The Greater Way [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. I think one of the things that happens when you begin to ask Jesus to see others with His eyes is that you see through Jesus.

There may be someone in your life that's very difficult right now for you to even like, but Jesus's love for that person is infinite. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, You'll See, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org, or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. But right now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. My wife loves history, and we were talking this week about Lewis and Clark's expedition in the 1800s when they went to find the Northwest Passage and the chronicles and their journals of all their many experiences to look for the mouth of the Missouri and to eventually try to find their way over the Rocky Mountains and into the Northwest. And this year and a half, two year journey of theirs is absolutely remarkable. And one of the ways that they were able to succeed was a most unlikely incident. Charbonneau, who they had hired to travel with them, had a wife from amongst the Shoshones whose name was, we pronounce it Sacagawea. Most scholars say that it should be pronounced probably Sacagawea. Sacagawea was Shoshone who had been taken away from her people in her early age. And so she traveled along with them. And what they found out is that Sacagawea ended up proving more valuable than Charbonneau, her husband, to Lewis and Clark and their expedition. For one thing, Sacagawea had a little baby, and they would be making their way, maybe pulling all of their boats and possessions through the river. And she would take the lead partly because it was like having a human white flag out in front saying, we are not here to harm anyone.

What army would bring a mother with a baby leading the way? And it turned out she was a very intelligent woman who had excellent interpretation skills. And it came up that they discovered the mouth of Missouri, and they were going to have to make passage. And they were very surprised. And they found there was a huge mountain range there, and winter was approaching. And historians said there was no way they were going to make it through that winter.

They would all die. And the only way they were going to make it across the mountains was they need horses and lots of them. And the only way they were going to get horses would be to negotiate with a Shoshone tribe. So it was that Lewis and some men went to go and meet the tribal leader of this fierce tribe of Native Americans.

And the chief was a man named Kamehameha. And he came out to meet them, very, very suspicious of these white men and this big, big party that they were. And they began to try to negotiate with them. They did not have Sacagawea with them at the time. But they convinced them at least to come and meet Clark and the rest of the leadership to at least enter into a discussion with them. The historians say that as Kamehameha Waite, the tribal leader, and other tribal leaders made their way to go and meet with Lewis and Clark's entourage, that the Native American women in the tribe began wailing for fear they'd never see them again.

Such was the hostility of the environment in that early day. They came to have their negotiation in which Lewis and Clark wanted to get horses as the only way they would survive or make their way across. And they called in Sacagawea who came and sat down to interpret for the Shoshone tribal leader Kamehameha Waite. She sat down and Kamehameha Waite spoke. And as Sacagawea looked up and she saw the chief, she began to weep. It was her brother. And what historians call one of the greatest coincidences in the history of America or some would say just a God moment.

She had not seen him in many, many years. And here they were sitting together at a negotiating table and she was the friend and traveling companion of Lewis and Clark. She got up and ran and fell upon his neck and wept and he wept and they danced and they sang and they shouted and they sat down to try to talk and they wept again and they jumped up again until finally they had their negotiations and Lewis and Clark got all the horses that they needed and it was how they successfully traversed the mountains. What I'm saying is Kamehameha Waite didn't know or have any affection for Lewis and Clark, but they saw them through Sacagawea. She in that sense is the mediator.

She is the one in which they said, well, because she loves them, then we will also. I think one of the things that happens when you begin to ask Jesus to see others with his eyes is that you see through Jesus. There may be someone in your life and it's very difficult right now for you to even like, but Jesus' love for that person is infinite. And so what I recommend is saying, Lord Jesus, let me see them as you see them is to say, let me have the point of connection through you for them. In fact, if you have a hard time loving yourself because you disdain everything that's wrong in your life, how about instead of just trying to convince yourself that you're okay, just say, Jesus, let me see myself as you see me and let your own affection for your own life and purpose and destiny be rooted in God's affection for you.

Because I can link up to that. You can at any point in time say, be my Sakagawea, be the one through whom I get connected with someone else in love. It is also to say that when you say, let me see that person in the way that you see them, Jesus, you're saying, let me not see them according to all that my natural mind says limits that person. And that's what happens is that in our natural minds, we do not see the things that the spirit sees. And so what we see are problems. We have judgments. We have, we have limitations that we already set up before we've even got into interacting with someone. And what we need is not on the one hand to be judgmental or on the other hand, just to be pie in the sky and just think that everybody's just wonderful. What do we need at the very eyes of Jesus?

Because what I find is that when I tried to predict by my own natural intuitions and inclinations about who it is that's going to grow or who's going to, I don't even know. I get it wrong almost every time, but Jesus never does. He's always right. He's accurate. He has accurate spiritual discernment of everybody. And so ask for his eyes. People that you have in your life right now that, that you're not seeing accurately might be that God will bring somebody in your path this week to stop and just say, Jesus, how do you see this person?

That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Want to give someone a present this Christmas that they'll never forget? Let us help you give a gift that money can't buy. This Christmas, give someone your blessing, a positive biblically based faith-filled vision for their life. In the beginning, God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply because in God's design, blessing isn't the reward for productivity.

It's the fuel for it. Now, more than ever, someone you love needs your blessing and we're here to help you craft it. This month's special offer from Alan Wright is a beautiful booklet that will teach you how to craft a meaningful blessing. The easy step-by-step instructions are biblically based and even include a worksheet that helps you write your blessing. So this Christmas, give someone you love a present not found in stores, a gift from your own heart that will encourage and empower. Write down the blessing and put it in a package under the tree or put it in your Christmas card.

They'll never forget it. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries this month, we'll send you this booklet as our thank you so you can discover the power to bless. Call us at 877-544-4860 or visit pastorallen.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright.

I'm thoroughly convinced that what God does is when I draw up a new sermon series, He starts planning out my life for me to teach me. That is the strangest thing. We were traveling this week. We were staying in a nice place. I had an outdoor pool and a hot tub. I love a hot tub. And one night I said, honey, I said I'm going to go get in the hot tub.

It's about 10, 30 at night. So I'm just going to go get in for 10 minutes, warm up, be so wonderful, be so relaxing before I go to bed at night, go get down the hot tub. It was just a short walk but it was a little chilly. And so I said, I got in the car to just drive the very short distance there so that I could get out of the hot tub and just jump in the car and just never get cold before I got back in the house.

That was my plan. It was so odd I got into the car and didn't take my phone with me. And normally our car plays music from our phones via Bluetooth. And if it's not playing music that is from Apple Play on our phones then it is the radio. I didn't even really know we had a CD player in the car.

But it was the strangest thing. He said, when I got in the car I started playing music from a CD that I didn't know we had. And the song that was playing was the favorite worship song of one of my dear friends, a Pentecostal evangelist named Richard. It was his favorite worship song he and his associates had at their revival meetings 25 years ago.

Come to the river, come to these waters, there's a vast supply, come to the river that never runs dry. I had about 30 seconds in the car and that was the music that played. And what was so remarkable about it was I had no idea why that was even there, why it was playing, but it made me think of Richard who I love so much.

And it made me remember ironically of a situation that took place 25 years ago. I went to visit him in Tampa and I was only there for one night. And he was living in a condominium complex that had a pool and a hot tub. And we had gone that night to the hot tub. And we were sitting in the hot tub and we were talking about sports and Jesus and that's what we do.

We talk a little bit about golf and then we started talking about Jesus and we really got talking about Jesus. It was getting late. There was one guy that was there nearby. I don't even think he had a swimsuit on. I think he might have just been in jeans. I can't remember. And he started edging towards us.

This was 25 years ago. He started edging towards us and I was like, oh man, I got one night here to talk to my buddy. I don't want to talk to some stranger next to the pool. And he kept edging forward and forward until finally he spoke and he had a little bit of a slur in his speech or something. I thought this guy's a little bit drunk or a little bit high. And he said, what are y'all talking about? My inclination was to say nothing. We're not talking about anything.

Go away. But my friend Richard's a better person than I am and uh, and you gotta understand he's an evangelist and no matter what he's doing in season, out of season, in a restaurant, in a hot tub, he's going to evangelize you. And he said, we're talking about Jesus. And a fellow said, are you, are you really? And uh, said, what do y'all, what do y'all do? And I was, I was just like, I just tell him we play golf, you know?

I mean, I don't, I don't. But Richard said, well, my friend here is a pastor and I'm an evangelist. He said, well, really?

He said, well, tell me more. And the next thing you know, despite all I was trying to do to stop it, my friend Richard led this man to the Lord right there at the hot tub. And uh, by the time we got, the man was ready to accept Christ.

Well, by that time I was even happy about it. And uh, and this man looked at us after he had prayed to receive Christ and he said, well, what do I do now? Do I need to be baptized or something? And Richard and I looked at each other and we started giggling and we thought of that instance in the New Testament.

Well, we have water, what's to prevent it? And we said, well, come on in here, brother. He got in there in his jeans and we just dunked him under the hot water and baptized him.

I never saw him again. Well, all in about 45 seconds of me driving from our room down to the pool where the hot tub was, I heard that song play from 25 years ago and I thought of Richard and I thought of the hot tub. And uh, of course I was expecting nobody to be at the hot tub and I went to open up the pool gate and there were three women over there at the hot tub sitting on the edge of the hot tub. And I got ready to turn around cause I was too scared of them. And um, and I said, no, no. And I just, I just, I just got bold and said, I'm going on over there. I'm just, I'm just going to get warmed up. I'm going to get out of there. And I said, I, you know, the closer I got to it, I thought, I don't know that I'm allowed to do this.

A Presbyterian pastor in a hot tub with three women. I don't think I'm able to do this, but I said, nobody will know. So I went on over and a lady stopped talking to each other. They stopped talking and one of them left and two of them remained. I said, oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to break up your party. I looked down.

One of the ladies was drinking and smoking. And uh, and I noticed that. And um, then I just said, I'm just, I'm just going to go down to the other corner.

It was a big hot tub. I'll go to another corner. Y'all, y'all don't worry about me. I said, I'm sorry. I won't, you know, so I went down there. Of course they, they stopped talking and I went down to the corner and I just closed my eyes and got under the water and I just thought I'm pretend like they're not here.

And uh, I didn't want to talk to them. Uh, and then the one woman who had been drinking and smoking, she said, um, where are you from? And uh, I gave her the universal code for I don't want to talk to you by saying very quickly, North Carolina. But then she said that the question that I dreaded most, well, what do you do there in North Carolina? Well, I've been working on a book. I thought about just saying I'm a writer.

I am a writer, but then I knew she'd asked me what I write about. And so I just fessed up and I said, well, I'm a pastor. She said, no way. I said, yes, I am. She said, what kind of pastor? I said, well, I'm, I'm, she said, she said, no, she said, no way. I said, why? She said, there's only one other man that came to this hot tub.

They must've been just sitting there all night long in the hot tub. I don't know. And she said, and the other person who came was a Lutheran pastor.

I can't believe this. She said, are you a Lutheran pastor? I said, don't lump me in with that. No. I said, I'm Presbyterian.

I closed my eyes. I went back over there and she said, well, what do Presbyterians believe? Why are they different from Lutherans? And, uh, and she said, and then my friend here is an ex-Catholic.

How's that all different from the Catholics? And I was like, oh boy. I said, you asked a big question here.

I just came down to get warm, you know, and that's a big question. I said, I'll tell you one Presbyterian church is so different from another Presbyterian church and one Lutheran church and another Lutheran church. I said, and she said, well, tell me just one thing that's different about it. And I said, well, I turned to the ex-Catholic. I said, well, how long does the priest, how long is his homily? She said about 12 minutes. I said, there you go.

I preach 40 minutes. There's your difference right there. And she, they said, really?

And uh, and I'm trying to ignore all this and just let hope it goes away and stops. And then the woman who had put out her cigarette when I got there, she said, I'll put this out. And, um, she said, well, really what, what is the difference? And, and you know, and the ex-Catholic said, yeah, she said, I still liked the mass, but what's the difference? And I finally, I sat up a little bit and I said, well, let me tell you one thing that is different. I said, uh, we believe every Christian is a priest and that you don't have to go to a priest.

It may be a good thing to go to a priest, but you don't have to go through a priest to go to God. I said, because God's right here right now. And the woman who had put out the cigarette and was drinking, she's got quiet and she said, I can't even believe this. She said, I've been on a 10 day fast.

Later. She said she hadn't been drinking or smoking for 10 days. I don't know if she'd fasted from food. And I said, really? I said, what do you, why have you been fasting? And she said, because I need to get my mind clear and I need a new direction for my life. I said, well, that's a good reason.

I said, some people fast because they think it's a religious thing to do that will impress God and that somehow God will like them more if they deny themselves things. I said, but whatever you've done, I said, I think you've done it for the right reason. You are wanting a new direction for your life.

You're wanting a clear mind. She said, yes. And God's brought two pastors into the hot tub. And she said, what do you think this means? And I said, I think God sent me here to tell you the answer to your fast is that God loves you infinitely, perfectly and forever.

And that I don't know your history or I don't know the things that are going to go on in your future, but he does have a wonderful plan for your life. And she got from the edge and she came and sat back down in the hot tub and her friend said, what are you doing? She said, I thought we were leaving. And she said, just a little bit more than this. She said, I can't even believe this.

Isn't this wonderful? And she turned to her friend and I began to talk to them about Jesus. And by the end of it, I would say that the anointing of the Holy Spirit had come and they were enthralled, especially the one that I thought would be the least likely one to have any interest in Jesus. And I did not baptize the two of them.

I thought that would be, but by the end of it, she had signed up for my daily devotional and I'll call that good enough. I'm just saying, I don't know. God just sets up these things that teach me, you know, if you just start out with Jesus, how do you see this? Because, uh, what you see with your natural eyes is so limited and God sees it all.

Let me just mention this thirdly briefly. What this story is all about is this look through Jesus at someone else is to look through the cross. And I think that's why Jesus sees quote centers so differently is because not just he loves them so, because he came to die in their place.

He came to die in my place and yours. So every single one of us, whoever comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are the 500 denarii debtors who have been forgiven so much because you can't see someone except through grace. Simon the Pharisee thought he had his act together religiously and therefore he was more worthy of the love of God and he was missing it all because he didn't understand grace. He didn't understand that his infinite need for a savior, but this woman who had sinned so much, she, having tasted of the mercies of Christ, that she saw who he really was. Well, what this means is that Jesus sees us through the lens of his own precious sacrifice for us. It means that you can look at others not according to what they've done or who they are at this moment, but you can look at them through this lens. What has Jesus done for them? And when you realize that Jesus has shed his blood on their behalf and that when you accept Christ, your forgiveness is so full and so complete that your sins are cast as far as the east is from the west, what that means is that you'll start looking at every single sinner, every single person, you'll start seeing them with spiritual eyes for their potential rather than their problems because everybody can grow and everybody can change. It is not an invitation to a blind acceptance of others' behaviors or a naive endorsement or partnering with those that are walking in the darkness.

That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about a new way of living and which you see with Jesus's own eyes. There's somewhere today a Walt Disney who's getting fired because he's considered to have no imagination.

There's some Steph Curry that's not being recruited because they don't know he's going to grow another three inches. There's some Thomas Edison who is conducting experiments that are considered to be inappropriate and people are missing it, but Jesus is not. He knows everything is possible. So just ask him, Jesus, how do you see this person? I'm sure he'll show you and that's the gospel.

Alan Wright. Today's good news message in our series, you'll see, well, the teaching is you'll see the forgiveness of Christ in a greater way. Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio, sharing our parting good news thought for the day in just a moment. Want to give someone a present this Christmas that they'll never forget. Let us help you give a gift that money can't buy. This Christmas, give someone your blessing, a positive biblically based faith filled vision for their life. In the beginning, God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply because in God's design, blessing isn't the reward for productivity.

It's the fuel for it. Now, more than ever, someone you love needs your blessing and we're here to help you craft it. This month special offer from Alan Wright is a beautiful booklet that will teach you how to craft a meaningful blessing. The easy step-by-step instructions are biblically based and even include a worksheet that helps you write your blessing. So this Christmas, give someone you love a present not found in stores, a gift from your own heart that will encourage and empower. Write down the blessing and put it in a package under the tree or put it in your Christmas card.

They'll never forget it. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries this month, we'll send you this booklet as our thank you so you can discover the power to bless. Call us at 877-544-4200 or visit PastorAlan.org. Back now with Pastor Alan and for a next step on this, would you say it's a prayer?

It is. And I think Daniel is a liberating type of spiritual discipline. Instead of saying, all right, I ought to treat people better. I ought to think differently about people. I ought not to lose my patience so much. And when you think about other people and where you're frustrated, instead of saying, okay, here's what I ought to do.

Let me try harder. I think you just say, Jesus, will you lend me your eyes? How do you see this person? There are people, I think, surrounding us that Jesus sees all kinds of potential. He died for them and not only loves them, but can see the potential in others.

So ask Him. And I think it'll help tremendously in your relationships with other people. I just would pray for all our listeners to be able to have Jesus' eyes for every relationship and especially the ones where you feel frustrated the most. Jesus, how do you see this person? He'll give you His eyes. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.