Giving honor and glory to God. This morning I greet you, dear brothers and sisters, in the name of the Lord. From the Book of Proverbs, Our trying times of today parallel directly with the happenings of the days during and after the reign of Solomon, which is the basis for our text. We are living in conditions that are choking the very life from us. The same as the Hebrew people. Like the Hebrews. We are infested with crime. So much so that the prisons are bulging at the seams. Suicide is reaching its all time high. Divorces are tripling daily. Sons and fathers going to the same woman. Poverty is lingering in the midst of growing wealth. The poor are being sold for a pair of shoes and the righteous are being bought for silver, for crookedness is at all levels. And racism is trampling our heads into the dust of the earth. Thus, our text found in the Book of Proverbs Chapter 29 in verse 18 speaks words of wisdom to overcome trying times like these. And this is what it says.

Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. The subject from which I have chosen to speak this morning is: having the courage to see having the courage to see.

You right.

As young men and young women as people striving to be professionals of the Word of God. We have a tendency to play blind men bluff during these crucial and troublesome times rather than keep the law of courage. We often times put blindfolds over our eyes and pretend that we really can't see what is going on around us because we are afraid to take the weight that comes from being involved. Yeah, I'm greatly concerned this morning with us as seminarians, as preachers, as professionals of the world, as people called by God for God's word.

We are closing our eyes because it is more comfortable and convenient when we should be responsible servants for the Lord due to us not really having the courage, to vocalize the claims of the Gospel truth in the name of the Lord. We choose the blink and bat our eyes and roll our eyes around in our heads rather than focus on the problems before us. Because we lack courage to speak out and get involved. We are scared to accept the responsibility that we must assume when we see that something is wrong and that we must do something about it. In other words, when men and women desperately need that what God has called us to do in His name, we choose to turn our heads in the other direction and pretend that we just don't see because we prefer to line up beds of ease and wash our hands of any situation that will cause us to pay a price. Another way of expressing this concern this morning is that as preachers we run like scared rabbits. Whenever the time comes for us to speak for or against an issue we deliver. They put motes and beams before our eyes so that we can eat, drink and be merry and lie in our pleasurable dens of iniquity without a sweat. What I'm really saying this morning is that we are pretending to be blind when God's community of people really need our service, when they really need for us to vocalize and spotlight the actual ality of the good news because we are scared to accept the responsibility. We run from the cross that being a true seventh of the Lord puts on our shoulder. Now this game of blind man bluff that we play, this act of us pretending not to see is quite evident as we examine our existential situation as priest, prophet and king. Well, for instance, as priests, we take time to visit the sick and the shed, and we make time. A conduct in pretty good funeral ceremonies and bury the dead in style. But when folk come to us with a love and active problems in counseling, we have a tendency to close our eyes and turn to condemning deaf ear to them and tell them to pray without ceasing and get Jesus again. For instance, as King, we closer to the administration of the church and let the people who pay the most money take our leadership job. Yet we pretend that we don't even see our responsibility because we are afraid to accept that responsibility. Still, again, for answers, we can vividly see each other playing the game of blind man bluff as we participate as prophets when we prepare our ssermons.

Yeah.

Most of us have said in this class of homiletics last semester and again this semester, and we have learned the desperate and crucial need for us to stop jacklegism and the feeding of Clark bars to our folk in the church. But we have already blinded ourselves from the homiletical principle, and we can't wait until our third sermon in this class so we can go right back to dishing out spiritual slop and making fun.

Amen.

We are scared to engage in divine activity. Wherein the Word of God is proclaimed or announced on contemporary issues for an ultimate response to our God. Yeah, we are run from vocalizing the gospel truth in any meaningful way. We are so afraid that if we preach home local sermons, as we have learned in this very class, then we will have to do some rough work. Yeah, we are so scared to death and content because we will have to get up all of our flower bands of ease that we blindfold ourselves and pretend that we just can't see. Homer lyrics working for us in God's community. And none of us have voiced openly that we may not preach according to class and class class, but the folks at this church show enough likes it. Yeah. Others of us have said that Jane ain't ready for class method of preaching just yet, so we have to keep on preaching about Sweet Jesus the way Jane is used to. We have closed the eyes to preach in relevant sermons, and we have turned our heads to pretend that we just don't see. Yeah, because we are running scared. Back to Jack niggas. Yeah, we are too big of a coward to vocalize the truth and a growing weight for God's community. Right now this game a blind man plot this game of pretending that we don't see because we lack courage to speak the truth. In the pulpit and elsewhere. It's very, very deadly for us as ministers, for if we continue to not address ourselves to these crucial times and the problems that I have with our heroes and our community, but really just preach the same old sermon over and over so the engines can feel real good and not the benches every which way. Then real soon we will find that our church attendance will drop.

Yeah.

The few men and the few youth who will come will stop coming. Yeah. And the engines will be continually dying off. And we as ministers will be echoing the sweet name of Jesus before empty pews on Sunday morning. And if we preach to empty benches, the results will be empty collection plates, not only at our church, but everywhere else that we try to preach. And in the collection plates lead to empty plates at home, and people will pop fun at us and laugh and say we are fools because we aren't man or woman enough to provide for our families. Our spouses and children will be ashamed of us, ashamed to own, identify with us, people that were close to us with not even knowing us. And we will end up in and hating ourselves for being weak kneed sissies in the ministry.

Oh, man. Great, great, great, great.

Therefore, since we know the deadly effect of pretending that we don't see when we should be responsible servants for the Lord, let us do three things that will give us courage to vocalize the gospel truth in all that we say and do, so that we will be meaningful and worthwhile servants in the name of the Lord. Now the first thing that we must do. Would you give us courage to take off our blindfolds and open our eyes in order to vocalize the claims of gospel? Truth in the name of the Lord is to look at the past? Yeah. We need to look back over the trials and tribulations over which we have already come and see how God gave us the courage to endure. And we must search the stone, the rough roads of which we have trod it to bring us thus far on our way and see how God gave us the strength to keep on keeping on. Yeah. In other words, we need to recall from whence we have come. We here today must examine God acting in our past, which did not allow us to comfortably close our eyes and play blind mambilla so that we can revitalize and build on that foundation of courage that was laid in the past. Yeah. What I'm truly saying is that the first thing that we must do is based on us looking into our past, looking back and wonder how our souls got over. We must bring these events in each of our lives to the forefront of our minds in slow.

Motion.

Of instant replay. We need to see those events of the past that would not let us lie in bed of ease, but rather strength enough to fight in our own lives in the name of the Lord. For instance, all of us have experienced hard times. Yeah, it may have been when we were young, cold and hungry, and we had to wear hand-me-down shoes and clothes of our sisters and brothers that were always too big or too small but never quite fitted. And we had to carry cold fatback and liver mush biscuits to school. And the kids had fun at us. But with God's help, we fought our battles and we kept the faith. Yeah, God gave us the strength and courage to do what we had to do at that time. Again, for instance, all of us may have had hard times and troubles in working for white folk, and we had to work terribly hard for little or no wages. And we took that degrading remarks and a cutting of pieces, and they showed things they no longer wanted to us [Unrecognized] outside the back door. But God gave us a strength in the past to keep on keeping on. God gave us the courage to do what we had to do. Yeah. Still, again, for instance, as we look at the past and the courage that God has given each of us to face hard times, that foundation for us to be courageous was well laid. Some of us have narrowly escaped death. Others of us have been very ill. All of us have been up against obstacles. And as we look deep into our past, we will see God laying the foundation for courage.

Thus, I.

Have hardly believe that when we look back into our past that we will find evidence beyond the shadow of a doubt that God gave us the courage to do His will. For us to examine our past. We see how we didn't close our eyes, but with the help of Almighty God, we fought a good fight and we kept the faith. Yet we must look closely at the past where the foundation for courage was laid. We must look closely at the paths where our eyes were open and focusing on the problem. Let us look closely at the paths this morning and grip the foundation of courage that I fiercely experiences firmly built in us in order to be courageous enough to vocalize the claims of truth in the name of the Lord. Let us have vision of the past so our people will not perish. Now, the second thing that we must do, which will give us courage to take off our blindfolds and open our eyes in order to vocalize the claims of the gospel truth in the name of the Lord is to see the present. After we have looked back to the foundation of courage that God laid for us and events of the past. We must see the growth of courage on that foundation right here and now. God is making us strong to see Him working with us today. We must see how courage is still alive and dwelling in us here at this very moment. ATC. In other words, we need to keep our eyes open as seminarians and capture that courage whose foundation was laid in the past in order to thrust us forward and the building of God's kingdom. We must see the present for what it is with ourselves individually, so that we can maintain that strength and courage and carry it to our community without pretending that we are blind to what's going on.

Yet.

As seminarians who at this present time. God has given us courage. We have various motives and reasons for being. And here in seminary at ATC. But whatever the reason may be, we are taking three years to prepare ourselves for terror while all around us, our peers are getting, well, rich off the rest of the world. Yeah, what I'm really saying is that the foundation of courage that brought us thus far on our way the strength that God gave each of us that caused us to be here and alive today. That courage we need to see here in the present. For instance, we are involved in a tedious and burdensome journey here in the present. As individuals, we must see how the car is to be a self-sustaining for us at this very moment. You Some of you are married and hold a part time job on the side trying to make ends meet. But you right now are courageous enough to be here trying to get adequate preparation. And some of you are having truly hard times with your schooling, being married, holding a part time job and pastoring a church, and most of you would quit and be better off in a number of ways. But you have the courage from God to open your eyes and not play a blind man. BLOW Yeah, you have the courage to get involved and accept the responsibility. If you have the courage this very day to overcome being a scared and running rabbit and bear the double and sometimes trip across the bend in seminary places. On some of.

You, yes.

Others of us are single and could be married and starting a family. But we too, like married folks, are willing to pay a price. We are willing to get involved. We are willing to prepare ourselves with theological education. We, too, are courageous.

Yeah.

A number of us single folks.

Work part.

Time too, and parcel church out of town. And being here in seminary is not as easy as some folks would like to say to be a seminarian. We have left our families. We have given up furnished homes and lived in cramped apartments. We've had to cut back and things that made us look good and feel good. Yes, but with God's help, we have even taken this course and home letter that a lot of people are running from. Yeah, all of us need to see the cars that we have right now. Thus, I believe that we must see the courage that we have today. We must see how we are built on that foundation of cars that was laid in our yesterdays. Yeah. Those of us here must see today's courage. That strength from God that is causing us to keep the faith and stay here and prepare ourselves rather than run casually to our beds of ease and dens of iniquity. Since God laid the foundation of courage in each of our lives in the past, and that God has graciously given us the strength to be courageous in the present. Let us be faithful and keep our eyes open as servants of the Lord. Let us open our eyes and keep them uncovered that we may see what we must do for the Lord. Let us have vision of the present so our people will not perish. Yet not the third and final thing that we must do, which will give us courage to take off our blindfolds and open our eyes in order to focus as the claims of the Gospel. Truth in the name of the Lord is to envision the future. After we had a look back at our past and we have seen the foundation for courage well grounded in us, and we see the present. And now we have our eyes open and we are involved in preparing ourselves for work and God's community to vocalize the truth. Then let us maintain that courage and envision the future so that we can work meaningfully as free prophet and king. We need to see ourselves in the future. We need to see ourselves basically busily involved in carrying out our mandate and God. We need to see that. Just as the foundation for courage was laid in the past and that God strengthened us and blessed us with courage to make it thus far that God will continue to provide us with courage in the future. God will continue supporting us just as He has done and is doing. But we must envision our involvement in God's community in the future in order to have enough courage to take that leap of faith. In other words, we must see ourselves courageously working with our community for the Kingdom of God and no longer fooling ourselves by playing a blind man bluff and making false. What I'm really saying is that all men and all women who contributed in the past to God's community, from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Amos, from Amos to Jesus, from Jesus to Harriet Tubman, from Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King. They did so with. Cause they had the courage to envision. Yeah. And they. And we, too, must keep our eyes open and do what we got to do in the name of the Lord. For instance, that the Martin Luther King Junior was able to do what he did because he had a vision. Yeah. King was able to have the courage not to play blind man bluff and to not cover up and close this ad. But he had the strength from God to keep his eyes open and get involved in the community in the name of the Lord. Yeah. King had the courage to have a dream about the future. King was not a coward to dream, and he let his dream ring for from the mountaintop to every hill and deal so that people would not perish. Each of us must have a dream, a vision of what God wants us to do. Yes, I believe that we can. And we must have courage to take the risk of getting involved as free prophet and king. Yeah, we know laws that close our eyes and play games about our work for the Lord because people without vision perish. Just as our foundation for courage was laid in the past and with God's help, we are made it through to the present and justice we are involved and seeing with our eyes wide open here and now. Let us be courageous enough to face the future in our communities. All of us may not have the opportunity, as I did last summer, to cross the mighty Jordan River and travel up to Mount Nebo and look out and see King the Promised Land. But we all have a greater opportunity in our lives today to cross the troubled Jordan's in this world and climb every mountain and forge every stream during these crucial times in order for our people to get to the land that God has promised us. If we will have courage, we can have courage from this day forward to open our eyes and to be meaningfully involved in our community while we proclaim the truth with substance in the name of the Lord. All of us can, from this day, have a dream. A dream about the special task that God has called us to do. And we can have the courage to do it. We can. And we must have a dream. A vision of seeing ourselves with our eyes open as we work diligently for the Lord. We must have a vision of the future so our people will not perish. As we sum up this morning, we must look into our past and see how the Lord laid the foundation of courage before us. Every step of the way. We must see the present that we deal with here now, and see how God is giving us the strength. And God is providing the power for us to be responsible, to be involved, to pay the price at this very moment. We must envision the future. We must dream a dream wherein we are serving the community with the best that God has given us. We must dream a dream and we must see our vision from this day forward, where we have the courage to be meaningful in our work for the Lord. We must have the courage to keep our eyes open so we can say if the Lord needs somebody.

Lord, I'll go, Yes.

You must this morning do these three things. So courage will gospel from us, and we will have the courage to see and do what God has called us to do as priest, prophet and king. The Lord laid the foundation for courage a long time ago. Deep down inside of us, we need to look at it. The Lord is giving us courage this very day. We need to clearly see it. The Lord will give us courage for the future. We need to envision it this very moment so we can courageously stand firm and pledge within our hearts. From this day forward, the spirit of love. Oh, I ain't going to let nobody turn me around. Turn me around. I ain't going to let nobody turn me around. I'm going to keep on walking. I'm going to keep on talking. MARTIN On to freedom like you. Will you stand up with courage this morning? I challenge you this morning to take off your blindfold and have the courage to see in order for you to do what the Lord has called you to do in His name.

And a lot of good.