NEW YEAR, NEW WHO? with PASTOR JAMES BRYSON // SPECIAL EPISODE

This is definitely a year people are ready to bid farewell, but every new year invites a rush of emotions, changes, and opportunities. This week, we welcome back our good friend Pastor James Bryson, Senior Pastor of Grace Life Community Church, to talk about what this New Year should really usher in.

QUESTIONS WE TOUCH IN THIS EPISODE

• What eternal life means?
• Where is eternal life found?
• When does eternal life begin?

VERSES USED IN NEW YEAR, NEW WHO?

Philippians 3, Psalms 8:3, Romans 6, Acts 17, Psalm 16-11, 1 John 1-6,  2 Corinthians 5:15,

QUOTES FROM NEW YEAR, NEW WHO?

“You know, because the only thing progressing in this relationship between us and God, we are progressive turning into something else. We’re always changing. Whether it be to become more like Christ or more like the world, he is immutable, he’s unchanging. So we need to take comfort in that immutability rather than chasing the quote-unquote.” 

Michelle Watson, The Pantry Podcast, Season Four

“The point is the victory, the point is to get through it. I mean the world, we have trophies in the world, man. I know I’ve got trophies that just collect dust. I don’t, it’s not an eternal trophy. It’s going to stay here. It’s going to wither away. It’s going to fall out.”

Shea Watson, The Pantry Podcast, Season Four

ANNOTATED TRANSCRIPT

Shea: Hi, what’s up? How are you? What’s going on?

Michelle: Oh my goodness. No, sometimes you say what’s up and my mind just blanks, but no, there’s actually a ton! This is awesome. I’m great. We have someone that we love so much here with us, so you know.

Shea: Why should this one always works to make people quiet. Hey, let’s talk.

Michelle: It makes you quiet. It makes me excited. Okay. That’s different. But it’s usually how it comes abou

Shea: He’s close, man. He’s close. I know there’s some stuff in his future. So one day he’s going to experience that when they walk up and they’re like, can we talk? Let’s just talk. And it’s like,

Michelle: No, it’s worse when they text you and say, can we talk tonight? And there’s nine hours left before tonight happens. And you’re like, “Oh…”

Shea: Oh wait for that one. Wait for that one. They melt down about nine 30 and then keep you to 12. Anyway. this is an exciting episode. We are in studio. Yeah.

Michelle: It’s always rare in, in this time of day. But here we are.

Shea: And we’re going to be talking about a, kind of a cool topic. You know, new year’s is right around the corner, like right around the corner. A couple of days, all of them, new year’s resolutions all then people like, yo, I’m going to do this next year. This, this I’m going to be this. I’m going to have all this. And I don’t know, I usually fall apart and I’m like, well, let me start X-ing out. Yeah.

Michelle: Well then you weren’t completely thrown for a loop for COVID. You were already off and you were like, well, when my glasses came up, I’m like normal. Hey, James, welcome to the show.

Pastor James Bryson: Thank you for that.

Shea: Man. It’s good. It’s good that you’re here with us. We’re going to have a topic. We’re going to talk about a topic today and I’m going to say it the way it’s supposed to be sick, because if you don’t say it the right way, then it’s like, watch this: New Year, New Who? If you don’t say it like that, if It’s like: “New year, new YooHoo? What? Huh?

Michelle: I like that milk. That non milk chocolate drink.

Pastor James Bryson: I have—I’m not a huge fan of milk, right?

Michelle: Well, it is a non milk. They say non milk, chocolate drink, like is just a bunch of fake stuff. Put into some water. Now, now that I’m older, but okay. And if we’re wrong, put it in the show notes, let us know, put it in the comments. Reviews will be filled with what YooHoo’s made of.

Shea: Right? So here we are new year, new who, and as I thought about this, I’m like, yeah, really? Like, who am I going to be in 2021? Do I want to define that? Or do I want it to be defined? Like I’m not just putting it into my own, my own category. Like, Oh, this, this is me, but it’s being defined into me. It took me to Psalms 8:3-5 is we’re going to kind of start off with this. And it says, when I consider your heavens the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man, that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him for. You have made him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor. And then we jump forward just a little bit to songs nine. And it says, arise oh Lord do not let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in your cite. Put them in fear, Lord that the nations may know themselves to be, but men. And then back to verse six of eight, because I love how it wraps it up. It says you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet, everything points to God.

Michelle: I’ve been saying this and people have hilarious reactions, but I’m like, “the only thing that changes when the clock strikes midnight is one digit, one number, nothing else instantly changes. And I think a lot of people have been building it up, putting their faith again, in something that they don’t realize they’re putting their faith in the year changing. They’re putting their faith in that. And, the goal, if you don’t have Christ as your savior, in that sense in 2021, it’s like, okay, new who new savior, new Messiah in says of your savior needs to be Jesus, not the new year celebration, right? Not yourself. Now, your job, not your lack of job, not the government, none of that. But then on top of that, like you said, who, who are you going to be? Are you going to continue with this thought of trying to navigate how to be a Christian in this culture I live in wherever that is? Or is it, this culture was never meant to be a happy, welcoming place to Christianity. Christianity has always been outside of this outside of time and everything else. So it’s like, how am I going to be this new me in 2021 that focuses less on how to fit in the culture and more on how to fit into Christ. Wow.

James: Hmm. Yeah. I think also sometimes we can focus a lot on the new, like in life, you know, because new is always associated with progress, right? New car, your job, new relationships, like everybody’s focused on the new, like, we can be real ambitious about the new, but I believe God wants us not to focus so much on the new, but focus on that, which is eternal. You know, like the Bible isn’t necessarily new, but as eternal like, God isn’t necessarily new, but he turned off and Romans 6, how it speaks about the newness of life, that newness is always associated with the turnoff. God makes his new, because we believe in him who was eternal. You think about the church, not the church, but in Acts chapter 17, they were always longing for that, which is new. He, Paul came on the scene, they said he was associated with like foreign gods.

James: So they wanted to learn something that was new. Right. And that’s the reason why he decided to listen to Paul, but Paul didn’t introduce them to something that was new. He introduced them to something that was eternal. And because he introduced, introduced them to something that would be eternal. Some people got upset, they wanted to stone Paul. Right. And then some people actually followed Paul. You know, it wasn’t the same, philosophy that they were used to hearing in the Greek philosophers, the Stoics. But it was something that was eternal. And that’s what really caused them to say, like, who are these men who turned the world upside down? You know, because Paul was introducing something that was completely eternal. And that’s what shifted the hearts of man. And so instead of being consumed with the new, and I understand like the concept, but be consumed with God and then, and now lives, maybe it’s new to us.

James: Right. But to God, it was in his mind, you know, like Christ was slain before the foundations of the earth. Like in God, like we’re not an afterthought in God’s mind, you know, like our lives are already mapped out. That’s why David said in Psalm 16-11, like show me the pathways that lead to life because in your presence is the fullness of joy. And at your right hand, there are pleasures forevermore, like Lord, like show me the terminal. Like you have a specific way a well-trodden enrolled how you want me to live. Lord introduced me to that. So in 2021, but I want to be introduced to your pathways.

Shea: Well, that’s not as, as deep. I like that. But I do. I liked that. I liked, I liked that we’re not focusing on something that is upcoming. We’re focusing on something that already is again, the eternal, the, I am. If I’m not focused on that light, if I’m not looking in the direction of that light, if I’m sitting there sitting in the darkness, then, then the fellowship gets cut off. It’s like, I’m not there. And, and, and, and, and as this explodes in my mind, exploding in my mind right now, because like, this is just one of those Atlas kind of coming together, but it’s like, if I have a focus that’s outside of the, I am. And I start to rely on that to protect my eye Gates in my ear Gates. Right. Instead of God, right. Then I’m really not in fellowship where I need to be. Right. And 1 John 1:6 is where that came out. You know, it’s where it’s like, you know, if we have fellowship with him while we’re, while we walk in darkness, right? We lie and do not practice. The truth is like, I’m with God, but I’m listening to the algorithm of the world, or am I with God and allowing his algorithm to come into my existence.

Michelle: That one thing that you said about progress, you know, we think new and progress, and one people are addicted to new. Cause we get so bored. We have all these words, monotonous, mundane, boring, bland, all these words to describe what happens to those shiny, exciting things. Once we have them and get to know them. And I think that with the perfect God, we don’t have to worry. But the interesting thing is that that word progress often we hear progress and we think it’s progressive league getting better, but you can progress into very bad things. You know, you can like just think medically wise, you don’t want to progress deeper into any disease or illness, right? You, you want to heal and you can use that word interchangeably. You can say, this is progress toward healing or progress towards death. Doesn’t matter. That word is neutral in that sense.

Michelle: And it can be used. However, so we need to ask ourselves when we hear the word progress, because everyone that’s trying to sell you, anything is going to use that word to make you feel outdated and antiquated, right? If, if you want to hold on to what was before, but see, we have to remember as Christians, what was before is the, I am right. He’s the oldest in that he’s outside of time, he always was. And he always will be so holding onto him by definition by world standards can be antiquated. You know, because the only thing progressing in this relationship between us and God, we are progressive turning into something else. We’re always changing. Whether it be to become more like Christ or more like the world, he is immutable, he’s unchanging. So we need to take comfort in that immutability rather than chasing the quote-unquote improvements that imperfect man wants to put on him because every single year you’re going to see society chipping away at itself.

Michelle: And at Christ, you know, I think of the Ora, Boris, which is like an alchemical symbol, the infinity symbol, but it’s a snake eating its own tail. And that is the world system. Every culture, every group that’s ever existed, even those who have followed Christ, when they’re in their own flesh, they’re eating their own tail at all times, they set up a tradition. If it works, Oh, well, it’s not going to exist much longer. If it doesn’t work, Oh, well, it’s not gonna exist much longer. But regardless, the one thing you can trust people to do is to always change. We need to be comforted, unlike the world who is always demanding change, change, change. We need to be comforted by the Lord who his plan has never changed, but we know how it ends. And we can take comfort in that. His ancient plan is the only one we need to trust in.

Shea: And that starts from Genesis. I mean, if you think about it, it came from void, right. And it progressed into something beautiful. And then into something that’s so beautiful. And then it’s like, yo Eve, Adam, yo, really? And it brings us back to where we’re at, you know, and then, but you know, what’s cool is that Moses held up a snake. He took that. He took that world thought and he’s like, okay, well, you know, we’ll use it. God’s in it. So yeah.

James: And I’m of the mind where I don’t want my life to be something a non-believer can do. Like, I don’t, I don’t want my life to match something of the world. And that sense. Right. You know, and not to be like hyper spiritual, but I want my life to go like, you know, like, what does God have for my life? Right. What did God ordained or delegate me to be instead of so focused on, you know, like what can I achieve? What can I obtain? What can I maintain? What can I produce? Like sometimes we can get so focused on that oppose to what is God doing? What is the direction that God wants me to go? Like when we look at, even 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul said, and he died for all that. Those who live shall live no longer for themselves, but for him who dies for them and Rose again now, like we no longer live for ourselves, but we, we begin to live for him who died for us and who Rose again?

James: You know, the emphasis is taken off of myself. Like, what can I do? How can I be modified? You know, like, how can I adjust? Like I was talking to one lady the other day and she said, every day I practice on out it be outta, be more spiritual or I practice on how to, how to, you know, be changed or I wanna progress in this life and she’s doing well. Right. But on the other side of the coin is that she’s frustrated when she falls. Like when you take yourself so serious, when you fall, you fall hard, you know, like it was like really, really dramatic. Like, man, like this guy took himself so serious. And as other people we can see throughout history who, who took themselves so serious, like they wanted to be like this perfect person. And then when they were exposed, then all of a sudden their credibility and how they viewed themselves as completely is tarnish forever now.

James: And people have walked away from the faith because of that mindset. Like I have to be like this good moral enthused polished, well, a furnish individual, you know, it could be a, a damaging, a slippery slope. And I like what you said as far as like about progress. Like we, we progress in Christ. and now change. Isn’t sourced in ourselves. But it’s actually an exchange of life, right? Like God exchange as our life for his focus, more on the exchange of poles, to me, trying to change, like how it says that, and this is Paul speaking of Philippians, he said for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Like his life was crystal centric. Like my life is God’s life and my life has actually hid in Christ. And I just think that’s important to note because what separates the Christian from the world and what separates us is the fact that we are made new, not a refurbish, not like the old, but we’re completely new in Christ

Shea: That grace is efficient. That’s, that’s, that’s an old thought from the beginning of the Bible. You know, when we’re reading, I remember like when Nathan confronts, David, you know, was completely lost. Cause he’s, he’s outwardly focused, right? He’s not thinking like within himself and, and the story proves it, you know, we, they throws out this story about some other guy, right. And he was like, Oh, he’s got to go down. He’s going down. But see here’s what’s cool is in that David recognizes it. The Nathan comes back. He says, the Lord has put away your sin. You shall not die. See, he’s been putting away sin for a long time. I was thinking about that as you’re telling me the story of the lady, you know, who’s like super spiritual and then she sends it and she falls and it falls apart. The point is the victory, the point is to get through it. I mean the world, we have trophies in the world, man. I know I’ve got trophies that just collect dust. I don’t, it’s not an eternal trophy. It’s going to stay here. It’s going to wither away. It’s going to fall out.

Michelle: Y’all have both said like, so my mind’s exploding. I love it. I love this. This is not always captured on a podcast. No, my, so both of what you’re saying, the idea maintain, that’s what sparked this, this idea humans want to maintain. And when Shay was talking about it in the garden, it started in the garden. We were in a garden that we were, and I’m speaking this from a God perspective. We were never meant to stay in that garden in that state because he knew the whole plan. And he knew there was a better form for humans to take one where we had access to the knowledge of good and evil and freewill. And despite that combination still chose him. And so now we can live with him forever, understanding everything and still choosing him. So in the garden, everything was great. And then everything fell apart.

Michelle: I’m sure Adam and Eve were remembering that garden pining for that garden, wanting to find their way back to that garden, earn their way back into that guard, whatever it took to get back into that garden. And in the world today, you see that in, and I’m not demonizing any of this stuff yet. It’s just, this is human nature to preserve, to maintain, right. We have national parks where you’re not allowed to walk on the rocks because they will erode. And then the next generation can’t see that rock the way it was seen 80 years ago. Right? So we’ve got all these monuments around earth, right? Like natural and manmade structures that you’re not allowed to touch, climb anything. Cause it will erode because of interaction with it. And we’re trying to preserve things in a way, because that’s the best we have. It. That’s the best we’ve experienced it. And we want to pass that on to the next. And then it made me think of Joseph when he was in prison for two years, not knowing what was going to happen. Having faith in the Lord, he was forgotten by the Baker. I think it was no, it was the cup holder. The cup bearer that Baker got killed, I think. 

Michelle: Joseph, he at the start of his life, he was kind of on top, like his, he was his dad’s favorite. He had the coat of many colors. Why would he want to trade that in then that he can’t maintain that it’s outside of his power. He ends up being sold. And now he’s on this chain of bad events. Like we are in 2020 where everyone’s like, I was doing pretty good. And then all of a sudden, right, we have no idea when it’s going to end, but we are pining for that and that good. Right? No idea how long it’s going to take, come out of it. And now he’s at a place so much better than the garden. It’s an garden at the next one. Now he’s the Pharaoh’s favorite. His dad’s favorite. Probably still.

Michelle: Although his dad still thinks he’s dead. But now he’s getting everything he had in the garden. His family is coming back with him. But now he also has the favor of Pharaoh, the resources. And so we need to remember on that eternal level that we no matter where we can think back in the stallion, like whatever time in our life was our happiest, our most full of hope. If we are in a place where we have painfully lost people this year, lost dreams, lost resources, lost our health, lost hope in a lot of ways, see things and are predicting much worse to come, right? We are the blessed few that have access to the book of revelation. And we know what happens. And I’m not talking about all the fire coming down. The, the stars for I’m talking about those last two chapters where Christ is ruling, where we’re forever with him, where there’s no more tears where all the nations and tribes and tongues that have accepted Christ are rejoicing together with no racism, no tribalism, no classism, no sexism. None of that is there. So no matter what we have to look at that and say, yeah, we had our garden. Yeah. We had our right after the flood. Yeah. We had our, you know, right. Lemme people go. We had all those triumphant moments in life, but we don’t have to pine for those anymore. We as Christians know the end game so we can pine forward. Right. So forward, like we’re out of control. We don’t have that control. We don’t have to maintain like the world does because we know God has that.

James: I was thinking about a brother Lawrence. I know you guys heard of him. He was like a real deformed looking guy to say the least. I mean, he had a hunchback. He wasn’t a Paley. Wasn’t attractive at all. And one day he was walking through a, seems like maybe a garden and it was winter time. And he seen that the leaves started to wither away. And he said, he prayed and said like, Lord, I feel like that withered tree. And then he said that he heard guys say, but the spring is coming, but the spring is coming. And that started a life that he would just focus on the presence of God, you know? And he was a dishwasher in a monastery. He didn’t have much, if any popularity, it was just a no name.

James: You know? But every day he would find new ways to be in God’s presence. And now he’s passed away. But he wrote this book extremely powerful. It was actually, it was the Bible. And then it was this book that was like like number one, sold like everywhere. Wow. And maybe in time, maybe he didn’t see the significance of why he wrote that book, you know, but in eternity, you know, he’s passed on, but this book is blessing millions of people, you know, just like with just his life, the simplicity of just being in God’s presence, you know, and really like maybe in time and our situation, we don’t see what God is doing fully. But if you remained faithful and if you engage guys, then it has eternal reward and God adds to your life in eternity. You know, I really that’s where, that’s where the substance of life is because our life is, but a vapor, right?

James: Like we’re here one minute, we’re gone. And next, you know, like our life is extremely short. So eternity, we should, that’s really where we should be focused on. Right. James asked a very important question. He said in James chapter four, like, what is your life like? What is your life? And I think that’s a question we all should ask, like, what is our lives? Not so we can be over analytical now so we can fall into condemnation. Not so we can have the mindset. Okay. Let’s pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and let’s go, let’s go for it. But no. So we can engage that, which is eternal. Like Lord. Okay. I fully don’t understand, like, I don’t know my left from my rights. You know, like, I don’t know what’s going on with my situation. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but Lord make something of me.

James: Help me to know you help me to know your plans and even a Paul in Philippians 3, I mean, he started listing off all his credentials. The first year first sees circumcise this day. You know, he was, he was taught on the Galileo, the third smartest person in history at that time. And you know, I mean, he had every reason to boast, but he just said, you know what? I just counted all but dunk, but re fierce. But his emphasis was on the eternal. He said like that. I may know him in the power

James: Resurrection and fellowshipping of his suffering being conformed into his image. Like that was his emphasis. Like the channel, not being, not modifying, not changing, like where he’s going, so to speak, but really changing his mind and putting his mind on the things of God. And that was like his, his whole existence, you know, like everything that I’ve done, all the good things, all the new things. I obtained all the credentials, all the prestige, all the honor. 

Shea: That’s a, that’s a powerful conversation that we’re having. We’re coming into a new year. I’ve heard two ways. I’ve heard, man. I wish I could go back and I’ve heard just wait until 2021, wait until 2021. And all I’m hearing today as we wrapping this up, right. Is the eternal and this thought, you know, so it’s like new year, new who, the eternal, the I am. Whereas our focus what’s going to get us through today. See, we’re always out or behind is, you know, I’ve been listening to like this conversation. It’s like out in behind perspective or looking ahead to provision, you know, it’s like, it’s like, we’re not looking right now to the who.

Shea:You know, don’t, don’t look ahead, but let’s, let’s focus right now. You know, if I’m running a race, I’m not looking. I mean, you know, it’s like, you gotta watch where you at now, you know, it’s like, you can think of yourself ahead, but it’s like, well, if you stumble over something, what if, what if all of a sudden you fall into a category like that, that young lady that, you know, really super spiritual, but then falls. And it’s like now destroyed in that moment. Let’s not be destroyed in John Judas says to Jesus, not scarier, but he says, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not the world? And Jesus gave probably the most simple answer. Cause I know this sounds difficult. I mean like people will sit here and say, I know you guys just, you know, quoting the verses and tie, but it’s, it’s a lifestyle it’s but it’s not as complicated as it would seem in your initial relationship.

Shea: Right. And what does Jesus say? He says, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him. And we will come to him and make our home with him. That’s that whole eternal wrapped up into one. How and an answer. Whoever loves me. Y’all early happy, new year, happy new year. And a man, Pastor James, always a blessing to have you with us. You’ll hear from him more. I’m telling you that we’re going to bug him all the time. I’m still bugging him on a one minute video. Now it’s on now. It’s on. Now. It’s a shot out. See, now it’s out there. I did a one minute encouraging video. Y’all if you’re hearing this, if you’re hearing this, send it, send it one minute, man, we got an email. We’ll give you, you know, ways to get it to us. One minute of encouragement. That’s the new year. We want to bring people encouragement throughout the year. We want to be intentional in what we’re doing. Right? I think intentional is a good for 2021, but intentional. And who the I am. Amen.

Michelle: Amen. This has been as always just awesome. God touched episode. So we’re going to leave you with one simple thing. Connect with us in 20 twenty1@thepantrypodcast.com. There’s going to be a new tab on there. Call crumbs where you can read more about what Shea was just saying. We just want to get in touch with you and build you up and pray with you.

James: I got one, one alibi. If you’re in the Edgewood area, there is a church. Yes, yes. Please come and join us. Race life, community church, 2104 Tremble road, Edgewood, Maryland. We will love to have, you were relatively new. We started doing COVID and God has been had in every sense. We’ve been having a great time focusing on the eternal. The eternal is the eternal is the, I am. Amen.

Shea: Amen. Till next time. Bye.

Michelle: Bye. (Say bye.)

Pastor James Bryson: Bye.

KEYWORDS: GOD'S PRESENCE, NEW YEAR, SAME GOD.