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Confidence with God // The 5 Most Important Truths God Wants You To Know, Part 3

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

Release Date: 03/26/2025

A Certain Hope for Tomorrow // A Life Eternal, Part 5 show art A Certain Hope for Tomorrow // A Life Eternal, Part 5

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

Life without hope for tomorrow is sad and dark and lonely. If God is God, if He really loves us, then surely, He’d want us to have hope for the future. Wouldn’t He? Have you ever been in a place where you’ve lost all hope? Hope as it turns out is a precious, precious commodity. We all need things in our lives to look forward to; to hope in – the deep sense that we have a future; we know where we are going. When there’s no future, it’s tragic; when you lose all hope, well, it feels like life’s over. And that’s the problem with death, we all die at some point. Some die young,...

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Living a Resurrected Life Today // A Life Eternal, Part 4 show art Living a Resurrected Life Today // A Life Eternal, Part 4

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

If Jesus really rose from the dead all that time ago, if it really happened….well, what does it mean to us today? What’s the relevance? What’s the point? This week on the program we are taking a bit of a look at this whole "resurrection" thing, because on the one hand it’s so central to everything that Jesus talked about, and everything that Christians believe. But on the other hand, well, it can be hard to relate to that. I mean, how does it fit into real life today? I’m not sure where you are in terms of believing in Jesus and in particular in His resurrection. But let’s assume...

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Did It Really Happen? // A Life Eternal, Part 3 show art Did It Really Happen? // A Life Eternal, Part 3

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

There’s not a serious historian alive today who doesn’t acknowledge the life and death of Jesus Christ. But the resurrection…..well that’s another thing entirely. Did it really happen? Over this week on the program, we are looking at and exploring the whole question of Jesus’ resurrection. It can seem fanciful and even irrelevant, something that may or may not have happened a couple of thousand years ago and let’s face it – Jesus was crucified and then they said He’s alive. I mean, it’s pretty hard to believe, you know. What’s the proof, what’s the evidence? I mean, if we...

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They Should Have Known // A Life Eternal, Part 2 show art They Should Have Known // A Life Eternal, Part 2

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

It turns out that coming to grips with the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t easy for the disciples. And to tell you the truth, it can be difficult to come to grips with it here and now as well. They say that there are two absolute certainties in life – death and taxes. Well, let’s leave taxes for another day – that leaves death. One day, you and I will breathe our last breath on this planet, that’s pretty much certain, despite all the hopes and dreams and plans that we have for next week and next year and the next decade, most of us simply don’t know when that moment will come, when we...

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A Crazy Morning // A Life Eternal, Part 1 show art A Crazy Morning // A Life Eternal, Part 1

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

So what was it like that first Easter morning? He’s alive. Is He? I don’t know. The others say they’ve seen Him. Hmm. What do you think? Let me paint you a picture. Just the other day, someone that you loved passed away. You really admired and trusted this person. I mean, you'd seen him in operation and now they're gone! It's a shock! It shouldn't have happened! They're so young and so full of promise ... had a future. And now, that person is gone. Take some time to come to grasp to that – the shock and the sadness, and the deep sense of loss and even anger. We go through so many...

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A Dead Loss // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 5 show art A Dead Loss // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 5

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

People talk about “the real meaning of Easter”.  OK.  So for some people, Easter’s more than chocolates, eggs, bunnies and a long weekend.  But – well, how do you react to the real meaning of Easter? This week we've been looking at Easter which is not surprising since it’s Good Friday today. Jesus, in his last week, spent a good amount of his time encouraging his disciples, here was a man under an enormous pressure, heading to a gruesome death and yet His main concern was on encouraging those twelve men, one of whom would betray Him. But of course on what we now...

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On the Cross // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 4 show art On the Cross // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 4

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

You see people wearing gold crosses on chains all the time. Even earrings. But on that first Easter – what really happened on that cross.  I mean, what did Jesus actually go through? It's almost Easter and this week on the program we've been taking a bit of a look at the goings on in the week leading up to the first Easter. There's been nothing about chocolate or eggs or bunnies. Nothing’s wrong with any of those things, they just don't fit into any of the events that first Easter. Today I thought it would be interesting just to have a look at the real physical suffering of Jesus....

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Betrayal and Rejection // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 3 show art Betrayal and Rejection // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 3

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

When you see the way someone reacts in difficult circumstances, under pressure, when they’re betrayed and rejected – then you discover what they’re really like.  So how did Jesus react? One of the hardest things in life is when we're betrayed and rejected. Basically, we all want relationships of trust, and basically, we all want to be liked, okay some more than others but it's a pretty natural thing, isn't it? What we'd really like is for our life to cruise along with great relationships, people we can depend on, people who like us. But it's not always like that, so often there's...

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Hang In There // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 2 show art Hang In There // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 2

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

That week leading up to the very first Easter was a torrid time for Jesus.  Imagine the stress and the pressure.  So it’s interesting to see how He spent those few days. Let me paint a scenario for a moment. You're dying and you know it and the time is drawing near, you only have a few days, perhaps just a few final hours with the people who mean the most to you. You know something; you know that when you're gone they're going to go through some really tough times, trials, fears, persecution. In those final days and hours what would you talk to them about? I mean, you have a short...

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Going Away - You Know Where // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 1 show art Going Away - You Know Where // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 1

A Different Perspective Official Podcast

That week leading up to the very first Easter was a torrid time for Jesus.  Imagine the stress and the pressure.  So it’s interesting to see how He spent those few days. Easter means different things to different people. Chocolate, of course there's chocolate, eggs, bunny's, a long weekend, a chance for a bit of a breather and that’s great. We have a funny way though of reinventing holidays, there's something so amazing about Easter, Gods Easter and since we're right now in the week leading up to Easter I thought why don't we have a look at that week leading up to that very first...

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Most people can’t imagine being confident in standing before God. Let alone being bold in His Presence. But … well, that’s exactly what God wants us to be. Confident and Bold … but how?

One of the hardest things for me to unlearn is the idea of being afraid of God but instead be confident before Him. Why? Well you know we've all done stuff, you've done stuff and I've done stuff. It's a bit like with our fathers when we were kids. When we'd done stuff we knew there were going to be consequences and so we wanted to run and hide and then when we do come to that point of putting our trust in Jesus and wanting to follow Him, well you know, the fear thing is still there for most of us.

I'm joined again today on the program by Brett Barclay who's sharing with us this week the top five truths that God wants us to believe. Mate welcome again to the program.

Brett: Hey great to be here, thanks Berni.

Berni: So confidence before God, boldness before God, doesn't the Bible tell us that we should fear God too? What's going on here? What's this all about?

Brett: Well, all the Bible says is true so we need to reconcile those truths but in the context of our relationship with God and in the context of what we've been talking about, being the righteousness of God and having faith in the perfect life of Christ, the atmosphere and our approach to God is an approach of boldness and confidence because we trust in the one who is right with God.

Berni: But isn't it in a sense natural for us to be afraid of God, timid with God, shy even with God because we have all done stuff wrong. And if you believe the whole righteousness of God thing which is where we're having a right standing with God that means there can be a wrong standing with God, and a wrong standing with a God who promises that we will spend eternity without Him in a place called hell if we don't do the right stuff is a pretty scary thing?

Brett: Yeah it is.

Berni: And it's meant to be.

Brett: Yeah exactly. It is meant to be and I think if you go all the way back to Genesis you see when Adam first sinned, he made a decision to go off in his own direction. We see two incredible responses from Adam, it says in the new King James Version that he hid himself and he made for himself an apron. So he actually retreated, ran away from the presence of God and then he tried in his own strength to make himself acceptable to God.

Berni: Have you ever thought about how nuts it is to try and hide from God? Has that ever crossed your mind?

Brett: Where do you go?

Berni: Yeah.

Brett: Exactly, even like Psalms talks about where can I go from your presence? And in fact where do we want to go because He is so loving, He is so kind, we actually want to be with Him 24x7 and the basis of being with Him 24x7 is the fact that, not in my own strength.

You know Berni, you were talking about stuff before, you've done stuff, our listeners have done stuff, hey I've done stuff too and that stuff separated me from God but when Jesus was on the cross all our stuff, the punishment for our stuff, for our mistakes, our wrongs fell on Christ. You know something here's an amazing thing to think about is that the punishment for our sin was extinguished on the body of Christ. When He hung on that cross all the wrath of God was extinguished on the body of Christ. There's a great psalm, I think it's Psalm 30 that says:

His anger is but for a moment but his favour is for life.

That moment was the moment when Christ hung on the cross. God’s anger fell on Christ and His favour may fall on us.

Berni: That is powerful stuff. That rocks my socks off.

Brett: That's amazing hey? That's our God. That's the Gospel that we have. It's incredible when that actually seeps into your heart, when you recognise that you start to think, "Well how do I approach God? If God's my Father" … You know, both you and I are fathers there's nothing that could ever separate you from your kids, I mean the love that you have for your children it's indescribable is it not? But you know Jesus in Matthew 7 says if you've been evil, so even though you're not perfect you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him. So His Fatherhood, His example of a father way outstrips even the greatest human father.

Berni: It strikes me when you talk about confidence before God it's a question of who or what we have our confidence in.

Brett: That's exactly right and if, my goodness, if my confidence is in Brett Barclay, my goodness, Brett Barclay some days he's up and some days he's down and that's the truth, that's the human condition but if we trust in the One who is always perfect and we realise what took place on the cross we understand that our approach to God is full of confidence and boldness.

Can I read you a couple of Scriptures on this, Hebrews, I love, these are life Scriptures for me, fantastic, Hebrews 10 verse 19 says:

Therefore brethren having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.

So the Holiest is where God lived, it was His dwelling place; and so you and I can enter the immediate presence of God with boldness.

Berni: And when you recognise who that was written to which was the Hebrew nation, the Jewish nation and only once a year on Yom Kippur could one person, the High Priest enter into the Holy of Holy's and now, read that Scripture to us again.

Brett: It says:

Therefore brethren having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.

Berni: Yeah, that is radical, that would have blown their minds.

Brett: Absolutely and I tell you what, if you read through the Books of the Old Testament one word you will not see with how the High Priest approached God is boldness.

Berni: No.

Brett: Because the price for sin had not been paid.

Berni: Interestingly the day the High Priest went in to the Holy of Holy's what did they attach to his ankle?

Brett: Well my understanding is that it was a rope.

Berni: And a bell.

Brett: Yes that's right.

Berni: And the bell was there to make the noise to make sure that they knew he was still alive and the rope was there to pull him out if he died.

Brett: Exactly.

Berni: So that was the fear of God in the Holy of Holy's and it is such an incredible breakthrough to imagine that by the blood of Christ we've been brought near to God and we can stand before God completely confident in what Jesus has done for us. Totally.

Brett: One hundred percent. Let me read another Scripture, it's fantastic, Ephesians 3:12 says:

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Jesus Christ.

Now let me just make a quick comment on these two Scriptures, one says we have boldness by the blood of Jesus, the other one says we have boldness and confidence through faith in Him. You notice that there's none of you and I in there? All our confidence and all our boldness is in the One who is perfect, the One who came to earth to make the way back to God so that's why I can be confident and practically Berni how this works is, you know what? On my worst day and on my best day it's my approach to God is the same because it's not about my, we talked about performance based religion, it's not about my performance, it's about Christs performance. That's what makes be bold and that is what makes me confident.

Berni: You know when I need that boldness most, when I know I've failed God. When I know I have fallen flat on my face and I'm the guy that gets behind the radio mike every day and every week to do this and I have fallen flat on my face before God, if I did not have that boldness I would not keep short accounts with God. If I did not have that boldness I would not go to God and say, "God I am sorry, forgive me."

Brett: Yeah that's exactly right and Hebrews 4 talks about that.

Let us come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need.

The time of need is not when you're doing well it's when you've done wrong, it's when you've done badly.

Berni: That is awesome stuff. So let me encourage anybody who's listening today whose kind of nervous standing before God, who's afraid. If you believe that Jesus died for you and rose again, if that's what you believe you may stand before God completely clean, completely pure, completely in right standing with Him and bold and confident in what Jesus did for you. Brett, thanks for joining me today.

Brett: Thanks Berni.