WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.519 Hello, everybody, Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is 2 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.199 the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren. Hey, we're so 3 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:13.359 glad you're here with us today. We are continuing in 4 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:17.280 a series called Talking about Stuff That Matters Now. In 5 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:21.160 this series, Rick looks into the scriptures and he's unpacking 6 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:24.920 what it means to live in community, have real conversation 7 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:30.079 about what matters most, and face discouragement with courage and faith. 8 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:34.159 It's honest, hopeful, So stay tuned. You won't want to 9 00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:36.840 miss a second. Now, let's jump in for the final 10 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.920 part of a message called don't let Anyone Steal your identity. 11 00:00:41.399 --> 00:00:43.840 Now, let me share something with you you've probably never 12 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:48.600 thought of before. You have one thing that nobody else 13 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:52.159 in the entire world has. You have an advantage over 14 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:55.960 everybody else that nobody else has. If you're a woman, 15 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.240 you have this advantage over every other woman in the world, 16 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:02.679 and if you're man, you have this advantage over every 17 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:04.280 other man in the world. You know what it is. 18 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:12.200 They can't be you. They can't be you. Only you 19 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.239 can be you. And God made you to be you, 20 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:19.239 not them, so they will never be you. So, whether 21 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:21.959 it's a group of teenage girls standing in a circle 22 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:23.959 in junior high and they're all trying to be like 23 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:30.280 each other, which is impossible. They never will. You need 24 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:31.480 to go and say, you know what, none of you 25 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.599 girls can ever be like me. You don't need to 26 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:39.280 say that, but just think it. Think, go well, it's 27 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:46.040 nice knowing you. They If anybody else tries to be you, 28 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:51.200 you know what happens. They fail. They will fail if 29 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.599 they try to be you. I can't be you, you 30 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:58.120 can't be me. But only you can be you, and 31 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:01.200 only I can be me. Only you can be who 32 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:01.920 God made you to be. 33 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.239 So relax now. 34 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.680 This ought to give you an enormous confidence in life, 35 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:11.120 but the fact is, you're not very confident most of 36 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.240 your life. A lot of times in life you're just 37 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:18.159 flat out and secure. You don't tell people that. I mean, 38 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:21.439 you act like you're confident, But the truth is a 39 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:23.639 lot of times, most of the time in life, you're 40 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:25.919 feeling pretty insecure about you, and there's some stuff about 41 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:31.639 you don't even like about you. Why are we lacking 42 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:32.560 in confidence? 43 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:35.680 Two reasons? The Bible says two reasons. 44 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:39.080 Number one, you're trying to be somebody that God didn't 45 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:41.919 shape you to be, and that's going to be incredibly scary, 46 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:47.159 because you can't be anybody else, You can only be you. 47 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:52.080 That's scary. Tewod Corinthians, Chapter three, verse five and six. 48 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:57.120 As this the capacity we have comes from God. 49 00:02:57.719 --> 00:02:59.639 You know he wired it in this It is he. 50 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:04.039 It is he who made us capable of serving the 51 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:05.080 New Covenant. 52 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:06.199 What you need to. 53 00:03:06.199 --> 00:03:12.400 Start doing is discover your own capacity. It's called your shape, shape, 54 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:18.000 spiritual gifts, heart abilities, personality experiences. The other reason why 55 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:21.840 we're often lack confidence is not just that we don't 56 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:25.280 know what we're shaped to do, but the other reason 57 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:28.759 is we depend on our own power instead of depending 58 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:33.199 on God's. And that's a sure guarantee for failure yourself. 59 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.240 Even though God has put this capacity in you, he 60 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:38.520 hasn't made you to be able to do it all 61 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.520 on your own. God never meant for you to go 62 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:42.800 through life on your own power. God meant for you 63 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:45.199 to be dependent on Him to be plugged in. A 64 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:49.039 blender is wired to blend things, but it's worthless unless 65 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:52.080 it's plugged into the power. A vacuum cleaner is made 66 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:55.159 to vacuum, but it's worthless unless it's plugged into power. 67 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.680 God has put capabilities in your life, but it's worthless. 68 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:02.680 They're worthless unless you're plug into the power God's spirit 69 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:06.759 in your life. So you're depending on yourself further on God. 70 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:10.319 And you think, and when you depend on yourself, that's 71 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:13.479 when you get insecure. And somebody asks you to do 72 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:16.160 something and you go, well, I couldn't do that. There's 73 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:18.120 no way I could do that. There's not a chance, 74 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:21.000 there's not a snowballs chance in hell I could possibly 75 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.120 do that. I can't do that. And you know what, 76 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:28.519 You're right, that's why you need God. The capacity is there, 77 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:30.720 but it needs to be plugged into the power. You 78 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.160 have unused capacity in your life, but you're not plugged 79 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:34.800 into the power. 80 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:38.839 You're not in Christ, so you don't have the power. 81 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.000 It's like a blender's sitting there that's never plugged in. 82 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.839 It's useless, can't fulfill his purpose. And so you have 83 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.079 to be plugged into the power. And that leads us 84 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:51.000 to one of the most famous verses in the Bible, 85 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:55.160 this next verse Philippians, chapter four, verse thirteen. We've read 86 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:57.000 it so many times I put it in a new 87 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:04.399 translation that amplified says this. I have strength for all things, 88 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:08.519 not just some things, for all things in Christ. There's 89 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:11.319 that phrase, not on my own power. I have strength 90 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:16.879 for all things in Christ, who empowers me. I'm ready 91 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:21.199 for anything, and I'm equal to do anything through Him 92 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:27.480 who infuses inner strength into me. I am self sufficient 93 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:31.560 in Christ's sufficiency. Friends, That is the secret to a 94 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:36.839 happy life right there. I am self sufficient in Christ's sufficiency. 95 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:39.120 If you'd asked. 96 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.560 Me when I was a kid, would I ever imagine 97 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:42.480 doing what I'm doing? 98 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:45.120 No, you know. 99 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.720 I was on three continents this summer. I met with 100 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:51.959 the President of Guatemala, met with the President of Costa Rica, 101 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:56.240 spoke to the Congress of Costa Rica, did conferences. Not 102 00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:58.079 in a million years when I was in junior high 103 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:00.839 high school, what I have ever imagined that's going to 104 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:05.079 be me. But I am self sufficient in Christ's sufficiency, 105 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.199 and he gives me. The capacity was there, but I 106 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:10.399 had to get plugged into the power. 107 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.079 You have something to offer to this world. Why? Three reasons? 108 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:21.079 Number One, God wired you, Your heavenly Father wired you 109 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:24.000 with the capacity. Kay talked about it. You're made in 110 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:27.560 the image of God. Amago de Amago's the word for image. 111 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:31.000 Day is the word for God in Latin. You have 112 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:35.560 the image of God in you. You're wired and there's 113 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:39.279 nobody like you. Nobody's shaped like you in the whole world. Second, 114 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.839 you're in Christ and he gives you strength. And third, 115 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:46.759 God's spirit empowers you to do what nobody else can do. 116 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:48.439 So stop comparing yourself. 117 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:53.600 Now there's a fourth thing, a fourth pillar of your 118 00:06:53.639 --> 00:06:56.439 self identity. Write this down. The fourth one is kay 119 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:59.160 is going to talk about it that in Christ. I 120 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:00.600 am totally forgiven. 121 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:07.480 The Bible says in Romans eighth, verse one, there is 122 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:13.480 now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 123 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:16.000 I want you to say, read that verse with me. 124 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.199 It is a powerful verse when you begin to believe it. 125 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:22.839 Read it with me. There is now with enthusiasm. Sorry, 126 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:24.439 don't read it through the like you're reading the phone 127 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:30.439 book with enthusiasm. Okay, there is now no condemnation for 128 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:35.439 those who are in Christ Jesus. That is one of 129 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:40.120 the most liberating, the most freeing verse in the entire Bible, 130 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:43.439 as far as I'm concerned. It says that there is 131 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:47.439 no condemnation hanging over the head of anyone who is 132 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:50.759 in Christ Jesus. Anyone who has come to Jesus Christ 133 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:53.639 as their savior in their Lord doesn't have to live 134 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:56.680 waiting for that other shoe to drop. That someday God 135 00:07:56.759 --> 00:07:58.879 is going to think up something that you didn't know 136 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.079 that you were going to be held responsible for, and 137 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:04.120 it's gonna happen. You don't have to spend those sleepless 138 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:06.959 nights of anxiety going over and over in your head. 139 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:08.959 What if God ever, you know, what if God ever 140 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.519 finds out I did this or I said that, or 141 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:14.399 what if this? You don't have to live with that 142 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:18.959 kind of guilt and recrimination and anxiety and regret, because 143 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:22.519 when you come to Christ, there is now no longer 144 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:27.759 any condemnation. Spiritually, we are totally forgiven. Let me just 145 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:29.959 tell you quickly two ways that we can know that 146 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:33.399 to be true. First, it is in God's nature to forgive. 147 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:37.320 It's who God is. It's who he is. In Isaiah 148 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.879 forty three twenty five, God says, I'm the God who 149 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:44.639 forgives your sins, and I do this because of who 150 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:48.519 I am. I will not hold your sins against you. 151 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:51.799 That is a powerful thing to grab onto. God says, 152 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:56.720 I'm a forgiver. There's this misconception that God in the 153 00:08:56.720 --> 00:09:00.679 Old Testament he's judgmental, he's harsh, he's angry, he doesn't 154 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:03.039 have a whole lot to say about mercy and forgiveness 155 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:05.559 and kindness. And then somehow between the Old Testament and 156 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:08.279 the New Testament, Jesus shows up and Jesus is now 157 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:10.279 the good and kind guy. And it's like bad cop, 158 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:12.879 good cap And you know, Jesus is all about mercy 159 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.519 and forgiveness and God and the Old Testament he's a 160 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:17.240 bad guy. You don't want to make him mad. And 161 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.600 the truth is that the same God, God does not change. 162 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:24.000 God has always been a God of mercy, always been 163 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:27.279 a God of compassion, always been a God of kindness. 164 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:30.080 And if you're not really sure about that, I really 165 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:32.840 challenge you go back look at the Old Testament. Do 166 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.080 it yourself. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. 167 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:38.720 Just start reading through the Old Testament looking for places 168 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:41.960 where God says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. 169 00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:45.399 I will forgive your sins. This one in Isaiah, I'm 170 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.559 the God who forgives your sins. So that you can 171 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:52.600 be convinced that God is a forgiver. The second way 172 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:57.080 that we can know that we're totally forgiven in Christ 173 00:09:57.720 --> 00:10:03.240 is Ephesians. To excuse me, Ephesians one says in Christ underline, 174 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:07.159 that we are set free by the blood of His death, 175 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:11.159 and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is 176 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:14.559 God's grace which he has given to us so fully 177 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:17.720 and freely. Again, because of what Jesus did for us 178 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.679 on the cross, because of what God said to us 179 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:24.639 through jesus death on the croust, we have forgiveness of sins. 180 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.480 God's grace. And how is it given to us? The 181 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:31.039 Bible says it is given to us fully and freely, 182 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.159 fully and freely. The apostle Paul says in that verse 183 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:39.080 that Jesus' blood, as we've already said, so highly valued 184 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:42.960 to God, provided for us forgiveness, and now God gives 185 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:47.480 he just like slathers us with his grace and his mercy. 186 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.440 The problem is that even if you are willing to 187 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:52.679 believe that about God and about that's the way He 188 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:56.200 feels about you, we get stuck in trying to apply 189 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.159 that same grace and mercy to other people. You know, 190 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:02.039 It's like the grace and mercy Spigott gets clogged in us, 191 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:04.480 and when it's us, we want God to just man 192 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:09.080 pour out that full grace and that free forgiveness for 193 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:13.600 everything we've done wrong and everything that is sinful about us. 194 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:16.440 We want God's mercy and grace in droves. But when 195 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:20.519 it comes to me forgiving you, that is a different story. 196 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.919 And I am not usually as interested in you receiving 197 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:27.840 grace and mercy as I am myself receiving grace and mercy. 198 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:30.559 Anybody else identify with that. That's just kind of the 199 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.639 way we are that, even though God has graced us 200 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.360 fully and freely, we are not as eager to do 201 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:40.399 that for each other. The Bible says that's wrong. Look 202 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:44.200 at Ephesians four thirty two. God says, be kind and 203 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:51.159 compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, 204 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:55.600 God forgave you. When our son Josh was in high school, 205 00:11:56.440 --> 00:12:00.240 he came to me one day crying, very remorseful, and 206 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:02.120 he said, Mom, I need to tell you. I need 207 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:04.399 to I need to tell you something that I've done. 208 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:06.200 And I kind of took a deep breath because I 209 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:08.000 really had no idea what I was about to hear. 210 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:10.799 Josh is a good kid, was a good kid, But 211 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:13.399 I still didn't know he's weeping. Why is he weeping? 212 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:16.080 What is he about to confess to me? And he said, 213 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:19.320 I just need to tell you that I used the 214 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:22.159 credit card that you and dad had had given me 215 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:28.000 for emergencies. I bought a few things that I didn't 216 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:32.080 really have your permission to buy. I've taken my friends 217 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:37.320 out to lunch a few times, and and I just 218 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:40.519 want you to know. I'm I'm really sorry. And I'm 219 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:43.240 thinking to myself, Yeah, but you know, the credit card 220 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:46.159 bill's coming up here, and you're you're gonna confess ahead 221 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.279 of time rather than to find out through the through 222 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:50.480 the credit card bill. But I was just really angry 223 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:53.840 because Josh had broken our trust. You know, we had 224 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:55.919 given him this card and good faith in case there 225 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.840 were emergencies, and here he had abused our trust. He'd 226 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.399 lied to us, based stolen from us. And I was 227 00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:06.840 so angry at him, and I really had all kinds 228 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:09.120 of things that I wanted to say about, you know, 229 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:11.679 how deep my hurt was, and how he was grounded 230 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:15.440 for the next three years of high school. And I mean, 231 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:19.039 I just had all these really angry upset thoughts that 232 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:22.320 I wanted to say, And at the exact moment that 233 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:25.639 I was getting ready to blast him in my anger, 234 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:29.000 God reminded me of this verse. I was like, oh, man, 235 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:31.120 don't you hate it when God does that because you 236 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:33.440 got out of this righteous anger going and then he 237 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:36.000 brings the word to you and you're like ah, And 238 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:39.080 it was like, Okay, I had a moment. Thank God, 239 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.080 he helped me realize that as a parent, I had 240 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:44.039 a moment, and I could either reveal to my son 241 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.519 something about the nature of God in the way that 242 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:49.759 I forgave him, or I could just be a human 243 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:53.519 parent who was justifiably upset, and I could distort the 244 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.759 image of God. I could rail on my son. I 245 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:59.360 could discipline him in anger, I could punish him. I 246 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:02.039 could say all these things about how he had let 247 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:05.279 us down. Or I could remember that I have already 248 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:08.919 been forgiven a million times more than what my son 249 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.279 had done in that moment, God has already forgiven me, 250 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:14.879 and that I had an opportunity to say I forgive you. 251 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:18.320 I am angry, I'm hurt, and there will be. 252 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:21.519 Consequences, but I just want you to know that I 253 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:25.039 do forgive you and so instead of railing on him 254 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.000 and spewing all kinds of stuff, I had a moment 255 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:30.120 to channel the way. 256 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:33.000 God would do something. God meets our sin, and often 257 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.720 there are consequences for our sin. We don't get off 258 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:38.720 scott free in the sense of sometimes there aren't consequences. 259 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.759 But I had the opportunity to offer him grace fully 260 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:47.600 and freely. But here's the truth, you guys about forgiving 261 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:52.960 fully and freely. As parents, as teachers, as educators, as coaches, 262 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:56.399 we have so many opportunities to make sure that we 263 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:00.720 don't distort the image of God. Sometimes good kids make 264 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:05.759 stupid decisions. Sometimes good kids make bad decisions, and we 265 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:08.840 can either jump on them with both feet and take 266 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:11.639 them to the ground and you know, threaten them with 267 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:15.279 everything that could possibly ever happen and take away everything forever, 268 00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:18.200 and we can distort the way that God has forgiven us, 269 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:22.519 or we have the opportunity to fully offer grace and 270 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:25.879 mercy as we build their identity. Rick is going to 271 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:29.759 come and finish this message. 272 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:35.240 Okay, let me wrap this up. 273 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:41.240 Everybody in life, at different times has felt the pain 274 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:45.039 of rejection. There's nobody goes through life without feeling some 275 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.399 kind of rejection by different people, different groups, at different times. 276 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:53.279 My studies have shown that the earlier you were rejected 277 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:56.200 you felt that the younger you were when you first 278 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:59.799 felt major rejection, the greater the impact that has on 279 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.799 your life. So if you were a young child and 280 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:07.399 you felt abandoned, or you felt rejected, or you felt unloved, 281 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:10.679 that's a real problem you're having to struggle with. 282 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:12.399 And if you were told as. 283 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:15.559 A kid you don't really matter in so many words, 284 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:19.159 or your failure or you'll never be up to my expectation, 285 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:22.840 that's a hard thing to move over. In many ways, 286 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:26.519 it was like a curse on your life. How do 287 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:33.240 you reverse a curse? How do you reverse a curse? 288 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:40.919 The truth will set you free. Everybody's heard that phrase, 289 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.120 but they don't know the full verse. It's a quote 290 00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:47.440 from Jesus, and the full quote is this, if you 291 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:52.240 continue in my word the Bible, if you continue in 292 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:56.320 my word, then you'll be my disciple, you'll be my followers, 293 00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:59.200 and then you'll know the truth, and the truth will 294 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:03.039 set you free. That's the full quote. The truth isn't 295 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:05.680 out there on TV. The truth is in this book. 296 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:09.400 And if you know the truth, then the truth will 297 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:13.240 set you free. What is the truth about you? You're accepted, 298 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:19.319 you're loved, you're forgiven, you're chosen, you're priceless, you have 299 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.160 something to contribute to the world, and when you mess up, 300 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:28.200 you're forgiven. That's the truth. That's the truth. Now, there's 301 00:17:28.200 --> 00:17:35.480 another research that I read years ago that the way 302 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:40.119 you tend to feel about yourself, your identity, your self esteem, 303 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:46.200 your self worth is largely determined by what you think 304 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:50.759 the most important person in your life thinks about you. 305 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.279 Let me say it again, the way you feel about yourself, 306 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:59.839 your self esteem, your self worth is largely determined, with 307 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:04.720 you realize it or not, by what you think the 308 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.759 most important person in your. 309 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.559 Life thinks about you. 310 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:15.720 So, friends, I highly recommend you make Jesus Christ the 311 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:19.039 most important person in your life. 312 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:20.160 Does that make sense? 313 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:27.880 Because he says, you're chosen, you're forgiven, you're accepted, you're loved, 314 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:31.559 you're valuable, you're priceless, you got something to offer, and 315 00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:32.759 when you mess up. 316 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.400 You're forgiven. This is who you really are. 317 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:39.720 So make Jesus Christ the most important person in your life. 318 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:44.039 You're chosen by God, You're loved by God. You're accepted 319 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:49.359 by God. You have a contribution to make in your life. 320 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:54.039 Your value and your worth are priceless, and you're forgiven. 321 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:59.400 That is your true identity. When you settle your true identity, 322 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:04.519 become almost impervious to peer pressure because you know who 323 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:06.839 you are and you know what you're supposed to do 324 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:10.400 with your life. You know, when I was in school 325 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:14.720 from sixth grade through my freshman year in college, I 326 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:19.480 was president of something every year I was growing up. 327 00:19:19.559 --> 00:19:23.480 I was class president of my class every single year, 328 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:27.039 except when I in junior high and high school was 329 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:31.000 student body president of the whole school. You might say 330 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:34.759 I was popular, and as a result of being popular, 331 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:38.960 I was invited to all the parties from sixth grade 332 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:44.519 through college. And yet, somehow, by the grace of God, 333 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.960 I made it through all those years without ever taking 334 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:52.359 any drugs, without ever smoking a cigarette, without ever even 335 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:58.119 tasting alcohol, without having sex with some girl. Why because 336 00:19:58.200 --> 00:20:03.400 I knew who I was in Christ and I wasn't 337 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:04.039 about to. 338 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:04.680 Throw that away. 339 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:08.480 Somehow, God got a hold of my brain at an 340 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:12.160 early age, and my parents built into me what my 341 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:16.960 true identity was, and I was impervious to the pressure, 342 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:24.359 even though I was invited all those parties. You need 343 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:26.240 this in your life. You need to pass it on 344 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:29.240 to the next generation. This is your true identity. 345 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:30.759 You are not. 346 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:35.319 What your parents say you are. You're not what your 347 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:38.519 peers say you are. You're not what your partner says 348 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.559 you are. You're not what the world says you are. 349 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:44.720 You are not what the media says you are. You 350 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.279 are not what social media says you are. You are 351 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:53.440 not what boys who criticized you in school say you are. 352 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:59.759 You are not what you tell yourself when you are self, 353 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:03.160 care yourself, and you are not what Satan tells you are. 354 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:07.240 You are what God says you are, and the truth 355 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:18.079 will set you free. Now as your friend, as your 356 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:21.119 pastor who genuinely loves you, have I told you lately 357 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:25.960 that I love you? The big question comes down to this, 358 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:30.960 who are in the world you going to believe? Are 359 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:33.200 you gonna believe what the world says about you? That 360 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:36.039 unless you look a certain way, unless you talk a 361 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:40.000 certain way, unless you do certain things, unless you cave 362 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:43.000 in to certain moral issues, unless you believe certain things, 363 00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:45.720 you don't matter. You're worthless. Are you gonna believe what 364 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:51.000 God says about you? Some of those two. One of 365 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:54.640 those opinions isn't going to matter in eternity for trillions 366 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:55.640 and trillions of years. 367 00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:57.880 I'll say it again. 368 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:02.000 It is liberating the day you realize that you don't 369 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:07.400 need other people's approval to be happy. By the way, 370 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:11.960 did you know what Jesus said? Is the way you 371 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.519 express your identity publicly for the first time, the way 372 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:17.880 you come out with your new identity. 373 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:22.559 It's called baptism. If you haven't been baptist, what are 374 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:24.119 you Baptist? What are you waiting on? 375 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.920 Baptism says I've died to the old me, and I'm 376 00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:31.079 beginning a brand new me. Last first on your outline. 377 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:36.160 Tewod Corinthians, chapter five from the Bible, verse seventeen. When 378 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:41.400 anyone is in Christ, it's a whole new world. The 379 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:44.200 old things are gone, including all the guilt and the 380 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:50.079 shame and condemnation. The old thing's gone. Suddenly everything is new. 381 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:52.680 He said, Man, I'd like that. I'd like a whole 382 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.559 new world. I'd like it's like starting over. It's like 383 00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:01.599 getting a fresh started. It's like being born again. Oh, 384 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:04.480 I kind of like that term. 385 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:06.440 Does not turn over a new leaf. It's good. 386 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:10.160 Whole new life. God says, would you like a mulligan 387 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:16.319 on your life? Would you like to start over? Fresh start? Okay, 388 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:19.200 it all starts where in Christ? He said, Well, I'm 389 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:21.720 not so sure, Rick, I'm in Christ. Well I can 390 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:24.920 help you settle that one right now. That's real simple. 391 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:29.559 You're not waiting on God. He's waiting on you. That's power. 392 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:29.880 Heads. 393 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.920 Thank you God, our Father. Thank you Father, that you 394 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:41.440 can heal broken hearts, and you can heal bitter memories, 395 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:46.240 and you can heal damaged self esteem. And I thank 396 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:49.440 you Lord that the patterns in our minds can be 397 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:54.480 erased and reversed. And I thank you that you turn 398 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:56.400 nobody's into somebody's. 399 00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:59.039 And Jesus. 400 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:03.359 Asking you to help my friends here, help these dear 401 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:08.480