WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:05.960 Hello, and thanks for joining us today on Pastor Rick's 2 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.519 Daily Hope. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren, 3 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:12.839 and today we are continuing in a series called the 4 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.559 Miracle of Mercy. Rick will show us how God's mercy 5 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:20.399 can lift your guilt, heal your wounds, and transform the 6 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:23.559 way you live. Okay, here's part one of a message 7 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:25.920 called how Much You Matter to God? 8 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:26.879 Now. 9 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:29.719 One of the purposes of the Miracle of Mercy series 10 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:32.560 is to help you've better understand what God is really like. 11 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:38.759 Most people have poor misconceptions of God. They don't understand 12 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:43.640 fully deeply the mercy of God, that God always acts 13 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:44.880 in mercy toward us. 14 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:48.600 Every good thing in your life. 15 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:51.840 Is because of the mercy of God. You wouldn't be 16 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:55.759 alive if it weren't for the mercy of God. The talents, 17 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.399 the gifts, the abilities you have are gifts of the 18 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:03.840 mercy of God. The fact that all of the good things, 19 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:06.400 the relationships that happen in your life, the fact that 20 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:08.480 you're going to go to Heaven one day is only 21 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:10.480 due to the mercy of God. 22 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:13.519 Without that we would have nothing. 23 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:16.799 Now, the Bible says in Titus chapter three, if you 24 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:19.719 pull out your message notes all the verses were gonna 25 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:22.879 look at this weekend or on your notes. Titus chapter three, 26 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:28.519 verse five says this Jesus saved us not because of 27 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:34.040 the good things that we did, but because of his mercy. 28 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:38.799 His mercy he washed away our sins and he gave 29 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:42.879 us new life through the Holy Spirit. Now, God is 30 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:46.480 such a god of mercy. He came to earth in 31 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.120 human form, as a form of Jesus Christ. He came 32 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:54.359 in human form to show us his mercy. He came 33 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:57.480 on a mission of mercy, and that mission of mercy 34 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:00.599 was to save us. In fact, Jesus says it like 35 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.040 this in Luke chapter nineteen, verse two. I have come 36 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:10.159 to seek and save those who are lost. Now this 37 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.879 is the ultimate expression of mercy. 38 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:15.159 Jesus said. The whole reason I came to earth. 39 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:17.159 Why we have Christmas, while we have Easter, while we 40 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:21.400 have everything that exists, is I came to seek and 41 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:25.919 save those who are lost. The ultimate expression of mercy. 42 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:30.240 Mercy seeks, Mercy takes initiative, Mercy makes the first step. 43 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:32.000 Mercy saves. 44 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:36.159 And by the way, this is the reason Saddleback Church exists. 45 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.520 The whole reason we have Church is because of this verse. 46 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:44.960 We exist to seek and to save those who are lost. 47 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:48.039 That's the whole purpose of Saddleback Church. Now, I want 48 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:51.680 you to circle the words saved and the word lost. 49 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:56.639 Saved and lost. In God's eyes, there are only two 50 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:00.560 kinds of people. There are only two distinctions that matter. 51 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:05.520 There are saved people and there are lost people. Every 52 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:08.319 one of us are in one of those categories. We're 53 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:12.199 you've saved or were it lost? And ultimately, no other 54 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:17.800 human distinction matters. Gender doesn't matter, doesn't matter whether you're 55 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.879 female or male. Race doesn't matter, doesn't matter what your 56 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:24.800 culture is, what your language is, what your background is. 57 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:30.280 It doesn't matter what your religion is. Your wealth doesn't 58 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:35.360 matter in terms in God's view. Your education doesn't matter. 59 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:40.400 God doesn't distinguish people by their IQs, by their abilities, 60 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:44.120 by their looks, by their talent, or anything else. God 61 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:45.919 says there are two kinds of people in the world. 62 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:48.759 There are people who are saved and there are people 63 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:53.240 who are lost, who have not yet been saved by God. 64 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.639 Now maybe you're thinking, well, I'm not in the saved, 65 00:03:57.639 --> 00:03:59.639 so I must be in the lost. Don't consider that 66 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:01.319 to be a put down. 67 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:04.280 It's not. In fact, it's a compliment. 68 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:10.639 Both of these phrases, saved and lost, imply somebody loves you. 69 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.599 Both of these phrases saved and lost, imply you have 70 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:20.800 enormous value. Both of these phrases saved and lost are 71 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:26.680 actually compliments. They're saying you matter to God, and he 72 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:29.199 knows whether you're in this condition or in this condition. 73 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:30.199 You're valuable. 74 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:34.519 You're worth seeking, you're worth saving, You're worth finding their 75 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.000 expressions of love. I want you to write this down 76 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:44.680 on your outline. Lostness implies value. Lostness implies value. If 77 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.680 I'm spiritually lost, it doesn't mean I'm not valuable. No, 78 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:51.319 you're incredibly valuable to God, so valuable that Jesus Christ 79 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:52.360 came to Earth to seek and. 80 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:53.000 To save you. 81 00:04:54.279 --> 00:05:01.240 Lostness implies value. You see invaluable things are misplaced, but 82 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:06.959 valuable things are lost. In other words, nobody loses a toothpick. 83 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:13.720 You may misplace a toothpick, you may misplace a paper clip, 84 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:17.279 you may misplace a kleenex, But you don't lose a 85 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:22.439 kleenex because it's not that valuable, And so you don't 86 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:27.519 go seeking and saving the kleenex because it's not valuable enough. 87 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:29.920 Let me give you example. 88 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.839 This is a paper Mate flair pin. I think it 89 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:39.600 costs nineteen cents. It's about the cheapest pen you can get. 90 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.360 I have used this type of pen for over thirty 91 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.279 five years. I have signed hundreds of thousands of books 92 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:49.959 with this bluepen. People try to give me mont Blancs 93 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:51.759 and all these other I wouldn't use them. 94 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.759 Why I'd lose them. These I can. 95 00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:58.839 Lose one hundred a day and it doesn't matter. And 96 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:02.279 so if I'm traveling internationally, we always take a stack 97 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:04.920 of about fifty of these flair pins because I can 98 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:08.079 lose two or three in an hour. But because they're 99 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.399 so cheap, it doesn't matter to me. I don't even 100 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:13.600 consider them lost. I consider that's my donation whoever I 101 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:18.240 left it behind to Okay, and so while I could 102 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:21.720 have a much more expensive pen, this is Rick Warren's 103 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:23.800 pen of choice. Now, somebody should pay me a product 104 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:27.160 promotion for that. Okay, all right, I bought it. You 105 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:30.959 should try it too. Okay, But it's cheap, and so 106 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:36.360 I don't lose these, I just misplaced them. Now, this 107 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.439 is my wedding ring. If I lost this, it would 108 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:42.680 be a real loss because it represents over forty years 109 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:46.560 of commitment to the same woman, and she gave it 110 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.839 to me and I love her, and if I lost it, 111 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:52.079 it would not I wouldn't misplace my wedding ring. 112 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:57.279 I would lose it. You only lose stuff that's extremely valuable. 113 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.240 I didn't when my son, my youngest son, died, I 114 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:05.839 didn't misplace my son. I lost him because my son 115 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.160 was priceless to me and it was a major loss 116 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:15.800 in my life something invaluable. You misplace something priceless or invaluable, 117 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:16.959 can't put a priced egg on it. 118 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:18.040 You lose that. 119 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:24.199 You know, this year, all of the airlines in America 120 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:26.399 together will permanently lose. 121 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:27.720 They do this every year. 122 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:32.160 Over three hundred thousand pieces of luggage happens every year. 123 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:33.920 I'm not talking about the ones you lose and then fine, 124 00:07:33.959 --> 00:07:38.079 I'm talking about they permanently lose three hundred thousand pieces 125 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:39.120 of luggage a year. 126 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:40.199 Now. 127 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.920 Most of those are filled with worthless stuff, dirty clothes, 128 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:48.800 but some of them are filled with stuff that's priceless. 129 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:54.000 In fact, when a masterpiece in art is lost, a 130 00:07:54.040 --> 00:07:57.839 price actually goes up. So when we talk about whether 131 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:03.240 you're saved or whether you're lost spiritually. Both of them 132 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:07.480 imply enormous value. It's not a matter of is one 133 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:09.399 more important or one more valuat than that. 134 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:14.240 They're not. They're just both incredibly valuable. 135 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:18.439 Now, what I want to do this weekend, as we 136 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.800 look at the mercy of God is ask three questions. 137 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:26.079 What do I lose when I am spiritually lost? 138 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:28.199 What do I actually lose? 139 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:29.920 I mean, you've heard people talk about, well, I'm saved 140 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.600 or I'm lost or whatever. What I actually lose? Now, 141 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:36.840 many of you you say I know the Lord. You 142 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:38.679 need to know what I'm about to teach you because 143 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:40.200 you don't need to know how to explain it to 144 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:44.840 somebody else. What do you actually lose when you're spiritually lost? 145 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:45.919 We're going to talk about that. 146 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:49.919 And then second, what does God's mercy do when I 147 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:50.559 am lost? 148 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:52.159 How does God respond to that? 149 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:55.080 And then third question I want to ask is how 150 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:58.279 can I experience God's mercy? How do I experience this 151 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.559 God's mercy? Now, fortunately, all of the answers to those 152 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:04.360 three questions are in the same chapter in the Bible. 153 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:09.279 It's Luke chapter fifteen. And in Luke Chapter fifteen, Jesus 154 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:14.039 tells three stories, the story of a lost sheep, the 155 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:16.639 story of the lost Coin, and the story of the 156 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:21.320 Lost Son. And in these three stories he tells us 157 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:22.360 the answers. 158 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:22.840 To these questions. 159 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:27.120 And actually this passage is often called by Bible scholars 160 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:30.320 the Lost and Found chapter of the Bible because the 161 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.200 word lost and the word found together are used ten 162 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:36.799 times in one chapter. So Luke fifteen is called the 163 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:40.919 what chapter, lost and Found chapter of the Bible because 164 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:43.919 it's the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin, 165 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:47.679 and the lost son, three different stories all saying the same. 166 00:09:47.480 --> 00:09:49.919 Thing, You matter to God. 167 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:55.840 Now, in these stories, the shepherd and the woman and 168 00:09:56.039 --> 00:10:00.320 the father all represent God. And in these stories, the shep, 169 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:03.840 and the coin and the sun represent you and me. 170 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.279 So let me just tell you the three stories real quick. 171 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:11.720 First is the story of the lost sheep. And Jesus says, 172 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:14.799 there's a guy, a shepherd who has a hundred sheep, 173 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:17.960 and every night he brings them back to the sheep 174 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:20.279 pen the sheep fold to lock them up for the 175 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:23.240 night so that they're safe from wolves and predatory animals. 176 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.039 And he counts them every night, and as they're coming back. 177 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:29.879 In ninety eight ninety nine, and then there's no one hundred, 178 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:34.080 and he realizes that one is missing, and he counts 179 00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:37.240 them because they just like we say at church, we 180 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:38.759 count people, because people count. 181 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:40.320 Every life matters. 182 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:44.080 Every number represents a name, and every name has a story, 183 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:46.759 and every story is somebody that Jesus Christ died for. 184 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:51.279 And so the story of the Good Shepherd here is 185 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:55.120 he leaves the ninety nine saved sheep in the pen 186 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.200 to go out and search for the one that's lost, 187 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:01.679 and as long as there's there's one lost, he's gonna 188 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:03.759 keep reaching out. He didn't say, well, hey, I got 189 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:05.960 ninety nine saved sheep, forget the lost one. 190 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:08.720 No, they all matter. They all matter. 191 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:11.919 As long as Saddleback Church has one person who doesn't 192 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:14.000 know Christ, they all matter. We got to keep reaching 193 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.720 out to people. So he goes off and he searches 194 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:20.440 all night, and he finds the one lost sheep, and 195 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:22.480 he brings them back and puts him in the fold. 196 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:26.240 He's so happy he throws a party and everybody comes 197 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:28.679 to this party. Then there's the second story, and the 198 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:32.279 story is the story of the lost coin. And Jesus says, 199 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:36.600 there's this woman who has ten valuable coins and I 200 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:38.399 don't know if they're laying on a table or whatever, 201 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:42.600 but somehow one of them gets lost and she loses 202 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:45.639 it and she can't find it. Now, she didn't say, well, 203 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:48.000 you know, I got nine coins. They're all valuable. I'm 204 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:51.039 not gonna worry about this one lost coin. No, she 205 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:55.639 turns the house upside down and she's frantically searching, and 206 00:11:55.679 --> 00:12:00.200 she's tearing the furniture apart and looking all over. She 207 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:04.279 does not give up until she finds the one lost coin, 208 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.519 and then she's happy about it, and she throws a 209 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:11.360 party and invites all of her neighbors and friends to celebrate. 210 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:12.399 That she's found her lost coin. 211 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:15.639 Then there's the third story that Jesus tells is the 212 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:18.600 story of the Lost Son. Sometimes this story is called 213 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:22.840 the Prodigal Son, and the story goes like this. There's 214 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.519 a wealthy man who has two sons, and one of 215 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:28.919 the sons, the younger son, is kind of rebellious and 216 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:31.679 comes to one day and says, Dad, this is really 217 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:35.080 boring living here at home. I'm leaving. I'm splitting. I 218 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:38.039 want you to give my half of the family inheritance 219 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:41.200 to me. Now, I'm not gonna wait till you die, 220 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.519 give it to me now. So the father gives the 221 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:49.200 younger son half of his entire wealth, and the son splits. 222 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:55.600 He leaves, and he moves to Vegas. And our son 223 00:12:55.639 --> 00:13:01.799 set's stripping downtown Jerusalem. And there he wasted his substance 224 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:05.879 in riotous living. In other words, wine women, in special 225 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:10.159 emphasis on women. And he's partying hardy, and he's having 226 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:11.840 a fun time, and he's having a lot of blasts. 227 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:13.639 Got a lot of friends, friends as long as you've 228 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.200 got plenty of money. But eventually he runs out of money. 229 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:19.039 And when he runs out of money, he runs out 230 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:21.200 of friends, and all of a sudden he ends up 231 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:24.039 on the skids. He can't get a job anywhere. He 232 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:28.080 ends up feeding slop to pigs and living in the 233 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:29.600 pig sty, in the pig pen. 234 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:32.200 This is not a good. 235 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:35.919 Thing for a Kosher Jew okay, to be living and 236 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:40.200 eating or with a pig. And so he's there in 237 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:45.360 laying there in the pig sty, in the slop. He 238 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:47.919 has a moment of clarity, He comes to his senses. 239 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:50.759 He goes, what in the world am I doing? He goes, 240 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:54.039 I'm thinking about home, He said, the servants who work 241 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:56.639 for my Dad, are better treated than this. 242 00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:58.320 I know what I do. 243 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:00.919 I'm going to go home and say to my dad, Dad, 244 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:04.559 I'm not worthy to be your son anymore. I blew 245 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:07.039 half the family inheritance, and I am a big mistake. 246 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:08.039 I have sinned. 247 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.399 Just make me one of your hired servants, and I'll 248 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:15.440 just serve you, because your hired servants live better than 249 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:16.759 I'm living out. 250 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:18.120 On my own in rebellion. 251 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:24.279 And the loving father instead says, oh, are you kidding me? 252 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:26.840 He grabs him in a big hug. He kisses him, 253 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:29.600 he hugs him, he welcomes him home. He says, bring 254 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:32.000 the best robe, put it on him. He says, bring 255 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:35.120 the signatory, which is like the credit card, give it 256 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:38.440 to him. Find the best head of beef, and we're 257 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:41.279 gonna have a barbecue tonight. And he throws a party. 258 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:44.279 He says, my son has been lost and now he's found. Now, 259 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:47.679 did you notice any common denominator between the three stories? 260 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:48.840 What is it? 261 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:52.799 There was a party exactly. I was actually gonna call 262 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:57.159 this sermon, come to the party, because God wants to 263 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:01.759 throw a party for you in his So let's look 264 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.039 at God's mercy and what it has to do with 265 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:10.000 being lost or saved. Now, to be lost in God's 266 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:14.440 use means to be spiritually disconnected from God. If I'm 267 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.960 not connected in a daily relationship, in a vital connection 268 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:20.759 with God, I don't have a relationship with God. I 269 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:26.919 am spiritually lost. So what happens when I am lost? 270 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:30.919 What actually do I lose? Well, these three stories that 271 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.960 Jesus told in Luke fifteen, The Lost Son, the Lost Coin, 272 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:38.000 the Lost Sheep. Give us five things we lose. You 273 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:40.759 might write these down so you can explain them to 274 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:44.759 other people. What actually what do I lose if I'm lost? 275 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:50.000 Number one, I lose my direction. I lose my direction. 276 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:54.600 And we see this in the story of the Lost Sheep. Now, 277 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:59.919 no sheep intends to get lost. It just wanders off. 278 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:03.919 It's natural for people, I mean for sheep to get 279 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:07.559 lost on a warm spring day, you know, sheep. They're 280 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:10.519 not intentionally trying to get lost. They just go that 281 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.759 looks a little better grass over there. I'll wander over 282 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:16.200 there and munch around a little bit. That even looks 283 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:18.000 a little better over there. And you wander over there 284 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:20.039 and taste a little bit of that, and hey, I 285 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:21.960 think I see some water down there, And you wander 286 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.320 over there, and pretty soon the sheep is lost. He 287 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:30.480 didn't intend to get lost, just naturally wanders. It is 288 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:35.320 human nature in us the same way as with sheep. 289 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:38.279 Humans do this too. You know, as a kid, I 290 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:42.639 often wandered off. In fact, my parents would have heart 291 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:45.679 attacks for all the times I wandered off on vacations 292 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:48.840 and things like that. And I wasn't being rebellious. I 293 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:54.000 wasn't being quote sinful. I just was wandering off. And 294 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.360 you know, we'd go out camping, I'd go, hey, there 295 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:58.919 goes a butterfly, and I start following the butterfly, and 296 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:01.080 then well, there, that's kind of interesting. 297 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:01.879 I think I like to. 298 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:05.799 Climb that, and climb that. For reason, Where's Rick? I 299 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:09.279 don't know where is he? And I would just by 300 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:13.359 nature wander off. And that happens to us too. The 301 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:16.440 Bible says in Isaiah fifty three, verse six, all of 302 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:21.359 us have strayed away like lost sheep. We've left God's 303 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:25.640 path to follow our own paths, our own ways, and 304 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:29.000 we always get lost when we follow our own ways. 305 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:32.079 If you are following your. 306 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.279 Plan for your life right now rather than God's plan, 307 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:39.079 You're lost, okay, And if you're following your plan, you 308 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:43.359 lose your direction. You lose your direction. What I've discovered, 309 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:48.200 and I've talked to countless numbers of people, most people 310 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:52.200 are drifting through life. That's why I wrote Purpose Driven Life. 311 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:55.039 They don't have any purpose, they don't have any direction, 312 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:58.279 they don't have a vision, They're not clear in their destination, 313 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:00.400 they don't know where they're going. I couldn't tell you 314 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.279 how many hundreds of people have told me over time 315 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:08.240 the phrase, you know, rick, I have no idea where 316 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:12.680 I'm going with my life. That's called drifting. You lose 317 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:16.319 your direction. And we do this naturally as human beings, 318 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:20.559 just as sheep do it naturally as sheep. We lack direction, 319 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:24.720 we lack purpose, we lack meaning, and a lot of 320 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:26.720 times doesn't mean we're going slow. You can be going 321 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:31.039 very fast and not knowing you know the direction. It's 322 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:35.079 like that famous World War Two pilot who radioed into 323 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.880 control and the home base said where are you? 324 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:39.519 And he said, I. 325 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:42.319 Don't know where I'm am, but I'm making record time. 326 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:45.960 And we do this a lot in life. We think 327 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:48.319 that speed is direction. Now you can have a lot 328 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:51.279 of speed in your life and absolutely have no idea 329 00:18:51.319 --> 00:18:55.559 where you're headed. We wander off, we lose our direction. 330 00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:58.880 Number two, the second thing we lose is we lose 331 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:04.240 our protection. We lose God's protection in our life. And 332 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:07.039 we find this in the story of the Sheep the 333 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:11.559 Lost Sheep. Sheep are very vulnerable. They're pretty defenseless animals. 334 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:14.319 They don't have claws, they don't have sharp teeth, they 335 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:18.079 don't have fangs. They certainly can't run fast like gazelles 336 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:21.759 or other animals that can get ahead of the predators. 337 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.839 If you're a sheep, you're pretty vulnerable unless you have 338 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:28.119 a shepherd. If you've got a shepherd who can beat 339 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:31.240 off the wolves or scare away the bears or in 340 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:36.440 some nations actually lions or tigers or other animals, if 341 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:39.759 you're a sheep, you're kind of up for grabs. If 342 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.880 you don't have a shepherd, they're very vulnerable. And a 343 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:48.039 sheep that wanders off has no protection from the shepherd, so. 344 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:49.960 They're going to get hurt. They're going to get hurt bad. 345 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:53.319 And God says this is true of us in Zachariah 346 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:58.079 chapter ten, verse two. My people are wandering like lost 347 00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:02.359 sheep without a shep, shepherd to protect them and to 348 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:06.039 guide them. Now, you know, the most famous chapter in 349 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:08.599 the Bible is Psalm twenty three that goes like this, 350 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:13.559 The Lord is my shepherd exactly, and Jesus was called 351 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:18.160 the good shepherd. We're the sheep, he's the shepherd. But 352 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:21.640 if you're not following the shepherd, you're on your own, 353 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:25.960 and you are defenseless in life, and you're gonna get 354 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.599 eaten up. You're gonna get eaten up. You lose your 355 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:34.160 direction and you lose your protection if you're not following 356 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:37.480 the shepherd, which, by the way, is why you get 357 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:40.920 stressed out. It's why you worry, it's why you have fear, 358 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:43.680 you have anxiety because you're trying to work this thing 359 00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:48.000 all out on your own. You weren't meant to. You 360 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:53.440 know how vulnerable you are in this world, how close 361 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.920 you are to not making it financially, how close you 362 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:59.880 are to not making it in your health. You know 363 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.880 how vulnerable, how you know one phone call can turn 364 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:07.880 your world upside down. And when you are spiritually lost 365 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:10.240 and you don't you're not connected to your shepherd. If 366 00:21:10.279 --> 00:21:14.480 you're a sheep, you lose your direction, you wander, and 367 00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:18.240 you lose your protection whoever God, God is not protecting you. 368 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:20.680 If you're out here going your way instead of God's way. 369 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:23.559 God will protect you if you go his way. He's 370 00:21:23.559 --> 00:21:24.559 not going to protect. 371 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:27.359 You if you go your way. Now you're on your own. 372 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:31.519 You're just you're wandering off one of God's great promises 373 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:34.440 Romans eight twenty eight. Here on the screen, we know 374 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:39.000 that God causes everything to work together for the good 375 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:43.079 of those who love God, and a call according to 376 00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:45.640 His purpose. Now we've talked about this verse many times. 377 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:47.640 It doesn't say everything is good in life. 378 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.000 It's not. There's a lot of bad. 379 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:50.920 There's a lot of evil, there's a lot of harm, 380 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:52.559 there's a lot of suffering in the world. 381 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:54.000 Doesn't say it's all good. 382 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:58.240 It says God causes even the bad stuff to work 383 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:02.079 for good. Is this a promise for everybody? No, it's 384 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:04.359 a promise for those who love God. If you're not 385 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:08.559 following the shepherd, this isn't working in your life. All 386 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:11.039 things are not working for good in your life. If 387 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:14.960 you're ignoring God, all things are working for bad. You're 388 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:17.680 on your own. You're on your own. But when I 389 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:21.400 placed myself as a sheep under the Shepherd's care. Now 390 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.359 I get direction, and now I get protection, and even 391 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.240 the bad stuff that comes in my life, God says 392 00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:29.440 I can use that. I can make it work for good. 393 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:32.559 But it's a promise for those who are under God's protection. 394 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:41.000 I don't know about you, but I am encouraged after 395 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:43.880 that message. And let's keep the encouragement going with a 396 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:45.519 letter from one of our listeners. 397 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:46.279 Here's Rick. 398 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:48.400 Have you ever taken a step of faith with no 399 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:52.119 idea what's next? Well, with the help of Daily Hope, 400 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:56.079 Nicole did just that. She wrote this note to me. 401 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:59.079