WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:05.679 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the audio broadcast ministry 2 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.119 of Pastor Rick Warren. Well, today we continue in our 3 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:13.400 series called fifty Days of Faith. In these lessons, Rick 4 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:16.719 looks into God's word to discover the true meaning of 5 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:21.640 faith and explore ways we can strengthen it. But first, today, 6 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:25.280 when you join our partner and Hope family by signing 7 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:28.800 up for automated monthly Giving, we'll send you a special 8 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:32.399 welcome gift as our way of saying thanks. To find 9 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.799 out more, go to Pastorick dot com while you listen 10 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:39.960 to today's message, or simply text the word hope to 11 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:44.079 eight hundred, six hundred five thousand and four. That's the 12 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:48.439 word hope to eight hundred six hundred five thousand and four. 13 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:52.320 Right now, here's Pastor Rick Warren with part one of 14 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:55.280 a message called how to Keep on Believing? 15 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:00.000 Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn't 16 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:02.399 there's difficult things in life. Is to sit in God's 17 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:05.560 waiting room. God's waiting room is when there's something beyond 18 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:09.319 your control that you can't speed up. An answer to prayer, 19 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:12.920 a miracle, a change in a situation, and you want 20 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:15.959 it to change, but it is totally out of your control, 21 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.400 and you have to wait on God. The Bible says 22 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:23.159 in Ecclesiastes three to eleven, God does everything just right 23 00:01:23.640 --> 00:01:27.799 and on time, but people can never completely understand what 24 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:30.599 he's doing. Boy, is that the truth? We don't know 25 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:32.439 always what God is doing, and we certainly don't know 26 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:34.480 when He's going to do it, and so much of 27 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:39.200 life we spend waiting on God's timetable. Today, we're going 28 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:41.400 to conclude the fifty Days of Faith series by looking 29 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:44.879 at how do you keep on believing while you're waiting 30 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.319 on God? And we're going to look at Abraham. If 31 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:50.239 any man had to wait, it was Abraham. God gave 32 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:52.159 him a promise that he'd have a baby who would 33 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.640 become a great nation, which later became the nation of Israel. 34 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.840 But Abraham had to wait one hundred years for that baby. 35 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:03.439 That's a long time to wait. What do you do 36 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:08.199 while you're waiting on God? The Bible says five things. 37 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:12.919 Number one, you need to first understand the six phases 38 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.759 of faith. God always takes you through a predictable phase 39 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:20.000 and stages of faith, and we spend a message on 40 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:21.639 each of these phases. We're not going to go into 41 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.319 that in detail. You might want to get the series, 42 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.680 but let's just review it this morning. How God always 43 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.599 works in your life. The first phase of faith is 44 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:33.240 when God gives you a dream, an idea, an ambition, 45 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:35.879 a goal. God gives you a dream. In at age 46 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.680 seventy five, God gave Abraham a dream. He said, I'm 47 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:42.759 going to make you into a great nation. But that's 48 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:46.759 just a start. Phase two is a decision, and a 49 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.080 decision is when you decide to act on that dream. 50 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:53.560 A dream without a decision is worthless. And every dream 51 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:55.960 of God has a risk to it. It has a 52 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:59.280 part that you have to to take a step of 53 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.840 faith out. Abraham had to leave his existing homeland and 54 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.560 go to a place where he never knew. He had 55 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:07.919 never heard of, never heard of, never been there, and 56 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:10.680 so he took a risk. And when God gives you 57 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:12.120 a dream, it says this is what I want to 58 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:13.960 do with your life. There's going to come a point 59 00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:16.479 you have to make the decision to say, Okay, God, 60 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:18.520 I'm going to go after your dream for my life, 61 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:22.639 not my own dream. Once you've done that, you move 62 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:27.159 into phase three. And phase three is delay because the 63 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:30.919 dream is never fulfilled instantly. When God gives you an 64 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:32.360 idea of what he wants to do with your life, 65 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:34.680 and when he actually fulfills it, there is always a 66 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.759 time gap because He wants to grow you, he wants 67 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:41.280 to build you up. Eleven years after God gave Abraham 68 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:45.039 his dream, Abraham still didn't have a child. And when 69 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:48.199 he's eighty six, it says, but Sarah still had not 70 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:52.240 born any children. What's happened in those eleven years. The 71 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:55.879 answer is nothing. He was just waiting on God. He's 72 00:03:55.879 --> 00:03:58.960 tempted to doubt, tempted to despair, tempted to take detours, 73 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:02.199 but God says, no, You're gonna wait for the fulfillment 74 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:05.439 of the dream I've given you. Then comes along phase four, 75 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:08.680 and that is difficulty. God not only lets you wait 76 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.520 for a while, but while you wait, he lets you 77 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:14.360 have some problems. Isn't that fun? And so you go 78 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:17.639 through the stage of difficulty, where things go from bad 79 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:22.160 to really bad, to worse to impossible. And you notice 80 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:25.800 that at age ninety nine, Abraham still didn't have a son. 81 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:31.079 He's ninety nine, his wife Sarah is eighty nine, and 82 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.480 still it says, how can a son be born to 83 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:36.399 a man my age. Now what's worse is that God 84 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:41.759 changed Abraham's name. His name originally was Abram, and God 85 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.800 changed his name to Abraham, which means father of a 86 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.160 great nation. Now imagine this. He walks into a seven 87 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:52.040 to eleven. The guy says, what's your name, father of 88 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:52.680 a great nation? 89 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:53.079 Oh? 90 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:56.399 How many kids you have? None? How old are you? 91 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:01.759 Ninety nine? That's kind of embarrassing folk. It's a test 92 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:05.360 of his faith. But eventually god fulfills the dream and 93 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:08.319 at age one hundred and his wife is ninety Sarah, 94 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:12.000 they have a miracle baby and they name him Isaac, 95 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:15.879 which means laughter, because they laughed at that thought. I mean, 96 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:18.439 Sarah's ninety years old. We know she didn't believe God 97 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:21.480 when God said you're pregnant because she laughed. Any woman 98 00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:24.240 who really believed God at ninety and figured she was 99 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:29.120 pregnant would have cried. But she laughs, and God laughs, 100 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:31.680 and Abraham laughs, and Isaac is named Laughter. And they 101 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:34.120 have a miracle boy. And I think this is great. 102 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:37.279 But then comes the most difficult phase of faith of 103 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:41.639 all number five, dead end. And at dead end, God 104 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:48.040 allows your dream to seemingly die. Abraham was asked to 105 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:51.000 give up the miracle child. God says, I want you 106 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:55.160 to sacrifice him back to me. Now get this. Abram 107 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:57.839 wakes one hundred years, gets a baby, he starts to 108 00:05:57.839 --> 00:05:59.279 grow up, and God says, by the way, now, I 109 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:01.040 want you to give him back to me. I want 110 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:03.920 you to sacrifice into me. Heybraham's thinking, what kind of 111 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:07.480 God is this? Is this a cruel joke? He's asking 112 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:10.879 me to sacrifice the very dream child that was promised 113 00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:15.639 to me. And he looks he feels pretty hopeless. How 114 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:18.560 do you know when you're at a dead end, you 115 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.399 feel hopeless. Some of you are at a dead end 116 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.759 in your marriage right now. Some of you are at 117 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:27.040 a dead end and getting married. Some of you are 118 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.800 at a dead end when you look at your budget, 119 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.040 when you look at your career, when you look at 120 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.240 your friendships, your relationships. Some of you are at a 121 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:39.360 physical dead end and your health is falling apart. And 122 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.000 when you're at this stage, you start to doubt God's 123 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:45.000 wisdom and love and you say, why is this happening 124 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:50.480 to me? It's out of your control. Well, congratulations, God 125 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:53.560 is getting you ready. He is preparing you for the 126 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:58.480 final phase of faith, which is deliverance. And the greater 127 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:02.120 the dead end, the more hopeless of the situation, the 128 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:04.680 greater the deliverance is going to be, the more of 129 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:06.759 a miracle. It'll be you go, Wow, that was God. 130 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:10.800 Only God could have done that. And so God is 131 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:16.279 getting you ready for a miracle, the miracle of deliverance. Now, 132 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:20.319 everybody in this room, God's going to take you through 133 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.839 these six phases of faith many many times in your life, 134 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:27.240 over and over again. You'll go from dream to decision, 135 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:30.480 to delay, to difficulty, to dead end to deliverance, and 136 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:32.079 then they'll do it again, and then they'll do it 137 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:35.360 again to keep you growing in your faith. In fact, 138 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:38.439 everybody here is at one of these stages right now. 139 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.000 Some of you are in the dream phase, you're getting 140 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:42.800 an idea. Some of you are in the delay phase 141 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.600 or the difficulty or the dead end phase. But you 142 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:49.879 have to understand how God works. If you're going to 143 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:52.279 learn to be patient and keep on believing when you're 144 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.600 waiting on God. The second thing you do when you're 145 00:07:55.639 --> 00:08:00.240 waiting for deliverance is you remember what God can do. 146 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:05.160 Remember what God can do. The situation may be out 147 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:07.199 of your control, but it's not out of God's control. 148 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:09.879 So you don't focus on what you can't do. You 149 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:14.120 focus on what God can do. What can God do? Well, 150 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:16.480 look at this verse Romans four seventeen. Read it with me. 151 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:21.240 Abraham believed in God, who gives life to the dead 152 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:26.079 and who creates something out of nothing. Folks, that verse 153 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:29.279 right there is the definition of a miracle. So write 154 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:32.159 the word miracle out to the side, because in a miracle, 155 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:35.559 here's what happens. Either God gives life to something that's dead, 156 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:39.360 or he creates something out of nothing. And that's what 157 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:41.840 it's all about. Though. That's what God can do. He 158 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:44.039 can give life to a dead career, a dead marriage, 159 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:47.799 dead dreams, dead finances, and he can bring something out 160 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:52.960 of nothing. Jesus said, anything as possible if you have faith. Now, 161 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:55.559 I want you to notice something. This is very important. 162 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.799 What did Abraham put his faith in? Look at that verse. 163 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:02.559 Did he believe in Did he believe in himself? No? 164 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:06.240 Did he believe in his feelings? No? Did he put 165 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:08.799 faith in faith, you know, like I'm just put faith 166 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:14.679 in faith. No? Did he practice positive thinking? No? He 167 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:18.919 believed in God. Now I believe in positive thinking. We've 168 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:22.159 talked about this many times. But positive thinking and faith 169 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:26.000 are not the same thing. You hear these songs about 170 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:29.480 positive thinking, like I believe that for every drop of 171 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:34.240 rain that falls, a flower grows. Folks, that's belowne. If 172 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:36.399 every drop of rain produced a flower, the world would 173 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:39.159 be covered with flowers. We'd be tiptoing through the tulips. 174 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:46.120 It's just not true. And positive thinking works in one situation. 175 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:51.000 It works in situations where you have control over the situation. If, 176 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:52.759 for instance, you believe you're going to do a good 177 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:55.200 job at something, you'll probably do a better job than 178 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:59.360 if you didn't believe it. But positive thinking is worthless 179 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:01.320 in things, things that are out of your control. 180 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:08.240 You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick will be 181 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:11.159 back in just a moment with the rest of today's lesson. 182 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:14.639 You can sign up for Pastor Rick's free email devotional 183 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:19.080 at pastorick dot com. That's pastorick dot com. 184 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:22.000 The Bible says children are a gift from the Lord. 185 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:26.159 Do you have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or kids in 186 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:29.080 your neighborhood that need to know God loves them and 187 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:31.679 has a good plan for their lives. You can help 188 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:34.600 them get closer to God. By encouraging them to read 189 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:37.480 God's Word. That's why we're so excited to tell you 190 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:41.480 about a very special resource just for kids called God's 191 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:44.679 Big Plans for Me. It's a storybook Bible by Pastor 192 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:48.080 Rick Warren. This two hundred and twenty three page hardcover 193 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:51.720 children's book includes forty well loved Bible stories to help 194 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:55.240 kids engage with God's word. Each Bible story has an 195 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:58.840 introduction from Pastor Rick that helps young readers understand the 196 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.600 Word of God and a closing thought with a practical 197 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:04.799 step boys and girls can take to discover God's Big 198 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.360 Plans for them. Their eyes will light up as they 199 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:11.200 turn the beautifully illustrated pages and really start to get 200 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.200 what God wants to say to their young hearts and minds. 201 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:17.159 God's Big Plans for Me is so much more than 202 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:20.200 just a book filled with cute pictures of Bible characters. 203 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:23.519 It's a fun and effective way to introduce children to 204 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:27.600 God's everlasting truth. This book makes a great gift. You'll 205 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:30.120 want to get a copy for every child in your life, 206 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:32.399 and today when you give a gift to help Pastor 207 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:35.799 Rick's daily hope, take the certain hope of Jesus Christ 208 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:38.840 around the world. We'll send you a copy of God's 209 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:42.440 Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible to say thanks. Just 210 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:45.440 call eight hundred and six hundred five zero zero four 211 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:48.120 or go to Pastorick dot com to get your very 212 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:51.480 own copy of God's Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible. 213 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:53.840 And if you choose to become a partner in Hope 214 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.000 with automated monthly giving, we'll also send you a very 215 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:01.360 special welcome gift to show our appreciation Pastorrick dot com 216 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.799 or you can call eight hundred at six hundred at 217 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.120 five zero zero four thank you so much for your support. 218 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:09.879 There are only two days left to become a Partner 219 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:12.799 in Hope and receive your special welcome gift, so don't 220 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.559 wait and don't forget to let us know which radio 221 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:16.600 station you heard us on. 222 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:25.480 Now, let's get back to today's lesson. Here on Pastor 223 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:26.639 Rick's Daily Hope. 224 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:31.799 Positive thinking works in one situation. It works in situations 225 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:35.919 where you have control over the situation. Positive thinking is 226 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:39.799 worthless in situations out of your control, especially when you 227 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:42.759 come to a dead end in life. When you come 228 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:44.639 to a dead end, you need more than just a 229 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:49.799 nice happy thought. You need faith in God. You know, 230 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:52.759 I could say, you know, I believe I look like 231 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:56.639 Brad Pitt. I could say it all the time. I 232 00:12:56.679 --> 00:12:58.759 want anyone's going to make me look like Brad Pitt. 233 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:03.480 What's going to happen is the only thing that changes 234 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:08.679 circumstances is faith in God. Faith in God works when 235 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.240 things are out of your control. Now here's a little secret. 236 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:17.159 Most of life is beyond your control. So you need 237 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:19.799 faith in God far more than you need just kind 238 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:24.159 of happy positive, you know, think pretty thoughts. When you 239 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:26.399 get to a dead end, you need to remember what 240 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:30.919 God can do. Lotus is verse. What is impossible with 241 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:35.519 men is possible with God. The third thing you do 242 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:39.639 when you're waiting on God is rely on God's promises. 243 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:44.559 Rely on what God has promised. The Bible says in 244 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:49.879 Romans four eighteen, when hope was dead within him, Abraham 245 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:54.279 went on hoping in faith. He relied on the word 246 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:57.799 of God. Circle the phrase when hope was dead within him? 247 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:00.679 Have you ever felt that way that hope was dying 248 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:04.559 inside of you? How do you know when hope is 249 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:08.799 dying inside of you? You start using the word never. 250 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:15.240 I'm never gonna get married, We're never going to have 251 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:21.759 a baby. I'm never going to be happy again. I'm 252 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:27.759 never going to change. Abraham went on hoping in faith 253 00:14:27.879 --> 00:14:32.159 circle the phrase hoping in faith. This isn't just wishful thinking, 254 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:36.960 This isn't just positive thinking. This is hoping in faith, 255 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:42.200 faith in God. You keep on believing. How do you 256 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:45.519 keep on believing when you feel like doubting, when you 257 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:48.600 feel like giving up? Well, it says there he relied 258 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:53.159 on God's word and nothing is more reliable. Now, I 259 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:55.440 hope you've gotten this by now in the fifty Days 260 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.840 of Faith, every single message we've talked about, You've got 261 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.559 to get into God's words. If you're going to be 262 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.200 a man of faith, if you're going to be a 263 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:06.919 woman of faith, you have to get God's promises in 264 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.759 your life. Even here, once again we hit it again, 265 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:13.960 rely on what God has promised. He relied on the 266 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.080 word of God, and that's what kept them going when 267 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:19.240 Hope wanted to give up. You need to read this book, 268 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:23.799 study this book, memorize Bible verses. Later on, you could 269 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:26.000 pull up this week's memory verse because this is the 270 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:29.279 last week I gave you too. This week Matthew nineteen 271 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:32.960 twenty six. With God, everything is possible and Glatians five 272 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:36.600 to six. The only thing that counts is faith expressing 273 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:40.799 itself through love. When you get the promises of God 274 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:43.720 in your life, you will be able to hope in 275 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:47.600 faith rather than giving up. Now, when you come to 276 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:50.960 a dead end, rely on the promises. Notice this next verse. 277 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:54.519 While God was testing him, and that's what waiting is. 278 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:59.039 It's a test. Abraham still trusted in God and his promises, 279 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.799 so he offered his son Isaac. Now this is a test. 280 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:07.120 Isaac grows up and God says, I want you to 281 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:09.000 give him back to me. I want you to sacrifice 282 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:12.279 them to me. But Abraham didn't panic. I would have, 283 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:15.559 but Abraham didn't panic. God said, give me your son back, 284 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:19.039 sacrifice them to me. But he didn't panic. For three reasons, 285 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:22.200 the Bible tells us. One, he believed that God would 286 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:26.480 raise him from the dead Hebrews eleven nineteen. Second, when 287 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.559 he's telling a servant, we're going up the hill to 288 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:31.799 make the sacrifice, he says, will be back, not I'll 289 00:16:31.799 --> 00:16:35.679 be back, but we'll be back. He fully intended the 290 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:37.840 son to come back with him. And Third, when his 291 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:39.799 little boy, Isaac is walking up the hill with him, 292 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:42.000 and he says, Daddy, where's the lamb We're going to sacrifice. 293 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:47.480 Abraham says, the Lord will provide. He had every intention 294 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:50.159 and no doubt that God was going to spare his 295 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:54.159 son or resurrect him from the dead. Why he had 296 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.559 the promises of God. Now here's the big test in 297 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:01.360 your life. What are you going to do when God 298 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:05.519 says to you, I want you to sacrifice your greatest dream. 299 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:11.920 That is the ultimate test of faith. When God says 300 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.160 the thing you value most in life, what you want 301 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:18.119 most in life, what you crave most in life, will 302 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:23.319 you offer it on the altar? To me, this is 303 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:27.480 a test. Will you do what Abraham did? Will you 304 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:31.119 hope against hope? Will you hope in faith? And will 305 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:34.160 you rely on the promises of God? Look at the 306 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:39.039 next verse Romans four eighteen. Though it seemed Abraham's hope 307 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:42.480 could not be fulfilled, he did become the father of 308 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:47.279 many nations, exactly as God has promised. Notice the word seemed. 309 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:51.079 Things are never as bleak as they seem if you 310 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:54.599 look at them from God's point of view. The disciples 311 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:57.759 follow Jesus around for three years, and they thought he 312 00:17:57.839 --> 00:17:59.559 was going to bring in the kingdom and set up 313 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:02.240 a king and they all be rulers. And one day 314 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.000 they look up and Jesus is hanging on the cross 315 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:09.759 and he's dead. You talk about a dead end. They 316 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.759 are devastated. He's the Messiah, He's the son of God. 317 00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:15.559 How in the world could he be hanging on a cross? 318 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:20.279 They didn't know that Easter was just a couple days away. 319 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:26.839 God specializes in turning dead situations around and resurrecting situations 320 00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:30.559 that look hopeless when we rely on the promises of God. 321 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:35.720 Notice circle the word exactly. He says. He became the 322 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:39.880 father many nations exactly as God had promised. A promise 323 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.839 is only as good as the integrity of the promiser, 324 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:47.319 and God cannot lie. The fourth thing you do when 325 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:53.920 you're waiting on God, recognize the facts in faith. Face them, 326 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:58.079 but face them in faith. Recognize the facts of your 327 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:04.079 life in faith. Romans four, nineteen and twenty says, without 328 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:09.039 weakening in his faith, he it's Abraham faced the facts 329 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:13.519 that his body was as good as dead and Sarah's 330 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:18.079 womb was also dead. He's been pretty blunt here, yet 331 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:22.799 he didn't waver with unbelief. God's word translation says through faith. 332 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:28.720 He regarded the facts. Abraham recognizes that he and his 333 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:33.680 wife are beyond child bearing years. He's ninety nine, his 334 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:37.799 wife is eighty nine, and it is a medical impossibility 335 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:41.759 that they're going to have children. Now, he doesn't deny 336 00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:45.400 the facts. He faces them with faith. This is very, 337 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:49.920 very important at this. Faith does not ignore reality. Faith 338 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:52.759 does not pretend you don't have a problem. Faith does 339 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:57.559 not act like it's no difficulty. Faith is not denial. 340 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:02.119 Please hear that, because people think it is. Let me 341 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:06.079 give you definition of faith. Faith is facing the facts 342 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:11.559 in your life without being discouraged by them. That's faith. 343 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:14.799 It's not denying you have problems. It's not denying you 344 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:17.480 have difficulties. It's not denying you're facing a dead end 345 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:20.519 or a hopeless situation. From a human standpoint, it is 346 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:25.480 facing the fact of problems in your life without being 347 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:30.519 discouraged by them. That is true faith. Some of you 348 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:34.920 are facing cancer. Some of you have loved ones who 349 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:39.799 are facing cancer. Right now. You cannot deny the diagnosis, 350 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:45.960 but you can defy the verdict. Big difference. You cannot 351 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.920 deny the diagnosis. I don't have cancer, Yes you do. 352 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:52.880 They don't have cancer. Yes, they do. You cannot deny 353 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:58.279 the diagnosis. That's fantasy, it's denial. But you can defy 354 00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:01.880 the verdict, and you can find and say we're going 355 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:03.839 to work at this and we're going to do all 356 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:08.920 we can to beat it and defy the verdict. You see, 357 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:11.440 this is very important because there's a brand of Christianity 358 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:16.160 out there that says, deny all your problems and just smile, smile, smile. 359 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:21.119 That's not Jesus, that's Pollyanna. You know. It says, you know, 360 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:24.680 I'm not sick. Positive confession. I'm not sick. I got 361 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:27.640 one hundred and four temperature, but I'm not sick. Or 362 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:30.440 you know, I'm not in debt. I'm on the verge 363 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:33.799 of bankruptcy, but I'm not in debt. Faith is not 364 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:39.359 asking you to deny reality. It never does. Faith asks 365 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:43.279 you to face the reality in your life without being 366 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:49.400 discouraged by it. It's not living in denial. Faith is 367 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:53.960 not clinging to the past. Faith is not stubborn foolishness. 368 00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:59.079 Please understand this. If you're still waiting for eight tracks 369 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:05.519 to make a comeback, let it go. It's over. It 370 00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:09.880 isn't coming back. If you're still waiting for that special 371 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:13.359 guy or girl to invite you out on a date, 372 00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:17.920 that person from high school and it's your fiftieth reunion. 373 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:25.759 Let it go. That puppy's not coming home, just let 374 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:30.720 it go. If you're hoping that dimpled Chads will elect 375 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:44.079 you president, let it go, let it go. Grieve deeply, 376 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:46.559 but let it go. 377 00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:53.240 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick will be right 378 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:56.880 back to close out our time today. But first, over 379 00:22:56.920 --> 00:23:00.359 the last couple of years, we've all experienced world wide 380 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:04.480 changes and events that have impacted us in profound and 381 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:09.759 sometimes unimaginable ways. For many of us, those changes will 382 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:13.759 impact our lives for years to come. Pastor Rick believes 383 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:17.039 that now more than ever, people need God's word and 384 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:19.880 the hope that it brings. That's why he'd like to 385 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:23.920 invite you to become a partner in Hope. Here's Rick 386 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:24.839 to tell you more. 387 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:28.119 One of the reasons that I started Daily Hope is 388 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:31.359 to take the message of hope not just across our country, 389 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:35.160 but all around the world to people who need a 390 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:39.319 shot of encouragement, who need the message and word of 391 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.039 hope in a discouraging day, and that message can only 392 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:46.000 be found in Jesus, would you help me with this? 393 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:48.960 I really need your help. I can't do it by myself, 394 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:51.240 and I'd like to ask you to become my partner 395 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:56.319 in the Daily Hope Ministry. If you'll make a monthly investment. 396 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:59.960 As a Partner in Hope, you can help me broadcast 397 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:03.640 these life transforming messages from God's Word, not just here 398 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:07.279 in America, but in podcasts and online and literally all 399 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:08.000 around the world. 400 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:12.319 To become a partner in Hope with convenient, automated monthly giving, 401 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:16.480