Speaker 1: This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the audio broadcast ministry
Speaker 1: of Pastor Rick Warren. Well, today we continue in our
Speaker 1: series called fifty Days of Faith. In these lessons, Rick
Speaker 1: looks into God's word to discover the true meaning of
Speaker 1: faith and explore ways we can strengthen it. But first, today,
Speaker 1: when you join our partner and Hope family by signing
Speaker 1: up for automated monthly giving, we'll send you a special
Speaker 1: welcome gift as our way of saying thanks. To find
Speaker 1: out more, go to Pastorick dot com while you listen
Speaker 1: to today's message, or simply text the word hope to
Speaker 1: eight hundred, six hundred five thousand and four. That's the
Speaker 1: word hope to eight hundred six hundred five thousand and four.
Speaker 1: Right now, here's Pastor Rick Warren with the final part
Speaker 1: of a message called following God's Directions.
Speaker 2: God cares about details.
Speaker 3: Have you ever looked at nature?
Speaker 2: You pick up a little flower and look at the
Speaker 2: intricacies inside that flower. God cares about details. The Bible
Speaker 2: says every hair on your head is numbered by God.
Speaker 2: God cares about details. Now, because God is a God
Speaker 2: of detail, he is infinitely interested in every detail of
Speaker 2: your life, and he is infinitely interested that when you
Speaker 2: obey him, you don't just obey him, but why you
Speaker 2: obey him, and how you obey him? Are you doing
Speaker 2: it in the right way and for the right reason.
Speaker 2: Let me give you an example. Now I'm not saying
Speaker 2: this is true, but let's just imagine. My wife Kay
Speaker 2: says Rick, I want you to move Joshua's double bed
Speaker 2: from upstairs downstairs in our house, but wait until Matthew
Speaker 2: comes home from school so he can help you to
Speaker 2: get it down the stairs. And I think, you know,
Speaker 2: I can do this on my own. I you know,
Speaker 2: I'm bacho and I don't want to wait. And so
Speaker 2: I get the beds, you know, the box springs, and
Speaker 2: the mattress and this huge you know frame and everything,
Speaker 2: and I start scooting it down the stairs by myself.
Speaker 2: But because I can't get it all away by myself,
Speaker 2: I start scratching the wall and knocking paint chips off
Speaker 2: and putting things in the plaster and knocking off all
Speaker 2: kinds of you know, uh, pictures on the wall. And
Speaker 2: I get it to the bottom of the stairs.
Speaker 3: And she's upset.
Speaker 2: Now I'm not saying this is a true story, but
Speaker 2: in this hypothetical situation, I said, well, you know what's
Speaker 2: you know what's what's the big deal? I did what
Speaker 2: you add asked me to do. I got it downstairs
Speaker 2: and she said yes, but you didn't do it the
Speaker 2: way I asked. Now, let me tell you what love is.
Speaker 2: Love is when you say, I'll do it the way
Speaker 2: you want it done.
Speaker 3: That's love.
Speaker 2: I will do it the way you want it done
Speaker 2: because I love you. And let me tell you what
Speaker 2: faith is. Faith is I'll do it the way you
Speaker 2: want it done because I trust that you know the
Speaker 2: best way to do it. When you love God, and
Speaker 2: when you trust God, you say, God, I'll not only
Speaker 2: obey you, I'll obey you the way you want me
Speaker 2: to do it. When you want me to do it
Speaker 2: for the right reason you want me to do it.
Speaker 2: I will do it your way because I love you
Speaker 2: and I trust you. Faith is trusting God in the
Speaker 2: details of life. Look at this next verse Proverbs three
Speaker 2: to five. Trust God from the bottom of your heart.
Speaker 2: Don't try to figure out everything on your own. One
Speaker 2: day there was a man who was ill. His name
Speaker 2: was Naming, and he had leprosy. And he came to
Speaker 2: Elijah and He said, I'm a very famous man, but
Speaker 2: I've got leprosy.
Speaker 3: What do I do? And Elijah said, 'h to you?
Speaker 2: What?
Speaker 3: Just to show your faith, God.
Speaker 2: Wants you to go down to the Jordan River and
Speaker 2: dunk yourself under it seven times.
Speaker 3: And he goes, you gotta be kidding. He said no.
Speaker 2: He says, well, it's humiliating. He said, yeah, it's humbling
Speaker 2: yourself for God. He goes, there are a lot better rivers,
Speaker 2: Jordan rivers, a muddy river.
Speaker 3: Just do it.
Speaker 2: So he goes down and he starts dunking himself one, two, three, four, five, six.
Speaker 2: He's still got leprosy. He had to do it completely.
Speaker 2: And on the seventh time he comes up and he
Speaker 2: was cured of his leprosy. Special power in the water,
Speaker 2: absolutely not. It was because he was obedient to God.
Speaker 2: He had faith and he obeyed God completely. You know
Speaker 2: what Jesus says. He says, if you trust me in
Speaker 2: the details of life, if you are faithful in the
Speaker 2: little things, it means you trust me and I will
Speaker 2: reward you with bigger things in heaven. If you're faithful
Speaker 2: little thinks, you will be faithful and much and you
Speaker 2: will have greater responsibility, greater reward and greater joy in
Speaker 2: heaven incomplete obedience. Partial obedience is not only disobedience, it's
Speaker 2: the lack of trust. This week, I got this letter
Speaker 2: through an email. In nineteen ninety, I opened up a
Speaker 2: video store as a side business. I decided to carry
Speaker 2: adult videos since they make up thirty percent of all
Speaker 2: video rentals revenues. But a couple of years ago I
Speaker 2: began attending saddleback and one day I told my wife,
Speaker 2: how can I ask God to help our store when
Speaker 2: I don't do what he wants? I got to get
Speaker 2: rid of those adult videos. My business partner cent Are
Speaker 2: you crazy? We depend on that income. But I knew
Speaker 2: we couldn't expect God's blessing unless I obeyed him, and
Speaker 2: so we got rid of him all of them. The
Speaker 2: first weekend without the adult video, something strange happened. I
Speaker 2: was flooded with new customers, and I didn't know why.
Speaker 2: Then everybody told me that you, pastor Rick had told
Speaker 2: everyone to come in and rent a video just to
Speaker 2: support our decision. Boy did they come. I had to
Speaker 2: call all our employees in just to handle the crowds.
Speaker 2: I eventually closed that store, but I've never forgotten that
Speaker 2: lesson about obeying God even when it doesn't make sense.
Speaker 2: My life changed, and I committed to doing whatever God wants.
Speaker 2: I was baptized and became a member, and so did
Speaker 2: my partner. After we closed that store, I still had
Speaker 2: my job in the trash business, which I'd been in
Speaker 2: for eighteen years, but our company was bought out and
Speaker 2: I was fired.
Speaker 3: That was devastating.
Speaker 2: An attorney gave me plenty of legal reasons to sue,
Speaker 2: but again I knew that I had to obey God
Speaker 2: and not seek revenge. It was another test. It was
Speaker 2: also a witness to those who saw how I responded.
Speaker 2: A few months later, a relative suggested that I start
Speaker 2: my own trash business and he'd invest in it. So
Speaker 2: I did, and it began growing like wildfire. Then one
Speaker 2: day he suddenly needed his money back, so he sold
Speaker 2: the company without my knowledge, to my old employer, the
Speaker 2: one who had fired me.
Speaker 3: I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 2: My business was gone, and adding insult to injury, sold.
Speaker 3: To the very people who had cheated me.
Speaker 2: Once again, I had to step back and think about
Speaker 2: why had God allowed this and how he would want
Speaker 2: me to respond?
Speaker 3: Made no sense. At the moment, But God had a plan.
Speaker 2: It ended up with the company who refused to pay
Speaker 2: me severance having to pay me way more when they
Speaker 2: bought my business. When you do the right thing and
Speaker 2: trust God, he takes care of you. Obey God immediately
Speaker 2: and completely. Number three, you want the blessing of God
Speaker 2: in your life, you must obey God joyfully, joyfully. Psalm
Speaker 2: one hundred, verse two says obey him gladly Palone, nineteen sixteen.
Speaker 2: I enjoy obeying your commands Someone nineteen forty seven. I
Speaker 2: find pleasure in obeying your commands. Why how is it
Speaker 2: enjoyable to do what God tells you to do, to
Speaker 2: follow the instructions, to obey his command?
Speaker 3: How is that enjoyable? Three reasons.
Speaker 2: Number One, because I'll have fewer problems if I follow
Speaker 2: the instruction manual for life that God the Creator laid out.
Speaker 2: It's going to have a whole lot more benefit and
Speaker 2: fewer problems in my life.
Speaker 3: When you're putting.
Speaker 2: Together bicycle, does it help the follow the instructions?
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick will
Speaker 1: be back in just a moment with the rest of
Speaker 1: today's lesson. If you've missed any part of today's teaching,
Speaker 1: you can listen online anytime at pastor Rick dot com.
Speaker 1: That's pastorick dot com.
Speaker 4: The Bible says children are a gift from the Lord.
Speaker 4: Do you have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or kids in
Speaker 4: your neighborhood that need to know God loves them and
Speaker 4: has a good plan for their lives. You can help
Speaker 4: them get closer to God by encouraging them to read
Speaker 4: God's Word. That's why we're so excited to tell you
Speaker 4: about a very special resource just for kids called God's
Speaker 4: Big Plans for Me. It's a storybook Bible by Pastor
Speaker 4: Rick Warren. This two hundred and twenty three page hardcover
Speaker 4: children's book includes forty well loved Bible stories to help
Speaker 4: kids engage with God's word. Each Byble story has an
Speaker 4: introduction from pasta wreck that helps young readers understand the
Speaker 4: Word of God, and a closing thought with a practical
Speaker 4: step boys and girls can take to discover God's Big
Speaker 4: Plans for them. Their eyes will light up as they
Speaker 4: turn the beautifully illustrated pages and really start to get
Speaker 4: what God wants to say to their young hearts and minds.
Speaker 4: God's Big Plans for Me is so much more than
Speaker 4: just a book filled with cute pictures of Bible characters.
Speaker 4: It's a fun and effective way to introduce children to
Speaker 4: God's everlasting truth. This book makes a great gift. You'll
Speaker 4: want to get a copy for every child in your life.
Speaker 4: And today, when you give a gift to help Pastor
Speaker 4: Rick's Daily Hope take the certain Hope of Jesus Christ
Speaker 4: around the world, we'll send you a copy of God's
Speaker 4: Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible to say thanks. Just
Speaker 4: call eight hundred and six hundred five zero zero four
Speaker 4: or go to Pastorick dot com to get your very
Speaker 4: own copy of God's Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible.
Speaker 4: And if you choose to become a Partner in Hope
Speaker 4: with the automated monthly giving, we'll also send you a
Speaker 4: very special welcome gift to show our appreciation. That's Pastorick
Speaker 4: dot com or you can call eight hundred at six
Speaker 4: hundred at five zero zero four thank you so much
Speaker 4: for your support. There are only three days left to
Speaker 4: become a Partner and Hope and receive your special welcome gift,
Speaker 4: so don't wait, and don't forget to let us know
Speaker 4: which radio station you heard us on.
Speaker 2: Hi, it's Pastor Rick with some big news. My daily
Speaker 2: devotional is now available in French.
Speaker 3: If you know somebody who.
Speaker 2: Would enjoy reading the devotionals in French, would you please.
Speaker 3: Email me and I'll send you a link to sign up.
Speaker 2: My email is Rick at pastorick dot com. That's Rick
Speaker 2: at pastorick dot com.
Speaker 1: Now back to more from God's Word with Pastor Rick Warren.
Speaker 2: If I follow the instruction manual for life that God
Speaker 2: the Creator laid out, it's going to have a whole
Speaker 2: lot more benefit and fewer problems.
Speaker 3: In my life.
Speaker 2: When you're putting together or bicycle, does it help to
Speaker 2: follow the instructions. Yeah, so you'll have fewer problems in life.
Speaker 2: So that makes it enjoyable. Number two, I know I'm
Speaker 2: going to be rewarded in heaven and I can see
Speaker 2: all those promises that God has made.
Speaker 3: And number three, it's.
Speaker 2: Enjoyable because I love God. I know what He's done
Speaker 2: for me, so I love him and I want to
Speaker 2: obey him.
Speaker 3: Look at the next verse.
Speaker 2: Loving God means doing what he tells us to do.
Speaker 2: You know, in marriage, the longer you live together. The
Speaker 2: more you know what offends and grieves your your partner,
Speaker 2: your husband or your wife. And you don't know that
Speaker 2: when you first get married. But the longer you're married,
Speaker 2: the more you figure out what will offend that person,
Speaker 2: like blowing your nose at the dinner table or leaving
Speaker 2: the set up. You know, you learn what offends your partner. Oh,
Speaker 2: come on, but if you love that person. The longer
Speaker 2: you're married, the less you do those things because you
Speaker 2: don't want to offend them.
Speaker 3: You love them. You don't want to grieve them. You
Speaker 3: love them. When you walk with the Lord.
Speaker 2: Through many years, the more you realize what God has
Speaker 2: done for you, how good He's been to you, the
Speaker 2: less you want to offend God.
Speaker 3: You enjoy doing the right thing.
Speaker 2: You enjoy keeping his commands, and you do it because
Speaker 2: you love God. Do you know how God measures your love?
Speaker 2: Not by what you say, Oh, I love you, I
Speaker 2: praise you. God measures your love by your obedience, by
Speaker 2: how well you follow directions. Jesus said, if you love me,
Speaker 2: keep my commandments. That's how we prove our love. Now,
Speaker 2: I said earlier, it's better to obey God, even with
Speaker 2: the wrong motivation and disobey. But if you do that,
Speaker 2: you'll start letting the love develop in your life. If
Speaker 2: you want the blessings of God in your life, you
Speaker 2: obey him immediately, completely, joyfully.
Speaker 3: And continually.
Speaker 2: That's the fourth continually because life is not a fifty
Speaker 2: yard dash, it's a marathon. And you obey God, not sporadically.
Speaker 2: Now this year, not next year, yes, next year, no,
Speaker 2: the next year after that, it's all your life.
Speaker 3: Look at these verses.
Speaker 2: So I'm one, nineteen one twelve, I am determined to
Speaker 2: obey you until I die.
Speaker 3: Have you made that choice? I have.
Speaker 2: I have made the choice that I am determined to
Speaker 2: obey God until I die. And the blessings in my
Speaker 2: life have been beyond my wildest dream because I am
Speaker 2: determined to obey God for the rest.
Speaker 3: Of my life.
Speaker 2: Look at the next verse. This would be a good
Speaker 2: verse for you to put on your refrigerator door. Just
Speaker 2: tell me what to do, and I'll do it. Lord,
Speaker 2: as long as I live, I'll wholeheartedly obey. Just tell
Speaker 2: me what to do, and I'll do it. Make that
Speaker 2: your prayer and somebody saying, Rick, why doesn't God tell
Speaker 2: me what to do? I've been prayers saying what should
Speaker 2: I do in this situation? And I'll tell you why
Speaker 2: he hadn't told you, because you're not already doing what
Speaker 2: he's already told you to do. God does not play
Speaker 2: games where you say, God, tell me what to do
Speaker 2: and then I will decide whether to do it or not.
Speaker 3: He's not gonna tell you that way.
Speaker 2: No, you say, God in advance, I'm telling you I'm
Speaker 2: going to do whatever you tell me to do.
Speaker 3: That's faith. And then he'll tell you. Why should God
Speaker 3: tell you what.
Speaker 2: To do in this circumstance that you're worried about when
Speaker 2: you're not already doing the things you already know to
Speaker 2: be the will of God and you ought to have
Speaker 2: done and haven't. Why haven't you already done? Why is
Speaker 2: He going to to give you further revelation when you
Speaker 2: haven't acted on the truth he's already told you.
Speaker 3: Look at the next verse. We must be sure to
Speaker 3: obey the truth we have learned.
Speaker 2: Already already now the last six weeks, in this fifty
Speaker 2: Days of Faith, I've been giving you a lot of
Speaker 2: truth about faith.
Speaker 3: Have you acted on it? Have you done anything about it?
Speaker 2: You see, we kid ourselves thinking if I'm hearing about
Speaker 2: faith and just learning and taking notes, then I'm growing. No,
Speaker 2: the Bible says, faith without actions is dead. You have
Speaker 2: to act on it. It's acting on faith that makes
Speaker 2: you grow, not just listening and taking notes. It's doing
Speaker 2: something about it. So inside your program, I want you
Speaker 2: to pull out this action sheet, the fifty Days of Faith,
Speaker 2: putting my faith into action. It is amazing that you
Speaker 2: could sit through an entire message on obedience, walk out
Speaker 2: and do nothing about it. And yet the Bible says,
Speaker 2: notice the verse, so to the top of that page.
Speaker 2: Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by actions,
Speaker 2: is dead. Now these statements here are what we've talked
Speaker 2: about for the last seven weeks. The first week we
Speaker 2: talked about faith is expecting the best even when things
Speaker 2: don't look good. And then the second week in this series,
Speaker 2: we talked about faith is stretching my imagination even when I'm.
Speaker 3: Full of doubt. Maybe you need to think bigger.
Speaker 2: The third week we talked about faith is taking the
Speaker 2: initiative even when I feel like procrastinating. Week five we
Speaker 2: talked about faith is persisting even when I feel like
Speaker 2: giving up. Last week we talked about faith is giving
Speaker 2: my tithe back to God even when I think I
Speaker 2: can't afford it. And this week we've talked about faith
Speaker 2: is doing whatever God tells me, even when it doesn't
Speaker 2: make sense. Now I want you to put it into action.
Speaker 2: So I want you to pick one of these things
Speaker 2: right now, or maybe two, and write down an action step.
Speaker 2: What am I going to do right now?
Speaker 3: Ready?
Speaker 2: Go write down one action step? Because faith without action
Speaker 2: is dead. And while you're writing that down, Pastor Tom
Speaker 2: is going to come up and sing a rendition of feelings,
Speaker 2: just seeing if you're listening. Okay, go ahead, write down
Speaker 2: an action step. I don't care which of these you choose.
Speaker 2: Just pick one that God has spoken to you on
Speaker 2: that you know He's told you to do something here?
Speaker 2: Are you going to do it? Or are you going
Speaker 2: to delay?
Speaker 3: Now?
Speaker 2: Folks, what we're talking about this morning is the most
Speaker 2: basic fundamental thing of Christianity. Not everybody who claims to
Speaker 2: be a Christian is one. Not everybody who claims to
Speaker 2: know Jesus Christ is going to heaven. Look at the
Speaker 2: last verse on your outline. It's an issue of obedience.
Speaker 2: Matthew seven twenty one. Not all people who sound religious
Speaker 2: are really godly. They may refer to me as Lord,
Speaker 2: but they still won't enter heaven.
Speaker 3: This is Jesus talking.
Speaker 2: The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father.
Speaker 3: It's all in obedience. Let's bow our heads as we close.
Speaker 3: Let me ask you a couple of questions.
Speaker 2: What does your obedience to God reveal about your faith
Speaker 2: and love? Is your obedience to God immediate or delayed?
Speaker 2: Is it complete or is it partial? Well, God won't
Speaker 2: care about this one little area. I'm sure it's.
Speaker 3: Okay for me to do this.
Speaker 2: Is it joyful or is it reluctant? Is it continual
Speaker 2: or is it spasmodic? What do you know is the
Speaker 2: right thing to do, but you've been putting it off?
Speaker 3: Where has your obedience been.
Speaker 2: Incomplet when you know it and you haven't done it.
Speaker 2: Why don't you pray this prayer in your heart?
Speaker 3: Father? There are many areas in my life where I
Speaker 3: know what you want me to do. I just haven't
Speaker 3: done it, and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
Speaker 2: Please forgive me for my disobedience. I now realize today
Speaker 2: that it was a lack of faith. I wasn't trusting
Speaker 2: that you knew best. I ask you Jesus Christ, to
Speaker 2: give me the strength to follow your directions immediately, completely, joyfully,
Speaker 2: and continually for the rest of my life from this
Speaker 2: day forward. And I am going to trust you to
Speaker 2: fulfill all these promises in my life.
Speaker 3: In your name, I pray. Amen.
Speaker 2: Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope you enjoyed
Speaker 2: today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer
Speaker 2: for the very first time, or you just recommitted your
Speaker 2: life to Jesus again today, would you let me know
Speaker 2: about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment. So
Speaker 2: write me Rick at pastor Rick dot com and say, Rick,
Speaker 2: I prayed that prayer of commitment, I gave my life
Speaker 2: to Christ. And I'll send you some material that will
Speaker 2: help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also
Speaker 2: pray for you. God bless you.
Speaker 1: This is Pastor Rick's daily hope. Rick will be right
Speaker 1: back to close out our time today. But first, over
Speaker 1: the last couple of years, we've all experienced worldwide changes
Speaker 1: and events that have impacted us in profound and sometimes
Speaker 1: unimaginable ways. For many of us, those changes will impact
Speaker 1: our lives for years to come. Pastor Rick believes that
Speaker 1: now more than ever, people need God's word and the
Speaker 1: hope that it brings. That's why he'd like to invite
Speaker 1: you to become a partner in Hope. Here's rick to
Speaker 1: tell you more.
Speaker 2: No matter where you're listening to this program right now
Speaker 2: around the world, I want to thank you for your
Speaker 2: support of Daily Hope. Your prayers and your financial contributions
Speaker 2: are literally helping people all over the world learn about
Speaker 2: the hope that we have in Jesus. Did you know
Speaker 2: that in just a short time, people from over two
Speaker 2: hundred countries have visited the Daily Hope website and we
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Speaker 2: Hong Kong, Europe, all over the Middle East. In fact,
Speaker 2: right now, someone's listening to this broadcast and getting to
Speaker 2: know Jesus because of your prayer and because of your
Speaker 2: financial support. So I just wanted to say thank you.
Speaker 2: Your support means so much to me personally, and I
Speaker 2: want you to know that I take your trust very seriously.
Speaker 2: Every single dollar you donate to Daily Hope goes right
Speaker 2: back into the ministry. You know that I don't take
Speaker 2: a salary from Daily Hope. You're never going to hear
Speaker 2: about K and me owning a private jet or some boat,
Speaker 2: because we want to invest as much as possible into
Speaker 2: God's Kingdom, because that's what's gonna matter for eternity. Jesus said,
Speaker 2: do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, and
Speaker 2: I believe Jesus meant it when he said that. Now
Speaker 2: we want Daily Hope to reach more and more people.
Speaker 2: So I would appreciate you prayerfully continuing your support of
Speaker 2: this ministry. Would you pray about it? Here's the prayer
Speaker 2: I want you to pray. God, what do you want
Speaker 2: to give through me? I would love to have you
Speaker 2: as a partner in Hope.
Speaker 1: To become a partner in Hope with convenient, automated monthly giving,
Speaker 1: just go to Pastorick dot com or call eight hundred
Speaker 1: six hundred five thousand and four. When you do, we'll
Speaker 1: send you a special bonus welcome gift and God's Big
Speaker 1: Plans for me storybook Bible to say thanks again. That's
Speaker 1: Pastorick dot com or call eight hundred six hundred five
Speaker 1: thousand and four. There are only three days left to
Speaker 1: become a Partner in Hope and receive your special welcome gift,
Speaker 1: So don't wait and don't forget to let us know
Speaker 1: which radio station you hurt us on. Be sure to
Speaker 1: join us next time as we look into God's word
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