The Five Pillars of Perspective

Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast.

We exist to awaken this generation to a new life in Christ.

Thanks for tuning in.

To find out more, go to awakeningchurch.com.

As we get started today, I want to ask you a question and I want you to really think deeply about it.

What is the biggest challenge you're facing right now?

Maybe put it another way, if there's one thing that God could take away, or one thing that He could fix, and you said, Oh Lord, just what would it be?

One pressure, one relationship, you know, maybe me, one check in the mail, or one opportunity.

In other words, what is it?

What's the challenge that you're facing?

Might be internal, might be external, but but I don't want you to just be vague.

I want you to say, this is what my biggest challenge is.

Have you got it?

Maybe it's I'm depressed.

Maybe it's my mate left me.

Maybe it's one of my kids is not doing well.

They've been home, there's no activity.

This is not going well.

Have you got it?

Okay.

We all have times like this, right?

Jesus had times like this.

Jesus had a time that was so overwhelming, so difficult.

He asked his closest to come, will you pray with me for an hour?

And then he went off by himself and basically said, God, if there's any other way.

And it was just excruciating and painful.

But there's one thing that sustained him.

The writer of Hebrews tells us there was something he had in the midst of that that made him not give up.

He didn't give in, despite all the temptation, all the pain, and even everything that was coming at him.

Yes, he was fully God, but never forget he was fully, fully human.

And the writer of Hebrews will tell us in chapter 12, it was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross, despising the shame.

But he looked down the corridor, it was perspective.

He knew there would come a moment when they would pierce his skull, they would put nails in his wrists, there would be a moment even far more painful than the physical, where the Father would turn away in a moment, the first time in all of history, and Jesus would absorb, literally become our sin offering.

He knew all that was coming, but the thing that sustained him wasn't willpower.

It wasn't that he had a big S on his chest where he could just pull up his robe.

The thing that sustained him is he had perspective.

He understood the joy set before him.

He endured the cross.

And over the years, I've had more than a handful of times where I have felt overwhelmed, discouraged, depressed, afraid, whether it was an injury, whether we have gone through cancer with Teresa, and praise God, we made it through that.

We've had different times with our kids, whether it was, you know, a struggle with them or a medical issue.

I've been had times in ministry where I've been stuck in countries or I remember once when a guy in the Philippines had a machine gun pointed at me and I thought, this is the end.

I've had lots and lots of times where, God, if you don't provide, we're gonna have to shut down the church or the ministry or a close friend.

We all have these times, and what I want to tell you is perspective is the key.

See, often our circumstances don't change, but if we can see them, if we can get them in perspective, when you have a big problem, a big challenge, I mean a big issue, a problem relationship, it just you focus on it, it gets closer and closer and closer, and pretty soon you're looking at all of life through that problem.

When in reality, maybe 80, 90% of your life is actually pretty good, but it feels terrible.

So here's the question: How do you get perspective when you're facing challenges that are physically, relationally, and emotionally overwhelming?

Let me say that again.

How do you get perspective when you're going through things that have you swallowed up?

I call it the five pillars of perspective, and this has been just a little personal journey.

I for about 30 years studied the attributes of God, and I came up with just these five pillars that I walk through in my mind that allow me, with a little process that I'm going to share with you, that takes the problems, that takes the issues, that takes the challenges, and it gets them out of in front of my face, down here, doesn't change them necessarily, but I see them completely differently.

Pillar number one is this.

Are you ready?

This is how you get perspective.

Number one, God is good.

Jot down in your notes, if you will, Psalm 84.11.

For the Lord God is a son and a shield.

The Lord gives grace and glory, promise.

No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

God is good.

In other words, it's his nature.

God isn't good because you've been good.

God, in his nature, just as he is holy, he is good.

In other words, in the words of Tozer, God says that there's a desire in God to bless you, to be for you.

He finds a holy happiness in the blessing of his people.

He loves it when you're doing well.

He wants to give you good things.

As you walk with him, he doesn't want to withhold any good thing.

And then notice he's a son, unlimited power.

He's a shield, unlimited protection.

He gives grace.

In other words, he'll give you what you don't deserve.

He gives glory.

The word literally means to lift you up.

And when you begin to believe that God is good, that he's not down on you, then you can look down the road and say, feels risky, feels hard, I don't know what's coming.

But what I know is the person behind it is good.

He's for me.

He cares for me.

If he asks me to take a step of faith, it's for my good.

If I'm in a difficult situation, it's for my good.

If people are doing some things that are unfair, that are wrong, he says, this is how I want you to respond, because it's for my good.

The basis of a sane relationship and life is believing, really believing, that God is for us.

His arms are not crossed, he's not down on you, he's not pointing out everything every day.

When when God wants to point out something in your life or my life that's wrong, he's very specific.

And the only goal is to say, Chip, boy, that what came out of your mouth, or chip, you know what you just let into your mind, or chip that attitude, or chip what you posted and how you said it, he'll be very specific so I can agree, oh Lord, you're right.

Because his goal is to restore our relationship.

He's not down on me.

Pillar number two, life is hard.

Jesus in John 16, 33 says, These things I've spoken to you, that in me you might have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation.

Translation, trouble.

It's gonna be hard, it's gonna be difficult, it's gonna be unjust, it's gonna be not fair, it's gonna be painful.

In the world you'll have tribulation, but take courage.

I've overcome the world.

Part of what overwhelms us in our perspective is when things happen to us, and we just think, God, how could you?

This is so unfair.

I think for many, you do understand that the whole prosperity gospel, this idea that if you just believe and have faith all the time, you're gonna be wealthy, you're never gonna be sick, everything's gonna go your way, that's a very interesting proposition.

It is absolutely not biblical.

Does God want to bless you and help you?

Certainly.

But Jesus' word to his disciples was, I'm going to leave, and what I want you to know is it's gonna be great one day.

It's in fact it'll be perfect.

It's called heaven, and I'm going to prepare a place for you.

Until then, life is hard.

It's gonna be unfair.

Could we agree that the disciples, the apostles, really obeyed God and went forth?

Yes.

How did that work out for them?

What we know from church history is every one of those apostles was martyred save one, and that was the apostle John, and he got exiled and stuck on a rock to write a book that tells us how it's all gonna come out, Revelation.

See, if your expectations are God owes you, uh, God, if I've loved you, I'm tithing.

I go to church, I'm reading your Bible now.

We're having family devotions.

I gave over and above to missions.

You owe me a good job, a happy marriage, and kids a turnout right, you're gonna be very disappointed.

There's lots of things that go on in life, and it's a fallen world.

And really bad things happen to really good people.

And what Jesus said was, um, you're not exempt.

One group came to him once and they said, Lord, have you heard what Pilate did?

And he killed those Jews that were worshiping here.

And you know, they were expecting Jesus to give some answer.

And his answer was, Do you think those who died were any worse sinners than other people?

And then Jesus said, Oh, have you heard the other news report about that tower in Silo, how it fell and it crushed, and some people died?

You know, it was just an accident, you know, whether it was, you know, the wood rusted, or I guess wood doesn't rust, but you know what I mean.

And then his point was, they were no greater sinners, but he says, repent.

In other words, bad things are going to happen because it's a fallen world.

Brace yourself.

Don't expect that life is going to be easy.

It gives you perspective.

I often use uh the illustration because I've had a couple good buddies who played football and and uh they they love it when you know that running back or the wide receiver comes across and they're sort of laying in wait, you know, and uh of course they don't hit them, lead with the head anymore.

But when they come across like that and they bam and they knock them out and then they stand over them like that and start doing all this stuff, right?

If you want to be a wide receiver in the NFL, or if you want to be a running back that when you break through that hole, if you don't think you're gonna get hit by a linebacker, you're dreaming.

And if you want to walk with God, if you want to have an impact for Jesus Christ, if you want to be a man, a woman who God would say, Well done, my good and faithful servant, you want to be the kind of dad that your kids say, I'd like to be like my dad, or I'd like to be like my mom.

You'd like to be the kind of neighbor that our neighbors say, you know, I'm not even sure about the Christianity stuff, but if they were all like Joe who lives next to me, man, I'd I'd be all in.

I will tell you what, there are spiritual linebackers, and there is evil that'll come your way, and God will protect you, but it won't be easy.

The third pillar is not only is God good and life is hard, but God is sovereign.

Romans 8 28 says, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those that are called according to his purpose.

Sometimes this is kind of thrown out flippantly, so let's talk about what sovereignty means and what it doesn't mean.

When we say God is sovereign, it means that he sees all things from the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end.

It's that he's all powerful, he's all knowing, and he has purposes.

Sovereignty does not mean that he's orchestrating every decision and every little event in all of life, and that we all happen to be little puppets that have been predestined to work out in some little way.

He's given us very significant freedom.

We make decisions and there's consequences.

We sing praise and has consequences.

But the overall purposes and sovereignty of God, he will not allow his purposes to be thwarted.

That's that's Job 42, too.

And when evil happens to his children whom he loves, because he has control and sees all things and can orchestrate things, he actually will take the difficulties and the pains, and he can reshape them even when they're from our sin and our own mistakes, and he can reshape them because he's a gracious and loving father and work them for our good, often for our character, for our future, for our relationships.

If you've not read the book of Genesis lately, uh, read chapters 37 through 50.

There's only 50 chapters in the book, and yet 13 chapters are about Joseph.

Why?

Because it tells the story of God's favor and goodness and love for a person in the midst of a very fallen world.

So Joseph is the guy that gets a dream and a word from God, and this is what I'm gonna do.

And he doesn't handle it really well, okay.

But then he gets sold by his brothers.

Then he's falsely accused of rape, then he's forgotten in prison.

And I mean bad, bad, bad, bad for 13 years.

And all the while God was working those challenges and this little line all through those verses, and the Lord was with Joseph, and the Lord was with Joseph.

Something was happening.

What was happening is his character and his dependence, and it wasn't fair, and it just was terrible.

But he didn't give up and he didn't give in.

He was getting stronger and stronger, and then God prepared him to be the second most powerful in the world and save the entire nation of Israel.

He could even say, because he saw God's sovereignty and his goodness and accepted that life was hard, he said to his brothers in chapter 50, verse 20, as for you, you meant it for evil.

But God meant it for good to bring about this present result to preserve or save many people alive.

Quite honestly, we don't get to see this all the time.

I've had some times, some situations in my life that I've been so angry and so hurt and so betrayed.

And now, getting a little bit older, I look back some of that, you know, five, ten, fifteen, twenty years.

Wow, oh Lord, that was terrible.

That was wrong, that was unfair.

But I wouldn't be here.

Actually, I would have never come to this church when I got to be the pastor, or I would have never gone to this country, or maybe I would have never met Teresa, or oh God, I didn't see it, and I didn't see it right away, but I got perspective.

You are good.

Yes, life is hard, but you're sovereign.

Fourth pillar is God is all wise.

The end of uh Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

The Apostle Paul has given the definitive work on the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.

And it's great fodder for theologians to argue about.

And it's interesting to me that the author of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, when he gets to the very end of how all that fits together in that mystery and that greatness and the awe, he doesn't come out with a theological position that's against other people.

He looks at both knowing, yes, you're in control, yes, we are responsible.

Is it a mystery and in awe?

This is what he he says in praise.

Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God.

How unsearchable are his judgments and how unfathomable his ways.

Who has known the mind of the Lord who became his counselor?

Or who has first given him counsel or given anything to God that he should pay him back?

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever.

In other words, what he's saying is the ways of God, the paths of God, the decisions of God, the wisdom of God, you try and trace it out and get to why he does, what he does, with whom, when, where, not.

He can't.

He sees it, he's other.

The classic theological definition of the wisdom of God is that God brings about the best possible results by the best possible means for the most possible people for the longest possible time.

Think about that.

Your life right now, your your difficulty, your challenge, God's orchestrating, he's working for your good.

You shouldn't be surprised that it's hard.

Welcome to the spiritual NFL, welcome to life.

But he's in control, and he is not just setting you loose, hoping, oh, I hope things go well.

He is orchestrating his paths and his ways, he's bringing about what you can't see, probably, the best possible ends by the best possible means for the most possible people for the longest possible time.

I was uh at a time in my life when I was ready to pretty much give up on God.

Uh give up, I was studying for the ministry at the time, and I won't go into all the details, but we we've all had that, right?

And some of you are there right now.

Despair, despondent, forget it.

Where are you, God?

If this is what it means to serve you, I'm done.

I can't take it anymore.

And I happened to uh have a theology class at the time, and that definition of wisdom I had learned in the last day or two or three.

And I was having this conversation.

I'm done.

Okay?

I no, I'm serious, I'm done.

I mean, I gave up this, I gave up this, we moved out here, we don't have any money.

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is hard.

I am done.

And by the way, this happened.

And then the wisdom of God is that character which, and by his attribute, he brings about the best possible ends for the most possible people for the longest possible time.

And this thought came to me.

If there was a kinder or gentler way for God to shape my life, cause my marriage to be what he wants it to be, make me the man and the father that he wants me to be and I want to be, and prepare me for whatever he has in the future.

If there was a kinder or gentler way than what I'm currently experiencing, I would be experiencing that because he is good and he is all wise and he's sovereign.

And on the basis of trusting the wisdom of God that I can't see his path, I am so glad I did not opt out.

The fifth pillar is not just that he's good or life is hard or God is sovereign or God is all wise, but God is all powerful.

Jeremiah would write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chapter 32, verse 17, Ah, Lord God, I love this.

Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm.

Nothing is too difficult for you.

I don't know what you're going through, but it might take us 10, 20, 30, 40 years to do something.

God can move a mountain, God can solve a problem like that.

He has all power, and that power is available.

The Apostle Paul would write in Ephesians chapter 1, he would say to us that, you know, our spiritual eyes have been opened.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

And he says he would pray that we would know this hope of our calling, what God has in store.

And then it says he prays that he would allow us to grasp and understand the power that dwells within us, the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

And I'll never forget studying.

It's it's verse, you know, like 18, 19, and 20 of chapter one.

And when he begins to talk about his power, he uses four different Greek words to basically get around it in every way imaginable to say, can you grasp the power that God has and it's available?

And often it's not just power that does a miracle, it's a power to persevere.

The greatest power I think Jesus ever experienced was the power of the Holy Spirit as he depended on the Father in view of his perspective to go to the cross, to stay on the cross, to not call down angels, and to die for you and me, and to give his life that we might have life.

And sometimes the greatest thing and the greatest power you will ever need is to make it through the hardest time in your marriage, or with one of your kids, or with a disease, or without a job, or with the uncertainty of what's going to happen in the future.

But the power is available.

See, when I am really, really, really struggling, I have to go back to the basics and I have to pause.

And I take that thing that's up here that I'm struggling with.

Lord, I know that you are good.

I know that life is hard.

I know that you are sovereign.

I know that you're all wise, and I know that you're all powerful.

And what I want you to know is that the number one thing God is asking you and asking me, and asking all of us every day and every way, regardless of what you're going through, here's the fundamental question.

Write this one down.

What does it look like to trust God in this situation?

You know, they ask.

Jesus, what is the work of God?

I mean, what's it mean to really follow you and to follow God?

What do you really want?

And Jesus said in John 6, this is the work of God that you believe on him who he has sent.

The only time he ever, ever criticized or rebuked the disciples, what it was about.

Oh, you of little faith.

Here's the deal: God wants you to trust him.

Can you trust a good God in a life that's hard, who's in control, who's all-wise and is all powerful?

And then you ought to be asking right about now, okay.

If you're a follower of Jesus, if you believe his word, I don't, and you don't have any argument about what I've just shared.

It's it's it's basic theology, it's just what the Bible teaches about who God is and and how life works.

But here's the question: So, um how do I get that into my everyday life in a way where I am trusting God?

I mean, Chip, could you like give me a game plan?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I can.

Um let me give you four action steps.

Some of the times it'll be just a willful decision.

I'm not saying you're gonna feel ooey-gooey about it, but let me give you four action steps that by faith you can regain perspective and begin to trust the goodness and the power and the wisdom and the sovereignty of God in the midst of your hard situation.

Action step number one: absolutely refuse to worry.

What?

Yes, absolutely refuse to worry.

I'll never forget the first time I ever heard it stated that way.

It was Oswald Chambers.

Uh he was doing ministry during uh, I believe it's Second World War.

And um he was in a camp and people were dying and things were everywhere, and he he read Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, and he realized to worry is a sin.

Philippians 4:6

You know, be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, right?

Offer your quests up to God.

And the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

And Oswald Chambers said, I just realized it's a choice.

And he wrote in his journal, and I read it in my utmost for his highest, I will absolutely refuse to worry.

When it comes, I'm just I'm not going to do that.

And it was sort of this defiant, I won't, I I refuse to worry.

And you know, I'll be honest with you, most of us, here's where I try not to worry.

I don't want to worry.

I'm really working on that worrying.

I don't really want to worry.

I really know it's a sin, but let's just talk with one another about it.

Really is really tough and COVID's really tough, and what about this and what about that?

And you know, like I'm assigned in the household, I'm the worry wart.

You want to get perspective?

Don't give yourself permission.

Instead, you need to pray, but a special kind of prayer.

What's it say?

Be anxious for nothing, command, but in everything, by prayer, it's a general word.

It means just get your focus up immediately.

You start to fear, you start to be anxious, focus up.

By prayer and supplication, that means you begin to move from just a worship and a concept of who God is to I'm going to now enter into asking for some specific things.

And he goes, with thanksgiving, begin to give thanks for what you do have, and then make your request.

And literally, it's like bring your grocery list.

Lord, I want to know about the job, one of my children, what about this, what about that?

And you bring them, and he says, as you offer them and leave them there, there's a peace that God will give you.

When worry knocks at the door of your heart, let prayer answer it.

It's a discipline, it's a choice, it's a challenge, but we can do it.

You want to get perspective?

Don't worry.

Absolutely refuse to worry.

When worry knocks on the door of your heart, let this kind of prayer answer it.

Philippians 4, 6 and 7.

Two, get God's direction.

But in other words, God, how do you see this?

God, what do you want me to do?

God, should we relocate?

I mean, a lot of people are doing that now.

God, should I should I change jobs?

God, should I shut down the business?

God, should I hang on?

Lord, I would hate to do it.

Should I lay off some people?

Should I keep them on?

Lord, should I take some money out of here or out of there?

Uh God, what do you want me to do?

Do you want me to change jobs?

I don't have the answer to those questions, and neither do you.

So how do you get God's direction?

Let me give you three specific ways.

Number one, his word.

Psalm 119, 105.

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

You know, it's this morning.

I didn't actually feel much like reading the Bible and had a lot on my plate, but here's what I've learned.

Lord, um, there's some things I don't know what to do.

And I don't know if you're gonna speak specifically, but I'm gonna show up.

And your Holy Spirit takes your word and you make it the living word.

And so I'm gonna be reading this morning slowly and reflectively, and I'm asking you to speak to me.

If it's a specific issue, you may want to study that specific issue, but get into God's word to get direction.

Second, get wise counsel.

Get wise counsel.

Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.

Proverbs 15, 22.

Who are the wisest, most godly people and ask them for help.

I recently had to uh make a big presentation, and and so I called a pastor who's 90 years old, who uh I mean alive and he swims six times a week and godly.

And I just laid out my life and laid out the world situation.

I said, Don, what what do you think?

And then I I called a guy that was the head of the largest company in the world, actually the executive vice president and of operations.

He ran this, it was the largest company in the world for a season.

And I just I just called him and I said, Hey, I'm I'm just the business world and the finances, that's so over my head.

What do you see coming?

Will you will you help me with that?

And so, you know, and then I then I I talked to two or three friends, a mentor that since I was been 28 years old.

I just went to people and said, Would you help me think through what is going on?

And you know me.

Uh, even this week, I've asked three of our board members to come in.

We're gonna spend all day strategically saying, okay, Lord, what's the next season for Living on the Edge?

What do you want it to look like?

Uh we're we're in the spiritual hand sanitizer and mask business.

I mean, it's been an exhausting but wonderful year of helping people that are in real need.

Well, we've learned some things.

What do you want 2021, 22, 23 to look like?

And so after you get into his word and you get wise counsel, then ask for wisdom.

God promises.

James 1, 5.

If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and he'll give it.

But here's the caveat.

Lord, I don't know exactly what to do, but if you'll show me, before you show me, I'll do whatever you show me.

I don't want to relocate.

You want me to relocate?

I will.

I don't want to start a new business, but you want me to start a new business, I will.

It's been a rough season.

I do not want to go to marriage counseling.

You want me to go to marriage counseling?

I will.

Whatever you say, I will do.

And he promises he'll show up.

Absolutely refuse to worry, number one.

Get God's direction, number two.

Number three, develop a plan.

A bad plan.

Don't float.

Don't let the world make decisions for you.

Don't just, I wonder what's going to happen, and are they gonna do this?

And develop a plan.

Proverbs 16.

The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

That's verse nine.

But verse three says, commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

You know, you I don't know what to do.

I feel paralyzed.

Get out a yellow sheet of paper, or get out your iPad, your computer, your laptop, whatever, and just I'm going to write out my plan.

This is what I'm going to do.

And just write out a very bad one that you can revise.

You have to say, as far as I know, this is a situation.

Here's all the facts.

Here's the counsel.

This is what God showed me in his word, or I'm reading, I didn't get anything special.

So, with all I know, this is what I'm going to do, this is when I'm going to do it, and this is how I'm going to do it.

And then go back to your counselors and say, This is the plan I think I should follow.

What do you think?

But you've got to act.

And number four, move forward boldly.

Move forward boldly.

Joshua was overwhelmed with his new leadership, and it was his crisis moment.

And the Lord said, Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous, do not tremble or be dismayed?

Why?

For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

And here's what I can tell you.

Um, your family, your friends, those of you in supervisor roles and leadership roles, people are desperate for someone to lead clearly and boldly and biblically.

This is what I think.

You won't get it right all the time.

But God promises He will always, always, always deliver.

He delivers in three ways, and I'll close with this.

Number one, and this is my this is my a priority.

Lord, deliver us out of this.

COVID is gone tomorrow.

Uh this person is healed, a check comes in the nail, the economy back bounces back super fast.

I mean, God deliver us out of things, and he does, and it's miraculous, and we praise him.

More often, he delivers us through things.

Like he said to the Apostle Paul, My grace is sufficient for you.

Power is perfected in weakness.

I'm not going to take you out of it, I'm going to give you grace to go through it.

And then, as we've learned with some of God's most precious, precious saints, people that he loves, people I think a lot like Enoch, where God just couldn't wait for him to die.

He just took him up.

Psalm 116 says that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones.

God delivers us out of situations, he delivers us through situations, and sometimes he delivers us unto himself for an eternity to be with him.

Lord, I pray for the challenge that's in the front of each person's mind and what they're going through.

And I ask for the gift of perspective.

I ask that you, God, Holy Spirit, would help people to believe and to trust that you are good, to remember that life is hard, that you're wise, that you're sovereign, that you are all powerful.

And finally, Lord, I pray for the discipline and the grit and the grace to refuse to worry, to get a clear direction from you, to develop the best plan that we can, and then move boldly in the power of your spirit.

And God, I pray for your hand of favor and blessing upon your people.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.