WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.319 Hi, I'm Rick Warren, and Merry Christmas. You're listening the 2 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:04.719 Daily Hope. 3 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:07.080 Marry Christmas. 4 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:12.039 Today we celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, 5 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:15.720 the greatest gift the world has ever received. 6 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:19.320 So whether you're surrounded by loved ones or spending this 7 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.559 stay quietly, We're so glad that you've joined us. 8 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:26.399 So let's join Rick right now for the final part 9 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:30.800 of enjoying a fear not Christmas. How do I get 10 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:32.719 the fear out of my life that blocks me, that 11 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:34.679 keeps me from becoming all I want to be, all 12 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:35.159 that God. 13 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:35.560 Wants me to be. 14 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:39.520 You do the things that God told them to do 15 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:40.960 at the very first Christmas. 16 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:44.119 That's what you do. And if you do what. 17 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:46.560 God told Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and everybody 18 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:49.799 else what to do, the fears in your life will 19 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:54.759 dramatically go down, and the joy and the confidence in 20 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:58.439 your life is dramatically going to go up. Number one, 21 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:05.239 here's the first step. Surrender my life completely to God. 22 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:07.200 Every day. 23 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:11.959 Surrender my life completely to God. Every day I say God, 24 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:14.760 I'm full of fear. I'm giving you the good, the bad, 25 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:16.599 and the ugly of my life to you. Right now, 26 00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:18.719 and you just start the day that way. This is 27 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:22.799 how Mary overcame her inadequacy when the Angel unloaded all 28 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:26.200 this stuff. You're going to be pregnant, you're not even married, 29 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:28.400 and you've never had sex, and it's going to be 30 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:30.120 the son of God, and you're going to raise that 31 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:33.120 child and all the stuff that's going to happen to him. 32 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:37.079 Mary overcame her fear of inadequacy with this statement. 33 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:38.680 Luke, Chapter one, verse thirty eight. 34 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:43.040 Mary responded, I am the Lord's servant, and I'm willing 35 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:47.200 to accept whatever God wants for my life. Have you 36 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:51.480 ever said to God, God, you're my creator, and whatever 37 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:53.120 you want to do with my life, I want to 38 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:55.799 cooperate with it. Have you ever done that? If you haven't, 39 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:59.400 you are living in constant tension. That's why you have fears. 40 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:02.480 That's why you have anxiety. Because God's going this way 41 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:04.480 and you're going this way, and your arms are too 42 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:06.439 short to box with God. You're going to lose on 43 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:09.719 that one. What if God asked me to do something 44 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:11.879 I don't think I can do. God will never ask 45 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:13.960 you to do something that he doesn't give you the 46 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:16.639 power and the ability to do. God would never ask 47 00:02:16.680 --> 00:02:19.000 you to do something and then not give you the resources, 48 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.280 the time, the network, the money, and everything you needed 49 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:24.159 to do it. Because God doesn't sponsor flops. 50 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:25.400 We do. 51 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:28.159 We sponsor flops. We hit dead ends all the time 52 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:31.360 with our plans. But God's plan does not have a 53 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:34.879 dead end. But your confidence becomes in Him, not in yourself. 54 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:39.719 Thirty five years ago, I was twenty five years old 55 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.639 and I was finishing up a seminary my master's degree 56 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.479 in Texas, and I felt God didn't say this audibly. 57 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:49.439 I just had an impression in my mind and I 58 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.360 told my wife, Okay, I said, honey, I think God 59 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.319 is calling us to go back to California, to move 60 00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:00.919 to southern California, and to start a church with no money, 61 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:05.919 no members, no building. And I've never been a pastor. 62 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:12.919 What do you think? And I'll never forget my wife's response, 63 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.960 at twenty five years of age, she said, well, it 64 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:21.800 scares me to death, but I believe in God and 65 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.240 I believe in you, so let's go for it. 66 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:27.199 That's faith instead of fear. 67 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.719 I've often wondered what if we had given into our 68 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:37.520 fears and said it's too hard, we're inadequate, we might 69 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:40.479 be disappointed and we might lose control. And what if 70 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:43.039 we'd given into all of our fears? How would history 71 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:44.919 be different? Well, you wouldn't be sitting here right now. 72 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.479 Peace plan would exist, the Daniel Plan would exist. Purpose 73 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.080 driven life wouldn't exist, which ten percent of all the 74 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:55.960 churches in America have done. Forty Days of Purpose, the 75 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:59.639 best selling book in American history and the most translated 76 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.080 book in the world. Purpose Driven Life would have never 77 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:05.280 been written. History would be very, very different if Kay 78 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:06.759 and I had given into our fears. 79 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:09.680 We weren't adequate for the task. 80 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:13.120 We were inadequate, but God was adequate and our confidence 81 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:13.840 was in him. 82 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:16.000 Here's number two. 83 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:20.560 Number two is stop listening to the voices of fear. 84 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.839 You're going to have to change what you watch and 85 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:27.800 what you listen to and what ideas you allow in 86 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.040 your mind. If you want to move out of fear, 87 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:34.120 you got to stop feeding fearful things into your mind. 88 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:37.480 Books, movies, tapes, TV shows, and on and on and on, 89 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:38.519 all those things. 90 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:42.560 Because all around you are naysayers and negative people. Would 91 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:45.519 you agree that we're in a pretty negative culture. Is 92 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:47.240 it easier to be positive or negative? 93 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.040 Today? It's easier to just. 94 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:54.839 Be against stuff, and the Internet just feeds that. And 95 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:57.360 you have negative voices all around you tell you you 96 00:04:57.399 --> 00:04:59.800 can't do it, You're not good enough, you're not smart enough, 97 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.480 you're not cute enough, you're not rich enough, you're not 98 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.399 talented enough. You had all kinds of negative voices around you. 99 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.160 And by the way, sometimes those voices are inside you too, 100 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:10.959 and you have to stop listening to yourself. Let me 101 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.399 give you a little stress reliever. You don't have to 102 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:14.920 believe everything you tell yourself. 103 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:17.839 You don't. 104 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:19.720 You do not have to believe anything. Why because you 105 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:22.199 lie to yourself all the time. You lie to yourself 106 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:24.920 more than you lie to anybody else. Sometimes you tell 107 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:27.000 yourself things are good when they're not. Sometimes you tell 108 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:28.680 you say they're really bad when they're not as bad 109 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:31.240 as you think you are. You need a much more 110 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:34.879 objective source of truth than your own opinion, because that 111 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:37.360 opinion may have come from a bad burrito last night. 112 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.360 You are not the final authority on truth. I'm sorry, 113 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:45.240 and I'm not either. By the way, we need an objective, 114 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:49.360 outside source because we often get it wrong. How does 115 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:51.160 that go for you? When you follow your own way? 116 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:54.120 How's that going for you. You're hitting dead ends, you meeting 117 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:56.199 every goal, you haven't every dream fulfilled. 118 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:57.040 You're not. No, you're not. 119 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:00.439 So you got to stop listening to the voices fear. 120 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:03.720 Fear is the opposite of faith. When you're walking in faith, 121 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:06.360 you're not walking in fear. When you're walking in fear, 122 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:08.879 you're not walking in faith. When you invite faith into 123 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.360 the front door of your house, fear goes out the 124 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.639 back door. When you invite fear into your life, faith 125 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:15.560 goes out the back door. 126 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:17.439 They do not exist together. 127 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:21.040 And the Bible says in Romans fourteen, who whatsoever is 128 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:25.040 not of faith based on faith is sin. I told 129 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.560 you I've counseled thousands of people financial counseling, personal counseling, 130 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:31.959 marriage counseling, career counseling, and I would tell you this 131 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:36.920 that I've learned. Fear is contagious. Fear is contagious. It's 132 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:40.920 a communicable disease. If you get around fearful people, you 133 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:43.759 hang out, all your buddies are fearful, all your buddies 134 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:45.959 think the world's going to hell in a handbasket. Then 135 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.279 guess what you're going to feel that way. You get 136 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:50.959 around direct pressed people, you're going to be depressed. You 137 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:54.120 get around angry people, you're going to be angry. It's 138 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.240 that old, worn out cliche. You know, if you want 139 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:59.600 to soar with the eagles, you can't run with the turkeys. 140 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:04.240 So let me give you a couple of advice. 141 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:08.439 Number One, I would say, turn off talk radio and 142 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:13.639 the negative TV news shows. Just turn them off because 143 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:17.040 they feed on crisis and every day it's a crisis 144 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:22.079 of the day. You know, the standard idea in news 145 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:25.319 is if it bleeds, it leads, that's what you start 146 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:29.800 the show with, and they're constantly feeding negative. Study after 147 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:33.160 study after study after university study has shown that if 148 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:39.319 you listen to inflammatory, negative, critical, fearful talk radio all 149 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.439 the time or TV shows are the same, whether it's 150 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.000 liberal conservative, doesn't really matter. 151 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:46.319 That's the kind of person you're going to be. 152 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:50.319 Negative, critical, fearful, defensive, antagonistic. 153 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:51.839 Now, if you want to be that, go ahead and 154 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:52.800 keep on listening to it. 155 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:57.560 I personally want to be a positive, faith filled rather 156 00:07:57.600 --> 00:07:58.959 than fear filled person. 157 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:01.079 And so the other thing I would. 158 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:02.800 Suggest you just start hanging out with people of faith, 159 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:05.480 get some new friends. It's one of the reasons to 160 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:07.560 find a church family. You're welcome here, but there are 161 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:09.600 a lot of good churches. Just find one where you 162 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:13.240 get around people of faith who have a more positive 163 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:16.160 outlook on life rather than such a negative outlook on life. 164 00:08:16.279 --> 00:08:18.360 That's why you need to get in a small group. 165 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:24.519 When you think about all of the negative and fearful 166 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:28.360 voices that Mary had to block out of her mind 167 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:31.240 in order to hear God. I mean, you can imagine 168 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:33.120 a lot of people probably came into marry and said, 169 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:36.480 so you're pregnant, huh, yeah, And you've never had a 170 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:40.759 relationship with men. No, And God is the father, yes, 171 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:43.080 and the baby is going to be the son of God? 172 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:45.000 Yes? Who do you think you are? 173 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:51.279 That would create all kinds of anxiety and fear and insecurity. 174 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:53.600 You know, one of the things I love about Jesus 175 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:58.159 is that Jesus gave dignity to women in a culture 176 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:03.960 that dismissed women, demeaned women, degraded women, and devalued women. 177 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:05.039 He raised them. 178 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:07.279 Up and gave them great dignity when nobody else in 179 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:11.919 that culture did. Nobody else did, and Mary had to 180 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:15.600 block out the voices of fear around her in order 181 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:20.000 to hear the voice of God. The third thing, fill 182 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:26.240 my mind with music that honors, that focuses, that worships 183 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:30.360 and praises God. Why, I want you to listen very closely. 184 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:37.080 Praise is the antidote to panic. Worship is the antidote 185 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:41.639 to worry. Why Because when you're scared to death, all 186 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:44.519 of your attention is focusing on you, how I feel, 187 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:48.360 how I look, how competent i'm. You're totally focused on yourself. 188 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:50.200 And to get rid of fear, you got to get 189 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.320 the focus off. 190 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:53.279 You and get it on God. 191 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:57.360 And when you turn your focus on God, that's called praise, 192 00:09:57.720 --> 00:09:58.960 that's called worship. 193 00:09:59.320 --> 00:09:59.879 And when your. 194 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:03.080 Focusing on how big God is, it shrinks the size 195 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:06.799 of your problems. Now, the closer I get to God, 196 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:08.720 the more confident. 197 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:10.039 I'm going to be in life. 198 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:15.679 The further away I get from God, the more scared, frightened, insecured, 199 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:20.320 and worried I'm going to be. Why, Because you lose 200 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:24.840 your fear when God is near. When you're far away 201 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:28.519 from God, it all depends on you if it's to 202 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:30.639 be it's up to me. No, it's not just up 203 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:33.159 to you. God says, you don't need to be frayed. 204 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:36.799 I'll help you. You lose your fear when God is near, 205 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:39.200 so by focusing in your mind. One of the best 206 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:41.919 ways to do it is through music on God. It 207 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:45.000 shrinks the size of your problem and enlarges the sight. 208 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.240 The bigger God gets in your life, the smaller your 209 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:51.960 problems become. We have a Christmas party in our cul 210 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:53.799 de Sac every year, our neighborhood, and we invite the 211 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:56.320 whole neighborhood. And I was talking to one of our 212 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.480 neighbor's Sunday night out on the cul de Sac, and 213 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:02.200 he said, you know, Rick, when I was going through 214 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:06.840 the darkest days of fear in my life, he said, 215 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:09.679 I went on TV and saw one of those by 216 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:16.360 ten Time Life CD you know, collection of great Christian 217 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:20.039 worship songs, praise songs, contemporary praise. So he said, I 218 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:22.080 bought the whole set, the Time Life series, and for 219 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:25.879 the next several months, I just listened to music that 220 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.879 helped me focus on God rather than on my fears. 221 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:32.559 And he said, it not only comforted me, it made 222 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:33.320 me courageous. 223 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:34.799 It gave me courage. 224 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:36.679 Now, any of you who've ever gone through a tough 225 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.840 time and then listened to music that helped you get 226 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:40.840 the focus on God. 227 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:42.120 Know what I'm talking about. 228 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:48.039 My youngest son, after struggling with mental illness and entire life, 229 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.840 took his life. It was the worst day of my life, 230 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:56.080 our family's life. And for months after that can I 231 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.320 didn't even want to turn on the TV. The pain 232 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:02.279 and the grief was so intense in our lives. But 233 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:04.399 what we did do is fill our house and our 234 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:08.440 car and our lives with worship music that helped us 235 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:11.440 focus on God, and it gave us comfort, and it 236 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:16.480 gave us courage. Do you know what Mary did when 237 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:19.039 she was so frightened about the job that God had 238 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:23.360 given her. She wrote a song and sang it. And 239 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:27.080 that song, called Mary's Song, is actually in the Bible. 240 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:30.519 Part of it is there on your outline, Luke, chapter one. 241 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:33.360 Then Mary sang, this is how she dealt with her fears. 242 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:38.360 Then Mary sang, with all my heart, I praise the Lord. 243 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:42.440 I rejoice in God, my Savior, for he notices me. 244 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:47.679 He cares for me, a simple servant girl. He has 245 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.200 blessed me. And He is the mighty one. The bigger 246 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.639 God gets in your mind, the small your problems get. 247 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:57.159 He is the mighty one. Your fear shrink who is Holy. 248 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.879 He's all powerful, he can do anything, He meets all 249 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:03.200 our needs, and he keeps all our promises. 250 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:05.559 It is no accident. 251 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:10.919 That Christmas is the most musical of all holidays. No 252 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:14.360 other holiday in the planet comes close to having the 253 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:19.480 most songs. There are literally thousands and thousands of Christmas songs. 254 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.039 I mean, there are some stations they start playing Christmas 255 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:26.159 music and a lot August, you know, and by that 256 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:28.960 time you're sick of it, you know, and they just 257 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:32.720 keep playing it. Why Because at the first Christmas everybody sang. 258 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:36.759 Mary sang to get rid of her fears, Elizabeth sang 259 00:13:36.840 --> 00:13:39.440 to get rid of her fears, the angels sang, the 260 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:44.080 shepherds sang. Even Zachariah writes a song. It's in the Bible. 261 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.440 I highly recommend that you do that, that you start 262 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.559 listening to music that builds you up, not tears you down. 263 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:56.000 It focuses on the solution, not the problems in life. Finally, 264 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.720 there's the fourth way to defeat your fears. Base my 265 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:02.039 hope on the promises of God. Let me ask you 266 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:05.679 personal question, what do you put your hope in? What 267 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:07.600 gives you any hope for next? 268 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:07.919 Year. 269 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:12.240 If I don't put my hope in myself, I don't 270 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:15.320 put my hope in the economy. I certainly don't put 271 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:18.240 my hope in any politician. I don't put my hope 272 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:23.240 in political correctness or conventional wisdom, or public opinion or 273 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:28.159 cultural values. I put my hope in what God has 274 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:31.879 promised in his word right here now? Did you know 275 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.159 that in this book, the Bible? In this book there 276 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:40.320 are over seven thousand, seven thousand promises of God from 277 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:41.799 God to you. 278 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:46.679 Do you even know one of them? 279 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.440 It would be silly to go through life not knowing 280 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.919 what God has promised to do in your life. That's 281 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:55.159 why you're filled with anxiety. You know, if I were 282 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:59.440 to have us major surgery needed and I was worried 283 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:03.360 can I afford this? I'd go get my insurance policy, 284 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:06.440 my medical policy, look it up, and if the policy 285 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:10.240 says this procedure's covered, I don't sweat it because I'm 286 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:12.639 not going to pay for it. Because the insurance company 287 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:15.440 has promised to pay for it. So I'm not anxious. 288 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:18.039 I'm not worried. Even if it's a million dollar surgery, 289 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:21.639 They'll handle it. The reason you are fearful and anxious 290 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:24.159 and worried is you don't know what's in the policy 291 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:28.559 manual right here. You don't know what's in here. And 292 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:31.919 so in this book there are promises from God to 293 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.120 you about your finances. 294 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:34.679 Did you know that? 295 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:40.200 About your health, about your sex life, about your relationships, 296 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.799 about your career, about your past, your present, your future, 297 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.519 about forgiveness of sind about eternal life. They're all there, 298 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:50.480 but if you don't know them, you can't claim them. 299 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:53.679 They're like somebody writing you a billion dollar check and 300 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:58.600 you never cash it. The fourth key to overcoming fear 301 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:01.200 in your life is to stop listening to the things 302 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:04.279 around you and start focusing on what God has promised 303 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.759 to do in your life. This is what gave Mary confidence. 304 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:11.360 Elizabeth noticed this, and in Luke chapter one, Elizabeth said 305 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:17.679 to Mary, you are blessed because you believed that the 306 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.960 Lord would do what he said. You believe God will 307 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:24.919 keep his promises. That's what gave this young peasant girl 308 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:29.559 enormous confidence in the face of an incredibly fearful situation. 309 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:33.200 She believed God would keep his word. And when you 310 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:37.360 start doing that, you will be blessed too. Now, as 311 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:40.480 a pastor, I want you to be blessed. It's why 312 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:43.080 I do this. It's why I'm teaching all these services today. 313 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:46.279 Nobody pays me to do this. I do it because 314 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.600 I want you to be blessed. I want you to 315 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:53.360 be fearless. And saw I'm fifty six. David says this. 316 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:58.799 When I'm afraid, I put my trust in God. And 317 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:02.639 when I put my trust in God, I'm not afraid. Well, duh, 318 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:04.279 it's kind of obvious there. 319 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:05.000 He said. 320 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:08.880 I praise him for what he has what promise circle 321 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:11.240 that word. I praise him for what he's promised. Now, 322 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:13.839 as I said, they're over seven thousand promises in this 323 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:16.359 book from God to you. And if you've gone through 324 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:18.799 life not knowing these promises, you've had. 325 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:19.319 A lot of worry. 326 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.119 You've had a lot of fear, You've got a lot 327 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:25.720 of frustration, fatigue, and failure too. I don't have time 328 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.640 to go through seven thousand promises. Let me just give 329 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:31.519 you on Christmas the most important one. It's the promise 330 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:34.759 that when you die you can go to heaven if 331 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:36.799 you trust in the sun that he sent at Christmas. 332 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:41.599 That's called the promise of eternal Life. It's in John 333 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.799 chapter three, verse sixteen, the most famous verse in the Bible. 334 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:48.440 You've seen posters John three sixteen, probably at every football 335 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:50.680 game in your life. And here's what it says. Look 336 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:56.079 up here on the screen. For God so loved the world. 337 00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:57.880 He did it out of love, not out of anger 338 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.680 fear of judgment. God so loved the world that includes me, 339 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:05.880 that includes you. God so loved you that he gave 340 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:09.000 his one and only son. That's what Christmas is all about. 341 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:11.519 He comes to earth in the form of Jesus Christ. 342 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:15.279 He gave his one and only son that whoever believes 343 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:19.640 in him. Notice, then say believe and be perfect, believe 344 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:23.599 and never sin. He just says, believe. Whoever believes in him, 345 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:28.759 that's the one condition, shall not perish, but have eternal life. 346 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:32.759 That's the greatest promise. Now, Jesus Christ came to earth 347 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:36.359 at Christmas to die for your sins, so you don't 348 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:39.160 have to pay for your sins. He was hung on 349 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:41.160 the cross, so you can quit hanging yourself on a 350 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:45.039 cross and feeling regret and resentment and rejection and shame 351 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:48.400 and all that guilt stuff like that. But Jesus didn't 352 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.799 just come to earth to forgive your sins. That's part 353 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:53.240 of it. He didn't just come to earth to get 354 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:55.880 you into heaven. If you've trust in him, he also 355 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.000 came to eliminate your fears. 356 00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:01.119 Here and now, last verse on the screen, it says this. 357 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:06.880 Jesus came to die for us so that he could 358 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:12.480 free us from living all our lives as slaves to 359 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:17.720 the fear of death. That's the universal fear, because the 360 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:20.319 last time I checked, the mortality rate in the world 361 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:21.400 is one hundred percent. 362 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:25.559 We're all going to die someday. Now. 363 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:30.039 It would be foolish, really, it would be foolish to 364 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:34.599 go all through life unprepared for what you know is inevitable. 365 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:39.880 That's called denial. Friend, are you ready to die? You're 366 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:41.559 not ready to live till you're ready to die. Do 367 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:43.160 you know what's going to happen to you after you die? 368 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:48.039 Have you believed so that you might have eternal life? 369 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:49.519 That's the whole purpose Christmas. 370 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:52.200 It's why the whole world's going to shut down tomorrow 371 00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:55.160 and celebrate, because God's flit history into eighty and BC. 372 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:00.240 The last line of that famous carol, A Little Count 373 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:04.759 in Bethlehem goes like this, The hopes and fears of 374 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:08.880 all the years are met in thee you Jesus. 375 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:11.440 Tonight, I'm going. 376 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:14.799 To close this with what I call a fear not prayer. 377 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:20.400 And if you've ever had any anxiety and problems like that, the. 378 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:21.559 Stress in your life's been building. 379 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:24.440 God, I highly recommend you pray this prayer that you 380 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:26.640 begin the journey of getting to know God. 381 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:28.000 This Christmas. 382 00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:30.599 Why celebrate Christmas if you don't know the God who 383 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:31.200 sent his son. 384 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:34.519 That didn't make sense. Why celebrate Christmas and not open. 385 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.240 Up his gift to you? So let's bow our heads 386 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:40.799 for prayer right now. And as I pray this prayer, 387 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:43.519 you can just in your mind go meet to God. 388 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:45.559 You don't have to actually say the words. What matters 389 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:48.240 is the attitude of humility. It says God, I need you. 390 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.319 So just pray this. Dear God. I don't want to 391 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:55.720 be fearful. I want my life to be full of faith, 392 00:20:55.839 --> 00:21:00.920 not fear. And I admit that I've struggled with some 393 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:06.319 of these fears inadequacy and the fear of disapproval, and 394 00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:10.160 the fear of change, and the fear of losing control, 395 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:15.279 and the fear of being disappointed. And I've been afraid 396 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:18.200 to believe. I've been afraid to trust. I've been afraid 397 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:22.559 to hope. I've been afraid of you, and yet you say, 398 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:27.759 don't be afraid. So starting today, I want to surrender 399 00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:34.440 my life completely to you. Every day, Your God, I'm 400 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:37.680 not I want what you want for my life. You 401 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:39.839