The Beauty of Balance [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright great athletes have great balance of one of the greatest golfers they named Dustin Johnson can hit the ball a mile and I knew had great balance when I saw a picture of him standing on an exercise ball hitting golf falls faster welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today. In this series word and spirit the unity of as presented with an older church in North Carolina that you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program to make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now it can be worse for your donation this month to Alan Wright mysteries. So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you this resource. Today's special offer. Contact us@pastor.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright thing in the human body is designed according to balance the whole world's.

And so it should be no surprise that when Jesus came and he showed us what a true human being is what we saw in his life was balance every aspect of his life.

Let me give you sort of a little pectoral series of snapshots in Jesus life and see if it doesn't prove the point if you want to follow along on start in Mark chapter 1 first little snapshots here of a couple scenes in his life where within just a few verses you will see what seems to be exactly opposite going on in his life. If you were to just choose out one aspect of it, you'd miss who Jesus was, you'd miss what true humanity is so you gotta put them together Mark chapter 1 verse 32 Mark one, verse 32. That evening at sundown. They brought him all who were sick or oppressed by demons, and the whole city is the key to the whole city was gathered together at the door every five huge strong and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons and he would not permit the names this be because they knew him and rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark. He departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed, and Simon and those are with him searched for him and they found them and said to him, everyone is looking for the did you catch that that in the evening says the whole city was at his door. He was with people intensely in the next morning he gets up, and reason is get up so early is because he wants to sneak out of town to go get some time to himself. This is Jesus sneaking out to get some time alone with the father. This is Jesus who is having to sneak out just to be alone under the extroverts and introverts and some people get their energy from being with people.

Some people more energized by their own inner world of ideas or with just a few people but every person right needs time with people and time alone with God is nothing wrong with that. And somehow they have my wife, who is the ultimate extrovert I've got. I tend to be more introverted, of course, be a pastor over the years I've had to adjust to that give myself more ballast out and that and but I got a wife and a daughter both extrovert. Your extrovert is if you're brushing your teeth and you step out of the bathroom on your brush and to step into the bedroom is if you go talk to somebody why unite like can you be alone just to brush her teeth for a few minutes and you know your extrovert you like people like that. I don't have any desire to step out of the bathroom while brushing my teeth. I'm quite okay to be alone in there for a while but I just seem to even my wife true extrovert. Sometimes the discounters exam people out and I we honor all understand what that means that you don't love people that mean you don't love people just need your people. Can you believe that Jesus got people out needed to go be with his father and have some time alone in a bike. Such a funny scene very hard.

Jesus no way that assuming you don't need any time alone and even Jesus did.

It's not a sin is part of balance. It's a good thing to have quiet time scripting have quiet time with God. Good thing to have a devotional life so wonderful thing to have time with people in prayer. It's a good thing have time in prayer yourself. Okay, here's another snapshot in this pictorial album of Jesus's life just a few chapters later, Mark four Mark chapter 4 verse 35 Mark for the verse 35 on that day when evening had come. He said let's go across the other side and leaving the crown. They took him with them in the boat.

Just as he was an other boats were with him, and a great wind storm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so the boat was already filling but he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion and they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing, and he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the CPC's. Be still, and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them why you're so afraid. Have you still no faith and they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him. He is in the just a few verses he is asleep and then he is rising up and rebuking hurricane. Who is he is he the one who columns storms are the one who can sleep through them. He's boat. He has times in which he is just absolutely resting and times and which he is demonstrating his power over all creation takes a nap. One minute rebukes the storm.

The next and what's interesting is the disciples were so afraid of the storm, but after Jesus rebuked the storm. In some ways, they were more afraid of Jesus. He was awesome, and yet he was taking a nap until media, one more. John chapter 2 we could just go away through Jesus life and give one more of these snapshots. In John chapter 2, I love this this something in the same chapter you can see what happens. This is John chapter 2 verse one on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother Jesus was there, and Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples and perhaps you know the story they ran out of wine, which was a terrible demonstration of no hospitality. You don't run out of wine and wedding party was a mark of the festivity. It was their drink of the evening and so Jesus turns the water into wine is not served by getting drunk it's it's because it's a matter of hospitality. It's a matter of a symbol of the parties still going and were still able to serve our guests and so he said to them at verse eight. Now draw some out and take it to them after the fee so they took it, and when the master of the feast tasted the water now become why I did not know where it came from the servants who drawn the water knew the master the fees called the bridegroom and said to Marilyn serves a good one first when the people drunk freely than the poor one but you kept the good wine until now. So here's Jesus the life of the party and then just a few verses later at verse third T John two verse 13 the Passover of the Jews was at hand. And Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the temple he found those were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons in the moneychangers sitting there and making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and oxen. A report out the coins of the moneychangers over to their table. They told us all the pages take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade and his disciples remembered that it was written zeal for your house will consume me one minute he is laughing he is the center of the party of the great greatest celebration that would take place in mid Eastern culture, a wedding, and in the next moment he is driving people out of the temple violently turning over moneychangers tables because he is so zealous for the house of the Lord. These moneychangers what they do is that people would come from distant places and they would have to buy their lambs for sacrifice. They bother animals from the Temple to make sure was unblemished.

They don't get one from them and they have to buy it using temple currency and when they exchange their currency for the temple currency. They were sitting in their charging exorbitant exchange right so they were making a killing off the people who had come to worship God and Jesus saw this whole mockery of the worship of God and with the temple was never meant to be and he was absolutely furious doing is this man who minute is making more lines of the party can continue and is is I seem to be the most happy-go-lucky guy in the world and the next minute he's driving people out with Syria and is on will have more teaching moment from today's important series being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and spirit were never meant to be separated working spirit always belonged together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible.

The secret of being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit simulations studying Scripture and some traditions emphasize the spirit to real Christian growth is both word and spirit as someone once said Pollard never spirit you dry all spirit. No word both word and spirit umbrella. You make a gift of support this night will send you Alan Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit Airlines embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with wording spirit realm up helping someone else grow as well. And remember, when you partner with broadcasting the love of God to every day.

The gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastoralan.org days teaching now can you once again is Taylor. He's amazing surprise you if you had never heard of him and you had just an opportunity read the Gospels. This is the Jesus you would see his wonderful book Jesus I never knew Phil Yancey said he grew up with the Sunday school image of Jesus as sort of just this milquetoast character who basically could be summarized as a nice guy.

If we don't watch it. That's what we end up teaching children Sunday school.

Jesus was nice of you be nice and it gives a very small and dim picture of who Jesus really is and then Phil Yancey said he went to Bible college and he began to see Jesus in some new ways and he wrote it all to me that virtually all the portrayals of Jesus showed him wearing a mustache and beard, both of which were strictly banned from the Bible college try to any answer questions now loom that it never occurred to me in childhood. For example, how would telling people to be nice to one another. Get a man crucified what government would execute Mr. Rogers or He also writes Jesus, I found bore little resemblance to the Mr. Rogers figure admittance on his goal in my prior image. I realize Jesus's personality match that of a Star Trek Vulcan. He remained calm, cool and collected, as he strode like a robot amongst excitable human beings on spaceship Earth. But that's not what I found portrayed in the gospel other people affected Jesus deeply obstinate, see frustrated self-righteousness infuriated him simple faith thrilled him. Indeed, he seemed more emotional and spontaneous than the average person last more passionate not last. This is true of Jesus robot more passionate so he feels things more deeply, not last week with a picture of abundant life. Nobody grieved more deeply than Jesus. Nobody laughed heartily. Yancey writes the more I study Jesus, the more difficult it became to pigeonhole and he said little about the Roman occupation. The main topic of conversation amongst his countrymen and yet he took up a whip to drive petty profiteers from the Jewish Temple. He urged obedience to the Mosaic law while acquiring a reputation as a lawbreaker.

He could be stabbed with sympathy for a stranger turn on his best friend with a flinty rebuke, get behind me Satan. This is Jesus thing is if you still contemplating this you start seeing into some of the mysteries of the wonder and glory of God, studied poetry and collagen are always being taken by poems that had to be really seen in pairs by romantic poet William Blake and the first of which is like a little child that is speaking to a land like like it's catechism for the lamb little lamb who made the cell know who made the gave the life and did the feet by the stream and or the mean, gave the clothing of the light softest clothing will he bright gave me such a tender voice making all the veils rejoiced lamb who made the sound of the little lamb out Kathy Lamott. He is called by thy name for he calls himself a lamb. He is meek and he is mild, he became a little child I a child and thou lamb. We are called by his name, the Lamb, God bless the little lamb little child is observing the little lamb given it a catechism. Do you really know who you are and who made you and then later same poet wrote a poem called Tiger Tiger Tiger burning bright in the forests of the night what immortal hand or I could frame thy fearful symmetry and what distant deep source guys burns the fire of thine eyes. What wings dare he aspire what the hand there sees the fire what shoulder and what art could twist the sinews of thy heart when my heart began to beat what dread hand and what dread feet but the hammer what the chain and what furnace was thy brain to handle what dread to grasp Derek's deadly terrors class when the stars threw down their spears and watered heaven with their tears did. He smiled his work to see that he who make the land make the Tiger Tiger burning bright in the forests of the night what immortal hand dry their frame thy fearful symmetry their lambs and their tigers in the world in the same God made them, recognizing all of this grace and truth and spirit word work and rest celebration and contemplation in all and intimacy. All of this dynamic balance that makes up our life is so essential because her health depends upon it. The health of our homes.

The health of our relationships, the health of our physical body, and most certainly if I've learned anything over these three decades of ministry. Is this the health of the church and that's why we sought to build our church. On balance, grace and truth word and spirit.

But not only is it your health but healthy things grow, so that is to say that our effectiveness in this world depends on it. If your health depends on it. So does your effectiveness. I apologize for all the golf illustrations and sermons. But you must understand that. Basically, I've got time with God time in the church time with family and maybe some time writing and then all that's left is time for golf and there's nothing else to my life. This is not a more comic in that so sorry this is what you get because I just tell you the golf swing depends upon balance. It's not that you just stay like this.

You don't move while you're in balance but you didn't hit the ball. You have to get your weight back and you have to get your weight through but if you can use your balance going back.

You never get back to the ball and it doesn't go anywhere you lose all your floors is so great. Athletes have great balance in one of the greatest golfer today's name Dustin Johnson can hit the ball a mile and I knew had great balance when I saw a picture of him standing on an exercise ball hitting golf balls. I can't stand all solid ground without losing him about these understand on exercise ball with a full swing. In other words, generally stronger, and your mission is going to go further when you are balanced whizzes in the end to say your destiny depends on this.

Imagine if Jesus had not had this dynamic balance.

The feed only been busy but never had been with the father or if he only had been with the father but never minister to people. Imagine, just think of a plane. They can only fly with his two wings in the tight rope walker who is utterly balanced is confident to go higher and higher and higher, your health, your growth, your mission, your effectiveness and your destiny depends upon this so in the end, it should not be surprising that the ultimate picture of this amazing swing of things that seem to be completely opposite is picture day in the son of God who is at a point of utter weakness on the cross.

Utter weakness and dies a real death and is buried and on the third day emerges in utter strength with the resurrection power and rains on high son of God, the son of man who came to take away the sin of the world.

That's our Jesus William Blake was right. Jesus is the Lamb. And he is the Tiger Jesus came as the little baby and he will return as the victorious warrior. He is your humble servant and he is your mighty king. He is the crucified and the resurrected. He suffered quietly. He rose triumphantly. He for gave centers compassionately and he rebuked demons violently. He is utterly awesome and unexpectedly approachable. He is infinitely glorious and gloriously merciful. He runs the cosmos and carefully counts the hairs on your head. Devils cower at his name, but toddlers are comforted by a religious Pharisees are rebuked by him, but desperate sinners are renewed by him.

You might find him glad or mad or sad and he might not act in the way that you wish that he had, but you can be sure of this, he is all is good and he is never bad. He is grace. And he is truth. He is perfectly God and he is perfectly human. He is Jesus and he used the picture of balance and that is the gospel right conclusion of today's teaching. The beauty of but it's really just kicking off this entire series with more to come. Plus Alan on the way next year in the studio with additional insight on this for our lives. And today's final work being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and spirit were never meant to be separated working spirit always belonged together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible. The secret of being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit subjugation studying Scripture, and some traditions emphasize the spirit to real Christian growth both word and spirit as someone once said Pollard spirit you dry all spirit.

No word both word and spirit umbrella. When you make a gift to support this man will send you Alan Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit Airlines embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with wording spirit realm up helping someone else grow as well.

And remember, when you partner with broadcasting the love of God, 2000 every day. The gospel is shared when you get Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website, pastor.org, Alan.

The beauty of balance and as we look at Jesus. We we realize who our God is.

So we are finding that because of that perfect balance in Christ that makes it more approachable. I think it does Jesus what we see is the balance in Jesus how real he is.

But ultimately the expression of the one who is both God and human were drawn to him as our Lord and yet he can understand us and we can know were understood because he also was was human. What a what a picture and in that sense he is everything. Today's good news message is a listener support it. Alan Wright Ministries