WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.200 Hello, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.279 the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren. Hey, we're so 3 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:13.359 glad you've joined us. Today. We're continuing a powerful series 4 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:18.359 called radicalis Developing Spiritual Roots. And in this series, Rick 5 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.640 will show you how to grow deep in your faith, 6 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:25.039 stay grounded in God's word, and become everything He created 7 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.760 you to be. And now here's part one of a 8 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:29.679 message called Radical Love. 9 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:32.399 This Christmas, I want us to look at the most 10 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.560 famous verse in the Bible. It's not a very long verse, 11 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:38.399 but it is the most famous and the greatest verse 12 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:42.079 in the Bible. Billions of people over history have memorized 13 00:00:42.119 --> 00:00:43.920 this verse. And of course that would have to be 14 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:48.679 John what three sixteen? John three point sixteen is the 15 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:51.439 most famous verse in the Bible. You can often find 16 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:54.439 it anywhere in our culture. Maybe you've seen this guy 17 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:57.560 like a Super Bowl games here on the on the 18 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.280 he ends up in the in the you know, the 19 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:04.840 end zone. Practically every score. John three sixteen guy. A 20 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:08.480 lot of athletes have to do with this. Here's Tim Tebow, 21 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:14.280 Heisman Trophy winner for the Florida Gators. Here's Austin three 22 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:18.079 sixteen the wrestler. Then maybe you've seen pictures like this. 23 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.079 You know Turner burn, you're gonna go to fry and die, 24 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:25.040 and you know read John three sixteen. Oh, that very 25 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:27.599 positive message right there. Did you know at the bottom 26 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.159 of every in and out cup? There is John three 27 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:35.519 sixteen written on the bottom of every in and out drink, 28 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:39.599 And of course on the back of Dudfield's back there 29 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:43.920 is John three sixteen. I took that when he wasn't looking, 30 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:47.640 but I just had to share it with you, So 31 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.280 don't tell him I had that picture, please. John three 32 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:55.200 sixteen explains the reason for Christmas. John three sixteen explains 33 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:58.120 how to get to heaven. John three sixteen explains the 34 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:04.120 entire Bible. Innocent, let's read it together, John chapter three. 35 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:08.520 For God so loved the world that he gave his 36 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:15.439 only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, 37 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:20.080 but have everlasting life. If you only got one verse 38 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.319 out of the entire Bible, and you got this one right, 39 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:25.639 you're gonna make it because this one is the Gospel, 40 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.919 the good News in a nutshell. It is the greatest 41 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:31.159 verse in the Bible. And I want us to tear 42 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:34.960 it apart phrase by phrase. Tonight, looking at the greatest love, 43 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:39.960 the greatest sacrifice, the greatest offer, and the greatest gift, 44 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:42.560 the whole reason we give gifts at Christmases. God so 45 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:45.919 loved the world that he gave. Now, first, let's look 46 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:49.919 at the greatest love. The Bible says God so loved 47 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:52.719 the world. Now, that little word so isn't a very 48 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:55.800 big word, but in the original Greek it is what's 49 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:00.000 called an adverb of intensity, means a whole holy life. 50 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:04.680 He so loved the world. If you're a single woman 51 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:06.039 and the guy comes up to you and says I 52 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:08.400 love you, you might shine that on. If he says I 53 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:12.159 so love you, you might pay a little bit more attention. 54 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:17.879 That's an adverb of intensity. God's love for you is intense. 55 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:21.800 God's love for you is extravagant. God's love for you 56 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:24.840 is lavish. No one will ever love you as much 57 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:26.840 as God does. No man will ever love you like 58 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:31.080 God does. No woman will ever love you like God does. Now, 59 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:32.759 let me just show you a couple of verses out 60 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:34.800 of the Bible. There are hundreds of verses on the 61 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:36.840 love of God. Let me just show you a couple 62 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:40.319 about how much God loves you. Look at this one. 63 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:43.879 Ephesians chapter one says, long before he laid down the 64 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:48.800 earth's foundations, God had us in mind and settled on 65 00:03:48.919 --> 00:03:52.439 us as the focus of his love. It says there 66 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:55.479 that before God even made the universe, he already had 67 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:58.520 you in mind, and he made you to love you. 68 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:00.759 The only reason you exist is you were made to 69 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.000 be loved by God. And God planned the universe so 70 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:07.080 that you could exist because he wanted a family. And 71 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:10.159 God made you to love you. Now that's not hard 72 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:12.199 to understand if you're a parent. I used to tell 73 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:14.599 my kids, and now I tell my grandkids, I loved 74 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:18.480 you before you were born, because I did when my 75 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.079 wife was carrying our three children. I didn't know if 76 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:22.319 it was going to be a boy or girl, but 77 00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:25.079 I still loved him. I loved him in advance. And 78 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:28.240 God loved you even before he created you. You were 79 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:31.720 in his mind. He's always loved you, not only that, 80 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.759 he loves you every minute. Look at the next verse. 81 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:40.040 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on 82 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:43.319 all his creation. Now doesn't say he showers compassion just 83 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.000 on this religion, or on just this nation, or on 84 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:48.480 this kind of people. He says. The Lord is good 85 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:53.879 to everyone. He showers his compassion on all his creation. 86 00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:57.959 And everything in your life is actually a gift from God. 87 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:00.439 Now you take it for granted, you probably never even 88 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:03.720 thank God for it. But for instance, like air is 89 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.800 a gift. You know, you wouldn't last very long without air, 90 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:09.279 But I doubt you've ever said God, thank you for air. 91 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:13.959 But you have to have it. The air you breathe, 92 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:16.959 the water you drink. Your body's over ninety percent water, 93 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:20.759 the sunshine, the food, all of these things are gifts 94 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.000 of God. Your heart beating is a gift of God. 95 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:25.879 You wouldn't take your next breath if God hadn't planned 96 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:29.480 for you to take it. Because He loves you. Everything 97 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:32.279 in your life is a free gift of God of grace, 98 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.360 whether you ever recognize it or not. And maybe you 99 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:37.160 need to be a little bit more grateful for all 100 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:39.439 the things in your life that God has given you, 101 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:43.000 including your life. So God's love for you is eternal, 102 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.480 and God's love for you is literally everywhere. But the 103 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:50.079 most important thing is that it's unconditional. And that's different 104 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.920 than human love. Human love wears out, human love doesn't 105 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:56.319 always work out We know that at Christmas times, when 106 00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:58.879 you try to put fractured families back together, it's kind 107 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:00.279 of like, well, where we go in this year and 108 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:03.959 who we're going where to? And there's a lot of 109 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:09.600 broken relationships that often show up at holiday seasons because 110 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:12.519 human love wears out, but God's love never wears out. 111 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:15.959 There is no condition where God will ever stop loving you. 112 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:20.519 That's called unconditional love. Look at this verse, nothing in 113 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:22.959 all creation is able to separate us from the love 114 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.319 of God, that is in Christ Jesus. It says nothing, 115 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:30.360 nothing can separate you from God's love. You can't make 116 00:06:30.439 --> 00:06:34.160 God stop loving you. You can try, but you will fail. 117 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:36.800 Because God's love is based on who you are. It's 118 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:39.160 based on who he is. It's not based on what 119 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:41.959 you do. It's not based on your performance. God isn't 120 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.120 waiting for you to be nice and to act right 121 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:46.480 for him to love you. His love is based on 122 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:48.959 who he is. He loves you on his bad days 123 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:50.959 and on your bad days. He loves you on your 124 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:53.079 good days. He loves you when you feel it, when 125 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.360 you don't feel it. In fact, a thousand years ago, 126 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:59.519 in fact, before God even created the universe, God knew 127 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:03.600 you would be in a saddleback church on Christmas Eve 128 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.560 service so he can get you to be quiet long enough, 129 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:08.959 just so he could say this to you. You matter 130 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:13.279 to me, and I love you. I have always loved you. 131 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:16.759 I loved you before you were born. I thought you up, 132 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:20.399 I created you, I saw you take your first breath, 133 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:23.279 I saw you formed in your mother's womb. I've seen 134 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:24.839 the good, the bad, and the ugly in your life, 135 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.319 and I've never stopped loving you because my love for 136 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:33.720 you is unconditional. Now, God's love, if you tap into it, 137 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:37.519 is sufficient to handle any problem in your life. It's 138 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.480 multi dimensional. In fact, look at the next verse. The 139 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:43.120 Bible says, may you be able to feel and understand 140 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.879 how long, how wide, how deep, and how high God's 141 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:52.519 love really is, and it experienced this love for yourselves. Notice, 142 00:07:52.519 --> 00:07:54.000 God says, I don't want you to just know that 143 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:57.279 I love you. I want you to experience it. You see, 144 00:07:57.279 --> 00:07:59.040 if you go, oh, yeah, I know God loves me. 145 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:01.600 I know that big deal. So what then you've never 146 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:10.839 You've never experienced it. Because when you experience the unconditional, eternal, lavish, 147 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.199 outrageous love of God, it changes your life and if 148 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:15.879 you just say, oh, yeah, I know God loves me, 149 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.319 you don't really understand it at all. You may have 150 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:20.279 a head knowledge, but you don't have a heart knowledge 151 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:23.519 of it. He says, I want you to experience the 152 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:25.399 love of God, and that is my prayer for you. 153 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:27.639 He says, I want you to know how wide and 154 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:29.800 long and high and deep it is. How long is 155 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:34.200 God's love long enough to last forever? How wide is 156 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:36.759 God's love wide enough to be everywhere you're going to be. 157 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:41.480 How deep is God's love deep enough to handle any problem? 158 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.600 How high is God's love high enough to overcome any barrier. 159 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.720 God can overcome a barrier of a foreclosure. God can 160 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:52.240 overcome a barrier of a job loss. God can overcome 161 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:55.240 a barrier of a cancer. God can overcome a barrier 162 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:57.840 of a loss of a loved one or a death 163 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:05.320 or divorce. God is saying, I love you so much now. 164 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:07.519 The second part of John three point sixteen tells us 165 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:12.360 about the greatest sacrifice. God so loved the world that 166 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:17.320 he gave his only begotten son. Now, God so loved 167 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:20.080 that he gave. Love and giving go together. You can 168 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:24.600 give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. Giving 169 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:29.200 is the essence of love. You spell love, give, and 170 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:32.159 the Bible says God so loved the world that he 171 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:36.000 gave his only begotten son to come to earth and 172 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:39.519 die for us. Now you've heard the expression, if you 173 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:44.279 want something done right, do it yourself. And that's exactly 174 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:47.840 what God did. He said, I'm going to go myself 175 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:50.840 and solve this sin problem on earth. I'm going to 176 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:54.480 go myself and die for the forgiveness of sins of everybody. 177 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.240 I'm so glad. It doesn't say God so loved the 178 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:01.399 world that he sent an avatar. God so loved the 179 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:03.879 world that he sent an angel. God so loved the 180 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.840 world that he sent an ambassador. God so loved the 181 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:09.720 world that he sent a telegram. Doesn't say God so 182 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:12.600 loved the world that he sent a nice guy, a prophet, 183 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:15.159 a poet. That doesn't say God so loved the world 184 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:17.159 that he sent a great teacher. It says he sent 185 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:20.840 his son. Who was his son, Who was that baby 186 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.200 in a manger two thousand and nine years ago? He 187 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.480 was God in human form. Notice what the Bible says. 188 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:34.039 The Bible says Christ is the visible image of the 189 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:37.960 invisible God. Now, why did God come to Earth in 190 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:41.200 human form because he wanted to communicate to us, so 191 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:43.519 he became one of us. If God had wanted to 192 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:45.759 communicate to Ansik would have become an. If God had 193 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:47.840 wanted to communicate the cows, he would have become a cow. 194 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:49.879 God had wanted to communicate to birds, he could have 195 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:52.600 become a bird. But God wanted to communicate to human beings, 196 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:57.159 so he became one of us. God with skin on it. 197 00:10:57.759 --> 00:10:59.279 Do you ever want to know what God looks like, 198 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:02.720 take a long look at Jesus. Jesus said this next verse, 199 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:06.240 He said, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. 200 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:09.759 He said, if you've seen me, you've seen God. I'm 201 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:12.679 God coming to Earth in human form. And it split 202 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:16.200 history into AD and BC. It's the most significant event 203 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:21.279 because God invaded Earth. And the nice thing about it 204 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:23.679 is that God didn't meet us halfway. He didn't say 205 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:25.799 I'll meet you half way. You got a problem. No, 206 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.799 he said, I'll come all the way. I'll come to 207 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:31.840 Earth and I'll become like one of you. Now, why 208 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:34.600 did God come to Earth as a baby? I mean you, 209 00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:37.000 figure of all the ways God could have presented himself 210 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:38.960 to Earth, I can think of a lot more spectacular 211 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:40.720 ways on a baby in a barn. I mean, that's 212 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:46.159 a pretty humble, lowly approach for God to enter the world. Well, 213 00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:48.360 I'll tell you why he came as a baby, Because 214 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.600 God came to save us, not to scare us, and 215 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:56.159 nobody's afraid of a baby. There are a lot of 216 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:57.720 ways God could have come to Earth that would have 217 00:11:57.720 --> 00:11:59.799 scared us all to death. I mean, if you've ever 218 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:02.200 seeing you know, any of the movies like Close Encounters 219 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:06.639 with the Third Kind or V or you know, Independence Day. 220 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:09.559 God could have come down in a giant spaceship or whatever. 221 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.120 He could have really freaked us all out. But he 222 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.519 came as a baby because nobody's afraid of a baby, 223 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:17.879 and he didn't come to scare us. He came to 224 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:22.840 save us. The problem is is that most of us, 225 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:25.919 in our minds, get stuck in that mentality, and some 226 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:30.679 people won't let Jesus grow up. Their whole mentality is 227 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.879 the baby Jesus, meek and mild and the major because 228 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:36.720 he's harmless and he's controllable. They don't want to think 229 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.919 that he grew up and went to the cross and 230 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:42.000 died and suffered for our sins and then demanded allegiance. 231 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:45.000 If Jesus had just stayed as a baby, we wouldn't 232 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:48.360 need to need to worship and have Christmas services because 233 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:52.000 it would be irrelevant. Christmas without the Cross has no 234 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.759 message at all. Now, Jesus came to earth. God came 235 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:57.919 to earth in human form, in the form of Jesus, 236 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.279 to do several things. One to show us what God 237 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:02.600 is really like. Two to tell us the truth, three 238 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:05.120 to show us the way, four to show us how 239 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:09.440 to live a model life. But the number one reason 240 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:12.000 Jesus came to earth the Christmas is he came to die. 241 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.840 He was born to die, to die for our sins. 242 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:19.159 The Bible says, this look on the screen. God put 243 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:22.399 his love on the line for us. In other words, 244 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:24.360 he put his money where his mouth. He just didn't 245 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:26.559 say I love you, He showed it. God put his 246 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:29.440 love on the line for us by offering his son 247 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:34.159 in sacrificial death. This is the sacrifice he did while 248 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:39.279 we were of no use whatsoever whatever to him. Jesus 249 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:42.000 didn't have to die for you. He didn't have to 250 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:46.159 die for me. God wasn't obligated to die on the 251 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:49.600 cross for us. He did it because he loved us. 252 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:53.960 God so loved the world that he gave his only 253 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:57.840 begotten son. Now why did he have to do that? Well, 254 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:00.879 there's a real simple reason for it. God wants you 255 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:04.000 to be in heaven with him when you die. But 256 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.600 Heaven is a perfect place and you're not. And by 257 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.679 the way, neither am I. Heaven is a perfect place. 258 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:13.360 The Bible says, there's no sin in heaven, no suffering 259 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:15.759 in heaven, no sorrow in heaven, no sickness in heaven, 260 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:20.120 no sadness in heaven, no trials, temptations, no problems. There's 261 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:22.960 no greed, there's no envy, there's no anger, there's no lust, 262 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:27.360 there's no sin in heaven. It is a perfect place. 263 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:30.799 Now there's a problem. I stopped being perfect about the 264 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:34.320 fourth or fifth breath of my life, and so did you. 265 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:37.360 I stopped batting a thousand a long time ago. So 266 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:41.159 if God lets all of us into Heaven being imperfect, 267 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:44.480 it's not going to be a perfect place anymore. Unless 268 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:48.399 we are changed before we get to heaven. Heaven wouldn't 269 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:50.720 be any different than earthf all of a sudden, we 270 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:53.159 all go there with our lust, with our judgments, with 271 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:56.159 our pettiness, with our self sinnedness and with all of 272 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:59.399 our other sins, Heaven would be no different than earth. 273 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:04.200 So how do you get in perfect people into an 274 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:08.320 eternal heaven. Somebody has to do a transformation process. And 275 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.360 Jesus said, I'll go to earth. I'll die for their sins, 276 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:13.559 pay for them all, so they don't have to pay 277 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:17.279 for them. They could get in on my ticket. I 278 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:20.600 read this week about a Christmas letter to Santa Claus 279 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.879 for this little boy. He said, Dear Santa, there are 280 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.000 three little boys who live at our house. There's Jeffrey, 281 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:30.120 he's two, There's David, he's four, And there's Norman he's seven. 282 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:34.320 Jeffrey is good some of the time, David is good 283 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:37.639 some of the time. Norman is good all of the time. 284 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:44.639 I am Norman. You know that's the problem. The reason 285 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:48.360 why we need a savior is you ain't Norman, and 286 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:51.519 neither am I. None of us are Norman. None of 287 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:53.799 us bat a thousand, none of us are perfect. None 288 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.080 of us have never shoot. I don't measure up to 289 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:00.000 my own standards, much less God's perfection, and neither do you, 290 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:03.600 And so we need a savior. The Bible says at 291 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:06.440 the First Christmas, the Angel said, unto you is born 292 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:09.840 this day a savior who can get you into heaven. 293 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:12.960 Who is Christ, the Lord the Friends. Believe me, if 294 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:14.759 you didn't need a savior to get in heaven, God 295 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:18.320 sure wouldn't have wasted the time to send one. All 296 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:20.320 of the suffering, all of the sorrow, all of the 297 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:23.720 sadness that God went through when he sent his son 298 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:26.679 to die on the cross. Do you think if there 299 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:28.919 was any other way God wouldn't have used that way 300 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:31.960 to pay for your sins? Of course he would have. 301 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.480 When Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross, he 302 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:38.240 was saying, this is how much I love you. I 303 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:41.279 love you this much. And when they nailed the nails 304 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:43.480 into his hands, he was saying, I love you so 305 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:46.480 much it hurts. I love you so much. I'd rather 306 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:50.159 die than live without you. I love you. It was 307 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:54.240 love in the first degree. What was going on there 308 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:56.519 when Jesus is hanging on the cross, dying for the 309 00:16:56.559 --> 00:16:58.919 sins of man, Well, look at this verse on the screen. 310 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:02.200 The Bible says it like this. When Jesus served as 311 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:06.720 a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem 312 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:10.480 for good. Not only ours, but the whole world. Man, 313 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:14.839 that's good news. That is the greatest sacrifice. And why 314 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.200 did he do it? Because he loves you and he 315 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:21.000 wants you in his family and he wants you in heaven. 316 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:23.839 But it's perfect and you're not. You know, when I 317 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:29.559 take my kids, our grandkids now to Disneyland, I love 318 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:31.720 to take them and the two oldest ones a Kaylee 319 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:34.000 is six years old, and she wants to go on 320 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:36.480 some of the adult rides at Disneyland. But there's some 321 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:38.599 of the rides there that says you must be this 322 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.000 tall to ride. Do you know what I'm talking about. 323 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:43.519 There's a little sign that says you must be this 324 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:45.680 tall to get on this ride. And no matter how 325 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:48.640 much he stands on her tiptoes, she's not tall enough. 326 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:50.960 And no matter how much I can plain sucks. I'm 327 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:53.559 the grandfather. I will hold her in my lap. She'll 328 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:55.880 be okay. They won't let her ride because she's not 329 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:01.440 tall enough. Friend, there's a sign outside of it says 330 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:03.960 this is a perfect place. You must be this tall 331 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:08.359 to get in perfect and you're not, and neither am I. 332 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:12.599 And somebody's got to make up the difference. So this 333 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.279 was God's plan. Look at the verse on the screen. 334 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:20.640 God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins, 335 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:25.480 and then in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us. 336 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:28.759 That's the only chance I have in getting into heaven. 337 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.599 And so if I only make it up this tall 338 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:36.359 because I'm not perfect, Jesus makes up the difference. His 339 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:41.599 righteousness takes care of all of us. So what really happens. 340 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:46.359 He showed his love by dying for our sins. Now 341 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:50.279 that's the greatest sacrifice. The next is the greatest offer. 342 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:53.440 Look at the third part of the verse. God so 343 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:57.440 loved the world greatest love that he gave his only 344 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:01.480 begotten son. That's the greatest sacrifice. Come to the greatest offer, 345 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:06.039 that whosoever believes in him should not perish. Now, God 346 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:08.839 has an incredible offer for you. And of course you've 347 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:11.920 been getting all kinds of Christmas offers all season. You've 348 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:15.079 been deluged by Here's how to save this money, here's 349 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:16.839 how you can save this Here I can say that 350 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.519 I decided, at the beginning of this Christmas season, I 351 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:24.480 would collect every Christmas catalog I got in my mailbox, 352 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.400 just to add them up. And I got them all 353 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.160 and at the end of the season, I had one 354 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:34.119 hundred and fourteen catalogs. Here they are right here. It's 355 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:40.079 over forty pounds of Christmas catalogs that came in my mailbox. Now, 356 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.319 I've always been fascinated by these guys who do this 357 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:45.200 target marketing, who they can figure out what kind of 358 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.480 catalog you need, and sometimes they're really right on. Now, 359 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:51.839 it obviously didn't take a mental giant to figure out 360 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:55.279 the first catalog which I got this season was missus 361 00:19:55.319 --> 00:19:59.119 Field's Cookies, So I didn't take Big Brother to figure 362 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:02.359 out Sen Warren missus Field's Cookies catalog, so they were 363 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:07.440 right on that. The second catalog I got was Hickory Farms. Hey, 364 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.559 you right well that that's a pretty good one. The 365 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:11.279 third one, though, by the time they got to the 366 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:13.799 third catalog, they were really off base because it was 367 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:19.079 follow your Innerstar American Girl. I had no need for 368 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:21.039 that one. And then the really goofy one. For those 369 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:24.160 of you who don't tend saddle back regularly. I don't 370 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:29.039 wear socks and somebody sent me a sock catalog. What 371 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:32.079 a total wasted thing is? I Mean, I can't believe 372 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:35.079 a sock company, but Anyway, I added up all of 373 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:37.519 the offers that were made to me and all the 374 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:40.880 Christmas catalogs in this season, and I discovered that if 375 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.839 I would take advantage of all these offers, I would 376 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:49.519 save tens of thousands of dollars. Now, I'd have to 377 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:54.920 spend hundreds of thousands, but I could save tens of 378 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:57.680 thousands of dollars. But when I decided how much I'd 379 00:20:57.680 --> 00:20:59.559 have to spend in order to get the savings, I 380 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:06.119 realized I can't afford the saving. On the other hand, 381 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.200 God has an offer for you this Christmas. It's a 382 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:13.200 Christmas offer that you can't afford not to accept. It 383 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:18.720 is the offer to save you. You for unto you 384 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:23.359 is born this day a savior. Whoever believes in him 385 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:29.839 should not perry. 386 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:34.519 Such a great message by Rick today and every day. 387 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:37.279 I sure hope you were just as encouraged as I was. 388 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:40.079 And now here's Rick with a special message. 389 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:42.359 I know I tell you this all the time, but 390 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:45.160 again I want you to know how much I thank 391 00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:49.279 God for you and appreciate your support of daily hope. 392 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:52.680 We couldn't do this without your prayers, and we can't 393 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:55.960 do it without your financial gifts and I know that 394 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.200 for many of you this is a real sacrifice in 395 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:02.200 order to be able to support the ministry of Daily 396 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:04.960 Hope as we take the message of Christ literally around 397 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:08.240 the world into places that nobody else is going to. 398 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:13.680 As you consider your year in giving, I want to 399 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:17.079 ask you to consider about sending your greatest gift to 400 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:20.519 Daily Hope that you've ever given. You know, the great 401 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:23.920