Jars of Clay [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. Your debt has been paid, and so there is no longer any debt that you must pay, and therefore, justice in the cosmos is now on your side, and you have been granted right standing with God. You still fall, you still fail, you still mess up, but you're no longer a sinner, you're now a saint. You've been made holy in Christ, and God is at work in your life.

That's how you view all the sin in your life. 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, Victorious Living, 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's a book written by Pastor Alan called God Moments, and 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 this later in the program. But right now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. What's wrong with this nose, you know, right now? And you just take it, you know what, the main thing I got away, it's so, it's in your hands. Your hands are all over that clay. Every little mark on that clay is from my hands.

That snout that doesn't look perfect and for a while looked like a duck-billed platypus. It was my hands that shaped that. I was thinking about that when I thought about being a clay pot.

It's put into the kiln and it becomes hardened through the heat so then it can be a real container. But you've got to remember, initially it was in the potter's hands. You're made in the potter's hands.

Every detail. The fires of life have come and through the process you've been made into an earthen vessel. See, Paul could have chosen a different image. He could have said we're like a Grecian urn. These highly decorated urns that they would spend so much time delicately painting and lacing it with gold. Could have been a golden or brass type of vessel that was set aside for royalty. He said no. He said I'm like an ordinary pot full of treasure.

That was the image. Doesn't necessarily look great on the outside. Can be fragile but what it is carrying is unspeakably rich. Paul's critics were saying to him and to others, look at Paul's life. He suffered too much.

He's got too much weakness. How could he really be an apostle? And Paul's saying that's just my point. He's saying I don't want anybody following me.

I want them following Jesus. So he doesn't have a shame mentality or a worm theology but he's not saying look at me, I'm impressive. He's saying what causes me joy is the treasure of the gospel.

The treasure he speaks of is probably referencing the entirety of the gospel, including the presence of God in his life, the unction of the Holy Spirit. He says we have this so that you would see the surpassing power. It is a word I've described to you before, surpassing. It is from two words that mean to throw and beyond. And that word you know it because it's come over into English is called hyperbole. Hyperbole. It is beyond what you would think or imagine.

It's the hyperbole dunamis, the surpassing power. That's what's on display even in the midst of our weakness. But Paul's not saying I don't matter.

This is the same Paul who is so bold he will stand up to emperors. And this is what we need. It's entirely different than the secular model of self-esteem. And let me just show you how. Let's start with this. There are similarities between the self-esteem movement and ideologies and the gospel and the reason for this is because all truth is God's truth. This is really important to understand because I remember as a young Christian I would hear some truth that didn't come directly from the Bible or matched something in the Bible and go oh no somebody else had that same thought. You find out Confucius had some thought of do unto others as you'd have them do unto you go oh no or I'd learn of some and I realize later no all truth is God's truth and praise God if somebody sees it even if they haven't seen it in the Bible they may not know that it comes from God but it's all truth is from Him. So there's real truth in the whole self-esteem ideology.

I'm glad that it came. I mean it's better than parents withholding their affection and nobody giving any approval to anybody. It's better than that.

But there were limits is what I'm saying. Because when everybody gets a trophy and everybody gets a star on every paper something within the child starts going yeah this doesn't really make that much sense. Yeah. I was reading about a parent recently who had a child who had all these trophies and went down and saw the child had put one bunch over here and the other bunch over there and he said what child what have you done? He said well all these trophies I got just for being on the team. And he said I don't care about those.

He said but these few I got for something special. People kind of know the difference in this right? Well what are some of the similarities? Let's start with this in terms of just thinking of six different categories here and focus in terms of the focus of our lives the self-esteem mentality says I matter and I'm special and that's true because the gospel also says I'm infinitely valuable because Christ died for me. With regard to how we view the flaws in our life the self-esteem ideology says I shouldn't put myself down and I shouldn't let others put me down. And that's true.

That's true. Some of us even as Christians you've been a Christian a long time and you still struggle with this it's hard isn't it? To not just put yourself down.

You can be on the golf course and find out I'm telling you. I stink. Or other words. But the gospel says bless and not curse and that applies to yourself as well. With regard to your view of the past the self-esteem movement says I'm not doomed by my failures. That was a good thing the self-esteem movement said get your attention off all your failures. That's good because the gospel says I'm a new creature in Christ.

This is a new day. With regard to the future the self-esteem movement said I have great potential. And guess what the gospel says the same thing. The gospel says that you can do all things through Christ. The gospel says that God has a future and a hope for you. The whole entire gospel is filled brimming over with hope of possibility.

That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Ever been facing a problem when a well-meaning Christian friend said something like you just need to have more faith. The problem with such an exhortation of course is that telling someone that they ought to have more faith doesn't actually help a person have more faith. We all want more faith but what can we do to get more faith. In his highly acclaimed book God Moments Pastor Alan Wright describes one of the most important biblical pathways to building your faith. Remembering God's presence in your life.

When you see God's faithfulness yesterday you'll find it easier to trust him tomorrow. Your life is full of God moments and through Alan Wright's teaching series and book you'll have a treasure map to help you discover them all. When you make a gift to Sharing the Light Ministries today we'll send you a very special bundle. It's Alan Wright's faith building book God Moments and the CD album of the series that he has preached on the subject. We'll send you both when you make your gift today. It's time to discover your God moments from yesterday and be filled with fresh faith for today.

Call us at 877-544-4860 or come to our website sharingthelight.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. Father was a shoe cobbler doesn't mean you have to be a shoe cobbler. I mean there is something great about the individualistic expression of our lives. But in the gospel heroism is not defined by you living out your dream. Heroism is defined by you living for something bigger. We watched this past week the movie about the Boston Marathon bombing. The language is awful.

I have to give little things like that when the preacher mentions a movie. But I wanted to watch it because I was not that familiar with all the events and it is grisly and graphic and yet what it shows is that the way they found those bombers was the entire city of Boston cooperated. They shut down the city. And for those hours while a bomber is on the loose still everybody is living for something that is beyond themselves. In other words people weren't going well my dream is to come out today and do something else. So I'm not going to let somebody tell me to stay inside my house. There was a cause that was bigger than them and what comes out of the movie is there's a heroism you feel not just for the police force and the firefighters but everyday citizens who are just part of this.

Everybody on the lookout for these killers. Let me tell you about the focus of the Christian life. It's not so much on look within myself to find worth it is to see the unsurpassed worth of Jesus Christ. You don't name yourself God names you.

You couldn't give yourself a name nearly as noble as what God gives you. Because He sees you for who you are. We don't just look within ourselves we're the sheep and we respond to the shepherd's voice. There's a greater focus to our lives than ourselves.

And when it comes to understanding our flaws. Well the self esteem movement says ignore sin in order to just feel better about yourself. This is the spirit of the age right. Redefine what is right and wrong to say that it's really subjective and up to you.

Identify yourself express yourself and don't let anybody try to restrict that. And this is the way you're gonna feel better is quit defining so many things as wrong. And it doesn't work.

It doesn't work at all. Because sin still is sin isn't it. So what the gospel says with regard to all our flaws is sin is real. But the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover every sin in your life. So that when you accept Christ what happens is that you are utterly and completely washed clean.

You're absolutely forgiven. And you are set free from the tyranny and the bondage of that sin into a whole new life. And because of the blood of the Lord Jesus your debt has been paid.

And so there is no longer any debt that you must pay. And therefore justice in the cosmos is now on your side and you have been granted right standing with God. You still fall you still fail you still mess up but you're no longer a sinner you're now a saint. You've been made holy in Christ and God is at work in your life. That's how you view all the sin in your life.

That's a much better message isn't it. And with regard to how you view the past the problem the difference between self-esteem mentality and the gospel is that self-esteem just says past mistakes. No big deal after all you're only human. Lots of songs and shows that are basically saying you're only human. Part of that is important because if you've lived with the pressure of feeling like you've got to always be more than always be better than always got to be something other than you can at some point you want to say well I'm just I'm just only human. But that's not that's not what the gospel says. Instead the gospel has something to say that's just absolutely astounding. It says yeah you're human and that because you're human it means you were made in the image of God. You are the pinnacle of God's creation and the fall marred that image but when you accept Christ you become a new creature in Christ. Behold the old is gone and the new has come. It's not a message of you're only human it's a message of you're a new creature who's been given wings to soar like an eagle. When it comes to the idea of the future this is huge difference between self-esteem movement and the gospel is that the self-esteem movement says look within yourself look for your abilities and gifts and follow your dreams. Essentially equates what you're longing for with everything that you should do or what you're feeling should rule the day and you should just follow your feelings.

Not so the gospel. It was interesting we were walking up hiking up the path and lookout mountain in Montreat and as we were walking up there was an artist sitting by the trail the near the head of the trail and she was painting a lovely lovely landscape. I think in acrylic or oil I didn't stop long enough it was beautiful. And as a kid I love to paint and we started walking up the trail and I said to somebody as somebody in the family I said you know honestly if I really got to choose what I would do with my life. I just like to be that person painting a picture of the trail. Maybe I'd like to just make clay bears you know.

Is there a big market for clay bears I don't. You know what I actually if you actually asked me Alan if you could just choose what would you want to do. I'd be Charles Schultz. Just give me a cartoon comic strip and I could I'd like to create a little artistic thing every day and just be what what I would I would do. That's what I do.

I didn't really to lead a large organization is not something I would have ever said oh that's what I want to do. But guess what. Guess what. When I was in college I knelt down by my little red couch to pray one night and the Holy Spirit came in my room without me asking. And I can talk about it without crying because I experienced the holy presence of God. And I wept for two weeks.

Straight. I couldn't talk without weeping because in the midst of it he said Alan you know I'm calling you to the ministry and I said yes Lord. We don't look within ourselves and just follow our feelings. We have a mighty father who loves us and gives us assignments and we find our identity in him and we find our identity by following the calling on our lives. So I love being a pastor. I love being your pastor. I love being a preacher. I love it. The hard days I still know I'm called to this.

The days I'd rather just go make clay bears, paint pictures on the trail of the path. I still know I'm called to this. There's my identity, my worth, there's an infinite treasure that's been deposited and a sense of our security is not found as it is in the self-esteem movement. I'm okay because I'm special. Imagine Paul saying that I'm okay because I'm special.

Paul doesn't have a Barney the dinosaur message does he? He says we are perplexed. I don't know what's going on right now but I'm not despaired.

I am not down but I'm not not doubt. I'm secure because though I'm persecuted and I'm hurting I'm not forsaken for our God will never ever leave us. See if all you do is go around and you look in the mirror and follow the self-help gurus and say look in the mirror and say I am beautiful. I am special and I'm okay. Get knocked down. See what you've got strength wise to stand back up. But if you get up in the morning you say the clay pots looking all right but the infinite treasure deposited in me that's another matter.

How is all this possible? The key is I think found in this mysterious verse where Paul says carrying verse 10 carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. What does it mean carrying in the body the death of Jesus?

I think it's this. Paul also said I resolve to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. He's saying what I carry with me in my very being in my every thought that's been taken captive to Christ every part of my being I carry this with me Jesus died for me. I carry with me the power of the cross that every spiritual battle that I face I remember the blood of Jesus. Every demon I rebuke every every hardship that I endure every triumph that I experience and every time I proclaim the gospel I'm carrying the body the death of Jesus in my very body I am living out of his redemptive work. He says elsewhere he says this this light momentary affliction is of no comparison to the eternal weight of the glory that is wave so the second thing he's saying this the key to your esteem is not just that Jesus has died for you. But that you have an eternal weight of unspeakable glory in front of you because something that knows its value in the future to be manifested knows that value today.

If you had a masterpiece worth a million dollars but you didn't have the million dollars but you were going to sell it next week you're already rich with it because of the glory that is to come. That's what Paul saying. In other words it's a good thing to have a healthy self esteem.

We want our kids to have it. We want to bless one another with true compliments and affirmation. But in the end the great joy of life security confidence can't come from me looking at myself. Paul saying I'm just a clay pot. So in the sense like I'm just an ordinary person. But God is extraordinary in me. You are a clay pot filled with the treasure of God. And that's the gospel.

Alan Wright today's teaching jars of clay. It's from our series on second Corinthians. Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life. And today's final word God's always been there in every moment you narrowly escaped from danger in every moment you were surprised by a blessing in every moment you just knew the direction to take God was there. Your life is defined by countless moments of God's grace.

Perhaps they've been covered by the sands of time or have just gone unnoticed in the rush of life. But your life is full of God moments when you make a gift to sharing the light ministries today. We'll send you a special bundle with Pastor Alan's heart stirring book God moments and a CD album containing all his audio messages on the subject. Make your gift today and start your spiritual treasure hunt to uncover your God moments.

How you remember yesterday will determine how you live tomorrow. The gospel is shared when you give to sharing the light. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from sharing the light ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860 or come to our website sharingthelight.org You know, we are talking a little bit about the self-esteem movement that took hold maybe a few decades back and became what felt like this new movement, but really the Bible and Paul's had to corner on this. Once again, one of those things where it comes out like a major revelation in the world. We're like, no, we've had this since antiquity in the gospel. But we've been drawing some distinctions, Daniel, between the modern self-esteem movement that really flows through humanism versus worth in Christ, which flows through the power of the gospel.

And I have a chart in my notes in front of me where I just draw up all of the distinctions. The focus that we have in the humanistic model is just as I matter, I'm special, but in Christ, it means I'm infinitely valuable because Christ died for me. You see, that's a bigger statement. And when we think about the past and all of our mistakes, the self-esteem movement might say, I'm not doomed by my failures. Well, that's a good thing to say, but to say that plus to say, I'm a new creature in Christ, you know, to start thinking with Paul and 2 Corinthians about all things are new. And what we have, I'm saying is something that transcends the more shallow version of self-esteem. So self-esteem by its very nature is a good thing. Esteem means value. So to value the self is something that is important to God. We want to teach it to our kids. We want to bless our families, our friends, and all that we know with a sense of you have great worth in your life. But when we really see this deeply because of what Christ has done for us and who we are in Christ, it goes even deeper. And that's what we're talking about.