WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.400 Hello, everybody. This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope with Rick Warren. 2 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.279 I'm really glad you're here today. We're continuing our series 3 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:14.240 from Psalm twenty three called Living in the Goodness of God. 4 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:17.320 It's all about how God's goodness meets you right where 5 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:21.199 you are and brings hope even in difficult seasons. And 6 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:23.960 let's join Rick right now in the final part of 7 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.440 a message called why you Don't need to Fear the Future. 8 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.600 You have opposition in your life. There's some people who 9 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:32.799 don't like you. There's somebody who's gunning for your job. 10 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:34.840 There's somebody who just doesn't like you because of what 11 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.600 you believe. There's some people just they're mean. They just 12 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:43.960 their opponents. You have competitors. These people generous people are confident, 13 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:48.479 fearless in facing their opposition. Because they give generously to 14 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:54.159 the needy, they will have influence and honor. I want 15 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:58.200 you to hear a testimony of how instead of choosing 16 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:05.040 worry and complet you choose generosity and gratitude in your 17 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:09.400 life and what it does. These are miracle working attitudes. 18 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:14.040 Give a warm welcome to Phil right now. Well, Hello 19 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:14.959 is sattle Back Church. 20 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.480 I'd like to share my story about God's goodness and 21 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:23.599 the power of gratitude. Like many other couples in our 22 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:26.599 church family, for several years after we were married, my 23 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:30.319 wife Connie and I tried unsuccessfully to start our family. 24 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:33.799 We really wanted to have a baby, but it just 25 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:37.680 didn't happen. We prayed, we waited on the Lord, and 26 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:41.640 we tried literally everything. With each year passing we became 27 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:43.640 more frustrated and discouraged. 28 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:45.400 Well, we knew the. 29 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:49.640 Promises of God, but our experiences seemed to contradict those promises. 30 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:53.599 You know, truthfully, there were many days and sleepless nights 31 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.000 where we felt hopeless and really just wanted to give up. 32 00:01:58.079 --> 00:01:59.359 I want to tell you, if you're currently in this 33 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:01.959 situation wanting to have kids but not seeing any way 34 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.640 that it might happen, Conyie, I understand your pain. 35 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:07.159 Well. As the childless months. 36 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:10.520 Turned into years, we could have easily given into Satan's 37 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.879 temptation to become bitter and to just throw in the towel, 38 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:16.639 to give up believing in God's goodness and mercy and 39 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:20.159 just walk away from running the race with Jesus. But 40 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:21.039 we didn't do that. 41 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:23.400 We did not give up believing in the. 42 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:26.680 Goodness of God, and we chose to take specific steps 43 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:30.159 that demonstrated our faith in God and our trust in 44 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:35.159 his perfect timing. First, we began just to simplify our lives, 45 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:39.360 both spiritually and financially, to prepare ourselves for the hope 46 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:43.360 of becoming parents. We wanted to remove just any hindrances 47 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:46.879 or barriers that could prevent us from keeping our lives 48 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:48.240 solely focused. 49 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:50.560 On Jesus regardless of what happened. 50 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:54.080 One of the things that we decided to do was 51 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:57.199 to have Connie stop working at her job. This would 52 00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:00.240 lower her stress, but it also was a visible demonstration 53 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:04.360 of faith. Second, we decided to sell our house. It 54 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:07.120 was a big decision and move into something smaller so 55 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:09.919 we could afford to live off one income while paying 56 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:13.759 for the very expensive infertility treatments. We would do whatever 57 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:16.840 we could do while trusting God for what only He 58 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.159 could do. You know I stand here today honestly I 59 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:23.960 wrested with the feeling that we were moving backwards financially 60 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.479 in order to move forward towards our dream of starting 61 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.000 a family. But during this time of trusting and waiting, 62 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:32.840 God led me to a verse in the Bible as 63 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:35.800 he often does about praising God and being grateful for 64 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:39.280 the good things that God had already given to us. 65 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:41.439 Isaiah twenty five, verse. 66 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:44.400 One is a bold statement both of gratitude and faith, 67 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.759 and it's where the Lord directed us. It says, Lord, 68 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:51.639 you are my God. I will exalt you in praise 69 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:55.919 your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful 70 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:01.840 and good things, things planned long ago. This verse really 71 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:05.520 is the exact opposite of complaining and worrying and being 72 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:08.719 frustrated about the things that you don't have. Instead, it 73 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:14.240 taps into the power of gratitude. Well, this verse became 74 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:17.079 our anchor. We would be grateful for all the good 75 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:19.759 things God had already given to us, and in faith, 76 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:22.519 we would express our gratitude in advance for the good 77 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:25.879 things that we believed God would provide for us in 78 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.240 the future. In other words, we would trust the goodness 79 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:32.399 of God, and we would keep telling God how grateful 80 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.759 and how thankful we were. It was our faith in 81 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:38.720 the goodness of God that gave us the courage to 82 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:41.639 put up our house on the market. Well, two months 83 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.560 later our house sold and we moved into a teeny tiny, 84 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.680 one bedroom condo, and it was at that very moment 85 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:50.079 that my wife surprised me with the best news ever 86 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:54.279 that we were finally pregnant with our first child. Our 87 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:58.000 beautiful baby Roz was born this year on January thirteenth 88 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:00.680 in that little condo, and my hands were the first 89 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:03.240 hands to hold her. So I want to testify that 90 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:13.000 God is good and God is faithful. And if you 91 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:15.160 look up on the screen, this is from last month. 92 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:17.759 This is Connie and I's first Mother's day. Obviously you 93 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.120 could see that I outpunted my coverage with my wife. 94 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:20.920 She's beautiful. 95 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:23.839 God gave her temporary blindness to marry me. She's a 96 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:29.079 gift from the Lord. But looking back, we can now 97 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:31.399 see all the lessons we learned through all the days 98 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:33.000 of waiting and delays. 99 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:35.399 We often wanted to give up, but. 100 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:38.120 Our trust in the goodness of God kept us going 101 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:42.439 and also kept us growing and becoming more like Christ. Faith, 102 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:46.839 like a muscle, only grows when it is tested and stretched. 103 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:49.000 But I also want to be clear that even if 104 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.079 we had not received our miracle baby, we would still 105 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:55.199 believe in God's goodness and we would still be grateful 106 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:58.399 because everything we have is a gift from God's goodness 107 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:01.319 you know God has God has not guaranteed that we 108 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:04.360 will get everything we want in life, but God has 109 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:07.360 guaranteed that He knows and wants what is best for us, 110 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:11.920 and everything He does for us is good. In closing, 111 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:14.120 I want to urge you to practice the power of 112 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:18.279 daily gratitude in thanking God for his goodness. As Pastor 113 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:22.399 Rick teaches, gratitude to God has the power to change everything. 114 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:26.720 It releases miracles, it can break through barriers, it can 115 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:30.800 make the impossible possible. So I urge you to develop 116 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:33.560 the daily habit of being grateful for God's goodness to you. 117 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.519 And when you feel like something you really really want 118 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:39.600 will never happen, I challenge you to decrease your doubting 119 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:42.360 and increase your thankfulness for all of the good things 120 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:46.879 that God has already done for you. Then watch what happens. 121 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:49.839 God bless you Soughtobaur Church family, this is a good place. 122 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:50.240 Conyie. 123 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:51.879 Now are grateful for you and we love you dearly. 124 00:06:52.199 --> 00:07:01.680 Thank you. You know. Another study that I read shows 125 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:03.920 that if the first thing you do in the morning 126 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:07.240 is you just mentally go through a list of things 127 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.519 you're grateful for, you know, make a list of ten 128 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:11.839 or twelve things, and you get up, you sit on 129 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.199 the side of your bed, and you thank God for 130 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:19.720 these things. That actually starting your day with gratitude actually 131 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:25.519 changes your brain chemistry. It actually transforms your mind for 132 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:29.600 the better. You'll think clearer during the day if you 133 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:34.199 will start your day not with complaining, not with bad news, 134 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:37.959 but with things you could be grateful for. So let's 135 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.600 do a little experiment. Okay, I dare you to do this. 136 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:44.800 How about for the next thirty days, we make a 137 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:50.000 commitment together that we're not gonna complain about anything. You 138 00:07:50.040 --> 00:07:53.000 catch yourself complaining, you just cut yourself off. We're not 139 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:57.120 gonna complain about anything, and we're not gonna worry about anything. Instead, 140 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:00.560 we're gonna be grateful and we're gonna be generous. You 141 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:06.319 think you'd be any better in thirty days? Hello? Hello? 142 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.759 Now here's the problem. When I say, you know, get 143 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:11.319 up in the morning and make a list of things 144 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:15.079 you're grateful for. Sometimes you're a little blurry eye and 145 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:17.040 you can't even think about what you're grateful for. You, 146 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:23.480 I thank God for my doggie that I woke up. Okay, 147 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:26.879 thank God for sun and moon and breakfast and my 148 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.480 spouse and yeah, yeah, what about all the spiritual blessings 149 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:32.799 that you forget? God does for all of his goodness 150 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.399 and mercy every day. So I've made a tool for 151 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:37.720 you to use inside your program. I want you to 152 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:40.559 pull it out. I made this just for you. It's 153 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:44.919 called my Daily Gratitude Reminder. And if you're watching online 154 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.200 or you're listening on Daily Hope, you can go to 155 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:49.960 the Daily Hope website and get this, or you can 156 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.919 email me at the Daily Hope website and we'll send 157 00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:57.120 this to you. My Daily Gratitude Reminder is a list 158 00:08:57.159 --> 00:09:00.519 of God's goodness to me from A to I just 159 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:03.159 went through the alphabet, and what I want you to do. 160 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:06.200 I filled in the spiritual side. I want you to 161 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:09.720 fill in the material and relational. There are spiritual blessings 162 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:13.039 in your life. There are material blessings and their relational blessings. So, 163 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:16.600 for instance, you Lord, spiritual blessings. You A. You're always 164 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:19.360 with me. Thank you for that. You anoint me with 165 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:22.240 your grace. Thank you for that. You b you bring 166 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.679 out the bad, bring good out of the bad things 167 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:27.799 that happen to me. You bless me with abilities. See, 168 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:31.600 you care about my problems. You calm my worries and fears. 169 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:36.360 You call me your friend. D You designed my life 170 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:39.519 for your great plan and purpose. Thank you God. E. 171 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.200 You empower me with your spirit. You empathize with what 172 00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:47.720 I feel. F You forgive and forget my sins. You 173 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:50.720 free me from shame. You fill my life with meaning. 174 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:54.360 G You give me what I need. You guide me 175 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:57.919 in the right way. You guarantee my salvation. Thank you God. 176 00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:02.799 H hear my prayers, You heal my hurts. You help 177 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:07.240 me grow every day. Thank you God. I. You inspire 178 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:10.840 me with ideas and I need some today. Lord, you 179 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:14.440 invite me to depend on you. You include me in 180 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:18.879 your family. Thank you God. Jay. You justify me, justify 181 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:23.600 means just as if I never sins. So you say 182 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:27.120 there's no condemnation in my life because of Jesus. Thank 183 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:30.639 you God. Kay. You know what's best for me. You 184 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:34.399 keep your promises. You keep me saved and secure. Thank 185 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:38.399 you Elle. You love me unconditionally. You lift me up 186 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.840 when I'm down. M You made me to be loved 187 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:45.039 by you, and you meet all my needs. And you 188 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:50.600 notice what I don't see. You nourish my soul. Thank 189 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:53.519 you God that Oh you open doors of opportunity for me. 190 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:57.799 You overflow my life with blessings. Pee, you protect me 191 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.600 when I'm attacked and I'm overwhelmed, and you're patient with 192 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:06.240 my doubts. Thanks Q, you quiet my mind and my 193 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:09.759 heart when I trust you. Are you remain faithful to 194 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:13.080 me even when I'm unfaithful to you? Are you renew 195 00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:17.879 me when I'm tired? S You sacrificed your son for me. 196 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:22.039 You show me your mercy. You set me free from myself, 197 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:25.159 not just my habit search and hang ups. But the 198 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:28.519 biggest enemy of you is you t You teach me 199 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:32.159 your truth or your word. You transform my life with 200 00:11:32.360 --> 00:11:36.679 loving discipline. You you understand my pain, you use it 201 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:40.320 to help others. You uphold me when I want to 202 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:44.159 give up. V you valued me enough to send a 203 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:48.279 savior for me. Thank you God. W you wait for 204 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:52.799 the right timing to answer my prayers. Thanks you warn 205 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.639 me of traps. Thank you God. X. You express your 206 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:01.000 favor over me as your child. Why you yearn for 207 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.759 fellowship with me? You want to spend time with me? 208 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:08.159 WHOA Thank you and ZE you zoom in on every 209 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:12.559 detail of my life. You miss nothing. You can use 210 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:16.519 this You can use this. Now here's what I want 211 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:18.360 you to. I want you to take this, and then 212 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:21.320 over here in the material you can just put ABCD 213 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:24.960 give something you're grateful for, a material, physical thing. A 214 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.679 thank you God for air. Have you ever thanked God 215 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:32.679 for air? You wouldn't go very far without it? Be 216 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:34.799 you could put a Bible, Thank you God for the Bible. 217 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:36.399 Thank you God for all the beauty in the world. 218 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:39.200 Thank you God for books and all the things I've learned. 219 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:41.120 Thank You for my eyes and ears. This gave you 220 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:43.559 some examples. Over under t I have thank you God 221 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:49.679 for taste buds. What if God hadn't given you taste buds, 222 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:54.399 everything would taste like oatmeal. Have you ever thanked God 223 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:58.559 for your taste buds? Say thank you God that you 224 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:05.519 created taste buds, and then you made cinnabon. Okay, And 225 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:07.559 so you can where I live, thank you where you 226 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:10.960 just make a list. And then over under relational, I 227 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:13.200 give you a couple categories. Thanking God for your church. 228 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:15.320 Under P I put thank God for pastors because I 229 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:18.279 want you to thanking God for me. Thank God for 230 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:20.480 us my small group. But you can just go down 231 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.000 the list, put family members, friends, Hey, thank you God 232 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.720 for Amy, my daughter. Thank you God for be Bobby, 233 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:28.120 my mother in law. Thank you God for Claire and 234 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:31.360 Cole and Cassie, three of my grandkids. And you just 235 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.639 you can write them all down. Write that down, put 236 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:36.000 it by your bedside, and the next thirty days you 237 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:39.840 before you get out of bed, you develop the attitude 238 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:43.480 of gratitude. It will blow your mind. It will change 239 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:47.159 your life, It will reform your brain. It will do 240 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:51.720 all kinds of health mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. If 241 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:55.159 you develop the attitude of gratitude because God's goodness and 242 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:59.480 mercy are following me every day of my life. You 243 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.720 can do that. You can do that. Now, let me 244 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:05.200 be quick on the other two things you need to 245 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:11.720 do in light of these three commitments. Because God's I 246 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:14.639 have to be gracious to God. I'm gracious. I have 247 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:18.759 to be grateful and generous because God is grateful and generous, 248 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:21.720 I mean, is good and generous with me. Now here's 249 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.879 the next thing. Second thing. After I stay grateful and generous, 250 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:28.159 I have to be gracious to everyone. Write that down. 251 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:33.039 I have to be gracious to everyone because God is 252 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:36.240 so gracious to me. And the more gracious you are 253 00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:39.279 with other people, the less fearful you're going to be 254 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:43.159 in life. Grace and fear don't reside in the same brain. 255 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:46.960 God wants you to pass on the good things. Here's 256 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:51.159 what the Bible says Ephesians four thirty two. Be gracious 257 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:54.480 and merciful to everyone. Why because God's gracious and merciful 258 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:59.240 to you. Be gracious and merciful to everyone, and forgive others, 259 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:03.960 just just as God has forgiven you because of Christ. 260 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:07.320 God cuts you a bunch of slack. Who are you 261 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:10.159 still holding on the hook. Who do you refuse to forgive? 262 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:15.799 Who do you refuse to let off the hook? Who 263 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:21.559 do you refuse to let go? Who do use refuse to? 264 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:24.679 Just wipe the slate clean and say, Okay, you're off 265 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:27.720 the hook. God was gracious to me. God has forgiven me. 266 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:29.960 I'm going to be gracious to you, and I'm going 267 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:32.679 to forgive you. You know what being gracious is. It's 268 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:36.919 another name for love. The more gracious you are when 269 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:40.120 you're gracious somebody, you're loving to them, and love, the 270 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:43.039 Bible tells us, is an anecdote to fear. Next verse 271 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:46.440 one John four eighteen, there is no fear in love. 272 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:51.840 Instead of perfect love drives out all fear because fear 273 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.360 has to do with punishment. I don't think God will 274 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.279 be merciful or graceful. He's gonna punish me. Fear has 275 00:15:57.320 --> 00:16:00.240 to do with punishment. The one who fears has not 276 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:05.799 matured in love. Every time you invite God's love in 277 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:08.000 the front door of your life, fear goes out the 278 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:11.600 back door. And every time you invite fear into the 279 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:13.759 front door of your life, love goes out the back door. 280 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:17.120 Why Because fear is focused on you and love is 281 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:23.080 focused on God and others. It's gracious. Now, how do 282 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:25.720 you know when somebody doesn't understand the grace of God, 283 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:33.720 they're not gracious to anybody else. Ungracious people are ungrace 284 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:36.279 to people. They don't realize how much they've been forgiven, 285 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:38.440 so they want to hold it over everybody else's. If 286 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.039 I don't feel forgiven, if I don't feel if I 287 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:43.600 feel guilty and I feel ashamed, I certainly want you 288 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:47.200 feeling it too, because I don't want you feeling better 289 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:50.639 than me. But if I remember how much God has 290 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:53.679 forgiven me, and I remember how much God has wiped 291 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:56.200 out my guilt and wiped out my shame. I can 292 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.919 be pretty gentle with you, I can be pretty gracious. 293 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:00.600 I can let you off the hook. I can cut 294 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:04.920 you some slack. Anytime you see somebody who's ungracious, no, 295 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:08.960 they're walking around with a ton of guilt. You may 296 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.039 have a mother or mother in law, or father or 297 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:12.720 father in law, or a friend or a neighbor, or 298 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:15.599 a brother or sister, and they can't let anybody off 299 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:18.759 the hook. It's because they feel guilty. As long as 300 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:23.240 they don't feel grace, they're not gonna be gracious. But 301 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:26.759 the more grace you feel, the more you know you've 302 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:30.160 been forgiven, the more gracious you're gonna be with other people. 303 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:34.640 So I gotta stay grateful and generous because God is 304 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:37.920 so good. And I've got to stay gracious to everyone 305 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:41.319 because God is gracious to me. Here's the third one. Finally, 306 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:45.400 to live fearlessly, to live fully and furiously. I need 307 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:49.920 to live my life for God's glory, because He's gonna 308 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:55.480 share his glory with me someday. Right now, you live 309 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:59.440 for the glory of God, and one day you will 310 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:03.119 receive the glory of God forever and ever andever. He 311 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:05.440 says he's going to share it with you in heaven. 312 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:08.880 How do you do that? How do I live for 313 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:11.519 God's glory at work? How do I live for God's 314 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:13.960 glory at school? How do I live for God's glory 315 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:15.799 in the neighborhood? How do I live for God's glory 316 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:22.599 with my family? Matthew five sixteen. Jesus says, this, let 317 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:26.839 your light shine before others, so that they may see 318 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:29.440 your good works. That's the key. The good works, and 319 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:35.160 give glory to your Father, who is in heaven. You 320 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:37.279 just try to do your best, live in for God, 321 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:41.000 and he says that brings glory to God. What happens 322 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:42.799 when you do that? What happens when you live for 323 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:47.200 God's glory. It opens up your life to more of 324 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:51.119 God's goodness, to more of God's mercy. The more of 325 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:56.279 God's grace, the more of God's glory in your own life. 326 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:59.279 The Bible says this one Peter one last first on 327 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:07.519 your outline, Verse three. God, in his divine power, has 328 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:14.400 given us everything we need for living a godly life. 329 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:17.079 Because of His goodness and mercy. He gives you everything 330 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:19.680 you need. You got it all to live a godly life. 331 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:25.279 Now this power is given to us through knowing Jesus 332 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:30.079 and the benefit he has called us to share in 333 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:35.119 his own goodness and glory. One day you will share 334 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:38.400 in God's goodness and God's glory. Now, let me wrap 335 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:43.599 this up. When you think about the future, when you 336 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:45.599 think about the next six months, the next year, the 337 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:49.480 next ten years, the rest of your life, how do 338 00:19:49.519 --> 00:20:00.920 you see it is your mind filled with doubt, confusion, anxiety, fear, worry. 339 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.240 It means you're not focused on In the last versa 340 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:07.200 Psalm twenty three, surely goodness and mercy will follow me 341 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:08.759 all the days of my life, and all dwell in 342 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:11.119 the house of the Lord forever. It's the antidote to 343 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:14.400 the three biggest fears about the future. You see, really, 344 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:16.519 you have a choice. You don't get to choose what's 345 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:18.079 going to happen to you the rest of your life. 346 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:21.279 You don't, But you do get to choose how you respond. 347 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:26.039 You can face the future as a cynic, as a critic, 348 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:31.279 as a pessimist, as a doubter. You can face the 349 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:35.960 future experiencing the worst and expecting the worst. You can 350 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:43.720 face it being ungrateful. You can face it being stingy. 351 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:46.880 You can face your future being ungracious to other people, 352 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:52.079 and you can live for the glory of yourself, or 353 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:59.279 you can face the future with gratitude and generosity and 354 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:04.039 graciousness and the glory of God. Which one you think 355 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:07.559 will make you happier? Which one do you think will 356 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:10.400 make you more successful? Which one do you think will 357 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:12.680 bring the smile of God and the reward of heaven. 358 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:17.920 And it's amazingly how different you feel about life when 359 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:21.039 you begin to live in the goodness of God and 360 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:24.039 you begin to live for the goodness of God. As 361 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:25.440 I said, there's gonna be a lot of events that 362 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:28.319 happened in your life you can't explain, but you can 363 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:31.920 face them confidently because you know surely goodness and mercy. 364 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:34.440 You're going to follow me and God will bring good 365 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:37.839 even out of the bad, no matter what the loss 366 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:39.519 of a loved one. God will bring good out of 367 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:43.920 the bad, surely goodness and mercy. And I may screw 368 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.720 up in the future big time, but God is merciful. 369 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:51.000 And I may be facing all kinds of problems in 370 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:54.039 my life, but ultimately I win because I will dwell 371 00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:56.559 in the house of the Lord forever, and I'm going 372 00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:01.920 to share in God's glory one day me. Why because 373 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:04.920 I deserve it? No, because He loves me. Now in 374 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:07.839 Psalm twenty three, you need to hear all these messages. 375 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.920 If you haven't, twelve expressions of God's goodness for you. 376 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:19.200 But they're not for everybody. All of these things only happen. 377 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:24.160 Goodness and mercy don't follow everybody. They only follow the 378 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:29.519 person who can say, the Lord is my shepherd. So 379 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:32.880 who's your shepherd? That's the question of the hour. Who's 380 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:38.000 your shepherd? Are you your own shepherd? Who's running your life, 381 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:40.799 who's managing your life? Who's the boss of your life? 382 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.920 Who is your shepherd? If you're saying I'm my shepherd, 383 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:48.559 goodness and mercy aren't following you, and you will not 384 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:50.759 dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is 385 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:54.079 for people who say, I'm in the flock, I'm a 386 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:59.599 sheep in God's family. The Lord is my shepherd. And 387 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:01.920 when you can say that, you can say with confidence, 388 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:05.519 and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. 389 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:15.720 It's power heads. Some of you have been attending for months, weeks, 390 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:20.119 or maybe even years you've been listening online that you've 391 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:24.680 never stepped across the line spiritually you need to do so. 392 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:26.880 Right now, you need to say I want the Lord 393 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:32.160 to be my shepherd. I'm going to ask everybody who's 394 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:35.640 already done that to be praying right now for everybody 395 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:39.519 else who hasn't done that. And if you've never made 396 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:43.000 that decision, say right now in your heart thank God 397 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:45.720 for his goodness and mercy to you. Say, Dear God, 398 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:52.480 thank you that you give me what I don't deserve. 399 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:58.880 You give me good things. You are a good God. 400 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:04.000 And God, thank you that you don't give me what 401 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:10.279