WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:06.799 Are Heaven and Hell real places? And what are they like? Today? 2 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.320 On Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the Bible Teaching Ministry of 3 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:14.640 Rick Warren, we bring our series called Eternal Realities Heaven 4 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:18.000 and Hell to a close. In these lessons, Rick shares 5 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:20.839 what the Bible says about heaven and Hell and how 6 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.640 you can be absolutely certain you'll go to heaven. As 7 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:27.359 we wrap up, here's the final part of a message 8 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:30.160 called how to be certain You're going to Heaven. 9 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:32.399 Look at the next verse. This is a very important verse, 10 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.200 got some heavy duty theology terms in it, but I'll 11 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:40.200 explain him. Says we are justified freely by His grace 12 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:44.679 through the redemption that came by Christ. Jesus. Now circle 13 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:47.679 the word justified and the word redemption, because those are 14 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:49.920 the two things you gotta have in order to get 15 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:52.439 into heaven. So let me explain him. What does it 16 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:56.640 mean to be justified? The Bible says Jesus Christ, we 17 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:00.359 died for you, justified you. What does that mean? Well, 18 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.280 justified means just as if I'd never sinned. That's what 19 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:10.680 it means. Justification. Justified means just as if I'd never sinned. 20 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.200 It's more than forgiveness. It means it's forgotten, it's wiped out, 21 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:17.680 it's like it didn't even happen. Let me give you 22 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:19.760 the example. Let's say while we're in here in church, 23 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:22.239 some kids go out and they take tire irons and 24 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:23.920 they beat up my car. They just tear it to 25 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:27.400 smithereens and security catches them and brings them in here. 26 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:30.400 And I say, now, you know, you, guys, God's forgiven 27 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:32.920 me a whole lot, and so I need to forgive 28 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:34.439 other people. So I'm going to forgive you for what 29 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.280 you've done for me. I'm gonna forgive you for what 30 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:39.400 you've done. And then I say to you guys, you guys, 31 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:41.599 I want you all to forgive them too, And you say, okay, 32 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:44.760 we forgive them. Now. They would be forgiven, but they'd 33 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:48.400 still feel bad because I think everybody knows. Everybody knows 34 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:50.959 what I've done, and a lot of people feel like that. 35 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:52.560 They go, yeah, I know God's forgiven me, but I 36 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:54.840 still feel bad about it because everybody knows about it. 37 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.120 What they need is to be justified. If I were 38 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:02.079 to have so pixie dust or ferry dust and I 39 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:04.400 sprinkled it over you, or I waved a magic wand, 40 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.280 and all of a sudden that incident was totally erased 41 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:10.719 from your memory. Then it would be justified. Just as 42 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:13.439 if I'd never sin remember the movie Man in Black, 43 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:16.360 they'd hold up that little thing, you know, the guys 44 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:20.159 would forget everything that they knew. Those guys were justified 45 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.879 by Will Smith right there. Okay, justified by Will Smith 46 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.719 or Tommy Lee Jones. Okay, that's what it means. Just 47 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:29.919 as if I'd never seen you don't even remember it, 48 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:35.960 then it says through the redemption of Christ, Jesus came 49 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.120 by Christ. What does it mean to be redeemed? What 50 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.520 does the word redemption mean? That's an old slave trading term, 51 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:46.759 and the word redemption means to buy somebody's freedom. You 52 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:50.120 purchase somebody's freedom. Let's say you're a slave. This is 53 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.759 years ago, and you're standing on a block and you're 54 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.560 gonna be auctioned off as a slave. And I raised 55 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:57.680 my hand and I say I will pay one hundred 56 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:01.800 thousand dollars for you, and so I buy you to 57 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.080 say okay, sold to mister Warren. And you come off 58 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.400 that auction block expecting to have to be my slave, 59 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.840 and I say, okay, you're free to go. So what, Yeah, 60 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:11.800 you're free to go, but you just bought me. Yeah, 61 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.280 but I paid to set you free. You're kidding. No, 62 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:18.680 I paid to set you free. That's called being redeemed. 63 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.319 I am your redeemer. I have paid to set you free, 64 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:25.319 and the Bible says that's what Jesus Christ did for you. 65 00:03:26.199 --> 00:03:28.400 He said, well, I'm not a slave to anything. Oh yeah, 66 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:31.120 you are. You're a slave to far more things than 67 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:34.919 you realize. Pastor Tommy talked about this a couple weeks ago. 68 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:37.199 A lot of you are slaved to the fear of death. 69 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.360 You're scared to death, to die, you don't even want 70 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:42.439 to talk about it. A lot of you are slaved 71 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.800 to your past. You're stuck in the past. You can't 72 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.639 let go of that regret, that shame, that guilt. You're 73 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.680 a slave to guilt. A lot of you are slaved 74 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:52.800 to people who've hurt you, and you can't let go 75 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:55.000 of that hurt. And you're bitter and you're angry, and 76 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.159 you hold onto it and you're resentful, and you're a 77 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:00.439 slave to somebody else who hurt you. You may be 78 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:03.319 a slave to the expectations of other people and you 79 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:05.400 have to act a certain way because that's what's cool 80 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:07.479 is and you have to do it the way they 81 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:08.840 do it at work, and they do it at school, 82 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.680 the way to do it in your neighborhood. You may 83 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:14.919 be a slave to the approval of your parents, and 84 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:17.199 maybe they've even died years ago and you're still trying 85 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:20.240 to prove that they were wrong. You can be a 86 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:23.000 slave to worry. You can be a slave to fear. 87 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:25.680 You can be a slave to loneliness. You can be 88 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:28.680 a slave the depression, the boredom, the bitterness, the guilt, 89 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:30.839 or you're a slave to a lot of things that 90 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.120 you don't realize you are. You're a slave to habits. 91 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.040 You can't change. I don't like this about me. I 92 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:38.480 wish it could change, but I can't because you're a 93 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:41.439 slave to it. And you've tried to change, but you can't. 94 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:44.560 And you say I wanted to. I don't like this 95 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:46.759 about me. I don't change. You're a slave. Jesus said 96 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:49.319 I came to set you free. In fact, he said this, 97 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:53.680 when you know the truth, the truth will set you free. 98 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.800 And then he said, I am the truth. He came 99 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:01.160 to set you free. You know, God gave us a 100 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:06.759 picture to symbolize both redemption and justification. Redeem and justify. 101 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.439 It's called baptism. I don't know if you've ever seen 102 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:12.519 a baptism like they did it in the Bible times, 103 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:14.680 where they put people under the water. It's the way 104 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:16.399 we do it here, dunk people under water because that's 105 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.519 the way Jesus did it. And when we baptize a 106 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:22.680 person under the water, it's a picture of two things. First, 107 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:28.079 it's a celebration of Easter. Jesus Christ died, was buried 108 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:31.519 in the ground three days, and then later he arose 109 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.360 on Easter sunnies. Every baptism is a celebration of Eastern 110 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.439 so it's a symbol Now the waters. Nothing about the 111 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:40.759 water's not holy, just water. So we take a person, 112 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:43.360 we put them in the ground symbolize Jesus was buried 113 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:49.000 in the ground. We leave them there three days, just 114 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:52.920 seeing if you're listening, and then we bring them back up. 115 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.040 It's a symbol of that's what Jesus did to make 116 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.519 me just as if i'd never sin, and to redeem 117 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.879 mecond thing it's a picture of is what happens in 118 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:05.879 you when you put your trust in Christ. The Bible says, 119 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:08.639 the old has passed away. I'm dying to my old 120 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.800 way of life completely. It's dead, it's over, it's been 121 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:15.360 washed away, forgiven. I'm being raised, and it's just as 122 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:20.079 if I'd never sinned. Now why is that important? Because 123 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:22.399 it's the only way you're gonna get into Heaven. Heaven's 124 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:25.639 perfect and you're not. So you have to have somebody 125 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:29.680 who makes you just as if you'd never sinned. That's 126 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:31.959 the only way you get in. It's a gift to grace. 127 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:37.079 He is your redeemer. Now here's the steps you want 128 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:40.199 to go to heaven. You recognize God's love. No one 129 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:44.319 will ever love me more than God does. Recognize God's lover. 130 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:48.079 Receive God's gift that he gave his only begotten son. 131 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:52.120 I respond to his offer that whos whoever believes in him. 132 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:56.360 And then here's the fourth thing. I rely on God's promise. 133 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:02.839 What's the promise? Shall not parry but have everlasting life. 134 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:06.000 That's quite a promise. Did you know that you were 135 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.639 made to last forever? One day your heart's gonna stop. 136 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:10.959 That'll be the end of your body. But it's not 137 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:12.399 gonna be the end of you. God made you in 138 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:14.759 His image, and you were made to last forever. And 139 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:18.120 God says, I want you spending forever with me, not 140 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.759 apart from me. I want you forever with me in eternity. 141 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:25.480 But here's the bottom line. If you want to spend 142 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:28.040 eternity with God in heaven, you got to build a 143 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:32.319 relationship with him now on earth. You can't just thumb 144 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:34.120 your nose to God and say I'm gonna ignore God 145 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:35.680 my entire life and then at the end go, oh, 146 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:38.519 by the way, I'd like to come spend eternity with you. No, 147 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:43.040 you develop a relationship with him now. You say, but Rick, 148 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:45.759 even if I put my trust in Jesus Christ, how 149 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:47.759 do I know that I'm gonna make it in I mean, 150 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:49.680 what if something happens me now and when I die 151 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:53.839 that I really blow it and I don't get in. Well, 152 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:57.480 you don't understand, Grace. It's not up to you to 153 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:00.319 be sure. It's God who makes sure you may make it. 154 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.800 Look at the next verse. The Bible says this, we 155 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.399 are now members of God's own family. In other words, 156 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:09.680 when we put our trust in Him and God has 157 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:12.519 reserved for his children, it's like me going out and 158 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.439 making a reservation for us for dinner. God has reserved 159 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:19.839 in advance for his children the priceless gift of eternal life. 160 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:25.079 It is kept in heaven for you, and God will 161 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.199 make sure circle that you don't have to make sure. 162 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:31.160 God will make sure that you get there safely to 163 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:36.080 receive it because you are trusting him. Now, what does 164 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.519 that mean? God will make sure? It's like this? When 165 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:42.159 my kids were little, we once took a trip and 166 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:44.279 we went to the Grand Canyon. Now, what if I 167 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:46.159 had said, okay, kids, we come up to the edge 168 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:48.519 and I don't want them falling off, and we're going 169 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:50.240 to take this trip and we're going to hike down 170 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:53.639 this trail down several thousand feet into the Grand Canyon. Well, 171 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:55.759 they're scared, so they want to put their hand in 172 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:58.000 my hand. But more than that, I'm going to put 173 00:08:58.039 --> 00:09:00.240 my hand on their hand because I don't I want 174 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:03.440 them falling. I don't want them falling away, falling off, 175 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:07.799 falling down. And so I grabbed their hands and we're 176 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:11.120 walking down in the king. About halfway down, my kids go, 177 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:14.440 I don't think I need Dad's help anymore. I can 178 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:18.080 make this on my own. I don't really need my father. 179 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:22.080 And they want to pull their hand out of my hand. 180 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:25.000 They want to wiggle and squirm and let go. But 181 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:27.840 because I love them and I want to protect them, 182 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:30.480 I'm not letting go. They may want to let go 183 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:36.320 of my hand, but I'm not letting go of theirs. Now, listen, today, 184 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:38.519 you say I'm gonna put my trust in Jesus Christ. 185 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:40.879 I know there's not a snowballs chance in hell I'm 186 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:43.000 gonna make it to heaven by doing good because I'm 187 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.919 not good enough. I've already blown it. I'm not perfect. 188 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.519 So Jesus Christ, I'm gonna put my hand in your hand. 189 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:52.279 I'm gonna put my life in your hand. I'm gonna 190 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:56.399 trust you, and you grab onto God's hand today. I'm 191 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:59.120 gonna guarantee you this. There will be times in your 192 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:02.399 life you're gonna want to let go of God because 193 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:04.639 it right now, it's kind of inconvenient to be a 194 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:08.559 follower of Christ. Right now, it's kind of crimping my style. 195 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.639 I don't really want to do the right and ethical thing. 196 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:13.200 I want to do the easy thing. And there are 197 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:15.360 going to be times when you'll want to let go 198 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:19.320 of God's hand, But He's never letting go of yours. 199 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:23.000 Because He loves you, and he will make sure you 200 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:26.480 get into heaven. It's not dependent upon you, it's not 201 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:30.799 by works, it's all by his grace, and he says, 202 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:34.720 I will get you there. So what do I do now? 203 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:36.799 Between now and when I die, Well, you get to 204 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:38.279 know God a little bit better. You get to know 205 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:40.600 to learn to love him. You learn to trust him 206 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:43.080 with every area of your life, your money, your relationships, 207 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:46.360 your family, your future, your career. You learn to trust him, 208 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:49.240 and you learn God's purpose for your life and begin 209 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:52.320 to fulfill the purpose you were created for. Now we 210 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:54.000 can help you out with that last one. We know 211 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:58.240 a lot about purpose here in this church. Now, focusing 212 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:03.720 on yourself looking inside will never reveal your purpose in life. 213 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:08.039 You were made by God and you were made for God. 214 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.720 And until you understand that, life will never make sense. 215 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:17.399 It is only in God that we discover our origin, 216 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:25.840 our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. 217 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:31.320 There are three benefits of giving your life to Christ, past, president, 218 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:33.399 and future. Look at this next verse out of the Bible. 219 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:37.879 What a God we have because Jesus was raised from 220 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:41.519 the dead. That's Easter. We've all been given a brand 221 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:44.720 new life. That means just as if I'd never sinned, 222 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:47.919 and we have everything to live for. That's a purpose 223 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:50.960 and including a future in heaven. And the future starts. 224 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:53.279 Now you get this, God says, when you give your 225 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.200 life to me, your past is forgiven. You get a 226 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:58.799 purpose for living. You get a home in heaven. What 227 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:02.759 a deal. Nobody else can give you that past, forgiven, 228 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:06.720 purpose for living, home in heaven. I don't know if 229 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:09.440 you saw that movie The Passion, but there's a scene 230 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:14.000 where Pilot, who's the Roman governor of Judea, he's standing 231 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:16.360 with Jesus Christ and Jesus has just been beaten to 232 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:18.840 a pulp and he's got crown of thorns on his head, 233 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.440 and he's standing before an angry mob trying to decide 234 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:24.720 whether to kill him or not. And Pilot asked the 235 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:29.639 most important question in life, what shall I do with Jesus? 236 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:34.559 That is the most important question in life because it 237 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:39.759 will determine your eternal destiny. So I'm asking you right now, 238 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:44.320 what are you gonna do with Jesus? What are you 239 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:48.320 gonna do with Jesus? You're gonna either trust him or 240 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:52.480 you gonna turn away from him. It has eternal implications. 241 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:55.320 Now here's the cool part. And I wish somebody had 242 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:57.840 told me this. I would have become a follower much 243 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:00.759 much earlier. But I didn't understand this. I didn't have 244 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.840 to have all my doubts resolved and all my questions 245 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:07.600 answered before I started a relationship with Jesus. I wish 246 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.320 somebody had told me that. I thought I had to 247 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:12.840 have all my doubts figured out and all my questions 248 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:16.399 resolved before I could start a relationship. No, Jesus had 249 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:19.080 just come with your doubts, come with your questions. That's okay. 250 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:24.000 You don't have to have it all figured out. I've been 251 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:26.559 a follower of Jesus for forty years now, and when 252 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:28.480 I read this Bible, there's a lot of things in 253 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:30.759 here I don't understand. And I read it and I go, WHOA, 254 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:33.840 that didn't make sense. I don't understand that, And I 255 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:36.399 have doubts and questions and I go, WHOA, why would 256 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:39.200 God do that? I wouldn't do that. If I were God, 257 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:46.360 you ought to be glad. I'm not God. But that 258 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:49.559 hasn't stopped me from having a forty year friendship with 259 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:53.399 Jesus Christ. I don't have to understand how everything works 260 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:54.960 for me to enjoy it. I don't know how the 261 00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:58.000 TV works pulls color off out of the air, but 262 00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:00.320 I still watch TV. I don't know how I can 263 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:01.879 be on a cell phone and my wife can be 264 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:05.080 in Rwanda and I can talk to her. I don't 265 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:08.759 understand internal combustion doesn't stop me from driving a car. 266 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:11.000 There's a lot of things I don't understand, but I 267 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:16.279 still enjoy. I don't understand taste buds that didn't stop 268 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:22.120 me from enjoying a hot buttered cinnamon rule. Let's just 269 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:28.360 pause there for a moment. Oh baby, Oh baby, Oh baby. 270 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:31.840 I don't have to understand the chemistry of digesting to 271 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.840 eat a steak. I don't have to have all my 272 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:37.320 doubts figured out to come to Jesus. I wish I 273 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:40.519 had known that. In fact, every time I get a 274 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:42.159 doubt or question, I just write it down one day 275 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:43.519 when I get to it, and I'm gonna say, now, God, 276 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:46.600 explain this to me. Why did this happen? Why do 277 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:48.360 you do this and all of that? Why did you 278 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:51.480 do it this way? You don't have to And the 279 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:53.000 other thing you don't have to have is you don't 280 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:55.480 have to have great faith. Now I just have a 281 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.080 little faith. It's not the size of your faith that matters, 282 00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:00.399 it's the size of your God. You put a little 283 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.960 faith in a big God and you get saved. You 284 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.320 don't have to have a lot of faith, just a 285 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:08.600 little faith. Now, everybody's got faith. You have faith. He 286 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:09.960 use it all the time. You have faith when you 287 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:11.600 said I'm in that chair that would hold you up. 288 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:18.759 That's a lot of faith. You had faith when you 289 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:20.600 go out on the freeway that you're not gonna get killed. 290 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.759 You have faith all the time, and you just put 291 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:26.720 some in God and not just other things. You know. 292 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:29.600 My favorite story in the Bible is this guy comes 293 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.960 to Jesus and he's got this daughter who's about to die. 294 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.879 She's sick and she's dying. And he comes to Jesus 295 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:40.080 and he says, Lord, I need you to heal my daughter. 296 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:47.759 And Jesus says, do you trust me? Do you believe me? 297 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:50.480 Do you trust me? And I love this guy. He's 298 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:53.799 very honest, very authentic. He goes, you know, I want 299 00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:57.360 to believe. Help me with my doubts. I like that. 300 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:01.600 I want to believe, help me with my doubts. Jesus says, man, 301 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:03.679 that's good enough, and he heals a child right there. 302 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:07.960 You can do that. I want to believe you can 303 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:09.840 do it today. I want to believe. Help me with 304 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:12.919 my doubts. A little bit of faith, not a lot, 305 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:15.200 just a little bit of faith. I was talking to 306 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:17.200 guy the other day. I said, would you like to 307 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:20.600 receive God's gift of eternal life? And would you like 308 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:23.399 to respond to his offer to be just as if 309 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:27.159 you'd never sin? He goes, Oh, yeah, I said, do 310 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.519 you know what to pray? Goes n'ah, I go. Would 311 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:32.279 you like for me to help pray? Yeah? So I said, well, 312 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:36.200 just pray something like this. Dear God, I don't understand 313 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:40.200 it all. Dear Jesus, I know I need you. Thank 314 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:43.039 you for loving me, Thank you for dying for me. 315 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:46.960 Help me to understand it more, help me trust you. 316 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:48.679 I want to learn to trust you in every hour 317 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:52.039 of my life. Make me just as if i'd never sin. 318 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:53.480 I so, you can do that? He goes, I can 319 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.000 do that. So we bowed our head and prayed. You 320 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.879 can do that right now. Don't leave here without knowing 321 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:03.519 for sure you're going to heaven when you die. Let's 322 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:08.519 bow our heads, and now as we close, would you 323 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:12.039 just pray this simple prayer in your heart, in your mind, 324 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:13.839 you have to say it aloud. God knows your thoughts. 325 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:17.200 You've seen every thought you've ever had to say this. 326 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:19.759 And while I say you need to say me to God, 327 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:24.960 Dear Jesus, to say that in your mind, Dear Jesus, 328 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.519 I don't understand it all. But I want to thank 329 00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:32.279 you for loving me, and I want to thank you 330 00:17:32.359 --> 00:17:35.680 for coming to earth for me. And I want to 331 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:38.319 thank you for giving your life for me so I 332 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:42.559 can go to heaven. I want to accept your free 333 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:47.200 gift to forgiveness your grace. I know I can't earn 334 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:50.200 my way to heaven, and so I want to learn 335 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:55.400 to trust you with every area of my life. Would 336 00:17:55.440 --> 00:18:00.599 you make me just as if i'd never send and 337 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:04.480 help me to know your purpose for my life so 338 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:06.319 that the rest of my life is the best of 339 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:11.920 my life. Amen. Now there's one last verse, and you 340 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:14.119 can look up here on the stage, and it's talking 341 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:17.160 about what it's going to be like in heaven. There 342 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:21.039 will come a day when you're gonna die, and God 343 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.680 says I will take you into heaven if you put 344 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:27.079 your trust in my son, and it says this, we 345 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:30.880 wait for that day. There will come that day when 346 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:34.480 God will give us our full rights as his children, 347 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:38.559 including new bodies He has promised us. Did you know this? 348 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:43.759 Bodies that will never be sick again and will never die. Woo, 349 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:45.359 I get a new body. You don't have to look 350 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:48.599 at this one anymore. And I'm not gonna have to 351 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:52.640 look at yours either. There will come a day when 352 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:55.119 there will be no more sorrow, no more suffering, no 353 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:58.559 more tears, no more tragedy, no more death. We're gonna 354 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:01.680 be with God forever eternity and celebrate. 355 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:07.640 Hey, if you've just prayed along with Rick to accept 356 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:10.799 Jesus in your life, Rick would love to hear from you. 357 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:14.680 Just email Rick at Pastorick dot com. We'll send you 358 00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:19.039 free tools to help start your relationship with Jesus. Right now, 359 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:21.559 here's Pastor Rick with a letter from one of our 360 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:22.799 listeners friends. 361 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:25.599 Today, I want to tell you about a guy named Chris. 362 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.039 I found out that he shares daily hope with his 363 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:30.720 family and his friends and his coworkers as often as 364 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:33.279 he can, and then he has seen a ripple effect 365 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.559 as they all shared daily hope with other people. Let 366 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:38.240 me read you a portion of what he wrote to me, 367 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:43.480 Pastor Rick, I first encountered Daily Hope when a coworker 368 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:48.119 forwarded the daily devotional to me years ago. My friend 369 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:51.519 was sending the devotionals each morning to an email list 370 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:53.440 of about fifty or twenty people. By the way, that's 371 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:55.799 a good idea for you to do too. And when 372 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:58.880 my friend retired from our company, he passed along the 373 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:03.279 email group list and I continue the tradition of sending 374 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:06.799 the devotionals each morning. That email group grew to about 375 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:10.359 thirty five or forty people. Now. I recently retired, so 376 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.799 I passed the email group to another coworker in order 377 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:18.559 that they can continue the ministry. Each morning, I wake up, 378 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:21.640 Pastor Rick, and I come to my quiet place just 379 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:26.279 to listen and to journal your messages for the day. Now, 380 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:28.680 depending on what the message is all about, I often 381 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.839 forward it to many individuals for them to enjoy or 382 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:34.640 to ply it in their own personal life and faith journey. 383 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:39.519 My entire family now listens to you and Daily Hope ministry, 384 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:43.359 and it spreads all over through them as they forward 385 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:47.440 it to people in their circles of influence. I can't 386 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:50.039 thank you enough, Rick, for all that you've done in 387 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:52.960 my life and to strengthen and grow my faith in Christ. 388 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.279 Daily Hope without a doubt has changed the way that 389 00:20:56.319 --> 00:21:01.640 I approach every new day. You know, Chris, all say 390 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:07.279 is wow. I love how you are exponentially sharing Daily 391 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:11.079 Hope with your coworkers and with your family. You know, 392 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:15.400 you're actually an evangelist. You are partnering in God's eyes 393 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:18.279 with me to help spread the good news of the Gospel. 394 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:20.680 And the good news is too good to keep to ourselves. 395 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:24.079 We have to share it now. Anybody can do this. 396 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.920 Anybody can do this, and it's an easy way to 397 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:31.119 give other people hope through deepening their faith. So if 398 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:33.519 you don't know what to say, just forward on some 399 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.119 of the things you've heard me say and God will 400 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.599 use you to make a difference in people's lives. You know, 401 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:42.160