Keeping Perspective — A tool for our Journey

Transcript

but good evening everyone um i wanted to x thank you again for having me back x to lead again another uh bible class and x i hope that we can all take something x from our discussions this evening x when i started x putting together my class it quickly x became clear that my class was becoming x less like a a bible class and and uh x was turning out to be more like an x exhortation and i i hope that this x direction is okay with everyone x um x definitely i hope we you know when x you're putting together bible classes or x any kind of class you as as a speaker x you get a lot out of it of course and um x i definitely got a lot out of this x myself x um i actually don't even know how i even x arrived at this this topic i guess x over the years i've i've always been x trying to to find perspective on things x and um so i thought might as well do a x study on it so hopefully everybody can x um can get something x um so tonight i thought it would be x never mind x sorry um x so tonight i thought it would be of x value to discuss the concept of x perspective in terms of the what why x how who x and where aspects and why it's such a x great tool to have on our journey x towards the kingdom x can you guys see my screen what's next x excellent excellent so before we can x proceed with our discussions this x evening x we need to understand the what or the x perspective or the definition of x of what perspective is um so x uh what is you know perspective a x particular attitude toward or way of x regarding something a point of view a x way of thinking about something x especially one that is influenced by x your beliefs and experiences x so more importantly we're always asking x ourselves how do we gain perspective and x how do we keep perspective which i x believe is one of the hardest things to x do x on our journey to the kingdom x so what is our perspective on on things x you know situations x people x events do we do we have a finite view or x a broad perspective you know what is our x understanding of things in a given x moment how do we perceive things uh more x importantly how do we gain perspective x quickly x in a moment x where we need to have it in order to x make the right decision x are we concerned about the perspective x of others x you know have of us even though it may x not be any of our business x you know it's been said that often we x can't see beyond the choices we don't x understand x how do we gain perspective into matters x we can't fully wrap our heads around x so continuing on with with our our what x uh you know what perspective is you know x as a people that study the bible x our first point of reference and answer x to a lot of these questions can be found x in what god's plan is x god x has a much closer perspective on x individual lives he knows our life x circumstances x our challenges and failings x he wants to have a relationship with us x and that everyone might know him x uh let's turn to proverbs 3 x um where we read in verse 5. actually we x you don't have to turn to that one x i think we probably most of us know that x when um you know trust in the lord with x all our with all thine heart and lean x not unto thine own understanding x in all ways x acknowledge him x and he shall direct by paths x so you know what is god's perspective x this should be our starting point x and we will dig deeper into that idea x later on in our discussion but god's x perspective is beyond our finite x understanding x when looking at what is good about x perspective we have to have we have we x also have to look at what damages x perspective x as x as well of course x so when we have an ego x we damage our correct perspective on x things and i guess you could look at ego x as an acronym x um x being e for edging g for god and o for x out i i read that somewhere somewhere x and i thought it was so applicable for x for this situation you know when we lean x in unto our own understanding x and not of god's understanding we push x him out of our lives and our perspective x on things go off track x on an individual relationship basis of x god's perspective i believe david sums x up things very well for our x understanding so let's let's turn to x psalms 139 x right now x and we'll read verses 1 to 6 x and basically in verses 1 to 6 x we see david discusses the perspective x of his relationship with god x so reading verse 1 x oh lord you have searched me and you x know me you know when i sit and when i x rise x you perceive my thoughts from afar x you discern my going out and my lying x down x you are familiar with all my ways before x a word is on my tongue you know it x completely o lord x you hem me in x behind and before you have laid your x hand upon me such knowledge is too x wonderful for me x too lofty for me to attain x we could read further in this psalm of x david's perception on things but i x believe x verses one to six really gives x a good feel of the perception of our x relationship with god x and the relationship we would want to x have with him x david was acutely aware of the x connection he had with god x and that connection and knowledge would x bring a comfort to david x and would be a guide for him at the x forefront of his life x i was inspired by brother steve davis's x expert a few weeks ago where he x referenced that keeping bag company x correct uh corrupts good morals x you know i think taken from first x corinthians 15 verse 33 x this can be a threat to our perspective x for sure x brother steve also pointed out that out x of the opposite as well x where keeping good company with good x people can also be a threat to our x perspective on things in that we rely on x someone else's understanding and not x trying to find the answers for ourselves x and this is so true where we read x um x in 2nd timothy 2 verse 15 to study to x show thyself approved x so perspective is something you have to x fine tune along the way x i do a lot of riding x uh of my road bike my bicycle and i do a x lot of kilometers i think there's x someone on our class tonight that do the x same thing and they may understand this x concept but x um i do a lot of writing um and x sometimes what happens x is the wheels can come at a true or not x perfectly aligned for a smooth roll x on the road x this happens when you hit a you know x rough roads or you know bumps or x potholes x when this happens it can make the x journey to your destination x you know more difficult or less smooth x and and this can be said about our lives x as well x in our perspective where we constantly x have to do maintenance on x on our perspective on things or keeping x the wheels of our lives x true as it relates to our journey x towards the kingdom x so why is it important to have the right x perspective um you know good or bad x obviously we want to stick to the good x um but there are so many obvious answers x here really you know why is having x perspective important having the right x perspective is often a difficult thing x to do but x it is a major component in our x navigation system as we are rolling x along on our journey towards the kingdom x without perspective we cannot make the x right decisions x that will get us to our destination x when we plan x a road trip somewhere do we pick a route x that is x is slow x does that route have a lot of dirt roads x no gas stations x restaurants x sketchy areas that could be dangerous to x us x will our route x take us on a path that is longer when x perhaps we may be in a hurry x we need to have the right perspective in x order to get to our destination x now let's let's face it the the past x couple of years have posed some x significant challenges and struggles for x everyone's perspective whether it's x covid x uh the collateral damage that has come x of it or you know world events with with x wars uh social and political unrest x but having the right biblical x perspective is is super important x you know if we were to take the idea of x being blind your perception of things x would be difficult x visually of course x if you don't have the right perspective x of sight you could stumble easily easily x through this world x so let's let's turn to ii corinthians 4. x so i'll read we'll pick up at verse 4 x actually x the god of this age has x the god of this age has blinded the x minds of unbelievers so that they cannot x see the light of the gospel of the glory x of christ who is the image of god x so we read of we read here of the minds x of unbelievers being blinded by today's x concerns and so they are not able to see x the true light of the glory of christ x to us this would be sad x of course to not have this awesome x vision or perception x because we have our eyes open and our x perception of the of the things that are x to come x and a possible place in the kingdom x verse 6 reads x for god who said let light shine out of x darkness x made his light shine in our hearts to x give us the light x of the knowledge of god's glory x displayed in the face of jesus christ x this is such a strong reason why we want x god's perspective so that we can see the x light that the glory x of god shines in an otherwise dark world x that we live in x the blindness of this world can offer us x nothing x of course you know we can take an even x simpler step back and probably even stop x our class right here and say x the bible itself is our perspective on x life x our guidebook x that we carry in our pack on our journey x to the kingdom x putting on of these bible glasses would x and should change our perspective on x life x but if only you know if it only were x that easy x as we'll see in the next section of our x who's who of our discussion tonight x so as we discuss the who's who section x of our discussion tonight we see there x are so many great examples of people who x had the right perspective their whole x lives and even in the most impossible x situations x tonight we're going to look at x we're going to focus on five people that x stood out for me as people who had x the right perspective but again there x are so many others you know we can look x at of course in the bible x um x and that and obviously x these ones for me resonate uh very much x with me x with and you know with during our x character studies and maybe later on we x can discuss maybe even some more x examples in our discussions x but i picked six x six examples and i went light on the x bible reference in order to stay track x on time so hopefully the timing on this x all works out x now times were very different for these x people compared to our times you know we x have several distractions in our lives x such as you know x social unrest x there's the distractions social media x bills to pay traffic to deal with the x day-to-day life struggles x and so much life noise that it makes it x hard to keep focus x or have a bible perspective x i know what you know looking at the the x wars in the war in ukraine it can be so x you know consuming when you look at the x unfairness of what's happening but at x the same time you know the perspective x is you know god x it's god's will and he's in ultimate x control x i'm sure if we ask noah or abraham or x solomon or paul about the distractions x and challenges that they had in their x lives they would say that their x struggles were quite real as well x and and that keeps the right perspective x at times but again it depends on the x perspective x of things or life at that moment as x it would with us x so we'll start off with noah um the x story of noah and the flood is you know x we all know this one pretty well is a a x story of obedience and judgment in x salvation x um you know let's turn to genesis 6. x we'll start with that x so genesis 6 and we'll read verse 5 and x 6. x the lord saw how great man's wickedness x on the earth had become and that every x inclination of the thoughts of his heart x was only evil all the time x the lord was grieved x that he had made man on the earth and x his heart was filled with pain x so noah lived in an era x of overwhelming wickedness much like we x have today x noah sets himself apart from the wicked x world by living his life in faith in x obedience to god x and let's read verse 11 to 14 x just for a moment x now the earth was corrupt in god's sight x and was full of violence god saw how x corrupt the earth had become for all the x people on earth had corrupted their ways x so god said to noah i am going to put an x end to all the people to all people x for the earth is filled with violence x because x of them i am surely going to destroy x both them and the earth so make yourself x an arc of cypress wood make rooms in it x and coat it with pitch inside and out x noah had the right perspective the x perspective of what god wanted for his x people x and god acknowledged x noah's efforts x god was displeased with the way society x was going at that moment and decided it x was time for a reset x noah was given a difficult task on x on building an ark and to save a select x group of worthy people and animals x but noah faced x you know ridicule for what seemed in in x preparation for an unbelievable event x you know no one could act you know no x one could fathom x anything this was like this was going to x take place x so but you know in the end noah had the x right perspective he had god's ex you x know perspective x noah had to follow specific instructions x on how to build the this giant boat x and went about doing just that x noah gathered the animals x and kept his perspective on what god x wanted noah had everyone boarded x the ark x and the reins came and he kept x perspective x noah then waited and waited x but kept his perspective until it was x safe to leave the ark x noah labored faithfully to build the ark x of god's command x faith in god help sustained noah's x perspective on the big picture that god x gave him about his family and the future x role he could play x noah is an awesome example for us under x huge life adversity to maintain your x perspective and keep the faith x god worked through noah so that his will x could be done x if we look at genesis verse x 6 verse 9 x you know this is you know this is the x account of noah noah was a righteous man x blameless among the people of his time x and he walked with god x we read in the king james version x that noah was a just man x and the hebrew word and i hope i don't x you know mess this up um the hebrew word x for just is x uh to ascetic or x to make it right so noah's actions x resulted in things being made right x god used noah to assist with making the x world right and fine-tuning the ultimate x perspective that god is in control x and that following him will lead to x salvation x when we look at the world events today x you know world events today x sometimes we scratch our heads and x wonder what is going on but again like x we were discussing before x you know god works through the through x people or rulers x or what have you to make his plans right x god rules over the kingdoms of men to x fulfill his own will and perspective on x life x what an awesome and excellent x perspective x this is for us x so abraham's our next example x um he was definitely x given a task that was would be x impossible for most our next and so x let's look at genesis chapter 22. x and we'll read verse 2. x then god said take your son your only x son isaac whom you love x and go to the region of moriah sacrifice x him there as a burnt offering on one of x the mountains i will tell you about x so x now as a parent with children of my own x one of my biggest goals in life is to x make sure they are safe and out of x harm's way at all times x in verse 2 abraham is instructed by god x to offer his son up as an offering as a x test of his faith x in verse 3 we read of how he's he makes x preparation to eventually go out and x offer his son isaac x early the next morning abraham got up x and settled his donkey he took with him x two of his servants and his son isaac x when he had cut through the through wood x enough wood for the burnt offering he x set out for the place god had told them x about x now if we were in this situation x would we be so calm x as abraham x i i know i wouldn't be although the x account here doesn't seem to relay x emotion or abraham's demeanor i would x suggest he was very calm as he navigated x through this difficult moment x so further on down in the chapter we x read in verse 9 and to 10 x when we reached the place god had told x him about abraham built an altar there x and arranged the wood on it he bound his x son isaac and laid him on the altar on x top of the wood x then he reached out of his hand and took x the knife to slay his son x thankfully x an angel calls out abraham and stops him x from x taking his son's life and provides a ram x as a substitute for the offering x abraham was obedient and had faith that x god will x will will deliver him from this x difficult task x interestingly enough in the end abraham x knew and took stock of the situation by x naming the place x the lord will provide x in verse 14. x let's read that quickly abraham looked x up x sorry verse 14. so abraham called that x place the lord will provide and to this x day it is said on the mountain of the x lord it will be provided x so abraham was challenged with a x difficult task but stayed focused x through obedience and faith in god and x had perspective on the bigger picture of x what god's ultimate plan was x what a lesson for us in perspective x all right x one of my favorite characters from the x bible and i know that i spoke on this x last time x but one of my favorite characters from x the bible is the life of solomon a x solomon was the king x was known as the king who built the the x first temple in jerusalem you know he x was the king to unite israel x solomon was extremely wealthy and had x more money than anyone could ever hope x for in worldly terms x solomon had wisdom and understanding x that was unprecedented a man of peace x his power and influence with other x rulers around him was well respected x you know he had a very different x perspective on life because for the most x part life went really well for him x however it's interesting to note that x all his blessings we see he still felt x as though something was missing x with all his blessings he was worried x about his wasted time and carnal x thinking x that chasing x after meaningless pursuits can lead to x the wrong path x let's turn to ecclesiastes 2 for a x second x so ecclesiastes 2 x verse 4 x and i'll read down verse 11. i undertook x great projects i built houses for myself x and planted vineyards i made gardens and x parks and plant all kinds of fruit trees x in them i made made reservoirs to water x groves of flower flourishing trees x i bought male and female slaves and had x slaves who were born in my house i also x owned herds and flocks x than x anyone in jerusalem before me i am amass x silver and gold for myself and the x treasures x the treasure of kings and provinces i x acquired men and women singers x and a harem as well x the delights of the heart of man x i became greater by far than anyone in x jerusalem before me and all this my x wisdom stayed with me x i denied myself nothing my eyes desired x i refused my heart no pleasure my heart x took delight in all my work x and this was the reward for all my labor x yet x when i surveyed all x all my hands had done x and what i had toiled to achieve x everything was meaningless x a chasing after the wind nothing was x gained x under the sun x so we see that solomon talks about how x he's built himself houses planet x vineyards x and these are x vain pursuits there is not a part of the x bigger and better and these are our x pursuits that are not part of the bigger x picture x he talks about amassing treasures x in verse 8 again not the path or x perspective that would lead to the glory x of our lord or help others x the rewards that solomon sought after x were of this life x at the time i'm sure x we all have a feeling of x self-gratification when the rewards of x this life come along the question we x should ask ourselves though is do the x rewards of this life align ourselves x with god's perspective x and the bigger picture x will it help on our journey even though x there's no challenge or struggle x here for solomon x the blessings of riches fame and power x of this life you know possess a x challenge to his perspective x and what god's ultimate plan is x and what a valuable lesson for us of x course x moving on to paul in prison x next we see the struggles of paul x and silas let's turn to acts 16. x and we'll pick up x in verse 22. x the crowd joined in the attack against x paul and silas and the magistrates x ordered them to be stripped and beaten x after they had been severely flogged x they were thrown into prison and the x jailer was commanded to guard them x carefully x upon receiving such orders he put them x in the inner cell and fastened their x feet in the stalks x so paul and cyrus silas were ordered by x the local authorities to be beaten and x flogged and thrown in jail x and put in stocks so that they couldn't x move x i don't know about you but i would not x do well about x you know being put in stocks i'd x probably start to have a panicked a x panic attack and and that'd be awful you x know considering you know that terrible x confinement x so what do you think these two guys did x next in verse 25 we read they started to x sing and pray x this activity got the attention of the x prisoners which created a moment an x opportunity to preach and show their x faith in an impossible situation x then we read in verse 26 another chaotic x opportunity arose where an earthquake x happened x and the prison was shaken x the doors flew open and things quickly x got out of hand for the prisoners and x the prison guards as we as we read so x what happened next is extraordinary the x prison guard out of fear decides to try x and take his life because he feared that x the prisoners had escaped he x he feels like he just he totally did not x do his job paul yells out don't harm x yourself we are still here x the prison guard then takes them out of x their confinement recognizing their x faith and perspective on things x and asks what he needs to be to do to be x saved x an opportunity of chaos brought upon x calm x and faith in paul and silas x because they have a bigger perspective x on things they had god's perspective x singing and prayer were attributes of x this right perspective that they had x even though they were in an impossible x situation x would we be able to have the same x perspective as these two individuals x i would say it would be tough and a x challenge for sure x what an excellent example of keeping x god's perspective x next we'll look at jesus x and just a few examples of of how x focused he was on the bigger plan x you know at 12 years old you know he was x teaching an attempt in a temple you know x truly an ult our ultimate example of x someone who had the right perspective x was our lord jesus x let's turn to luke two for ex for a x moment x two x and we'll look at an early example of x how on target that jesus x was with his perspective and we'll pick x up in verse 41. x leaving classes when he was 12 years old x they went up to the feast according to x the custom after the feast was over x while their parent while his parents x were returning home the boy stayed x behind in jerusalem but they were x unaware of it thinking he was in their x company they traveled on for a day then x they began looking for him among their x relatives and friends x when they did not find him they went x back to jerusalem to look for him after x three days they found him in the temple x courts sitting among the teachers x listening to them and asking them x questions x everyone who heard him x was amazed at his understanding and his x answers when his parents saw him they x were astonished his mother said to him x son why have you treated us like this x your father and i have been anxiously x searching for you x why were you searching for me he asked x didn't you know i had to be in my x father's house x but they did not understand what he was x saying to them x so jesus was very focused on x his father's plan even so much that when x questioned about what he was doing in x the temple by his parents he says to his x parents in verse 49 x why are you searching for me did you x know i had to be in my father's house x and even more interesting x is the lack of perspective his parents x had in understanding what he was saying x to them x in verses 49 and 50. x you know from the beginning jesus knew x what he had to do he knew x that he had to fulfill his father's will x be obedient x sinless and follow through to the end x jesus perspective compass x was set in unwavering through trials and x tribulation we could never ever even x imagine ray up to his last breath on the x cross x we see in luke 23 x jesus tested beyond what any of us could x have managed x could possibly manage x for he was on the cross being crucified x he had people watching x in verse 35 in back in luke 20 in luke x 23 x saying x if x if he's the god if he's if he's the x god's messiah then why doesn't he save x himself x but jesus kept his perspective on god's x plan x in verse 34 x of luke 23 x we we even read let's let's actually go x there now we'll go to luke 23 x and we'll read verse 34. x and jesus said father forgive them for x they do not know what they are doing x jesus had a personal plea from one of x the criminals who was beside him x and said to jesus in verse 39 and 40 x save yourself x and us x it would have been so easy for him to do x the you know obviously to do this and x and take the easy way out but jesus had x the right perspective of the bigger x picture and what he had to accomplish x he even pled with with our heavenly x father you know x forgive them for they know not what what x they are doing x he's talking back and forth with with x other people on the other crosses who x are being crucified x you know the conversation continues back x and forth with these people x and you know with jesus on the cross who x seem to have an understanding x of of jesus perspective one of them did x in you know in particular in this x situation x as he says as this other person says to x me x remember me when you come into your x kingdom and jesus says to him in verse x 43 truly i tell you today you will be x with me in paradise x so our lord had perspective x which is god's perspective x and plan x even with his last words about what he x had to do x we cannot find a better example of x someone who had perspective and followed x it x right up to his last x his last breaths on the on the cross of x course x so our heavenly father you know it goes x without saying that our heavenly father x is the key to all perspectives x as it is his will that is being done x let's let's turn to matthew 6 for a x second x and uh we'll look at verse nine x this then is how you should pray our x father in heaven hallowed be your name x your kingdom come your will be done on x earth as it is in heaven x give us today x our daily bread forgive us our debts as x we also have forgiven our debtors x and liaison temptation would deliver us x from evil x from the evil one x so jesus teaches us about praying x i remember in school x at a very young age we used to say this x prayer at the beginning of every day x it's it's a funny x it's a funny perspective x being given that we were x you know given these prayers at a very x young age and you know it was such a x simple start to our lives and at such an x early age that this this plan x and this x this instruction was given to us at such x an early age x this you know this prayer is so powerful x and can't be more straightforward for us x to see what the bigger picture is x if we look at this prayer that jesus is x speaking of from this perspective we can x break down the components of the prayer x we acknowledge that god is to be revered x our immediate position in relationship x to him x praying that the kingdom will be here x soon x it talks about providing our daily bread x and other life necessities that the x perspective is that god provides even as x abraham acknowledged earlier in our in x our discussions tonight x our heavenly father has the power to x forgive our sins and that we need to ask x for forgiveness that god ultimately has x the power to provide to us x strength to overcome temptation x where x we see the greater perspective and i'll x read it in the english standard version x in matthew 6 x your kingdom come your will be done on x earth as it is in heaven x so god's perspective and plan for us x and the earth is ultimately that his x will be done not our will but his will x that is our perspective and aligns x ourselves x with someone who's fully in control x and that our lives are in his hands for x his plans x and his purposes this is so powerful x so key takeaways i think we're x we might finish a little early but um x we're getting there but um some key x takeaways here you know what are some of x the themes that we we see in just a few x examples that we have looked at tonight x we saw people who had you know x perspective on behaviors and activities x that kept their eye on the bigger x picture with paul and silas and and x singing and we can't do this alone x there is a bigger difference there is a x big difference really in the times of x the apostles and the new testaments x compared to today as we already talked x about and as we all would agree x when looking at how to keep or gain x perspective x we first of all have the bible as our x guidebook we have this in front of us to x lead our way or our bible glasses as i x mentioned earlier x in our talk tonight to keep our x perspective x just with some of the of the people we x looked at tonight and so many other x examples in the scriptures x of those who endured hardships like noah x and moses daniel job david we see a x theme x of faith in god x that god knows what's best for us and x has the bigger picture perspective x we see the example of solomon who was x obedient and had humbleness and x gratitude for what he he had knowing x that all things come from god x who has the right perspective we saw x paul and silas in an impossible x situation x turn to prayer and sing praise x and involve themselves in activities x that encourage the right frame of mind x to keep the right perspective x that the trouble that they were having x at that moment was short term for them x and that there was a bigger plan and x picture for them in life x and also created a preaching opportunity x of course x these people including jesus all had x huge faith in god x turned to prayer saw the bigger picture x that god has planned and are ultimately x our mentors x and guides on how to keep perspective x god works through us to x fulfill x his purpose and perspective x our lives are in god's hands even though x our lives may be going well and many x things are provided that we still need x to follow our lord and acknowledge that x god is in control keeping his x perspective x so finally our last slide here x you know the kingdom is a huge part of x our perspective that all things lead to x this goal in having a place x in part in god's great kingdom even if x it's a small one x i would hazard to say x looking at the struggles that we read of x tonight x in the scriptures and and x and other examples of course x uh throughout the scriptures and in our x own lives x also created a clear perspective x to us about what god's ultimate plan is x the testing of our armor or life x struggle created a better path for us x and those in the scriptures that we that x struggled for something ultimately more x important down the road x we could take this concept one step x further that when we go through x struggles x a new perspective is coming for us x which helps us mold our direction x on our journey towards the kingdom x in closing x let's turn to matthew 5 x in this passage you know jesus gives the x disciples and us x you know simple instructions on how to x keep perspective god's perspective x and focus on the on the ultimate goal x so let's turn to matthew 5 for a moment x and we'll pick up in verse 3. x blessed are the poor in spirit for x theirs is the kingdom of heaven x blessed are those who mourn for x they will be comforted x blessed are the meek for they will x inherit the earth x blessed are those x who hunger and thirst for righteousness x for they will be filled x blessed are thee merciful for they will x be shown mercy x bless blessed are the pure in heart for x they will see god x blessed are the peacemakers for they x will be called sons x of god x blessed are those who who are persecuted x because of righteousness for theirs is x the kingdom of heaven x blessed are you when people insult you x persecute you and falsely say all kinds x of things of evil against you because of x me