Picking a Perspective

Introduction

Do you know how many different perspectives there in the world? The easiest number to use in infinite. Everyone has a different perspective about everything. Not all are right and not all of them are wrong - BUT all are different.

Jesus has the most different and divine perspective of this world. Tonight, will you listen for a few minutes about His divine perspective?

Look at 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 “16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

LETS PRAY TOGETHER

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I was watching a video the other day and it was a police chase. The screen would switch from the police car cam to the police helicopter.

~communication between the two

~what the cop could see (missing a lot)

~what the helicopter could see (missed nothing)

~apply to us: we easily miss so much; God has the full view and sees everything

I want to share three attributes of God’s perspective. By the end, I hope you see God’s perspective can change your life!

Let’s first look at…

Graduating not Garbage (vs. 16)

Jesus’ perspective is Graduating NOT Garbage. Do you see what Paul writes about the physical part of us? “It is wasting away” — I read that as it’s garbage.

He continues to write that our inner self is being renewed day by day — I read that as it’s graduating. We often use that word to talk about completing high school, but the definition means to move from one stage to a higher one.

Christ’s perspective is not the physical, which is often times what we get lost in. We live life trying to sound look, act, & smell the best. (Some of the guys in the room can work a little harder on smelling the best).

Our perspective/how we see the world is how we look and how others look. Everything you see about yourself and what you see in others is wasting away. Why is it wasting away? BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN CORRUPTED BY SIN AND IS NOT ETERNAL. It’s garbage!

Not everything is garbage though. Your inner self can be graduating! It is not graduating by default. How can it be graduating? Look ahead a couple verses (13–14 “13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”

TO BE GRADUATING, you must first have faith in Jesus and believe that He has risen from the dead, and that He can also rase us from the deadness of our sin.

When you have your faith in Jesus you are graduating/being renewed day by day.

Map not Mystery (vs. 18)

Jesus’ perspective is a Map not a Mystery. Paul writes that we look to the things that are unseen not the seen.

If you’re not familiar with Paul’s writing, at first glance his writing can seem very confusing. We are to look at the unseen?!?! WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Let me try to explain this:

When we look to the unseen, it’s not a mystery from God that He is keeping from us. The unseen is divine direction from God. When Paul wrote this letter, there were “spiritual leaders” who deceived people to believe they were so great. People found it a mystery how they could attain a sense of fake ’spirituality' similar to theirs.

LOOK AT verse

Looking to the unseen (not the unknown) is map from God of how to pursue His righteousness! The unseen, doesn’t mean it’s fake. The unseen will not forever be unseen The unseen is following the map of God to understand the plan He has for you.

This is like the point I shared in the beginning: our perspective (cop car) we can go a way that seems it’ll work out, but we can’t truly know that is the best way. From a different perspective (helicopter in the sky), you can see the full view!

Christ has the best perspective! His perspective leads you to what is unseen by human eyes. He maps out the perfect plan for you!

Eternal not Enmity(vs. 18)

Jesus’ perspective is Eternal not Enmity. Look at the end of verse 15. Everything you see is transient, its temporary. Back to the first point, its garbage. The garbage of this world separates us from God. It creates enmity between us and God.

When we change our perspective from everything we see and look to what is unseen — You will find what is eternal. You will find the love of Jesus that is eternal. You will find His peace that is eternal. You will be guaranteed heaven that is eternal. This is only possible by changing your perspective.

If all we think about is what we SEE in this world

~hatred towards someone

~lustful thoughts/pornagraphy

~sports

~school

~yourself

If all you see are the things in this world, all you will get is whats in this world.

If you take moment to look from a different perspective, that being Christ’s perspective, you will begin to see the eternal God, that has a plan mapped out for you, where you can be graduating (become more and more like Jesus).

Closing