WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:06.360 Hello, Saddleback. Have I told you lately that I love you? 2 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:08.359 You know? I want to encourage you to take out 3 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:10.640 your message outline right now because this is going to 4 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:13.679 be a very useful message that I know is going 5 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:15.439 to help you a lot. So pull out your message 6 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.280 notes wherever you are now. The reason that I'm speaking 7 00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:22.320 to you from the farm is because I'm doing something 8 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:25.519 this weekend that I hope every one of you will 9 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:27.719 do before the end of the year, and it's this. 10 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:32.039 I want you to plan a getaway with your small group. 11 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.479 We have I don't know thousand and seven thousand plus 12 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:38.640 small groups at Saddleback Church. Plan a getaway with your 13 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:41.280 small group on a day or a weekend. Just go 14 00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:43.280 away for a day, or if you can go away 15 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.399 for a weekend, plan something fun together, plan a retreat. 16 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:52.200 Believe me, after the last nearly two years of limited 17 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:55.439 fellowship due to the COVID nineteen pandemic, you need to 18 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:57.960 plan a getaway with your small group and have some 19 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:01.679 serious fellowship and some serious fun. That's why I'm modeling 20 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:04.319 it for you this weekend. So I'm away with my 21 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:08.599 small group that we've been together almost twenty years now. 22 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.400 For most of you. I doubt that your schedule is 23 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:14.200 as busy as mine is, and I don't want you 24 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:17.840 to use busyness as an excuse for not getting away. 25 00:01:17.879 --> 00:01:19.959 So if you've got the desire to do this with 26 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:22.760 your small group, and you make a commitment to do it, 27 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:25.519 you'll figure out a way to plan a fun getaway 28 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:29.760 and a spiritual retreat with your small group. That's the 29 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:33.840 doctor's orders this week. Now, this week, I want us 30 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:36.799 to continue with part five of my series called Strategies 31 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:41.159 for Stressful Times. Specifically, we're going to look at how 32 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:45.560 Jesus personally handles stress, and I want you to see 33 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:51.239 what I call jesus Seven Secrets of Resilience. Now, maybe 34 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:53.799 you've never thought about it, but the Bible says that 35 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:57.439 we are to look to Jesus as our model for 36 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:00.439 enduring tough times. The Bible says, as we are to 37 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:02.680 look to Jesus as our model for enduring tough times, 38 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:05.400 we are to follow his example of resilience, and we 39 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.080 are to follow his example stress management. And the Bible 40 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:11.439 says it this way. If you've got your notes there 41 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.360 right at the top of your outline, Hebrews chapter twelve 42 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:16.879 says this verses one to three out of the New 43 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:20.919 Living Translation. Since we are surrounded by such a crowd 44 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:25.000 of witnesses to this life of faith, let us strip 45 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:28.479 off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin 46 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:33.039 that so easily hinders our progress, and let us run 47 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:37.439 with endurance. Underline that, run with endurance the race that 48 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:40.159 God has set before us. We do this by keeping 49 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:43.039 our eyes on Jesus. You see that we do this 50 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:45.319 by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith 51 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.800 depins from start to finish. Jesus was willing to die 52 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:51.960 a shameful death on the cross because of the joy 53 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.560 he knew would be his afterwards. And now he is 54 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.400 seated in the place of highest honor, beside God's throne 55 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:02.960 in heaven. Think about all he endured. That's what we're 56 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.199 talking about this weekend, resilience. Think about all he endured 57 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:09.439 when sinful people did such terrible things to him. So 58 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:16.280 that you so that you don't become weary and give up. Now, 59 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:19.719 what is that verse? At passage Thomas nobody experienced greater 60 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:23.680 stress than Jesus Christ. He experienced enormous pressure. He was 61 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:28.439 criticized constantly, he was misunderstood. There were constant demands on 62 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:31.759 his life. He had little privacy, and there were people 63 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:35.759 who were trying constantly to kill him. I doubt that's 64 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:39.319 true of you, but that's stress. And yet when we 65 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.280 look at the life of Jesus Christ, we look at 66 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:44.919 his ministry, we see that he walked and he lived 67 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:51.319 with an amazing peacefulness, no matter how difficult the situation became. 68 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:57.159 He modeled a calmness and a resilience in the face 69 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:01.520 of outrageous demands. This is the Book of Hebrews advises 70 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:05.840 us to keep our eyes on Jesus. That's what we're 71 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:08.639 going to do today. We're going to watch his example 72 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:13.879 of endurance. We're going to learn his secrets of resilience. 73 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:20.279 And today I'm going to unpack jesus seven secrets of resilience. 74 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.199 You're going to need this, so I want to encourage 75 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:27.079 it to take notes. Now we learn these seven secrets 76 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:32.279 of resilience from Jesus's own words. Let's get started. The 77 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:36.240 first secret of resilience when you're under stress is this. 78 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:41.000 Write this down. Remember how much God loves me. That's 79 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:45.920 the first antidote to stress. It's the first secret of resilience. 80 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:50.480 It is the principle of compassion. Jesus had no doubt 81 00:04:50.519 --> 00:04:54.240 in his mind that God the Father loved him. He 82 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:57.279 talks about it over and over and over and over. 83 00:04:57.399 --> 00:04:59.920 Just one verse on your outline, John ten, verse seventeen. 84 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:06.360 The Father loves me. The Father loves me now knowing 85 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:12.040 and remembering that God loves you unconditionally, and God loves 86 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:17.639 you extravagantly, and God loves you continuously, and he will 87 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:21.439 never stop loving you. That is the foundation. That's the 88 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:27.279 first secret, the foundation of a resilient life. As Paul 89 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:30.560 says in the Book of Romans, if God's for us, 90 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:34.720 who can be against us? Okay, who could be against us? 91 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:37.680 We are resilient because we know that God will never 92 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:40.560 stop loving us. Now, I know what you're thinking, think, well, 93 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:45.279 of course God loves Jesus, he's his son. But did 94 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:50.040 you know that Jesus said the same thing about you two. Yeah. 95 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:54.160 In John fifteen, verse nine to ten says this. Jesus says, 96 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:58.680 just as the Father has loved me, So if I 97 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:03.480 loved you, now remain in my love, and if you 98 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:07.040 obey my commands, you will remain in my love. Now. 99 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:09.199 I've talked to you many, many times about how much 100 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:12.680 God loves you, because it is really the basis of 101 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:17.720 your personal security. If you're not convinced that God always 102 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:23.120 loves you, that he loves you unconditionally, completely, instantly, continuously, 103 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:25.759 that he never stops loving you, that you can't make 104 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:29.319 him stop loving you. If you don't really have this 105 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.560 foundation of God's unconditional love in your life, You're going 106 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:34.839 to be easy, pray for the disapproval of other people. 107 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:38.639 You're going to be a people pleaser. How much does 108 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:40.519 God love you? We'll look there on your outline. First, 109 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:46.439 John three, verse one says this, how great, How great 110 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:51.759 is the love of the Father that He's lavished on us, 111 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:56.639 that we should be called the children of God, and 112 00:06:56.639 --> 00:07:00.279 that is what we are. So the first key to 113 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:04.399 resilience is to build the baseline that God will never 114 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:08.199 stop loving me. Jesus knew it. You need to know it. 115 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:11.560 Number two. The second key that we see in the 116 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:15.439 life of Jesus, and you need this for your stress resistance, 117 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:20.279 is this, remember who I am. Don't just remember that 118 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:24.560 God loves you unconditionally. Remember who I am. This is 119 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:28.800 the principle of identification. Now why is this important? Because 120 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:32.000 if you're not sure who you really are. You're going 121 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:36.079 to be whipped around and manipulated and molded by the 122 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:38.480 pressures and the problems and the other people around you. 123 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:41.680 When you have a confused identity, when you have an 124 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:45.120 unclear identity, when you don't really know who you are, 125 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:49.199 it makes you more prone distress. Why because our culture 126 00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:51.959 will try to fit you in it's mold. It's going 127 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:54.519 to make you into what you want it wants you 128 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:58.480 to be. And until you settle this issue first, God 129 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:02.240 loves me unconditionally, and I know who I am. I'm 130 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.800 a child of God, You're going to be prone distress. 131 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:08.279 Now we know that Jesus never had any doubts about 132 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:12.000 his identity. He knew exactly who he was. In fact, 133 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:18.160 eighteen times in scripture he publicly defines himself eighteen times. 134 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:23.279 These are famous statements called the I Am statements of Jesus, 135 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.000 the I Am statements of Jesus. I've listed just a 136 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.759 few of them there on your outline, mark Chapter fourteen, 137 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:32.840 John eight, John fourteen, John six. Many different places Jesus 138 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.360 says I am, and then he fills it in I 139 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:38.399 am the light of the world, I am the Son 140 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:41.840 of God, I am the way, I am the truth, 141 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:44.960 I am the life, I am the bread of life. 142 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:49.159 Over and over, he defines himself. He knew exactly who 143 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:54.639 he was. Why is this helpful in knowing in handling stress? Well? 144 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:57.960 In John eight eighteen, Jesus says, in other words, I 145 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:01.399 testify to my own behalf. I don't need other people 146 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:04.159 to tell me who I am. I know who I am. 147 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:09.799 I don't depend on the opinions of others to validate myself. 148 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:12.559 Do you do that? If you depend on the opinions 149 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:17.519 of others to validate yourself, you are prone to stress, 150 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:22.320 and you certainly aren't resilient to chronic stress. The fact is, 151 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.639 if you don't know who you are, other people will 152 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.480 decide it for you. They'll force you into a mold. 153 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:32.799 They'll create stress. You'll end up pretending. You'll end up 154 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:35.200 faking it. You'll end up wearing a mask. You'll end 155 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:37.559 up trying to be a man or woman that you're 156 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:39.799 not really who you are. You're who everybody else wants 157 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:43.759 you to be. And that's called stress. Stress happens when 158 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.639 you try to be something you're not. Doesn't matter if 159 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:48.679 it's for the sake of your parents or the sake 160 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:51.399 of your boss, or the sake of your spouse, or 161 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:53.240 the sake of your boyfriend. Doesn't matter who you do 162 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:55.679 it for. You're going to be pressured and you're going 163 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:57.720 to be stressed, and you're not going to be resilient. 164 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.480 Now you say, well, of course Jesus knew he was 165 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:05.519 the light of the world. Of course he knew that. 166 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:08.960 But did you know that Jesus said the same thing 167 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:13.080 about you. He said the exactly he said, I'm the 168 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:15.799 light of the world. But in Matthew five thirteen sixteen, 169 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:18.039 Jesus says this, you are the light of the world. 170 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.679 He says, you are the salt of the earth, and 171 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:25.320 you are the light of the world. Don't hide your light. 172 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:29.559 Do you realize how special God says you are. There's 173 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:32.480 nobody in the world exactly like you. When God made you, 174 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:35.720 he broke the mold. Just like God doesn't make two 175 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:39.279 snowflakes the same. God doesn't make clones of people. Even 176 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:42.399 identical twins are different in thousands of different ways. There 177 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.600 will never be in the history of humankind someone like 178 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:49.799 you at all. You're unique, and you need to know 179 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.039 that God loves you unconditionally, and you need to know 180 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:58.159 who you are now. Identity, this issue of identity, This 181 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:01.120 is the second principle, the principle of identity. When you 182 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.279 don't know your identity, it increases your stress. And it 183 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:09.480 comes out two different ways, comparing and copying, comparing copy comparing. 184 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:11.840 When you say, well, I'm going to compare myself to 185 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:15.120 everybody else, God says, don't do that, and copying others. 186 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:17.919 We all begin as originals, but we end up as 187 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:20.799 carbing copies of other people. God does not want copies 188 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:24.120 of anybody. God does not want clones. That's why I 189 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:27.480 only created one of you. God wants you to be you. 190 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:29.039 When you get to having God, I'm going to say, 191 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.519 why weren't you more like Moses? The point is you 192 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:36.039 must be comfortable, become comfortable with being you. You must 193 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:39.679 accept your strengths, and you must accept your limitations and 194 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:43.480 your weaknesses. You must accept the truth about you. When 195 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:46.519 you do that, this second principle, the principle I know 196 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:51.320 who I am, you'll have a lot less stress. All right. Now, 197 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:55.159 here's the third secret of resilience that we learn from 198 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:59.120 looking to Jesus as our model. I know that God 199 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:01.840 loves me, I know who I am. Here's the third thing. 200 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:06.440 Know who I'm trying to please. Know who I'm trying 201 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:11.039 to please. In other words, know who you're living for now. 202 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:14.159 This is the principle of motivation. You need to know 203 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.759 what is your deepest motivation. If you don't know that, 204 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:19.960 if you haven't figured it out, you are prone to 205 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:25.000 get stressed. What motivates you every day? You see, Mixed 206 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:30.600 motivations are a third great cause of stress. Jesus said, 207 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.840 no man can serve two masters. This third cause of 208 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:37.240 stress is trying to please everybody. The truth is you can't. 209 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:40.720 You get crowd A please, crowd B ticks off, get kissed, 210 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:43.039 kicked off. You about the time you get crowd B happy, 211 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.320 crowd A is upset again. Did you know that even 212 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:48.720 God can't please everybody. Somebody's praying for it to rain, 213 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:50.440 and somebody's praying for it to be sunny. On the 214 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:53.000 same day, somebody's praying for some team to win, and 215 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:55.399 others praying for another team to win or this guy 216 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:57.759 to get elected, and somebody else is praying for somebody else. 217 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:02.039 You know, as a path I have learned that for 218 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:06.879 forty two years I'm always disappointing somebody. Why because everybody 219 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:11.960 has different expectations. Okay, they have different expectations. The Bible 220 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.559 says the fear of man is a trap. It's it 221 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:20.159 will capture you, it will cause you to stumble. That's 222 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:24.759 why Jesus says, I and John five point thirty, I'm 223 00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:29.080 not trying to do what I want, but only what 224 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:33.000 my father, who sent me wants. I know who I'm 225 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:35.960 trying to please. Now, if you're not trying to please 226 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:39.480 God in all likelihood, you're trying to please a bunch 227 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:41.879 of people, it's a whole lot easier to say, I'm 228 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:44.200 just going to focus on pleasing God and let the 229 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.519 chips fall where they me because if you please God, 230 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:48.399 it will always be the right thing. If you don't 231 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:51.039 please God and you're trying to please others, you just 232 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:54.039 get stressed out with what this person wants that person wants. 233 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:57.799 This was the third reason Jesus was so stressed resistant 234 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:02.600 he was only trying to please please one person. Notice 235 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:06.480 there on your outline, John eight twenty nine. I always 236 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:09.759 do those things that are pleasing to him, And if 237 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:12.639 you're pleasing God, it's always the right thing. It also 238 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:16.120 simplifies your life because I don't have to worry about him. 239 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:18.440 I please to every veilse. I'm just trying to please God. 240 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:24.799 Jesus never let approval or that matter of rejection control him. 241 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:28.360 He lived for an audience of one, as I mentioned 242 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:32.120 earlier Luke sixteen thirteen. No man can serve two masters. 243 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:38.879 You can't please multiple audiences. He focused only on pleasing God. Now, 244 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:40.480 this is what you need to do if you want 245 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:43.840 to be resistant distress and if you want to be 246 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:48.600 resilient to when you get knocked down. Galatians one ten. 247 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.639 Paul says, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser. 248 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:55.240 This is Paul. I'm not trying to be a people pleaser. No, 249 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.480 I'm only trying to please God. If I are still 250 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:01.639 trying to please people, he says, I wouldn't be Christ's servant. 251 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:06.639 I love that. In the New Living Translation, one of 252 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:09.759 the biggest myths that will make you miserable is this, 253 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:14.120 I must be loved by everybody in order to be happy. 254 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:19.279 That's just not true. You don't need other people's approval 255 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:22.919 to be happy. But let me ask you right now, 256 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:28.240 who's approval are you depending on for your happiness? Who 257 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.440 you're still trying to please? Somebody been trying to please 258 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:34.679 an unpleasable parent and they've been dead for a while. 259 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:39.799 You know, we love to blame other people for our stress. 260 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:43.000 I have to do this, I must do this. I 261 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:45.799 can't do that. The truth is, nobody's holding the gun 262 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:49.480 to your head. You're not a victim. You are as 263 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.960 free as you choose to be. Nobody can pressure you 264 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:58.600 without your permission. That's why the third secret of resilience 265 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:02.159 is know who you're trying to please. Jesus said, I 266 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:04.320 know who I'm trying to please. I'm only trying to 267 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.639 please my father. I'm not worried about anybody else. That's 268 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:10.159 why we're looking at him as our model. Now here's 269 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:13.080 the fourth thing that Jesus did. Here's the fourth secret 270 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:16.720 of resilience and resistance to stress. I need to not 271 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:19.399 only know God loves me. I need to not only 272 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:23.440 know that that who I'm trying to please. I need 273 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:27.600 to not only know that God has called me. That's 274 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:32.960 the fourth thing. I know my calling. If you want 275 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.080 to be resistant to stress, you need to get alone 276 00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:38.399 with God until you know your calling. I must know 277 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:42.480 exactly and believe exactly what God has called me to 278 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:46.240 do with my life. Now, this is the principle of vocation. 279 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:50.759 Vocation and until you clarify this and it becomes crystal 280 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:53.080 clear in your mind, you're going to be more prone 281 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:56.639 to getting stressed out. But when when you know what 282 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:59.120 God's called you do, you know what God has called 283 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:01.440 you do you all still know what God has called 284 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:05.039 you not to do. In other words, when you're sure 285 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:07.720 of your calling, you know what's your business, but you 286 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:11.799 also know what's none of your business. And that simplifies life. 287 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:14.960 To Jesus, knew exactly what he was called to do. 288 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:18.599 Here's the fourth thing. And John eight fourteen. He says, 289 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:22.160 I know where I came from, and I know where 290 00:17:22.200 --> 00:17:26.880 I'm going. To me, that sounds like a purpose driven life. 291 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:29.839 I know where I came from, and I know where 292 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:34.400 I'm going. He lived a purpose driven life. If you're 293 00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:36.799 to look up the word drive in the dictionary, it 294 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:40.440 means to guide or to control, or to direct. When 295 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:43.680 you drive a car, you guide control directed down the street. 296 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:47.559 When you drive a nail with a hammer, you guide control, 297 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:52.039 direct the nail into the wood. When you drive a 298 00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:57.119 golf ball, hopefully you guide controlled, directed down the fairway. 299 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:01.279 Every life is driven by something. Some people are driven 300 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:04.000 by guilt, some people are driven by fear. Some people 301 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:07.160 are driven by the pressure of others. You're going to 302 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:12.839 be guided through life by either pressure or purpose. Let 303 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.319 me say that again. You will be guided through life 304 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:19.680 by either pressures or purpose. And that's why this is 305 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:23.599 no You're calling. Know your purpose. We have a whole 306 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:27.519 series of classes on this at saddle Back Church. And 307 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:31.359 when you know your purpose, then you determine what's important, 308 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:37.519 the purpose or some people's idea for your life. What 309 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:40.319 am I saying to you this weekend? That the direction 310 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:46.519 of your life? It's your choice, Okay, nobody, as I said, 311 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.880 nobody's holding a gun to your head. And by clarifying 312 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:53.319 your calling and goes you know what God shaped me 313 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:55.880 in a certain way, That means I, whatever you're shaped, 314 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:59.359 it is what you should be doing. But when you 315 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:01.519 when you know your shape and you know what God's 316 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.759 called you, then you can avoid the tyrannage of the urgent. 317 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:08.960 And until you clarify your calling, you're going to be 318 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.920 controlled by others. How many times have you already learned 319 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:14.039 that God loves you and everybody else has a plan 320 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:18.440 for your life? James, Chapter one, verse eight says this, 321 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:22.720 a person who has doubts is thinking about two different 322 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.599 things at the same time. They can't make up their 323 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:29.240 mind about anything. The Bible says, you're wishy washy when 324 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:33.559 your purpose isn't clear, when your calling isn't clear. That's 325 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:36.680 why Paul says the Ephesians for one, I urge you 326 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.799 to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 327 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:47.480 Everybody has a calling, not just missionaries or pastors or 328 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.799 church leaders. Everybody has a calling. Some are called to 329 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:54.240 be pharmacists, some are called to be accountants, some are 330 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:56.839 called to be a school teacher, some are called to 331 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:00.359 be cab drivers. Each day you need to ask, am 332 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:04.000 I moving toward my purpose? And that leads me to 333 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:08.359 the fifth principle of resilience that we learned from looking 334 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.400 to Jesus as our model. And here's what Jesus did. 335 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:17.240 Number five, Focus on what matters most. Focus on what 336 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:22.279 matters most. Now, this is the principle of concentration. We've 337 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:27.079 talked about, you know, motivation, and we've talked about the 338 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:31.200 compassion of God. This is the principle of concentration. And 339 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:34.759 what I mean by this is when you know where 340 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:38.400 you're headed and you focus, then you're not distracted by 341 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:41.200 less important things. It's a matter of priorities. You know 342 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:45.960 what matters most in life, and you focus on those things. 343 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:49.920 As I said, everybody has a plan for your life. 344 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:53.200 You know what I've discovered that is Satan can't get 345 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:57.039 you to do wrong. He'll just wear you out with 346 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:02.000 too many good things. Yeah, yeah, good things. There are 347 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:03.880 a lot of good things you shouldn't do. Did you 348 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:08.720 know that Jesus was a master of concentration. He was 349 00:21:08.759 --> 00:21:12.119 a master of focusing his life. He focused his life 350 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:15.559 like a laser, and he refused to be distracted. Let 351 00:21:15.559 --> 00:21:18.680 me show you some verses Luke nine fifty one. Here's 352 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:22.200 an example of this principle. As the time drew near 353 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:28.240 for his return to heaven, Jesus moved steadily onward toward 354 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:33.640 Jerusalem with an iron will. That's a living Bible. What 355 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.480 does that mean? He had a goal, he knew what 356 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.279 his goal was. He knew he was going to die 357 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:46.519 in Jerusalem. He's persistent, he's determined, he's focused, he focuses, 358 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:50.240 he's clarified his priorities. Paul's the same way. Paul says, 359 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:54.279 this one thing I do Paul didn't say these forty things. 360 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:58.519 I dabble in. That's what we do. We dabble in 361 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:01.720 forty things. This one thing I do. If you want 362 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:04.680 your life to count, if you want your life to 363 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:09.039 have impact, focus is the name of the game. You know, 364 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:14.039 you have incredible spiritual potential, but the barrier is often 365 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:18.839 you haven't really settled what's most important. I don't really 366 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:23.599 have time to serve God. I would rethink that one okay, 367 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:26.119 I would rethink that, knowing that one day you're going 368 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:28.160 to stand before God and he's going to say, what 369 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:31.839 did you do with what you were given? You know, 370 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:35.119 some guys gave that same excuse to Jesus, Lord, let 371 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.000 me first, go do something else before I follow you. 372 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:41.880 And that phrase let me first, that's always the problem. 373 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.279 Me first. You can't say Lord, let me first. Lord 374 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:49.440 and me first are contradictory. Jesus said in Luke nine 375 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:54.799 sixty two. Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the 376 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:57.319 work that I plan for him. God has planned a 377 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:59.680 work for you to do. Anyone who lets him be 378 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:01.559 act from the work I plan for him is not 379 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:05.559 fit for the Kingdom of God. The older I get, 380 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:09.400 the more I realize selection is the name of the game. 381 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:14.400 Lots of opportunities, lots of option, but the key to 382 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:19.000 effectiveness is selection. First Corinthians ten twenty three says this, 383 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:24.599 We're free to do anything, but not all things are helpful, 384 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:28.720 not all things are profitable, not all things are wholesome 385 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:32.240 or constructive to your character and your spiritual life. I 386 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:34.839 love that the way it's brought out in the amplified translation. 387 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:39.680 What is he saying Some things aren't necessarily wrong, They're 388 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:43.119 just not necessary. That's one of the keys to resilience. 389 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:45.359 It's one of the keys to stress resistance. And here's 390 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:49.880 the sixth secret of resilience that we learn from looking 391 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:52.880 to Jesus as our model. This is a big one. 392 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:59.680 Number six. Spend time alone with God. Now, this secret 393 00:23:59.720 --> 00:24:03.039 of resilience, and this secret of stress resistance may be 394 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:06.759 the secret that you do the least spending enough time 395 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:11.119 alone with God, and yet is absolutely essential to building 396 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:14.279 a resilient spirit and managing chronic stress. It is the 397 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:19.079 principle of meditation. You know, prayer is a great stress reliever. 398 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:23.319 It's a decompression chamber, it's cathartic. It's one of the 399 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:26.880 ways to unload your burdens. The Bible says in Luke 400 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:30.160 twenty two thirty nine, it was jesus habit. Notice this 401 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:33.680