WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.510 --> 00:00:04.429 What happens when I learn to become aware all the time? 2 00:00:04.790 --> 00:00:07.250 There's no moment that I'm not aware that I am 3 00:00:07.389 --> 00:00:16.149 loved unconditionally, deeply, and eternally by God. Number one, I 4 00:00:16.269 --> 00:00:25.679 feel accepted rather than ashamed. I feel accepted rather than ashamed, 5 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.670 and that'll change your life. Most people go through their 6 00:00:29.710 --> 00:00:31.890 entire life avoiding God. 7 00:00:32.590 --> 00:00:34.310 And the reason why they avoid. 8 00:00:34.030 --> 00:00:37.689 God is because they are ashamed, they feel ashamed, they 9 00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:43.420 feel guilty, they feel under condemnation, they feel judged, they 10 00:00:43.460 --> 00:00:46.939 feel criticized. They think, God is a perfect God and 11 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:50.200 I am so not perfect. So why in the world 12 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.780 would I wanna hang out with a perfect God who's 13 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:55.700 simply gonna remind me of all the ways that I've failed? 14 00:00:57.189 --> 00:01:00.270 Because that's not what God does. Jesus said, I didn't 15 00:01:00.329 --> 00:01:02.700 come to condemn the world, I came to save it. 16 00:01:03.649 --> 00:01:05.250 He said, I didn't come to condemn the world, I 17 00:01:05.269 --> 00:01:08.030 came to save it. The Bible says there's no condemnation 18 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:12.310 for those who are in Christ Jesus. It's a no 19 00:01:12.409 --> 00:01:17.430 condemnation lifestyle. Now the Bible says this, Romans 5 verse one. 20 00:01:18.950 --> 00:01:25.340 By faith, we have been made acceptable by God Acceptable 21 00:01:25.379 --> 00:01:29.519 to God. And now because of our Lord Jesus Christ, 22 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:34.719 we live in peace with him. We've been made acceptable 23 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:38.879 to God. Circle that word acceptable. And because of that, 24 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:43.370 God accepts me completely, totally, unconditionally because of his love. 25 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:46.629 I live at peace with God. Now let me tell 26 00:01:46.650 --> 00:01:47.609 you why that's so important. 27 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:52.230 Because it sets you free from the addiction that you 28 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:58.329 have to approval. You do certain things in life, some 29 00:01:58.349 --> 00:02:00.510 things you wouldn't even wanna do, but you do them 30 00:02:00.549 --> 00:02:03.329 because you want the approval of other people and you 31 00:02:03.370 --> 00:02:06.030 are addicted to their approval and you've been trying to 32 00:02:06.049 --> 00:02:09.530 gain approval from some unpleasable people your entire life and 33 00:02:09.569 --> 00:02:10.520 you're never gonna get it. 34 00:02:12.289 --> 00:02:15.069 But when you realize that God loves you. 35 00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:20.780 Unconditionally and without condition of any type, you realize this, 36 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:24.569 I don't need the approval of other people And it 37 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:28.300 sets you free. I don't need other people's approval to 38 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:32.500 be happy. Most of your life, you have been worried 39 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:35.740 about what other people think. And that's because you don't 40 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:39.860 feel totally unconditionally loved by God. And when you don't 41 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.930 feel it, then you're trying to make yourself impressive and 42 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:44.870 you're trying to get. 43 00:02:44.770 --> 00:02:46.270 The approval of other people. 44 00:02:49.270 --> 00:02:52.669 But when you know God loves you, criticism doesn't bother 45 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:58.539 you anymore. Because if God loves me and I like me, 46 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.979 you don't like me, that's your problem. Look at the 47 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.430 next verse, Romans 8. If God says his chosen ones 48 00:03:06.629 --> 00:03:11.050 are acceptable to him, and he has, can anybody bring 49 00:03:11.129 --> 00:03:15.009 charges against them? The answer is no. Or can anybody 50 00:03:15.069 --> 00:03:19.189 condemn them? The answer is no. Does criticism really matter? 51 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:24.750 No, no indeed. Because I feel accepted to rather than ashamed. 52 00:03:25.969 --> 00:03:28.229 That's a big one. It'll set you free. 53 00:03:28.349 --> 00:03:32.379 Number two, when I experience the unconditional love of God 54 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:35.500 on a daily moment by moment basis, I am bold 55 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:37.900 in bringing my deeds to God. 56 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:40.560 I'm bold in my prayers. 57 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:40.939 Why? 58 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:45.379 Because I'm a son of God. I'm a daughter of God. 59 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:48.199 I'm a child of God. I'm a member of the family. 60 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:50.699 And so I know God loves me unconditionally and when 61 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:52.819 I pray to him, I can talk to him about 62 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:53.930 anything because. 63 00:03:53.830 --> 00:03:54.530 I'm his son. 64 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:58.270 When my kids were little and they would come to me, 65 00:03:59.430 --> 00:04:03.750 they could ask me anything and they would come and 66 00:04:03.789 --> 00:04:07.120 just tell me what they needed. They assumed I had everything, 67 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:11.280 knew everything and could afford everything. Now you know that's 68 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:13.810 not true, and I know that's true. But with God, 69 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:19.990 it is true. The Bible says, well actually, in Romans 8, 70 00:04:19.990 --> 00:04:23.490 all who are led by the Spirit of God are 71 00:04:23.670 --> 00:04:29.089 children of God. So you should not be cowering like 72 00:04:29.269 --> 00:04:33.360 fearful slaves. No, no, no, you should behave instead like 73 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:35.540 God's very own children. 74 00:04:36.269 --> 00:04:37.970 Adopted into his family. 75 00:04:38.189 --> 00:04:42.589 God adopted us into his family, calling him father, dear father. 76 00:04:42.769 --> 00:04:45.149 And I love that phrase, father, dear father. The word 77 00:04:45.189 --> 00:04:48.740 there is the Aramaic word, Abba. Now Abba is not 78 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:54.220 just a Swedish rock group. Abba is the word in 79 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:57.019 the Middle East, in almost all of the Semitic languages, 80 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:01.100 for daddy. It's the first word every kid in the 81 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:08.829 Middle East learns. Abba, it's easy to say, Abba, Papa. dada, mama, abba. 82 00:05:09.290 --> 00:05:13.050 Abba simply means daddy. And the Bible says that when 83 00:05:13.069 --> 00:05:15.160 you come to God in prayer, you come to him 84 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:21.300 and you say, dada, papa, abba, father, dear father. You 85 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:25.730 don't come to him with some fancy phrase. If my 86 00:05:25.790 --> 00:05:30.680 kids had come to me and said, They needed allowance, buddy. Oh, 87 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:36.100 thou most gracious progenitor of the Warren family. Thou wonderful 88 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:37.779 observer and keeper of all. 89 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:43.870 The family funds. I'd go, huh? No, no, they just say, dad, 90 00:05:43.990 --> 00:05:44.759 I need cash. 91 00:05:44.790 --> 00:05:49.149 Okay, it's just like real straightforward. 92 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:51.610 Very bold, dad, I need cash. 93 00:05:52.870 --> 00:05:54.949 And the Bible says that you can come to God 94 00:05:54.970 --> 00:05:55.930 and say, dad. 95 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:56.930 I need cash. 96 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:02.899 Abba, Father, just in the most intimate terms. God doesn't 97 00:06:02.990 --> 00:06:05.620 want you. You know all these fancy flowery prayers that 98 00:06:05.670 --> 00:06:09.930 everybody prays? God's going, what are you talking to? You 99 00:06:09.949 --> 00:06:13.149 were to talk to me as Abba, Father, Daddy, my Daddy. 100 00:06:14.949 --> 00:06:18.449 I feel bold in bringing my request to God. Talk 101 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:23.209 to him, Father, dear Father, and since we are his children, 102 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:27.819 We will share in his treasures. In other words, I'm 103 00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:30.220 a son of God, I get the family inheritance. You're 104 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:33.399 a daughter of God, you get the family inheritance. We 105 00:06:33.430 --> 00:06:36.670 will share in his treasure for everything God gives to 106 00:06:36.730 --> 00:06:42.870 his son, Christ is ours too. I'm a son of God. 107 00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:45.259 You're a son of God, you're a daughter of God. 108 00:06:45.490 --> 00:06:48.769 You get total access because he loves you that much. 109 00:06:48.970 --> 00:06:50.610 He didn't say, excuse me, I'll put you on an 110 00:06:50.649 --> 00:06:55.060 appointment in three months. You can come boldly to God 111 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:59.019 and talk to him about anything, anytime, anywhere, and God's 112 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:01.319 not gonna go, excuse me, I'm a little busy. I'm 113 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:04.899 trying to solve the Middle East crisis right now. No, 114 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:10.069 you're a child of God. You get special privileges. And 115 00:07:10.089 --> 00:07:13.689 you're bold in bringing your needs to God. Look at 116 00:07:13.709 --> 00:07:19.759 this verse, Hebrews 4.16. Let us then approach the throne 117 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:20.199 of grace. 118 00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:21.000 That means prayer. 119 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:24.850 Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence. The 120 00:07:24.889 --> 00:07:28.990 word is actually boldness. So that we may receive mercy 121 00:07:30.370 --> 00:07:34.029 and find grace to help us when in our time 122 00:07:34.209 --> 00:07:36.860 of need. You need to be bold in your prayer. 123 00:07:37.139 --> 00:07:39.699 You're a son of God. You're a daughter of God. 124 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:44.120 You're loved unconditionally. And Jesus said, you can ask anything 125 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:49.990 in my name. I feel accepted rather than ashamed. And 126 00:07:50.069 --> 00:07:54.389 I am bold in bringing my needs to my Abba Father, 127 00:07:54.490 --> 00:07:59.470 my Papa Father. Number three, when I understand God's love 128 00:07:59.509 --> 00:08:02.029 conditionally and I just experience it, not just know it, 129 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:08.939 I have peace in pain I don't understand. Peace in 130 00:08:09.060 --> 00:08:13.420 pain that I don't understand. You're gonna have a lot 131 00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:15.709 of things that happen in your life you don't get. 132 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:19.750 You're gonna ask the why questions of life. God, why 133 00:08:19.790 --> 00:08:22.550 is this happening to me? Why is this happening to 134 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:23.189 our family? 135 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:27.139 Why now? Why here? Why this? You're gonna see things 136 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:28.980 happen in the world. Lord, why? 137 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:32.120 Now, let me just say up front, God doesn't owe 138 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:36.389 you an explanation for why he allows anything. I will 139 00:08:36.409 --> 00:08:38.870 tell you this, not everything that happens in the world. 140 00:08:38.750 --> 00:08:39.409 Is God's will. 141 00:08:39.649 --> 00:08:41.610 God hates evil and a lot of evil's done in 142 00:08:41.629 --> 00:08:45.029 the world and God could easily take away evil, really simple, 143 00:08:45.230 --> 00:08:48.649 take away your freedom to do it and mine too 144 00:08:48.970 --> 00:08:51.149 because you've done some evil things in life and so 145 00:08:51.190 --> 00:08:54.070 have I. And he could easily get rid of all 146 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:57.570 suffering by taking away your choice and my choice and 147 00:08:57.590 --> 00:08:57.929 turn us. 148 00:08:57.950 --> 00:08:58.610 All into puppets. 149 00:08:59.750 --> 00:09:02.169 But he wants us to voluntarily love, so he puts 150 00:09:02.429 --> 00:09:05.090 up with the pain that evil caused. 151 00:09:05.029 --> 00:09:06.789 In order to give you the freedom of choice. 152 00:09:08.289 --> 00:09:09.879 And you're gonna go through life, and a lot of 153 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:13.840 things in life, you're not gonna understand. Losses you don't understand, 154 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:18.779 hurts you don't understand, rejection you don't understand, problems you 155 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:21.340 don't understand, but here's the thing, you don't have to 156 00:09:21.419 --> 00:09:26.070 understand them to be at peace. In fact, an explanation 157 00:09:26.110 --> 00:09:28.909 doesn't give you peace anyway. When someone you love dies, 158 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:31.600 if somebody told you the explanation for it, it wouldn't 159 00:09:31.629 --> 00:09:35.340 make you any happier. You still have the loss. Explanations 160 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:37.840 don't cover it. What you need is not peace, I mean, 161 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:41.940 not an explanation. You need presence, the presence of God 162 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:45.259 in your life. And what you need is what the 163 00:09:45.330 --> 00:09:49.590 Bible calls the peace that passes understanding. Look up here 164 00:09:49.610 --> 00:09:53.529 on the screen. Philippians 4, 7 says this. The peace 165 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:59.909 of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts 166 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:05.539 and minds through Christ Jesus. Now, what is the peace 167 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:09.179 that passes understanding? It's when you feel at peace, even 168 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:12.590 though you don't understand what's going on. You have no reason, 169 00:10:12.889 --> 00:10:16.850 no explanation, no discernment. You just don't know why it's happening, 170 00:10:17.190 --> 00:10:19.980 but you're still at peace. And that is a supernatural 171 00:10:20.029 --> 00:10:23.879 peace that comes from God, is that peace that passes understanding. 172 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:25.720 Because I don't know why this is happening. 173 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:29.879 But I do know this. I do know God is 174 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:33.700 a good God. And I do know that he loves me. 175 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:36.600 And I do know that he wants what's best for 176 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:40.399 my life. And I do know that I can trust 177 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:43.919 him even when I don't understand it. That's the peace 178 00:10:43.940 --> 00:10:47.279 that passes understanding. And it comes from feeling the love 179 00:10:47.320 --> 00:10:48.519 of God in your life. 180 00:10:57.889 --> 00:11:01.529 Do you ever wonder if your life really matters or 181 00:11:01.629 --> 00:11:04.779 what on earth you're here for? Pastor Rick wants to 182 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:07.539 let you know that God has a good plan and 183 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:12.559 purpose for your life. In his best-selling book, The Purpose-Driven Life, 184 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:16.539 he lays out a simple, life-changing roadmap to help you 185 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:21.259 discover and live it. This book has transformed millions of lives, 186 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:25.120 and it could transform someone you love. And great news! 187 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:29.289 It's been updated for today's generation. This edition includes a 188 00:11:29.330 --> 00:11:33.289 video introduction and audio teaching from Pastor Rick for each chapter. 189 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:37.100 and two powerful bonus chapters on the biggest barriers to 190 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:40.200 living a purpose-driven life. As you go through this book, 191 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.059 you'll uncover that your deepest meaning and fulfillment doesn't come 192 00:11:44.139 --> 00:11:48.120 from success or status, but from understanding and living out 193 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:51.649 the purpose that God created you for. Request your copy 194 00:11:51.690 --> 00:11:54.409 today when you give a gift to help Daily Hope 195 00:11:54.889 --> 00:11:58.409 share the gospel around the world. It's our way of 196 00:11:58.490 --> 00:11:59.289 saying thanks. 197 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:09.129 Now you and I know that human fathers don't have 198 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:15.870 unlimited ability, unlimited power, but your heavenly father does. And 199 00:12:15.909 --> 00:12:19.929 he can handle anything. He has unlimited power and he 200 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:22.779 has unlimited love. And when you realize that he is 201 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.120 good and he is God and he loves you and 202 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:28.159 the things that don't make sense in your life, you 203 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:32.620 can have the peace that passes understanding. Now God's love 204 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.909 does not exempt you from pain or suffering in this life. 205 00:12:37.289 --> 00:12:39.049 No, Christians have. 206 00:12:39.110 --> 00:12:45.029 The exact same problems that non-Christians do. The difference is 207 00:12:45.429 --> 00:12:50.970 we get the peace that passes understanding. Where I can 208 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:54.559 trust God in a moment when everything is falling apart 209 00:12:54.620 --> 00:12:58.679 around me and I can know there's a promise in 210 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:01.950 the Bible. We just trust. Looked at it last week, 211 00:13:02.230 --> 00:13:07.309 Romans 8, 28. And we know that in all things, 212 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:10.870 even the bad things, God works for the good of 213 00:13:10.950 --> 00:13:15.700 those who love him, who have been called, circle that word, 214 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:21.600 called according to his purpose. Circle that, purpose. Calling and 215 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:24.970 purpose go together. And when we live the calling and 216 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:27.669 we live out our purpose and we let God love 217 00:13:27.730 --> 00:13:30.389 us and we love God back, we can know that 218 00:13:30.470 --> 00:13:35.009 in all things, God is working for the good of 219 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:38.009 those who love him. And that gives us the peace 220 00:13:38.029 --> 00:13:39.049 that passes understanding. 221 00:13:40.090 --> 00:13:40.590 Number four. 222 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:44.370 The four things that happens when I know that I'm 223 00:13:44.429 --> 00:13:48.279 totally loved by God is I gain the courage to 224 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:53.149 take risks. I gain the courage to take risk. When 225 00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:57.470 somebody believes in you, you are capable of accomplishing things 226 00:13:57.789 --> 00:14:00.289 you would never be able to accomplish on your own 227 00:14:00.649 --> 00:14:04.960 just because they believe in you. It gives you an 228 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:08.940 additional power. It gives you additional energy. You know, sometimes 229 00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:12.379 when we're doing Christmas or Easter, some of these times 230 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:14.620 when I'm doing 14, 16 services. 231 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:17.360 Back to back, and along about number nine, I'll. 232 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:19.139 Start to get tired, and I think, I don't think 233 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:20.970 I got the energy to do this, And I'll look 234 00:14:21.009 --> 00:14:22.789 right over here to my wife who sits right down 235 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:24.779 here and she'll wink at me and I'll think, I 236 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:29.399 could do 100 more. Because all I need her to 237 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:32.840 do is to believe in me. And it gives me 238 00:14:32.940 --> 00:14:38.740 enormous energy. When someone believes in you unconditionally, the way 239 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:41.820 God does and when you experience that, it releases you. 240 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:45.519 You have dreams that have gone unfulfilled in your life 241 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:48.320 because you have been scared to death to go after them. 242 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.460 What if I fail? And you're gonna. 243 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:55.879 Die with unfulfilled dreams unless you key in to the 244 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:59.440 love of God. And you let him give you that 245 00:14:59.539 --> 00:15:05.019 confidence that comes from him believing in you. Even if 246 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:11.000 you're old, it's not too late. When I was in 247 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:14.340 the seventh grade, we lived up in Northern California in 248 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:20.090 the Redwoods. And I was taking a, shop class in 249 00:15:20.110 --> 00:15:23.990 the seventh grade and everybody was supposed to make something 250 00:15:24.009 --> 00:15:27.529 for shop class and I decided for that Christmas I 251 00:15:27.570 --> 00:15:30.710 was gonna make my mom and dad a redwood table. 252 00:15:31.389 --> 00:15:34.549 Now a little true confession here, your pastor has zero 253 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:41.370 artistic and craft ability. I'm just not very coordinated with 254 00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:45.190 my hands. I'm just not good at all. And I 255 00:15:45.230 --> 00:15:48.919 decided that I was gonna make this redwood table. And 256 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:51.460 after about, I worked on it for about six months hard. 257 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:53.500 We had a barn on our property and I wouldn't 258 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:54.919 let my parents come out the barn because I was 259 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:56.320 working on it there for six months. 260 00:15:56.779 --> 00:16:01.179 And after six months, it was a disaster. I mean 261 00:16:01.230 --> 00:16:01.750 a mess. 262 00:16:02.179 --> 00:16:06.720 And I mean nothing in this, Table looked right. I mean, 263 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:11.600 it was all wonky jawed. It was misbalanced. One edge 264 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:14.600 was longer than the other. It was at bad sanding 265 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:16.879 and parts of it were nicked off and I had 266 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:19.320 done too much lacquer at one end and not enough 267 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:19.820 at the other. 268 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:21.259 And it was a mess. 269 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:27.279 And I remember how disappointed I was in myself and 270 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:30.940 how bad I felt. I so badly wanted this to 271 00:16:30.980 --> 00:16:34.889 be a nice gift for my parents. And I just 272 00:16:34.929 --> 00:16:38.730 remember sitting down in that barn one day and just sobbing. 273 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:45.429 And my dad heard me. And he came up to 274 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:47.620 the barn and he asked for permission to come in 275 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:52.019 and I let him come in. And I said, dad, 276 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:54.879 I just screwed it up. I have made such a 277 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:58.659 mess of this. And I wanted it so badly. 278 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:05.619 To be nice, but it's not. And I'll never forget 279 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:11.069 what he said. He said, you know, son, it's okay. 280 00:17:12.470 --> 00:17:16.130 We can start over. Not you. We can start over. 281 00:17:16.569 --> 00:17:18.490 And this time, I'll help you. 282 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:25.940 Now, my dad was a master carpenter. In his lifetime, 283 00:17:26.180 --> 00:17:30.720 he built about 150 churches all around the world. He 284 00:17:30.769 --> 00:17:33.690 knew how to build stuff. So if my dad said, 285 00:17:33.890 --> 00:17:38.049 this time I'll help you, it's a done deal. It's 286 00:17:38.069 --> 00:17:42.829 gonna succeed. And this is what your heavenly father is 287 00:17:42.890 --> 00:17:46.009 saying to you today. I don't care if you're 15 288 00:17:46.009 --> 00:17:48.049 or 50 or 95. 289 00:17:48.049 --> 00:17:51.130 God is saying, you may have really messed it up royally. 290 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:54.200 And you gave it your best shot, but it just 291 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:57.420 flat out wasn't good enough. And you're really, to be honest, 292 00:17:57.480 --> 00:17:59.619 if you're honest with yourself, you're disappointed in your life. 293 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.329 And your Heavenly Father comes to you today and says, 294 00:18:04.650 --> 00:18:07.250 it's okay, you can start over. 295 00:18:07.910 --> 00:18:12.730 And this time, I'll help you. We will do it together. 296 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:18.680 Your Heavenly Father has wanted to reach out and grasp 297 00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:22.039 you in his arms when you have felt like, I 298 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:26.529 just blew it. Maybe you blew it publicly, maybe you 299 00:18:26.549 --> 00:18:31.829 blew it privately. And your Heavenly Father says, It's okay. 300 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:36.750 We'll start over. And this time we'll do it together. 301 00:18:42.329 --> 00:18:45.440 For some of you, and some of you watching right now, 302 00:18:45.619 --> 00:18:49.500 this moment, God has been waiting for this moment your 303 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:54.880 entire life. He's been waiting for this moment where you, 304 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:58.029 for the first time, would get a little inkling of 305 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:05.059 how much he loves you. I've said many times, your 306 00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:08.460 problem is not that you don't love God. Your problem 307 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:12.279 is you don't know how much he loves you. Because 308 00:19:12.359 --> 00:19:15.240 if you did, you could not help but love him. 309 00:19:18.009 --> 00:19:20.869 And this is the moment where a million years ago, 310 00:19:20.950 --> 00:19:28.109 before anything happened in your life, God chose you and 311 00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:32.549 decided to create you to love you. And you have 312 00:19:32.609 --> 00:19:37.720 spent your entire life afraid to surrender your total life 313 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:42.279 to God. And the reason why you've been afraid to 314 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:45.109 surrender your total life to God is because you don't 315 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:46.250 know how much he loves you. 316 00:19:46.849 --> 00:19:50.369 Nobody knows what is best for you. for you. 317 00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:53.930 Nobody knows what will make your life better than God does. 318 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:59.660 So this is your moment. This is your breakthrough moment. 319 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:03.819 This is the moment where you let go of fear. 320 00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:06.960 The Bible says this on the screen. There is no 321 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:12.220 fear in love. But perfect love drives out all fear 322 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:16.759 because fear has to do with punishment. When love comes 323 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:19.519 in the front door of your life, fear goes out 324 00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:20.019 the back. 325 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:21.980 You need to stop being afraid of God. 326 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:26.069 And you need to accept his love and the fear 327 00:20:26.289 --> 00:20:30.670 will drain out of your life. So, how do I 328 00:20:30.730 --> 00:20:34.869 become a son of God? How do I become a 329 00:20:36.029 --> 00:20:39.160 daughter of God? How do I become a child of God? 330 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:41.900 On the screen, the Bible says in John chapter one, 331 00:20:43.170 --> 00:20:48.549 verse 12, to all who believed him, that's Jesus, and 332 00:20:48.630 --> 00:20:49.509 accepted him. 333 00:20:49.650 --> 00:20:53.269 He's already accepted you. Accepted him. 334 00:20:53.670 --> 00:20:58.579 Jesus gave the right to become children of God. 335 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.339 So let's talk to God about it. This is your moment. 336 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:04.279 Let's bow our heads. 337 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:10.539 I want you to pray this prayer that will change 338 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:17.650 and transform the rest of your life. Dear God, just 339 00:21:17.730 --> 00:21:20.799 say this in your heart. I am so amazed at 340 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:25.859 how much you love me. Thank you that your love 341 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.960 for me is wide enough to be everywhere I go. 342 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:31.200 Thank you. 343 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:35.930 That your love for me is long enough to last forever. 344 00:21:36.150 --> 00:21:37.750 You will never stop loving me. 345 00:21:39.869 --> 00:21:42.490 Thank you that your love for me is deep enough 346 00:21:42.569 --> 00:21:49.259 to handle all my problems. Thank you, God, that your 347 00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:53.359 love is high enough to overlook all my sins, all 348 00:21:53.400 --> 00:22:01.500 my mistakes, all my faults and failures because of Jesus. God, 349 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:06.400 I want to feel accepted rather than ashamed. I want 350 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:11.150 to be bold in bringing my needs to you. I 351 00:22:11.250 --> 00:22:14.569 need the peace that passes understanding. I want to have 352 00:22:14.670 --> 00:22:16.630 peace even in pain that. 353 00:22:16.549 --> 00:22:17.490 I don't understand. 354 00:22:20.170 --> 00:22:23.250 I need your love to give me the courage to 355 00:22:23.309 --> 00:22:29.630 take risks, to go after my dream. Jesus Christ, As 356 00:22:29.690 --> 00:22:34.839 best I know, I surrender every particle and room of 357 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:39.319 my life. And I wanna learn to love you back 358 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:42.769 because you love me so much. And I wanna spend 359 00:22:42.789 --> 00:22:46.130 the rest of my life with that first calling of 360 00:22:46.210 --> 00:22:53.910 letting you love me. And I pray this in your name, amen. 361 00:22:58.230 --> 00:23:01.130 The fifth things that happens when you understand the love 362 00:23:01.170 --> 00:23:05.140 of God in your life is I worship instead of worry. 363 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:09.339 I worship instead of worry. What is worship? 364 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:12.250 Worship is simply expressing my love to God. 365 00:23:12.670 --> 00:23:15.630 Anytime you say to God, I love you, God, that's worship. 366 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:19.119 You can worship in a small group. You can worship 367 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:21.019 in a church building, a service. 368 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:24.779 You can worship with windows rolled down your car and 369 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:25.940 the radio blaring. 370 00:23:26.369 --> 00:23:27.559 Anytime you express. 371 00:23:27.269 --> 00:23:32.269 Love to God, you are worshiping. Worship is always a response. 372 00:23:32.349 --> 00:23:34.410 We love God because he first loved us. Look on 373 00:23:34.430 --> 00:23:38.990 the screen. We love God. We love because God first 374 00:23:39.069 --> 00:23:42.089 loved us. Remember, your problem is not that you don't 375 00:23:42.150 --> 00:23:45.150 love God. Your problem is you don't understand how much 376 00:23:45.190 --> 00:23:48.319 he loves you. Now, How do you know, and we'll 377 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:53.160 close with this, how do you know when you're not 378 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:59.000 feeling God's love? Oh, it's real simple. One simple thing, worry. 379 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:03.440 When you worry, at that moment, you have forgotten how 380 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:07.200 much God loves you. Worry is acting like an atheist. 381 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:12.390 Worry is is pretending you're an orphan. Worry is saying, 382 00:24:12.549 --> 00:24:14.789 I've forgotten I have a heavenly father who loves me, 383 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:17.490 wants what's best for me, and created me, and is 384 00:24:17.529 --> 00:24:20.759 watching over me. Worry is pretending like you're all on 385 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:21.200 your own. 386 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:25.559 You're not. Worry at that moment means, at this. 387 00:24:25.460 --> 00:24:28.599 Point, I have forgotten how much God loves me. 388 00:24:30.940 --> 00:24:33.259 And you need to choose worship over worry. 389 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:36.700 My oldest son, Josh, had to go back east this 390 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:40.349 week and He hates to fly when there's turbulence. And 391 00:24:40.529 --> 00:24:43.470 because of the storms, he said, Dad, it was constant turbulence. 392 00:24:44.349 --> 00:24:46.289 And he said, I had to decide, was I gonna 393 00:24:46.329 --> 00:24:48.339 worry or was I gonna worship? So instead of worrying, 394 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:50.079 he said, I put in my earbuds and put on 395 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:53.819 a bunch of worship songs. You're gonna panic or pray 396 00:24:54.019 --> 00:24:56.900 the rest of your life. You're gonna worry or you're 397 00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:59.339 gonna worship. You're gonna look at your problem or you're 398 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:02.849 gonna look at God. Jesus said this. Don't worry about 399 00:25:02.910 --> 00:25:06.210 having enough food or drink or clothing. He'll give you 400 00:25:06.309 --> 00:25:09.250 all you need from day to day if you live 401 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:12.509