Skip to content Rediscovering God’s Love, Joy, and Peace with Pastor Gary Thomas Oct 9 · 45 min ...more
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Renewing Our Minds Against the Lies of This World 0:05 We have been rescued. And if we realize what we were rescued from, we will live with joy and we will live with worship and we'll set the bar really low for anything else God has to...0:17 God doesn't have to prove himself anymore.0:27 Gary, welcome back to Focus. Thank you, guys. Let's kick it off with this, issue of spiritual eyes creeping into our theology, our practice. You know, I think doctor Dobson used to say something0:39 about kudzu and how it would cut into our life. But I was in the South not long ago. I saw that kudzu plant. It's a foreign plant, I think, from Japan, but it's invasive and it just grows up those0:50 trees, chokes them off, and kills them. And, you know, the Lord does use nature to teach us spiritual truth. And I think that kudzu is an example of that and how it kills the life of a Christian and of any1:02 human who doesn't pursue him.1:04 I I think Paul warns us of kudzu in Romans 12 2, when he says, do not conform to the pattern of this world. In the Greek, that word is eon. It could also be translated age, which I I1:16 think both fit what Paul is saying. This world, this age, this generation has an agenda. You will believe this. You will think this. You will value this. You will prioritize1:28 this. And Paul says, if we don't push back with the truth, as you were saying, we're just going to be fit into the mold of this world. We're going to become exactly like the citizens of the world the world wants us to1:39 become. But Paul says we push back by being transformed by the renewing of our minds. We can't afford to be light with the truth. If we believe a lie, we1:50 practice a lie. If we practice a lie, we lose our life. And I found Satan, as a father of lies, will try to sow these lies into our soul to create bitterness and frustration with God. He doesn't care2:02 what lie we believe. He cares that the lie will separate us from seeing God's goodness, God's grace, God's mercy, God's truth, that God's way is best. And and we can be terrified by these2:14 lies. My... You know, I'm unashamedly infatuated with my 2 grandchildren. I'm just... I2:21 was gonna ask you about the granddaughter story here.2:23 When I'm with them, time stops. I don't I I... It's the 1 time I don't care what else is happening in the world. And I was walking with her. She's 6 now. She was 3 at the time of this. And a fire truck went by.2:35 And the siren is blaring, and and she just scrunches up her face and close it. And she just like really is screaming out in terror. And I thought, wow. Well, she's got little ears. It's really strong. It's2:47 loud. It could be scary. 2 days later, we're with her, still in that time, spending time with them. And she does the same thing. And I... Like, what's going... And way off in the distance... Now I have old2:59 ears. Right? I could barely hear the siren. Oh, man. She must have been traumatized by this. This is really surprising to me that it would be so strong. 3 months later, we're visiting again. She... She's got3:11 great parents. I mean, I just am in awe the way they talk her through everything, the way they train her. So I heard the siren. I saw the lights. I turn in panic toward little Anna. Oh, no. What's gonna happen? And she3:23 looks at me so chill, almost with disdain. It's okay, papa. They're just going to help someone.3:29 Yeah. That's good.3:30 And and and what her parents had told her is, rather than this threaten you, you should feel good that you live in a world where if you ever need help, people will move out of the way and people will hurry3:42 to get to you to help you. And so, what was a threat to her became a form of assurance. And is that... That's why believing a lie has a consequence. It it3:53 creates fear. It creates unrest. It'll... It can obliterate our relationship with God. We have to unmask the lies and replace them with the truth.4:02 It's so good. What are the consequences of believing what the world tells you and keeps you spinning in that cycle of chaos?4:11 I don't think we stress peace enough as Christians. It's 1 of the best things about being a believer. I agree. Throughout all of the Old Testament, it promises peace. Isaiah says, the Messiah will4:23 come. He will be the Prince of Peace. The Psalmist says, 29 11, the Lord blesses his people with peace. When Jesus was born, what did the angel say to the shepherds? Peace4:34 on earth. Goodwill toward men. Jesus came to bring peace. What hit me, Jim, 19 of 21 new testament letters begin or end with an4:46 exhortation or blessing of peace.4:49 Peace be upon you.4:50 The the early church was obsessed with peace. Everybody wants peace. And that's why I think it's just... It's even for evangelism. We we talk a lot about salvation. I I think we should. But5:02 if people don't believe in the afterlife, it's like when somebody says, Hey, Gary. Here's the the best of a Michael Bolton album. I'm like, Well, I don't want the best of Michael Bolton. I mean, his best isn't something5:12 I'm interested in.5:13 Well, I'm so glad you said that. And5:16 and and so... But everybody wants peace. And when we can display peace in a chaotic world, it shows a supernatural presence because biblical peace is relational,5:28 not situation. I I was so struck. I I really borrow, from Henry Drummond in this when he wrote a fabulous essay on peace, that it's often pursuing peace that we chase5:40 it away because we think peace is is situational. If I fix this, I have a certain amount of money set aside, if I like my job, if I like who's in charge of the government, if everybody's good with me,5:51 if all of my children love me and they're following the Lord, then I'll finally have peace. And he points out that will never all be true. And Jesus had really none of those. He didn't have the money. He6:03 had enemies. He had a death sentence. He had fair weather friends who deserted him. And yet he personified peace. And learning what it means that peace is relational instead of situational6:15 means every listener, everybody watching us online right now could begin to experience peace today. You don't have to fix everything in your life Yeah. When you recognize that Jesus6:27 is a source of peace.6:29 And in that context, you had a story, I think, about a young surgeon, who demonstrated Yeah. This peace.6:36 Yeah. I'll call him Vihan. He was a successful orthopedic surgeon. His career was taking off. He's teaching internationally, was brilliant, was asked to operate on an elbow that was really6:47 messed up. And he fixed it, but it's 1 of those things where it was so messed up, it wasn't gonna be perfect. And a very astute lawyer sued him for malpractice for 50000 dollars. Now,6:59 those who are in the know realize that's, just pay me and I'll go away. Correct. Because any insurance company is gonna know it's gonna cost us 10 times that much to do it. But but the surgeon is7:11 horrified. I've I've got this growing reputation. I'm gonna have a malpractice lawsuit that is settled. And he said for 2 years, he heard about it just going into surgery and he's asking for God's help. No, I need to7:22 focus on this next surgery. But afterwards, he said, Gary, I lost 2 years of sleep. I lived with anxiety. I alternated between anger and a sense of disease. Am I gonna be fired from7:34 teaching? Am I gonna lose my practice? My reputation is gonna be shattered. And he lived that for 2 years until finally he said, no. We're gonna settle. And I looked at him. This had been like 8 years prior.7:46 So the lawsuit had been 10 years before. I said, so, Vian, looking back now, on a scale of 1 to 100, 100 being it was devastating to your career, and 1 is it wasn't even a blip, how much did it7:58 impact you? He said, 0. But I lost 2 years with disease, worry, and anger. And and that's what I mean about you can have peace even when the situation is8:10 bad. We lose so much when we give into the situation. The analogy I give... I said this in a sermon 1 time. Imagine you're in the midst of a hurricane, and the roof is literally8:22 lifting off your house, and the walls are flying. Furniture is going around. Wow. I didn't know that cows could fly, but I just saw 1. You know, that kind of storm. But Jesus enters the room, and and maybe you picture8:33 him coming up to you and taking your cheeks in his hands and looking you in the eyes. I like to picture a 10 foot tall Jesus just encircling encircling me from behind, holding me on. Just as a guy, if Jesus8:45 has his arms around me while the house is flying apart, I'm opening my eyes to watch the show. Right. Wow. Woah. Jesus, how are you gonna fix this? How are you gonna do that? And I realized that a8:57 lack of peace is insulting Jesus. It's opposite of worshiping Jesus. If I know that Jesus has me, I could literally lose everything in this world and I'm still 1 of the9:09 richest men ever because in Jesus, I have everything beyond this world.9:14 And, you know, for some people, Gary, that's gonna be hard to understand because they're living in such a pit, such a valley right now that, oh, yeah. Okay. Good. So you found a way out, and you're happy. I'm still down9:26 here in darkness. And I I think, you know, how how do we help that person that can't see it yet Yeah. Or is in the the emotional mire of the moment9:38 Yeah. And, they resent it or they're bitter or angry9:42 at God? Henry Drummond has a recipe. He says peace has a recipe just like baking a cake. And he goes on to say restlessness has a cause. And we don't have time to get into all of the recipe for9:54 that, but 1 of the things he says that most upsets our peace, if we wanna get back, is that if we embrace... When Jesus said, I am gentle and humble in heart. It's the humility of Jesus and the gentleness of10:06 Jesus. If I embrace Jesus's humility and I'm mocked at by the world, or even humiliated by the world, if I don't have pride, if I don't get my ego from the world's10:18 affirmation, I I don't care how the world views me. If I'm gentle, I'm not fighting others. And and just think about how fighting online, fighting at church, getting involved in these useless10:29 family squabbles, what destroys our peace more than that? So he said, pursue the character of Jesus, humility and gentleness, and you remove the cause of restlessness.10:42 Hey. Allow me to interrupt for just a moment here to say how much we appreciate you watching. Now if you find value in this content, subscribe by clicking below. It'll be a big help to us. Let's go ahead and return to10:54 the10:55 show. Gary, in the book you make a distinction between Disneyland and the jungle. You're not confused about the jungle ride at Disneyland. What are you trying to get out there?11:05 This is 1 of my Be careful. Favorite chapters about how we often wanna control everything in our lives, and that destroys spiritual adventure. Jesus describes a Christian life this11:17 way, John 3 8, the wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. This is the key. So it is with everyone born of the11:29 spirit. The Christian life fully lived is a life where we are invited into spiritual adventure. It's the opposite of Disneyland. I got to go there with my grandkids, and it's a11:40 small world after all. There were the same dolls. There was the same song that I heard 30 years ago and has been plaguing me ever since. Once you go in, it never lets you go. But life with Jesus is11:52 more like living in a jungle. You don't know what's around the next corner. You don't know what's gonna happen. But we need that excitement, Jim. Instead of trying to control our life, it'sExperiencing Relational Peace in Chaos 12:04 recognizing that God is supernatural and that God is active. And through his Holy Spirit, he wants to use us in ways we could never dream of being used.12:15 It takes, a fearlessness, though, to be able to live that way. So, he also says don't have a spirit of fear, right?12:22 Right. Well, and here's the thing. Who controls my life better? If I'm in control or God's in control, God's gonna do a better job. And most of Jesus' ministry looks spontaneous. He didn't get with12:34 his disciples and say, okay, at 10 there's going to be the woman at the well. We're going to have an insight with the Pharisees at 2 PM. I'm going to heal somebody from demons before dinner, and then we'll go out and12:43 have a barbecue. It it was... He had the power of God within him and ministered that way. And here's what I think is so important for families. I'm seeing marriages, which is what I12:55 usually write and talk about, starved from a lack of spiritual adventure. Mhmm. If if husband and wife will join together and stop focusing on why can't she do this, why won't he13:07 do that, instead get together and say, what can we do for god? What what gifts, what experiences has God given us? And then pray for each other. The Lord, open up the door. Like13:19 you you and Jean did well, you know what? Maybe we can bring some foster kids into our home. Well, that's...13:24 That'll be exciting.13:25 That's gonna be chaotic and exciting. But it's like praying for your husband, praying for your wife and they go off to work. You think you're gonna have coffee, you think you're gonna have an interview. What if God wants13:35 to use that for supernatural ends to open up somebody to the faith? And then it's also great for parenting. We so focus as parents, kids. Don't look at this. Don't do that. Don't say that. Don't drink13:47 this, smoke that, or watch that. Instead, if we get together with our kids and say, you know what? You're a Christian. God's given you his holy spirit. Open your eyes and ears to how we might wanna use you13:58 today. Maybe at lunchtime. Maybe after school during sports. Maybe there's a teacher everybody's gossiping about. You could tell she's having a terrible day. Maybe you're the 1 that goes up and encourages her. And then14:10 at the end of the day, hey, did anybody have any of those God moments today? Yeah. Where God really used them? Because, Jim, if if kids learn what it is to be used by God, I believe they're14:22 gonna be ruined to the world.14:25 You know, 1 of the things you write about in the book on marriage is not to make that an idol in essence. And I've heard that before, you know, as I talk to friends who have constructive criticism for me about, you know,14:37 focus on the family, making marriage, or parenting an idol. I get that, but we're also called as a ministry to focus on those issues. So if we've communicated that this14:48 is number 1 in people's place, your marriage or your family, it's not. It's hopefully number 2, God being at the core and the foundation of all. But we are given to a marriage and parenting ministry, so we15:00 talk a lot about those things. But in that context, what is your warning for us to be careful about family 1st as a theme?15:11 Yes. I talked to a pastor yesterday who ruined his marriage by putting his ministry 1st. He lost his family. So it... I I think we do wanna say, hey, it's prime... It's primary to15:23 focus on your family, but we will love our family best when we love God 1st. Mhmm. And I had to grapple with a few verses of Jesus. Well, not just a few, but many15:35 teachings and passages where Jesus warns that sometimes faith in him might divide a family. He said in Matthew 10 21 through 22, brother will betray brother to15:47 death, a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You'll be hated by everyone because of me, but the 1 who stands firm to the end will be15:59 saved. So Jesus isn't saying if you don't love your family well, they're gonna hate you. He says, if you love me well, they might hate you, which Jim... This is the hard truth. All of us have to be like16:10 Abraham that put our children on the altar. Not physically, where we're going to sacrifice them, but spiritually, if we don't do this, what I've16:22 seen is that I've seen parents and grandparents compromise the truth and their faith because they don't wanna lose access to their children or grandchildren. And and that's where we16:34 have to be bold and say, we love our families best by speaking the truth, going back to what we said earlier Mhmm. And and putting Jesus 1st. And so I I don't think we have to pit the 2 against each other.16:46 Families are miraculous. Like I said, I'm besotted with my children and grandchildren. I love my wife as dearly as I ever have 41 years into our marriage.16:58 But our heart will break if we don't realize we can't put our hope, our joy, and our fulfillment in fallen people. It's in God's spiritual family. And so the couple I know that lost their only child, they've17:10 adopted a lot of spiritual children. They're so active with so many people. Women who have been abandoned by their husband, have found so great friendships in the church. Parents whose17:21 children have estranged themselves from them, which is a growing problem in the church. I'm seeing as a pastor, it's astonishing the speed at which that's growing, giving themselves to become spiritual17:33 mothers and fathers in the church. God doesn't promise us that we'll have perfect earthly families. He promises us that through Christ, He will adopt us into His family. Yeah. And that's17:45 the grace and hope that we have.17:46 It is. And that's kind of the family context. You also talk about cultivating community.17:51 And in17:51 that way, you have a story of an older gentleman who goes to Starbucks and turns his chair out. I'll put that in air quotes, turns his chair out. Yeah. Who is he and what18:03 is he doing and is he accomplishing anything?18:05 Yeah. I'm an introvert. And when my parents lived in Sumner, Washington before they moved in with my sister. I would be visiting from Texas. I lived in Texas back then. And I'd be the 1st 1 to open up18:17 Starbucks. They opened up at 4 AM. I'm a morning person. I was already on central time, and I would just go there to get some caffeine and to do some work. And I loved this corner because I could I could escape from the18:28 world. My back is to the whole restaurant. I could plug in my laptop. Nobody's gonna bother me. Everybody could come and go. Well, they changed the layout. You know how Starbucks does that sometimes. So I had to be out18:39 front, and I just... I didn't like that. But but I was able to look at the restaurant, and there's this older guy coming in, I'd say probably mid eighties. He was the exact opposite of me. He would come in every time,18:51 because I would do this several days in a row, and rearrange the furniture. So if you came in, you went by him, and if you came out, you went by him, and every barista got a hug or a kiss or hello. Every19:02 customer was greeted. I walked by, he held up his hand, and he literally had written the code for the bathroom on his hand. He just... And I just thought.19:11 Well, he is in his eighties.19:13 Yes. So I I thought, you know, I go in and I turn my chair in to escape from the world. He turns his chair out to welcome the world in. And I said, you know what? I need to be more like him. In19:25 this chapter, I realized how relational our faith is. We're not meant to walk this world alone. And this relational component, I think, is is getting lost more and more. And19:37 I just wanna say, I think you're gonna be a better spouse if you have friendships outside of your marriage. I think you're gonna be a better parent if you develop friendships outside of your own kids. It's just we learn19:48 from each other. We encourage each other. We build each other up. And and it's great to be building our family, but I think we'll build an even better family when we're inviting others into our life.20:00 Allow me to interrupt for a moment to say how much I appreciate you watching. If you find value in this content, please subscribe by clicking below. It'll be a big help. Now let's get back to the show.20:12 Romans 12 2 tells us, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Now let me add a little additional scripture there where Paul says, the things I don't wanna do, I do, and those20:24 things I should do, I don't do, in essence. So put those 2 together for us. It is kind of that battle of our mind, our heart, our soul that Paul's actually recognizing in his own heart. And he's, man,20:36 he's a giant of the faith.20:38 Well, belief sets up what we practice. We will never practice perfectly. This side of heaven, we are all going to be a work in progress. In fact, 1 of the chapters that was hardest for20:50 me to write was living with the ongoing reality of sin, recognizing that that's going to be a continuing factor. What is my relationship with sin? How can I learn from that rather than be defeated about that? Mhmm.21:02 But if I don't believe the truth, I'm going to practice a lie and I'm going to live a lie. So the mind isn't everything, but when he says be transformed by the renewing of your21:13 mind, I do think he says it begins there. And so often when Paul sets up the ethics, it's remember who you are before he tells us what to do. You're dearly beloved.21:25 You're chosen by God. You're adopted by God. Therefore, live this way. If we are mistaken about who we are, we're gonna be mistaken in the way we live.21:34 And it's so true. And you mentioned, a lie in the book about self serving salvation.21:41 Yes.21:41 Let's hit that because that 1 jumped off the page at me. We all do that to a certain degree. I think it's just in, again, in our fallen nature as human beings. And you've got to keep checking that in21:53 your spirit, in your soul to hopefully make sure you're doing it less and less. But speak to self serving salvation. What does that mean?22:01 It means we make it all about us. It means... And this is 1 of the lies I think I picked up in the church, that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, rose from the dead so that my sins could be forgiven, and I22:12 could live with him in heaven for eternity. Yeah. It's all true. That's true, but it's not complete. That's a self centered view where, okay, I get forgiven, and I hang on for heaven, and that's what22:24 it means to live the Christian life. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5 15, and he died for all that. And the word that is basically meaning because. He died for all that. Those who live22:36 should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again. So, the full gospel isn't just Jesus saved me, but that God enlists me. He22:48 has a plan for my life. He has a plan for everybody watching. And, theologians will think this is obscene when I use this analogy. But there's a word election in scripture about God chooses us. I likeShow more In this video 0:00 Renewing Our Minds Against the Lies of This World12:00 Experiencing Relational Peace in Chaos23:00 Embracing Spiritual Adventure Over Control37:00 Putting Jesus First Over Family Idols40:48 Dismantling Lies for a Rich Life Toward God
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