Jars of Clay [Part 2]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright, your debt has been paid so there is no longer any debt you must pay and therefore justice in the cosmos is now on your side you have been granted standing still fall still fail is still messed up, which are no longer a center here now was saying you been made in that's how you view all this in your life to another message of use. I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series victorious living is presented with an older church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with her 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 out and 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@pastor.org that's pastor out.O RG 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 staging here Alan Wright what's wrong with this notion, organize, and just take it you main thing I got away. It's so is in your hands. Your hands are all over that clay every little mark on that clay from my hands that's now look perfect and for a while looked like a duckbilled platypus is my hands actually thinking about how I thought about being in a clay pot is put into the account it becomes becomes hardened through the heat so that it can be a real container, but you remember initially was in the Potters hands you are here made in the Potters hand in every detail the fires of life have come in through the process you been made into an earthen vessel.

See Paul could have chosen a different image he could've said were like a Grecian urn is highly decorated earns it.

They would spin so much time delicately painting, lacing it with gold. Could've 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 trash that was the image doesn't necessarily look great on the outside can be fragile, but what it is carrying is unspeakably rich because critics were saying to him and others look at Paul's life he suffered too much. You got too much weakness, how to be really be an apostle Paul saying that's just my point is that I don't want a buy following me. I want in following Jesus so he doesn't have a shame mentality or worm theology, but is not saying look at me on impressive.

He saying what causes me joy is the treasurer of the gospel, the treasurer, he speaks of is probably referencing the entirety of the gospel, including the presence of God in his life function of the Holy Spirit. He says we have this so that you would see the surpassing power. It is a word I described before surpassing it is from two words that mean the throw and beyond, and that word you know it because it's come over and English is called hyperbole. Hyperbole. It is beyond what you would think or imagine it's the hyperbole do numbness.

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 coerce this is what we need.

It's entirely different than the secular model of self-esteem and let me just show you how and 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 the climate was a young Christian I would hear some truth that didn't come directly from the Bible or match something in the Bible. I don't know somebody else had that same thought. Confucius had some thought of doing to others as you have them do unto you all know or I learned of some and I realize later. 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 all truth is from him right so the real truth in the whole self-esteem ideology. Glad that it came it's better than parents withholding their affection and nobody giving any approval of any bites better than that. I but there were live.

This is what I'm saying when everybody gets a trophy and everybody gets a star on every paper. Something within the trousers going he is and really make that much sense and is read about a parent raising a child at all these trophies and when I saw the child had once here and visit which I would not. Is it well all these trophies. I got just for being on the team is out there about things he said these few I got for something special they they know the difference in this right what what what are some of the similarities will start with this in terms of just thinking of six different categories here and focus in terms of focus of our lives, the self-esteem mentality says I matter 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 soul the self-esteem ideology that I shouldn't put myself down and I should let others put me down and that's true is true. Some of us even as Chris and Chris in a long time and you still struggle with his his heart is in it and I just put yourself down you made on the golf course and find out I'm telling you staying other words but the gospel says and laughs and not curse. And that applies to yourself as well. Right with regard to your view of the past. The self-esteem of Mrs. I'm not doomed by my failures.

I was a good thing that self-esteem is to get your attention off all your failures as good. The gospel says I'm a new creature in Christ is a new day with regard to the future of the self-esteem movements that I have great potential. I guess what the gospel says the same thing.

The gospel says that you can do all things through Christ as God has a future and a hope for you the whole entire gospel is still brimming over with will have more teaching moment from today's important series facing a problem when well-meaning Christian friends, something like that.

The problem with section X of Tatian, of course, is that telling someone that they actually help the person have more faith once more faith. What can we do to get more faith in his highly acclaimed book, God mimics 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 you like this phone of God moments and through Allen writes teaching series and book treasure map to help you discover them. When you make a gift to sharing the right ministries to go into a very special kind of rights faith building but God moments series that he is preached on the subject, both when you make your gift, it's time to discover your God moments from the field with fresh, at 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right leg. Today's teaching now continues here once again is father was a shoe cobbler that mean you have to be a shoe cobbler mean that 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 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 want to watch it because I wasn't not that familiar with all 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 bombers on the loose. Still, everybody's living for something that is beyond themselves. In other words, people are going well.

My dream is to come out today and do something else on the Calypso might tell me to stay inside my house. There was a because it was bigger than them and what comes out of the movie as I heroism you feel.

Not just for the police force in the firefighters but every day citizens were just part of this everybody on the lookout for these killers to about the focus of the Christian life. It's not so much a look within myself to find worth it, is to see the unsurpassed work of Jesus Christ.

You will 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, where the sheep do we respond to the shepherd's voice. There's a greater focus to our lives in ourselves and when it comes to understanding our flaws know well the self-esteem movement said, ignore sand in order to feel better about yourself. This is the spirit of a dry redefine what is right and wrong to say that is really subjective and up to you identify yourself, express yourself and to let anybody try to restrict that and this is the way you're going to feel better is quit defining so many things is wrong and it doesn't work it doesn't work at all because sin still is. Sin isn't so with 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 are absolutely forgiven and you are set free from the tyranny and the bondage of that sin and to hold life and because of the blood of the Lord Jesus debt has been paid so there is no longer any debt you must pay and therefore justice in the cosmos is now on your side you have been granted standing God, you still fall still fail is still messed up, which are no longer a sinner here now was saying you been made holy and Christ. God is at work in your life. That's how you view all this in your life much better message incident and with regard to how you view the past the problem. The differences between self-esteem mentality and the gospel is the self-esteem just as fast as they can.

No big deal. After all, you're only human.

Lots of songs and shows you're only human. Part of that is important because if you live with the pressure of feel like you always be more than always be better than always to be something other than you gives you something to save on this Psalms is only human, but that's not is not what the gospel says. Instead, the gospel is something save. It's just absolutely astounding says your human and because you're human. It means you were made in the image of God you with the pentacle 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 your only human. It's a message of your new creature is 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 of the self-esteem movement says look within yourself. Look for your abilities and gifts and follow your dreams essentially equates with what you are longing for. With everything that you should do what you're feeling, should rule the day, and you should just follow your feelings. Not so the gospel was interesting. We were walking out hiking up the path to Lookout Mountain and Montreat and as we were walking, there was an artist sitting by the trail near the head of the trail and she was planning a lovely lovely landscape. I think in acrylic or oil and didn't stop long enough it was beautiful and as a kid I loved the pain and which are walking up the trail and I said that somebody is mine. The family said you know honestly if I really got to choose what I would do with my life.

I just read a person painting a picture of the trail.

Maybe I'd like to just make clay bears no as their big market for clay bears. I don't know what actually if you actually asked me out if you could just choose what would you want to do, I'd be Charles Schultz just give you a cartoon comic strip I could. I like to create a little artistic thing every day and just be what I would do. That's what I didn't really lead a large organization is not something I would've ever said oh that's what I want to do. But guess what, guess what, when I was in college and knelt down by my little red couch to pray one night the Holy Spirit came in my room without me asking to talk about without crime goes upstairs the holy presence of God and I wept for two weeks straight could talk about weeping because in the midst of this Italian on calling to the ministry and a suggestion we don't look within ourselves and just follow our feelings we have mighty father who loves us and gives us assignments and we find our identity in him we find identity by following the calling on our lives. So I love you pastor your pastor, I love being a preacher I will love the hard days. I still know this, rather just go make clay bears pictures on the trail called my identity. My worth is an infinite treasure has been the positive in the sins of our security is not found as it is in the self-esteem and I'm okay because I'm special. Following that okay because I'm special Barney the dinosaur message. I glanced know it's going on right now, but not despair. I am not down but not down. I'm secure because the persecuted and I'm hurting. I'm not forsaken for God will never ever leave us for all you do is go around and you look in the mirror all the self-help gurus and say look in the mirror and say I am beautiful. I'm special and I'm okay it did not down.

See what you got strength was Stan… But if you get up in the morning is clay pots looking all right. 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 give me carrying in the body the death of Jesus, something is this Paul also said I resolved to know nothing, but Christ and him crucified is and what I carry with me in my very being in my every thought that's been taken captive to Christ every part of being. I carry this with me. Jesus died for me, I carry with me the power of the cross every spiritual battle that I face.

I remember the blood of Jesus every demon I rebuke every every hardship that I endure every trial that I experience every time I proclaim the gospel carrying the body the death of Jesus in my very body. I am living out his redemptive work he says elsewhere. He says this is light and momentary affliction is no comparison to the eternal weight of glory that is waived so the second thing he saying is 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.

You had a masterpiece worth $1 million but you didn't have the million dollars but you are going to sell it next week you're already rich with it because of the glory that is to come. That's what Paul say in other words, it's a good thing to have a healthy self-esteem.

We want our kids to have when want to bless one another with true complements and affirmation but in the end, the great joy of life, security, confidence can't come for me. Looking at myself and Paul say in. I'm just a clay pot. So, in the sense like just an ordinary person, but God is extraordinary in me you are a clay pot for with the treasure God and that's the gospel right these teaching jars of Clay. It's from our series on second Corinthians.

Allen is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life. In today's final word in every moment nearly escaped from danger and having them you were surprised by blasting every moment you just knew the direction to take you different moments of God's grace. Perhaps they been covered by the sands of time just gone unnoticed in the rush of life. Your life is full of God moments when you make a gift to sharing the right ministry think I will send you a special bundle pastor. I went hearts during both God moments and defeating them containing all his audio messages on the subject.

They can't get to start your spiritual treasure hunt I'm covering you. I got how you remember yesterday will determine how you live tomorrow gospel is shared when you get to sharing and right. This bypass is only possible because of recent financial support. When you get today. We will send you today's special affect happy send this to you as I banks from sharing the right ministries, 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right leg. We know we are talking about the self-esteem movement. The two cold maybe few decades back and became like this new movement but really the Bible and Paul had a corner and you did one of those days where it comes out like a major revelation of the world like we had this since antiquity gospel but we would draw some distinctions Daniel between the modern self-esteem movement that will really flows through humanism versus worth in Christ, which flows through the power of the gospel and I II have a chart in my notes everywhere.

Just draw up all of the distinctions. The focus that we have in in the humanistic model is just as I matter I am special. But in in Christ means I'm infinitely valuable because Christ died from easy. That's a bigger statement and you know when we think about the past and all of our mistakes that the self-esteem movement might say I'm not doomed by my failures, but 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 with Paul the second queen is 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 to value the cell is something that is important to God.

We want to teach our kids. We want to bless our our families are 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 is done for us and we are in Christ. It goes even deeper if you only caught part of today's teaching.

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