Speaker 1: You know, none of us can earn our way into
Speaker 1: heaven because eternal life is a free gift when you
Speaker 1: accept Jesus as the Lord of your life. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: this is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, and today Rick Warren
Speaker 1: continues a series called Good News about Grace. You can't
Speaker 1: truly understand the Christian life until you understand grace. It's
Speaker 1: at the heart of your faith and your relationship with God.
Speaker 1: And in this series you're going to discover how not
Speaker 1: to only understand grace, but how to experience it and
Speaker 1: the joy that it brings. Well, I can't wait to
Speaker 1: get started. So here's the final part of a message
Speaker 1: called Sustaining Grace.
Speaker 2: Now, there are three kinds of trouble.
Speaker 3: There's the kind of trouble that kind of blows you
Speaker 3: away like a wind. There's the kind of trouble that
Speaker 3: weighs down like carrying a sack of potatoes. There's the
Speaker 3: kind of trouble that it's kind of like the rug
Speaker 3: is pulled out from underneath you and you go, where
Speaker 3: did that one come from? But the most difficult kinds
Speaker 3: of trouble to handle are the troubles and the problems
Speaker 3: of life that are unplanned, unrelenting.
Speaker 2: And undeserved. Would you agree with that?
Speaker 3: Unplanned, unrelenting, and undeserved. There are some things I bring
Speaker 3: on myself. When I bring a problem on myself, I figure, Okay,
Speaker 3: I made the mess.
Speaker 2: I got to clean it up.
Speaker 3: I don't mind handling problems that I created. I figure
Speaker 3: that's par for the course. I mean, I did it,
Speaker 3: I may as well have to clean it up. But
Speaker 3: the most difficult problems in life to ones to handle
Speaker 3: are the unfair ones where you are an innocent party.
Speaker 2: What happened to here? I didn't plan this.
Speaker 3: I don't feel like I deserved it. I didn't ask
Speaker 3: for it, I didn't cause it. Those are the ones
Speaker 3: that are hard to handle, and they're especially hard to
Speaker 3: handle when they're not only undeserved, but they are unrelenting.
Speaker 3: You know, most of us can handle problems if we
Speaker 3: can see an end in sight. See well, there's you know,
Speaker 3: light at the end of the tunnel. I can see
Speaker 3: the problem is going to be over in six months
Speaker 3: or eight months. Sure, I can handle anything for lat
Speaker 3: length of time or a year or whatever. But there
Speaker 3: are some things in your life that hurt you, that
Speaker 3: harm you, that are unsolvable that you're going to live
Speaker 3: with the rest of your life and nothing's ever going
Speaker 3: to change that. There are some situations in life. There
Speaker 3: are some things, some handicaps or disabilities, some background. You're
Speaker 3: never gonna be able to change your background. You grew
Speaker 3: up in that background. And there are some hurts that
Speaker 3: they hurt you and you cannot and all all the
Speaker 3: wish into the world isn't going to make it go away.
Speaker 3: There are some things in life that are unplanned, unrelenting,
Speaker 3: and undeserved, and they hurt the most. Now what do
Speaker 3: you do in those situations? Well, you first stop doing
Speaker 3: the if only game. Well, if only I had different parents,
Speaker 3: if only I had married somebody else, if only if
Speaker 3: only that doesn't work. That doesn't solve your problems, and
Speaker 3: it doesn't ease your pain playing the if only game. Instead,
Speaker 3: you need to focus on Christ and focus on his
Speaker 3: sustaining power. God says is say I forty one. Don't
Speaker 3: worry because I am with you. Don't be afraid because
Speaker 3: I am your God. I will make you strong, I
Speaker 3: will help you. I will support you with my right
Speaker 3: hand that saves you. Now in that verse, I want
Speaker 3: you to circle all the things that God has promised
Speaker 3: to do for you. He says, I'm going to be
Speaker 3: with you. He says, I'm going to make you strong.
Speaker 3: I will help you, I will support you, and I
Speaker 3: will save you.
Speaker 2: That pretty much covers it all.
Speaker 3: God is our refuge of strength, always ready to help
Speaker 3: in times of trouble.
Speaker 2: That's how you get sustaining grace.
Speaker 3: What do you do when you can't fix an unfixable problem?
Speaker 3: What do you do when you can't solve an unsolvable riddle?
Speaker 3: What do you do when you can't change an unchangeable circumstance?
Speaker 3: What do you do when you can't control something that
Speaker 3: hurts deeply in your life? You throw yourself on the sustaining.
Speaker 2: Grace of God.
Speaker 3: Our culture loves to teach us self reliance, and we
Speaker 3: think that we can handle anything. And I know that
Speaker 3: all around you you're brought up to think I am
Speaker 3: the master of my faith. That's a bunch of whoy.
Speaker 3: It's just not true. You cannot control the major events
Speaker 3: of your life. You didn't control when you were born,
Speaker 3: you didn't control where you were born, you didn't choose
Speaker 3: your parents. You don't know where you're gonna die, and
Speaker 3: you don't know most of the things are going to
Speaker 3: happen between now and then one day you're gonna wake
Speaker 3: up to the realization of the fact that there are
Speaker 3: limitations in your life that you cannot control.
Speaker 2: That's called midlife crisis.
Speaker 3: And one day you wake up and you realize you
Speaker 3: are not God and you cannot control everything that happens
Speaker 3: around you.
Speaker 2: So what do you do when it hurts so bad.
Speaker 3: And you can't change it. You rely on the sustaining
Speaker 3: grace of God. You say, how do I get it?
Speaker 3: How do I get that kind of grace? To keep
Speaker 3: on going in spite the temptations, trials, tension, tiredness, and troubles.
Speaker 2: You do four things.
Speaker 3: Number one, call out, cry out to God.
Speaker 2: Cry out for God's help.
Speaker 3: See, as long as you pretend to be self sufficient,
Speaker 3: you short circuit God's power in your life. You need
Speaker 3: to admit your inadequacy, say God, I can't handle this,
Speaker 3: and you cry.
Speaker 2: Out for God's help.
Speaker 3: The Bible says give God gives grace to the humble
Speaker 3: circle that word humble, So give yourselves completely to God.
Speaker 3: Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.
Speaker 3: Now who gets grace the humble? Those who admit they
Speaker 3: can't do it on their own, the humble. And then
Speaker 3: you draw near to God and you cry out to God,
Speaker 3: and you pray to God. You pray earnestly, you pray fervently,
Speaker 3: You pray passionately, You pray with integrity, you pray with emotion,
Speaker 3: and say, God, it hurts.
Speaker 2: Help.
Speaker 3: Did you know that God listens to the tone of
Speaker 3: your prayers? He does because he knows that you don't
Speaker 3: really want everything you ask for. When I ask my
Speaker 3: kids at Christmas, what do you want? Well, I want
Speaker 3: this or that, this or that. I don't listen to that.
Speaker 3: I don't write it down. But when they go, Dad,
Speaker 3: I really really really want this, that's the one I
Speaker 3: write down. And God does not answer perfunctory prayers where
Speaker 3: you just mouth the words, go through the motion. Your
Speaker 3: heart's not in it. He wants you to pray passionately,
Speaker 3: fervently to him. And you want a good example of it,
Speaker 3: go read the Book of Psalms, because David did it.
Speaker 3: Chapter after chapter, call out for God's hope. Number two
Speaker 3: to get God's sustaining grace. Fill your mind with God's word.
Speaker 3: Fill your mind with God's word. This book let it
Speaker 3: comfort you. Let it strengthen you, let it fill you,
Speaker 3: let it soothe you, Let it give you the energy you.
Speaker 2: Need to keep going.
Speaker 3: Get into this book every single day of your life.
Speaker 3: Get a modern translation, new living version or something, and
Speaker 3: begin to read it and read it and read it
Speaker 3: and get it into your mind. Notice what the Bible says,
Speaker 3: David prays, I am completely discouraged. Revive me by watching TV.
Speaker 3: That's not what it says, is it. Oh no, well
Speaker 3: that one doesn't work. You good, Revive me by your word. Now, folks,
Speaker 3: there is some advice that's going around today that I
Speaker 3: am so tired of.
Speaker 2: Here.
Speaker 3: If I hear it one more time again, I'm gonna
Speaker 3: lose my lunch. It is in every movie, it's in
Speaker 3: every talk show, it's in every book.
Speaker 2: It is the.
Speaker 3: Standard New Age answer to your problems. It started in
Speaker 3: the movie Star Wars about twenty five years ago, where
Speaker 3: that great theologian Obi Wan Kenobi.
Speaker 2: Says to young.
Speaker 3: Luke Skywalker when he's going through his crisis. He says,
Speaker 3: the answers are within you, Luke, look inside yourself. And
Speaker 3: everybody's been spouting that for twenty five years, as if
Speaker 3: that's the big answer.
Speaker 2: Now listen.
Speaker 3: There's nothing new about the New age. All the new
Speaker 3: age is a repackaging of old lies, all put together.
Speaker 3: They didn't work a thousand years ago, they don't work today.
Speaker 3: And this one here is just look within yourself when
Speaker 3: you're in trouble.
Speaker 2: Come on, that's the problem.
Speaker 3: I looked within myself and I went yuck. I didn't
Speaker 3: like what I saw. I got depressed when I look
Speaker 3: within myself. I don't need to look within myself the
Speaker 3: answers listen. I don't care how many people tell you
Speaker 3: that the answer is not look within yourself, because if
Speaker 3: it was, you'd already be changed. It doesn't work. You
Speaker 3: need to look to God. He's the only one who
Speaker 3: can change you. He's the only one who can help you.
Speaker 3: He's the only one with sustaining strength. And you need
Speaker 3: to look not within you. You need to look outside
Speaker 3: of yourself to the creator who made you. Because the
Speaker 3: answers are not in you. The answers are in God.
Speaker 3: It doesn't work the other way. Did you see this?
Speaker 2: On Friday?
Speaker 3: Cut this out of the business section of the Register.
Speaker 3: The Psychic Friends and Network file for bankruptcy. Now now
Speaker 3: I'm reading this, No, listen, to this. Listen, this is great.
Speaker 3: Their lawyer says, quote, they apparently made some bad decisions
Speaker 3: due to unforeseen circumstances. Hello, perhaps they should have seen
Speaker 3: it coming. And people are paying big money for that
Speaker 3: kind of whoey.
Speaker 2: You need to.
Speaker 3: Get into a book that's been around for thousands of years,
Speaker 3: the Word of God. Call out for God's help. Fill
Speaker 3: your mind with God's word, the number three. In those
Speaker 3: unfixable situations of life, accept support from God's people. The
Speaker 3: Bible says, by helping each other with your troubles, you
Speaker 3: truly obey the law of Christ.
Speaker 2: What is that law? Love your neighbor as yourself the
Speaker 2: great commandment.
Speaker 3: And if you don't have some strong Christian friends, mature believers,
Speaker 3: and you're not in a small group where you can
Speaker 3: have some feedback and some support when the crisis is on,
Speaker 3: I feel pity for you. I really do. We don't
Speaker 3: continually to harp on this issue week after week after week.
Speaker 3: Get in a small group. Get in a small group.
Speaker 3: Get in a small group. Just because it's an idea.
Speaker 3: It is essential for your physical, spiritual, and mental help.
Speaker 3: You need a support group. God never meant for you
Speaker 3: to go through life alone on your own. You're not
Speaker 3: a lone ranger. In fact, God intentionally, the Bible says,
Speaker 3: puts weaknesses in our lives so we realize how much
Speaker 3: we need each other. We need each other. You're not
Speaker 3: gonna make it on your own. You need to accept
Speaker 3: support from God's people. And then number four, when you're
Speaker 3: facing the unfixable problems of life, you need to hold
Speaker 3: on to God's promises.
Speaker 2: Hold on to god It's promises.
Speaker 3: There are over seven thousand of them in the Bible
Speaker 3: waiting to be claimed, waiting for you to just grab
Speaker 3: onto like blank checks. Here's one of them, Isaiah forty.
Speaker 3: He gives strength to the weary and increases the power
Speaker 3: of the week.
Speaker 2: Even youths go tired.
Speaker 3: But those who hope in the Lord circle that hope
Speaker 3: in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar
Speaker 3: on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary.
Speaker 3: They will walk and not faint. Keep your hope in
Speaker 3: the Lord, and even more than that, keep your eyes
Speaker 3: focused on the hope of heaven, not just on the
Speaker 3: here and now. Focus on the hope of Heaven. Look
Speaker 3: at the next verse, so we don't look at the troubles.
Speaker 3: We can see right now. Rather, we look forward to
Speaker 3: what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we
Speaker 3: see will soon be over, but the joys to come
Speaker 3: will last forever. In heaven. There's gonna be no problem
Speaker 3: in heaven. There's gonna be no sorrow in heaven. There's
Speaker 3: gonna be no sadness, no grief, no messed up lives.
Speaker 3: Now where do you need god sustaining grace today? Where
Speaker 3: are you discouraged and you feel like giving up? Are
Speaker 3: you being tempted? You go, man, I just I'm being
Speaker 3: pounded with this and I can't get rid of this temptation.
Speaker 2: Are you tired?
Speaker 3: He said, I just, I don't think I can put
Speaker 3: another foot in front of each other? Or are you
Speaker 3: under tension? Are you in trials and troubles that you
Speaker 3: can't fix? No matter what you're going through, God's grace
Speaker 3: will sustain you if you will let it. Look at
Speaker 3: this last verse, Paul said, I begged the Lord three
Speaker 3: times to take this problem away from me, But he
Speaker 3: said to me, my grace is enough for you. When
Speaker 3: you are weak, then my power is made perfect in you.
Speaker 3: When you're going through a problem you can't fix, don't
Speaker 3: give up, look up, Look up, let's bower heads. I'd
Speaker 3: like to close with a special prayer for those of
Speaker 3: you who are discouraged this morning. You may be struggling
Speaker 3: with worry, Well, he can fix that. May be struggling
Speaker 3: with guilt and shame, he can handle that. You may
Speaker 3: be dealing with depression or financial conflict, or conflict in
Speaker 3: your home. Or you may be dealing with unemployment or
Speaker 3: infertility or something you cannot control. He can handle it.
Speaker 3: So tell him right now, what is discouraging you? Tell
Speaker 3: him passionately. It's okay to shed a tear. Tell him passionately,
Speaker 3: what is discouraging you. Jesus Christ, you know every single
Speaker 3: need represented here today. You know what we need even
Speaker 3: before we ask. You know our hurts, and you know
Speaker 3: our fears. You know our struggles, and you know our sins.
Speaker 3: You know our loneliness, you know our grief. For those
Speaker 3: who are hurting here this morning, may they find relief.
Speaker 3: For those who are discouraged, may they experience your sustaining grace.
Speaker 3: May they sense your arms of love wrapping around them today.
Speaker 3: For those who are carrying a heavy load, may they understand.
Speaker 2: Your power and your peace is available.
Speaker 3: For those who are tempted, for those who are addicted,
Speaker 3: For those who can't stop doing what they don't want
Speaker 3: to do, May they find release in Christ. For those
Speaker 3: who are depressed, would you restore their joy? For those
Speaker 3: who are separated from a loved one. For those who
Speaker 3: are in conflict with a husband or a wife, may
Speaker 3: they find restoration and reconciliation. For those who are guilty
Speaker 3: and ashamed, help them sense the freedom of your forgiveness
Speaker 3: that you say graciously give. And for those who lack
Speaker 3: purpose and meaning and salvation, may they find you. Now
Speaker 3: it's your turn to pray. Why don't you pray this
Speaker 3: in your mind? Dear Jesus Christ, I need your sustaining
Speaker 3: grace in my life. If you've never asked him for
Speaker 3: a saving grace, say, I need you to save me
Speaker 3: and then to sustain me, and I'm giving myself to you.
Speaker 3: Help me to cry out to you for help and
Speaker 3: not try to do it all myself. Help me to
Speaker 3: fill my mind with your word. Help me to accept
Speaker 3: help and support from your people, and help me to
Speaker 3: hold on to your promises. Thank you that I'm going
Speaker 3: to make it to the finish line in heaven, not
Speaker 3: because of my performance, but because of your sustaining grace,
Speaker 3: I love you and I want to trust in you
Speaker 3: and amen. You know, if you just prayed that prayer
Speaker 3: for the very first time, or you just recommitted your
Speaker 3: life to Jesus again today, would you let me know
Speaker 3: about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment. So
Speaker 3: write me Rick at pastor Rick dot com and say, Rick,
Speaker 3: I prayed that prayer of commitment, I gave my life
Speaker 3: to Christ. And I'll send you some material that will
Speaker 3: help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also
Speaker 3: pray for you.
Speaker 2: God bless you.
Speaker 1: What a special message from Pastor Rick. And now let's
Speaker 1: hear how lives are changing through Daily Hope. Here's Rick
Speaker 1: with a letter from one of our listeners.
Speaker 3: I love to end our broadcast by reading letters from
Speaker 3: people like you. Here's one from Melissa, who lives in Columbia.
Speaker 3: Pastor Rick, I just want to say thanks to you
Speaker 3: and thanks to God for helping me understand the Bible
Speaker 3: and for helping bring so many souls to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3: I've been blessed because you put your messages online for free,
Speaker 3: and because of that free ministry, I have access to
Speaker 3: the truth. I cannot thank you enough, she says. I
Speaker 3: want to help and I want to give what God
Speaker 3: commands to give me to give so that his message
Speaker 3: can reach the entire world. Thank you, Melissa for Colombia. Well, Melissa,
Speaker 3: thank you, thank you for your encouragement, and thank you
Speaker 3: for your financial gift, and thank you for caring about
Speaker 3: people who haven't heard the good news. You see, when
Speaker 3: we work together, we're able to do things we cannot
Speaker 3: do on our own. Together, we reach people that would
Speaker 3: never be reached any other way. And when you get
Speaker 3: to heaven, we're going to celebrate all the souls that
Speaker 3: have come to know Jesus Christ. So thank you for listening,
Speaker 3: thank you for supporting, and thank you for praying.
Speaker 1: Hey, if you've been encouraged by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope
Speaker 1: and you'd like to support us, please consider giving a
Speaker 1: financial gift. Really generous friends of the Daily Hope Ministry.
Speaker 1: They're going to match your gift up to ten thousand dollars,
Speaker 1: so please don't wait. This special matching grand offer ends
Speaker 1: at the end of this week, so please go to
Speaker 1: Pastororick dot com or simply text the word Hope to
Speaker 1: seven oh three to oho nine again Pastorick dot com,
Speaker 1: or text the word hope to seven oh three oh
Speaker 1: nine and all of us here at Daily Hope thank
Speaker 1: you so much for your support. Your gift helps us
Speaker 1: share the hope of Christ with people everywhere. Be sure
Speaker 1: to join us next time as we look into God's
Speaker 1: word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by
Speaker 1: Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.