A Year of Good News [Part 1]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. God begins to speak to people like Abraham.

He says, I'm blessing you, and you're going to be a blessing. Look and see the stars. Look and see your life differently now.

Look and see your destiny differently. 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 our discussion today as we're in the studio with Pastor Alan. They were at the end of the year, and boy, we have an encouraging few days set aside here, not only to have a little family chat, but to offer a sneak preview of something coming.

Already looking ahead to next year. In fact, late next year, Pastor Alan, you have been hard at work yet again on another manuscript. And for those of us who are not authors, you'll have to walk us through the process, which may be the luxurious life of an author, right? It's all about just drinking coffee and the ideas just flow out. I love, as you know, I love words and I love writing. I like a good sentence.

I can spend a long time writing a good sentence because God created the world with words. And so there's something about just being immersed in telling the gospel in a fresh way through a book that is just one of my greatest joys. And when I finished, Daniel, this manuscript, and I sent it off to the editor, you know, that push of a button, used to be the mailing of a manuscript years ago, but push of a button, send it off.

It's some kind of feeling. And I went, found my wife. I said, Ann, I said, I've sent it in. And she said, how do you feel?

I said, boy, that feels good to have that finished. And then my next sentence was, boy, I am gonna miss writing that book. I really, I enjoyed writing this book as much as any book, maybe more than ever of any book that I've written.

It was a process of learning and growth for me. This book, unlike a number that I've written that tell sort of a life message, this book is about something revelatory that I have been learning in recent years and putting into practice. The book's title is Seeing as Jesus Sees. It's about how a new perspective can defeat the darkness and awaken joy.

And it's been a wonderful journey. And we just thought today we might give our listeners who are sort of like family to us, an insider's sneak preview of this idea that is, I think, gonna help a lot of people. Book coming out in October of 23. Sneak preview of this new book, Seeing as Jesus Sees right now today. It's how a new perspective can defeat the darkness and awaken joy. And it's being published by Baker Books author, Pastor Alan Wright, and it's scheduled for release in October of next year, October of 2023. So I feel like very excited right here to be able to bring you these thoughts and ideas way in advance.

So be on the lookout this summer for how you can be a part of the launch team as a faithful partner of this ministry. So right now, as we're diving into the sneak preview that I know Pastor Alan, you're excited about, this invitation to spiritual growth, Seeing Daily Through Jesus's Eyes. I wonder if your last book led you, in a sense, the writing of The Power to Bless, which had a lot of words in there talking about seeing others as Jesus sees them and imparting that blessing into their lives.

Did that lead you to this idea? Well, in a lot of ways, yes, it's a natural progression from that, because if blessing is the capacity to see a positive future rooted in God's word, consistent with God's word, that has authentic discernment of someone's gifts and how those gifts relate to their identity and their uniqueness and how God can use them. And when you speak that positive future over them, that is the power of blessing. That is this great theme that runs throughout the scripture. And so in a very real sense, when you bless, you're seeing a person through Jesus's eyes. This is the way Jesus saw people. He didn't see them for who they were in the eyes of others according to that person's behavior. He saw their destiny when he looked at them. When he looked at this fisherman named Simon, who was so shifty in so many ways, and would be famously and woefully dishonoring of Christ and denying him, and would be fickle, could walk on water one minute and sink the next, when he saw this shifty, unreliable disciple, that's not what he saw. Jesus saw the one who once filled with the Holy Spirit and utterly convinced of the resurrection of Jesus would become one of the principle preachers of the gospel in the early church, and that his confession of Christ would be the very rock and foundation of the church.

So he said, I call you Petrus, I call you rock. That's who you actually are. Well, that's the power of blessing at work. And you're right, it's very closely related to how this whole idea of seeing as Jesus sees could transform everything in your life. Because it's important not just that we see others through Jesus' eyes, but Daniel, we need to see ourselves also. How does Jesus see ourselves? What limits have we put on our lives?

What ways that we may remain stuck in past regrets, disappointment, or sin? How does Jesus see us, and how does he see others, and how does he see the world? This world that is so, I think, really frustrating right now to most evangelical Christians that I know that have found this world that has so quickly around us departed from a lot of historic values that seems in many ways antagonistic towards the church in unprecedented forms, and it can be so frustrating. Or it can just be so frustrating to live in a polarized and hate-filled society, you know?

I mean, people are so quick to curse, and make one mistake in a line of traffic, and people will hate you. Well, how does Jesus see this broken world? I looked at that, and so it's really about seeing ourselves, seeing others, and seeing the world through Jesus' eyes. And there really is a lot at stake in seeing as Jesus sees. Well, to be clear, we're not God, and we've not made it home yet, and so we still see through a glass dimly. So, how would you say, I think Jesus gives us a lot of clues here on how we can see as he sees. How would you reconcile those two things? Like, okay, in a broken world, a fallen world, how best can we achieve that?

How best can we see as Jesus? Well, when sin came into the world, we ever since have been born in sin, which, to use this very, very prevalent analogy of seeing, this metaphor that runs all the way through the scriptures, what it did was it put us, in a sense, into darkness, spiritually, say. We became blurry-eyed. We didn't see things correctly. So, if you look and see Adam and Eve, what happened when sin came into the world, it's so ironic, and painfully so, that the devil, the serpent, tempted them by saying that if you eat this forbidden fruit, then your eyes will be opened. Well, how woefully ironic that when they ate, their eyes were closed, their spiritual eyes got closed. All of a sudden, they didn't see each other accurately. They saw each other through the lens of shame. They didn't see God accurately anymore. And all of a sudden, now their work has become labor, and there's curse in the world, and all of this has brought a kind of blindness to us.

And it's one of the things I explore in the book early on, because it's important, I think, to admit, acknowledge, discover where we don't see accurately and why. So, the day that my dad left home when I was in fourth grade, I didn't realize it was happening, but my vision of myself and the world became more blurred that day. And so, what is promised in the gospel begins very early in all of the prophetic witness of the old covenant, where God begins to speak to people like Abraham and says, I'm blessing you, and you're gonna be a blessing. Look and see the stars. Look and see your life differently now.

Look and see your destiny differently. And then we began to get all this prophetic wording about how Israel would be a light unto the nations, so that where there's been darkness, that there would be truth, they would begin to see things. And then when Jesus comes, he is described as the light of the world. So, we get this whole thematic, beautiful picture that God is very intent on restoring our vision. And we don't get it perfectly in this world, but think of all of the promises and all the prayers where Paul prays that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened, so we would know the hope of our calling, that we would know and see our glorious inheritance in the saints, that we would know and see the incomparably great power. It's a promise that is on display in very physical and physiological ways when Jesus has a large part of his ministry opening up physically blind eyes. But I think when he says that I came to open the eyes of the blind, he was talking also spiritually.

And so this is part of the Christian's inheritance. God wants us to be able to see things accurately. He wants us to be able to see. And it's important, Daniel, because it's not just about what we might be seeing inaccurately that is blurring and messing up so much of our thoughts and behaviors, but it's also about not missing the wonder that's all around us.

That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Can you imagine what it would be like to be accepted perfectly? Envision it, being free to be yourself with no fear of rejection. If you mess up, people don't roll their eyes, make fun of you or love you less.

Imagine no more of that anxious feeling that you get deep down in your gut that makes you feel like the pressure is always on so you can never really relax. What you're imagining and longing for is a life with no shame. In Paradise, before sin came into the world, the Bible tells us only one thing about Adam and Eve's relationship.

They were naked and felt no shame. Ever since the fall, the human heart has been riddled with shame. It's a lie that says, until you measure up, you can't be truly acceptable. Shame causes some to say, I'll try to be perfect in order to be accepted, and others to decide, since I'll never measure up, I might as well rebel.

Either way, the heart is poisoned by shame and there is only one antidote, the grace of God in Jesus Christ. In his highly acclaimed book, Free Yourself, Be Yourself, Pastor Alan Wright not only exposes the lies of shame, he leads you into a revolution of God's love that heals your soul. Discover freedom, joy, and destiny as you shed performance-based living and let God take the shame off you for good.

It's a life-changing, full-length book from Alan Wright, Free Yourself, Be Yourself. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. 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 Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastoralan.org. In the studio today with Pastor Alan, offering a sneak preview of a new book coming, well, almost a year from now, next fall, Seeing as Jesus Sees, How a New Perspective Can Defeat the Darkness and Awaken Joy. But today, we get to dive in on some of these principles. And there's really a lot at stake here, Seeing as Jesus Sees, isn't there, Pastor Alan?

Well, I early in the book tell a story from Steven Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, in which the author tells of a time that after a busy day, he gets on a New York train or subway and he wants to just read his paper and unwind. But a man gets on with some rambunctious sons, little boys that are bouncing around and bothering people, bumping into people, even grabbing at their papers, making a lot of noise. And you know, I think any of us can imagine what Covey was feeling, this businessman sitting there, feeling frustrated that a father's not disciplining his boys. You can imagine the thoughts. You know, that's the problem with the world today.

Nobody disciplines their kids anymore. And if I were that man, how I would do thus and such. And you know, left our own thoughts about a situation like that, when we assume we know everything going on, we can start stewing over it. I imagine the frustration grew until he finally thought, I'm just gonna say something to this man. And so he finally turned to me and said, sir, he said, can't you see that your boys are bothering people?

Don't you think you ought to do something about it? And as if waking up from a fog, the man said, oh, oh, you're right. He said, I'm not thinking straight. Their mother died this morning.

We just left the hospital. Boys, calm down. He said, I'm sorry, we're just not thinking. Well, you can imagine, as soon as Stephen Covey heard that, he began saying, oh, I am so sorry. He said, I am sorry, I even brought it up. He said, don't worry about it one bit. They're not bothering me.

There's anything I could do for you. And what's so telling about a story like that, where your eyes get opened? And this is what I want to really get across in the book, is that when Stephen Covey saw it accurately, it didn't just make him want to be more patient, it made him more patient. His impatience turned into patience. And when he said, they're not bothering me, they really weren't bothering him.

Isn't that something? That frustration can become compassion. That in just a moment, in a blink of an eye, with a revelation, that all of one's inward feelings and outward behaviors and ongoing thoughts can change just like that, just by seeing the truth of a situation.

Well, how many times throughout the day do we experience something like that, where we're not seeing it accurately? We're not seeing it through Jesus's eyes, we're seeing it through lenses of our own sin, and we're seeing it through filters of our own experiences, and it distorts, and it takes us away from being able to have that, I hesitate to use the word, but I don't know a better word, an automatic transformation. I think what the gospel does, Daniel, and when we say the gospel is the power of God to salvation, it means wholeness and healing and wellness and shalom. It means that when you look at life through Jesus's eyes and you're seeing it through the good news of the gospel, you're seeing everything so differently that it changes you, and that's what I'm interested in.

I'm interested in how the gospel changes people, not by them trying harder to be a good Christian, but actually being transformed. And I think that's what has been happening is for the last two or three years, I've just been adding it as a simple spiritual practice to every day throughout the day, if I might be confused or uncertain or feel that I'm missing something or feeling frustrated or whatever it might be, in any sort of moment, just to have at hand a simple breath prayer. And I just say, Jesus, how do you see this? How do you see this? It's an invitation to his own spirit, to do that eye-opening, enlightening work of revelation. And I have found that it's a prayer that causes me to pause, to get connected again to Christ, and then to look again with some fresh eyes. It is simple enough for a breath, but it's powerful enough to change everything in your life. Jesus, how do you see this?

And begin to look through his eyes. In some circles, you hear the term Christian worldview, which is important. Does this build on that, to say it's that, it's the doctrine and theology of developing a Christian worldview, but it's also the current, the immediate revealing that the Holy Spirit may do in the moment, like you just mentioned? Well, seeing all of the world and all of life through a biblical mindset is essential, and accurate and good theology is essential.

But what this is an invitation to is more personal than all of that. It is an opportunity for a more spirit-led life. It is an opportunity to draw near to Jesus in some ways that maybe one hasn't experienced before.

And so what we really do in the book, Daniel, is have a different kind of Bible study. We'll go with Jesus where he goes, and as if we are standing next to him, shoulder to shoulder, we don't just look at Jesus or look at the situation or analyze it or think about what Jesus has taught. Instead, we're looking, in a sense, with him to see, okay, what does he see here? How does Jesus see? How does Jesus, when they bring a woman who has been caught in the act of adultery and are ready to stone, when he's looking at her, if you are standing next to Jesus, how does he see her? If there is a big storm at sea, you're frightened as a disciple.

What would happen if you could look at the storm the way Jesus is looking at the storm? You see, all of this is a different kind of very up-close and personal study of the scripture. So we go through the gospel narratives and look at these scenes from Jesus' life, and through it, instead of saying, okay, here's a set of principles by which I know I can always rely upon and act because of a worldview, it's more alive and spiritual and organic and up-close and relational than that.

He's our friend, he's with us, he leads us. He doesn't show us everything, because he's God and some things we don't yet need to see. But he doesn't have any desire to leave us just stumbling in the darkness, and he doesn't want to deny us from seeing the wonders of his love and grace. He loves to open up our eyes to see and experience. So it's as much about having your vision cleared as it is also about having your eyes open to wonder.

It's one thing to read a brochure about the Grand Canyon, it's quite another to stand on the rim and gasp. And I want to take readers into the experience of the grandeur of God's grace all around us and be enthralled. That's Pastor Alan Wright in a special in-studio discussion, a little bit of a departure from our normal teaching series, but I trust today's discussion has been enriching and fruitful to your life.

And we have a couple of more days scheduled of this discussion as we wrap up the year. In fact, to stick with us, Pastor Alan is back with some closing thoughts and some final opportunities here as we bring this year to a close in just a moment. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Allen Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Allen Wright's daily blessing.

It's free and just a click away at pastorallen.org. Today, we've been giving you a sneak preview of a new book coming in the new year, Seeing as Jesus Sees How a New Perspective Can Defeat the Darkness and Awaken Joy by Pastor Alan Wright. It's being published by Baker Books. It's scheduled for release in the fall of 2023. And of course, coming later in 2023, you'll have the opportunity to be part of getting a copy early and being part of the transformational regulatory message, getting this out far and wide, being part of a launch team.

And we'll be telling you more about that in the days, weeks ahead. Hey, by the way, it's the end of the year, and we would be remiss to not bring to your attention if you're looking to make some year-end contributions at the close of especially the tax year as some people look at it. December 31st is fast approaching, and Allen Wright Ministry is certainly eligible for your tax deductible contribution at pastorallen.org, a place simple and easy to go and make those gifts that go a long way. And I think you would agree, Pastor Alan, with some of the stories that we'll hear this week with some of the writings that you have already accomplished and we have on our bookshelves, the teaching ministry, the conference ministry, and of course, the new book coming in the new year, more ways of spreading the gospel in this unique way that God has gifted you. This ministry exists to help people see their lives in a whole new light. It is a ministry that is therefore all about the opening of eyes to the grace of God, the pure grace of God, and a belief that in an unrelenting way that that gospel of grace is so powerful that it changes everything in our lives.

And in that sense, we hear from people all the time who are having their lives changed because they've wanted to live a life pleasing to God, or they've wanted answers in their life, but for whatever reasons have gravitated towards more legalistic ways of living or have had their eyes veiled by the shame of the past. And the gospel sets people free, Daniel. And I just wanna say thank you to any of our listeners. You have been a partner with us. We really do exist only by your gifts to this ministry and your investment in the kingdom of God, your investment in the gospel. And so as we approach the year end, please do all you can.

If you've never partnered with us before, I hope this will be the time. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.