GLIMPSE

Mac McFarland

Have you ever had a glimpse of something? It’s like a quick look, a glance or a sneak preview. Men sometimes get a glimpse of a nice looking woman walking in a crowd. Women sometimes get a glimpse of a man in a flashy car. We all get glimpses of things that happen around us all the time. A glimpse at a license plate has helped more than one police department ultimately capture criminals.

The movie that recently came out in theaters, called “The Family Man” has Nicolas Cage as Jack Campbell getting a glimpse of a life that he might have had, if circumstances had been slightly different. In this story, the glimpse was not something he asked for, and at first, definitely did not like what he saw. This glimpse, although spanning several days in what may have been a parallel time zone, was actually, in the movie, only a few hours in length. It all occurred when Jack was sleeping on Christmas eve. A character named Cash, appropriately enough for the movie, played by Don Cheadle (he used to play the District Attorney on Picket Fences) was an Angel of a Hollywood God, providing Jack with a quick look at a life completely different from the one he was living. That life he was living at the time was one of wealth, greed, sex and women. However, the glimpse of the other life was that of a full-time loving family. Something Jack had not experienced. I want to read to you a synopsis of the movie provided by Universal Pictures:

“ Jack is horrified. Somehow Jack Campbell businessman has become Jack Campbell the family man. Not only does he live in New Jersey and not New York, but he drives a minivan instead of a Ferrari. Instead of masterminding deals on Wall Street, he sells tires at a place called Big Ed's. His closet is filled with flannel shirts, rather than thousand dollar designer suit. Determined to reclaim everything he thinks he's lost-including his mind-Jack's shocked to find that neither the doorman from his Manhattan apartment building nor the security guard from his Manhattan office building have any idea who he is. When he spies the young man from the convenience store the night before, he thinks he's been rescued. With a twinkle in his eye, Cash proceeds to set Jack straight about what's happening. "This is a glimpse," he explains, before disappearing and leaving Jack alone to deal with the circumstances. Returning to New Jersey, Jack reluctantly begins playing the role of suburban husband and father, selling tires by day and changing diapers by night. With six-year-old Annie coaching him in both roles, even though she's sure he's really just an alien impersonating her Daddy, he gradually begins to feel at home. And little by little, Jack finds himself enjoying this new life of carpools, funnel cakes and mowing the lawn. And he finds himself falling in love all over again with Kate, who despite her lack of sleep, her limited wardrobe and her meager paycheck, is more attractive, intelligent and centered than all the women Jack's met in the last 13 years. All of a sudden, this "glimpse" feels very real to Jack-more real than his real life. Is it really just a "glimpse" or is it a second chance? Does it have to end? And if it does, how can he keep from losing Kate all over again?”

Jack’s glimpse into the future was a vision provided to him by a Hollywood God. But I want to talk about a real man, not an actor, who received a similar glimpse from the REAL God.

Turn your Bibles to 2 Corinthians Chapter 12. Here, starting in verse 1, Paul speaks about his glimpse, his vision from God. ⁽¹⁾ I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. ⁽²⁾ I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. ⁽³⁾Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--⁽⁴⁾ was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. ⁽⁵⁾I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. ⁽⁶⁾Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. ⁽⁷⁾To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁽⁸⁾Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁽⁹⁾But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ⁽¹⁰⁾That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What an amazing story! Here is an ordinary man, much like every one of us here. Human, full of sin. But notice what he says. He, of course, is talking about himself, “the man …. Who was caught up in Heaven.” Go to verse 5: ⁽⁵⁾I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Here, Paul made a DECISION. He could have easily bragged about how he had been brought to Heaven by God himself, but he didn’t. He decided to give all credit to God, and none to himself. In every case that Paul had a glimpse of God, afterwards, he made a DECISION.

This is not the only glimpse Paul had of God. Of course, the first time he had a quick look was when Jesus spoke to him as he was on his way to Damascus, in Acts, chapter 9. Then again in Acts, chapter 16, Paul had a glimpse of God in a vision where a man from Macedonia begged for him to come and help him. And in chapter 18, same book, verse 9. Paul gets another glimpse when the Lord spoke to him and said: ⁽⁹⁾ “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ⁽¹⁰⁾For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. You will also find Paul having quick glances of God through visions in Acts 13, 27, and in most of the letters that he wrote. Again, in each case, Paul made a DECISION, a CHOICE. In the movie, “The Family Man”, Jack Campbell made a CHOICE. He had seen a vision from “God” and chose the life that he had seen in his vision.

Do you know that YOU have had a “vision” of God? Look around you. Do you see your brothers and sisters in Christ? This CHURCH is God! You are seeing a glimpse of God right now. Remember when you studied the Bible with a Disciple? You had a glimpse of God then. Did you make a decision? Of course you did. You even professed it loudly in “front of many witnesses” that you had decided to follow God by declaring that “Jesus Is Lord.” Like Paul, in his vision on the way to Damascus who made a decision to follow Christ, you made a decision to follow Christ after being taught about Christ in our Bible Studies. Notice that Paul, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 1, says that he MUST go on boasting. He had been so convinced by his vision of God in Heaven, that he knew he MUST continue in God, and do what God had entrusted him. Are YOU convinced that you MUST continue in God? Or are you only here ‘testing the waters’? Are you CONVINCED the same way Nicholas Cage and Paul were that the glimpse of life that they had been shown IS the life to follow?

Remember your old life? Before you became a Christian. It was FULL of sin. Some sins that you did not even KNOW were sins. Paul’s previous life as Saul, before HIS conversion, was full of sin, yet he thought what he was doing, was RIGHT with God. He thought that “The Way” was a cult, and he was doing everything in his power to destroy that cult.

Nicholas Cage as Jack Campbell thought that the right way to live here on earth was to prosper; to make MONEY. He didn’t see what he was doing was wrong! He had PITY on those who were not as FORTUNATE as himself. Meaning, if they didn’t have MONEY, then they were unfortunate. When he talked with the “angel” that “God” sent to him in the movie, he even tried to “SAVE” the angel. Of course, the “angel” was a young black man with a gun and an attitude, but Jack Campbell only saw him as that, and of course, POOR. It was at that point, that this “angel” decided to show Mr. rich and famous Jack Campbell, what it was (or could be) like to be ‘poor in money”, let’s say. During Jack’s initial “BIBLE STUDY” of the situation he was in, he didn’t like it. He didn’t WANT to give up his fame and fortune. The thought the Kingdom was Wall Street. He thought Discipleship was Board Meetings and golf outings. He thought the Word was any contract he’d win, because THAT is what brought fame, fortune, and human salvation. His Light and Dark, was simple, Rich and Poor. His “Jesus” in the movie, was Kate, played by Tea Leoni. As he progressed through these real-life Bible Studies however, his heart was softened more and more. He fell more and more in love with Jesus, I mean Kate. He started realizing that the Kingdom he was searching for was the Family. The Word changed from rich contracts to rich love of others: Kate and her children. His Cross study finally came in the realization that he had indeed fallen in Love with Kate and that he was going to lose her forever. His GLIMPSE was coming to an end. He even asked Cash, the angel, to leave him alone, let him STAY in this vision. But no, that was NOT to be. This glimpse that Jack had had was just that, a glimpse. It WAS coming to an end. And, when it ended, Jack went back to his old life, but began hating it. And, finally, he made that big decision. He was going to make that vision, that glimpse, come true, no matter what. He finally found Kate, who had never married, by the way, and started to “study” with her. He had been shown what Heaven REALLY was, and he wanted to share it with Kate. He talked with her about his glimpse with real passion. He showed his emotion in the middle of a crowded airport just to get her to listen to his story.

Is that the way YOU are? Are YOU convinced that the life of a Disciple is the RIGHT way to live? Do you share what you know with others? Are you emotional about it? Do you have a passion for God that exudes from you when you talk to others? What DECISION are you going to make from now on?

Back to 2 Corinthians, chapter 12. In verse 10, Paul describes HIS decision to do what is right after seeing his vision. His decision was to continue in Christ and delight in his weaknesses. In this way, he would not be seen as Religious, but as Righteous. He would be known to the church in Corinth as Suffering, instead of Prideful. They would see how Strong he was, even though he was delighting in his Weaknesses. His decision was to not Boast about his experience in his Glimpse, but to boast about the Awesome power of God.

Is that what you do? Do you BOAST about YOUR talents, or do you delight in your lack of talents? Do you Boast to others about the Lord, or do you boast about yourself? Do you have the passion demonstrated by Jack Campbell and Paul? Are you CONVINCED like Jack and Paul? Is your DECISION after YOUR glimpse of God, to convince others?

Every day you are in the Kingdom, you get a glimpse of God. God wants you to learn from each glimpse, just as Jack and Paul learned. God wants you to continue being a disciple. God wants you to increase your love for him. God wants you to be passionate when you talk to others about your visions. God wants you to CONVINCE others to come to Him. God wants you to get rid of the sin in your life. God wants YOU!

And to Him, the Glory, Amen.