man to utter. Paul explained that he saw these things in visions and by revelations.

We all need such visions and dreams of a better world and better life. America is a nation of realists, but we always have those who dream and hope for a better world. Some have written that there are no more heroes, and, in fact, they claim that there never were any heroes. They were men that we knew less about than we know today. If we knew more about them we would know, as we do of our leaders today, that they all had feet of clay. Our cynicism and perfectionism would pick them apart. It is easy to be a cynic and not believe in the future any more. One of the dangers of growing up to adulthood is the tendency to become, not only a cynic, but also a pessimist.

We need to believe in ideals again and have visions.

Illustrations

Don Quixote. His real name was Alonzo Quijano, who got an innkeeper to change his name and dub him a knight. The setting is Spain in the 17^th century and the author was Miguel de Cervantes. The legend was about a half-mad man who thought he could right all the unrightable wrongs in Spain. This legend has lived in Spain for almost four centuries. Don Quixote’s name is like Daniel Boone’s and Abraham Lincoln’s name in the USA.

Don Quixote sang this memorable and stirring song:

This is my quest to follow that star

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far

To fight for the right without question or pause

To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause

And the world will be better for this

That one man scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable stars

In the story of Don Quixote trying to right all the wrongs in Spain, he met a peasant girl, sometime waitress, sometime lady of loose morals, at an old inn, which he thought was a castle. She had a bad reputation, but Don thought there was something beautiful in her—that she was a lady in waiting. He changed her name from Aldonza to Dulcinea—the bright and shining Dulcinea. She laughed; everybody laughed. Everyone knew her or could have known her. But the old man went on with his dream about her and sending people to bow at her feet.

Some time later when Don was broken and old, we went home to die. Aldonza heard about it and went to see him. She pushed her way through the doctors and friends to get to his bedside. She said to him, You once called me the bright and shining Dulcinea. Call me that again. But he seemed to be in a coma and did not move. She began reminding him of the words of the song that he sang. He struggled to his feet and leaned back and sang his song again. He then collapsed and died. They pulled her from the room calling her by the name Aldonza. She replied, My name is Dulcinea. Don Quixote had given her a dream of what she could be and the dream would not let her go.

Spain, in the early 17^th century, had lived up all her dreams. She was living on past accomplishments, explorations and victories. Cervantes saw wrongs at home, which needed to be corrected. Spain needed new visions and new goals. A country, a church or individuals began to decline and fail when it looses its goals, visions and dreams of what it can be.

President Ronald Reagan. President Reagan was successful, in part, because he was able to project a vision of what America could be. He spoke about our nation being “a shining city sitting on a hill.” Cynics and critics would argue that America had many problems. His vision was fanciful and unobtainable, they said. But you see, that is the very nature of dreams and hopes. They admit the present reality and look forward to a better day and a better world. The cynic complains and doubts, but has no vision for the future. His doubts keep him from ever improving the present situation. He stays with the negative and cannot lead others to improve.

Robert Browning wrote, “A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” The power of an ideal is not in your ability to keep it perfectly or attain it, but rather in the positive upward direction in which it leads you.

Astronaut Alan Shepherd. Alan Shepherd was the first American in space. Shortly afterward, he developed an inner-ear problem which affected his balance. He could not even fly an airplane solo. He became a desk astronaut, went into the banking business and became quite wealthy. But he had not realized his dream. He went to California to see a doctor who could perform surgery on his ears. The surgery corrected the ear problem, but now he was getting too old to go into outer space. He determined that he would become physically fit and become the best qualified, conditioned astronaut in the group. He wanted to go to the moon. His fellow astronauts called him “Old Mouse,” because of his age. But in February 1971, Alan Shepherd walked out of his capsule onto the moon at the age of forty-seven years.

His wife, watching the event on television in Houston, said, “They can’t call him ‘Old Mouse’ anymore. He has found his promise land.” He lived a dream and made it. Accomplishments are inspired by great dreaming. The same is true spiritually. Someone else may tell you that you cannot do that, but you can if you desire it and dream it.

King David of Israel. With all his foibles and failures, David was an idealist from youth. His heart was anchored with God in heaven. This doesn’t mean that he did not make mistakes or often failed in his goals, but it means that he had visions of doing great things for God. He took on the challenge of a seasoned warrior of the Philistines, Goliath, even though he was just a young lad. None of the other warriors in Israel dared to fight the giant. How could a lad with a sling and stones defeat an accomplished soldier? Someone might argue that God did it for him. Well yes, but why didn’t David brothers or some of the older soldiers have faith in God? Would not God have been with them? Will he not be with you?

David’s visionary heart made him want to build a permanent temple for God in Jerusalem. While dedicating the temple, Solomon said,

“And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build a house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house.” (1 Kings 8:17-19.) Notice the phrase, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. The vision that David had was good. A wonderful place to worship God so that his name might be known among men was David’s dream.

Some Dreams and Hopes for our Lives

Everyone needs dreams and hopes for the future. We need lofty goals and ideals. Without them very little is ever accomplished. Here are some good goals for which we should strive for the future.

For purity of life. If you want to take on a challenge and noble dream, this is it. It is easy to be a sinner. We need to hold up before us the sinless life of Jesus Christ. We will never be able to justify ourselves or to be like him in every way. But his life should be our vision and goal. The song writer wrote:

O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

This is my constant longing and prayer

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures

Jesus, thy perfect likeness to wear

O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, Pure as Thou art

Come in thy sweetness, come in Thy fulness

Stamp thine own image deep on my heart

If we give up on this longing, we will sink deeper into sin. Peter wrote, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11.) Paul likewise admonished, “For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:11-14.) John wrote, “And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself.” (1 John 3:3.) What hope? The hope of being like Him when he returns.

Jesus pronounced a blessing upon those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” (Matt. 5:6.) Jesus promised that they shall be filled.

Of being a Christian. We could sum up the goal we should have for our lives by saying, My goal is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. We should want to be a disciple like Lydia and Timothy. There is something wonderful about the name, Christian. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26.) We should aspire to please God in our lives. (John 8:29.) Yes, we will sometimes disappoint ourselves and others, but this is our dream and goal. This is our heart’s desire and prayer.

I am convinced that this vision is what keeps churches alive and well. The desire to be a better person morally and spiritually. This goal of godliness and holiness lifts us up in our lives. (Heb. 12:14.)

A Christian home. You should desire to have a Christian home. You should seek to find and marry a Christian man or woman. If your husband or wife is not a Christian, then you should patiently live as you should so that one day he turns his heart over to God. (1 Peter 3:1-7.)

A goal or dream is not meant to discourage; its purpose is to give a lofty direction and purpose to life. If you are disappointed or heart-broken, this means that you earnestly want your home and family to be better. Don’t let disappointments keep you from your dreams and visions.

Heaven. Heaven is a lofty goal. Going to heaven should be the guiding star in our lives. This is our vision. This is what the apostle Paul saw when he was taken up in spirit to Paradise. No doubt, this vision influenced Paul for the rest of his life. I am not here so concerned about how heaven is finally obtained, as much as I am that going to heaven is our purpose and desire. We will not believe nor repent if we do not desire to go to heaven. If we have given up on the idea, then we will not seek for it.

Going to heaven is the easiest goal that one could seek after, because Jesus has paved the way and made it possible. Going to heaven is also the hardest vision that anyone could have, because it means that this is your earnest desire. It means that you really want to be like Him, pure in heart and deeds.

Some Dreams for the Church

About 250 years ago, a group of men in America had experienced bitter religious divisions in Europe. They dreamed about a united Body of believers teaching the one Gospel of Christ, proclaiming the one hope that we share. They believed that one could go back to the first century, and peel away all the things that had been added and restore all that had been taken away from the Scriptures. Their vision was to find out what God had originally intended that his church should be and to firmly plant their feet on the Word of God.

Someone could rightfully argue that they have failed. Yes, but that it is miss the point. The vision of unity of all believers—is it not a noble and good goal? Is it not what Jesus prayed for in John 17? Then this noble vision is worthwhile even if we do not ever fully realize it.