Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is
Speaker 1: the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren, and we are
Speaker 1: so glad that you've joined us today because we're beginning
Speaker 1: a series called Talking about Stuff That Matters. In this series,
Speaker 1: Rick looks into the scriptures and unpacks what it means
Speaker 1: to live in community, have real conversations about what matters most,
Speaker 1: and face discouragement with courage and faith. It's honest and hopeful.
Speaker 1: So stay tuned. You won't want to miss a second.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, I'm ready to get started.
Speaker 2: So here is.
Speaker 1: Part one of a message called Don't let Anyone Steal
Speaker 1: Your Identity.
Speaker 2: One of the great tasks of life is figuring out
Speaker 2: who you are. What's your identity, discovering who God made
Speaker 2: you to be. That's one of the fundamental tasks of life.
Speaker 2: Why on earth and what on earth am I here for?
Speaker 2: How you see yourself affects everything else in your life.
Speaker 2: How you see yourself your identity, affects your relationships, It
Speaker 2: affects your happiness, It affects your stress level, It determines
Speaker 2: your success level in life. It just affects everything. Your
Speaker 2: connection to God is profoundly influenced by how you see
Speaker 2: you what is your identity? And now this search for
Speaker 2: your identity starts early on in life. It starts way
Speaker 2: back in school and you're trying to figure out who
Speaker 2: am I and what am I? And what am I
Speaker 2: supposed to be? And how am I supposed to act?
Speaker 2: And it starts in school, but it can continue on
Speaker 2: the rest of your life. So this week we're going
Speaker 2: to start a new series, but I want to begin
Speaker 2: with don't let anyone steal your identity. And the reason
Speaker 2: why is because identity gets to and all the time,
Speaker 2: Satan is constantly working in a spiritual battle to keep
Speaker 2: you from knowing your true identity. He's working overtime, and
Speaker 2: he uses all kinds of tools to keep you from
Speaker 2: knowing who you are. He uses first the opinions of
Speaker 2: other people, what your parents say about you, what your
Speaker 2: peers say about you, what your partner says about you,
Speaker 2: what professionals say about you. And he's always trying to
Speaker 2: use other people's opinions to shape and conform you to
Speaker 2: what other people think you ought to be, rather than
Speaker 2: what God says you ought to be. He uses hurt
Speaker 2: and pain, hurt and pain never leave you where they
Speaker 2: find you. You start in one area, but you end
Speaker 2: up over here, and it can profoundly affect your identity.
Speaker 2: He uses the media, and today he uses social media
Speaker 2: because you get on social media and you see everybody
Speaker 2: living there so called perfect life. Anything, how come I
Speaker 2: don't look like him or her? Why don't I have that?
Speaker 2: And why don't I do that? In this competitive always
Speaker 2: comparing yourself feels like you're being left out. Satan's using
Speaker 2: that to keep you messed up in your identity. He
Speaker 2: suggests thoughts in your mind. It's called temptations, and he says,
Speaker 2: stuff do you? But the number one way Satan keeps
Speaker 2: you from discovered your true identity in Christ is the
Speaker 2: lies you tell yourself. You lie to yourself all the time,
Speaker 2: and you tell yourself stuff's good and stuff's bad. And
Speaker 2: oftentimes you're not really a good judge of you because
Speaker 2: you can't see yourself from an objective position. You're intensely
Speaker 2: involved in you, obviously, and so you tell yourself stuff
Speaker 2: all the time. If you go around telling yourself, you know,
Speaker 2: I'm uncoordinated, I'm dumb, or I'm ugly, all right, whatever
Speaker 2: you tell yourself. You're talking to yourself. You're talking to
Speaker 2: yourself right now. You have a constant stream going on
Speaker 2: in your mind. You're going is what Rick saying interesting
Speaker 2: to me? Because if it is, I'm going to listen.
Speaker 2: If it's not, I'm going to tune out and think
Speaker 2: about something. How hungry I am or whatever? You know
Speaker 2: who I am? Kind of hungry right now? So how
Speaker 2: do I know who I am? How do I know
Speaker 2: who God made me to be? Well, there's a great
Speaker 2: philosopher named Pascal. Let's see if I can find that
Speaker 2: quote here somewhere he said something really great. I know
Speaker 2: he did. Well, maybe i'll tell you later. Here's what
Speaker 2: he said. The only way you're ever going to know
Speaker 2: yourself is by knowing God through Jesus Christ. He said,
Speaker 2: we only know God through Jesus Christ. We only know
Speaker 2: ourselves through Jesus Christ. We only know the meaning of
Speaker 2: our life through Jesus Christ. We only know the meaning
Speaker 2: of our death through Jesus Christ. It is in Christ
Speaker 2: we know ourselves. Now, that's not particularly a new idea.
Speaker 2: It's been in the Bible for thousands of years. Look
Speaker 2: up here on the screen. The Bible says this in
Speaker 2: the Colossians, Chapter one, verse sixteen. Everything, absolutely everything got
Speaker 2: started in Christ and finds its purpose in Him. The
Speaker 2: only way you're ever going to know who you are
Speaker 2: and what your purpose is in life is in Christ,
Speaker 2: because He created you. You didn't create you, so you
Speaker 2: can't tell you what your purpose is now. That little
Speaker 2: phrase there in Christ is one of the most important
Speaker 2: phrases in the Bible. In the New Testament, it is
Speaker 2: used eighty nine times in Christ, in Christ, in Christ,
Speaker 2: in Christ, and the phrase in Him is used seventy
Speaker 2: nine times. You know, we call ourselves Christians. Today the
Speaker 2: word Christians only use like twice in the entire Bible.
Speaker 2: It's not used very much at all. Instead of believers
Speaker 2: being called believers or disciples or followers or Jesus or Christians,
Speaker 2: in the Bible, the most common term for being a
Speaker 2: follower of Christ is I'm in Christ in Christ. What
Speaker 2: does that mean? Well, of those eighty nine times it
Speaker 2: says that you are in Christ, thirty five times, it
Speaker 2: tells you what your identity is because you're in Christ. Now,
Speaker 2: we don't have time to go through thirty five different
Speaker 2: identity factors of your life. But today, Kay and I
Speaker 2: are going to take you through four. You're getting k today.
Speaker 2: You get a double header. Okay, you get a double header.
Speaker 2: What can I say? And so we're going to take
Speaker 2: you through just four of the thirty five marks of
Speaker 2: your identity. You picked a good week to come to church, Okay,
Speaker 2: so write these down. They're very important. This phrase in
Speaker 2: Christ used eighty nine times, and as I said, in
Speaker 2: Him used seventy nine times. Now let me show you
Speaker 2: another verse in Ephesians chapter one, it says this, It
Speaker 2: is in Christ there's that phrase. And whenever we see
Speaker 2: this phrase today, I want you to circle it on
Speaker 2: your outline. It is in Christ that we find out
Speaker 2: who we are. That's identity and what we're living for,
Speaker 2: that's purpose. If you want to know your identity in life,
Speaker 2: and you want to know your purpose in life, the
Speaker 2: only way you ever gonna know it is by talking
Speaker 2: to the creator who made you. God is in Christ,
Speaker 2: and Christ is in God. God made you. You can't
Speaker 2: tell yourself who your purpose is because you didn't make you.
Speaker 2: So if you look for your identity and other people,
Speaker 2: you're not going to find it. It is in Christ
Speaker 2: we find out who we are, and it is in
Speaker 2: Christ we find out what in the world we were
Speaker 2: made for, what's our purpose in life? So we're gonna
Speaker 2: look at four those. So let's just deal with four.
Speaker 2: Who are you in Christ? You need to learn these
Speaker 2: in your own life, and then you need, as I said,
Speaker 2: pass them on to the next generation. Number one, here's
Speaker 2: the first characteristic. Now I want you to think of
Speaker 2: these four things as like a table with four legs.
Speaker 2: That your identity is built on four different pillars. And
Speaker 2: if you get these in your life, you're going to
Speaker 2: have a stable life. Okay. Pillar number one in Christ,
Speaker 2: the Bible says this, I am chosen, loved, and accepted.
Speaker 2: In Christ. I am chosen by God, loved by God,
Speaker 2: and accepted by God. Now, those are three things we
Speaker 2: all want in life. We all want to be chosen,
Speaker 2: we all want to be loved, and we all want
Speaker 2: to be accepted. Well, you already are by God himself. Now, first,
Speaker 2: these are the three foundations of the first pillar of
Speaker 2: true self worth to feel good about yourself, a true
Speaker 2: self identity. First, you're chosen. Here's what the Bible says
Speaker 2: Iphesian chapter one, verse four and five. In Christ, there's
Speaker 2: that verse or that phrase, God chose us before the
Speaker 2: world was made, so that we would be as holy people.
Speaker 2: Because of his love of God had already decided to
Speaker 2: make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was
Speaker 2: what he wanted and that's what pleased him. The Bible
Speaker 2: says God created the entire universe because he wanted a family.
Speaker 2: God wanted children to love. The whole reason the universe
Speaker 2: exists is God wanted children to love. Now, let me
Speaker 2: ask this question. According to this verse, when did God
Speaker 2: choose you? Look at it real close. When did God
Speaker 2: choose you? Where? And when? Yeah, yeah, before the world
Speaker 2: was made. You might underline that if you grasp this,
Speaker 2: you'll never again have a problem with low self esteem.
Speaker 2: The Bible says that before God chose to create the sun,
Speaker 2: he had already chosen you. He knew he was going
Speaker 2: to make you millions of years before he made you.
Speaker 2: Before God chose to create the universe, he had already
Speaker 2: chosen you. In fact, that that's why he decided to
Speaker 2: make the universe. He wanted a place where you could live.
Speaker 2: Before God created the world, before God chose any tree,
Speaker 2: he chose you. Before God chose the oceans, He chose you.
Speaker 2: Before God chose every rock that exists. He shows you.
Speaker 2: Last week, we were up in Canada and I actually
Speaker 2: got to walk out on a glacier. It was really cool.
Speaker 2: Before God created that glacier, he chose me, He chose you.
Speaker 2: That ought to make you feel a little bit better
Speaker 2: about yourself, that you were chosen before anything else was created.
Speaker 2: God says, I want this person to exist, so I'm
Speaker 2: going to create the environment that that person will exist.
Speaker 2: That requires enormous amount of planning. You're not only chosen
Speaker 2: first before the moon and the stars. God shows you.
Speaker 2: That shows you how important you are. God shows you
Speaker 2: You're not only chosen first, You're chosen by God. Now,
Speaker 2: this is the antidote to every child's worst fear, and
Speaker 2: the worst fear of every child is to be chosen
Speaker 2: last on a team. You know, when they say, okay,
Speaker 2: we're going out to the recess and we're gonna play
Speaker 2: soccer or play softball, and you guys are the two captains,
Speaker 2: you go, oh, please don't let me be chosen last.
Speaker 2: The shame, the dishonor. And as the crowd gets small
Speaker 2: and well, they still haven't chosen me. They still haven't
Speaker 2: chosen me, and nobody wants to be the last. You're
Speaker 2: not the last chosen, You're the first. That's how much
Speaker 2: God says you matter to him. You were chosen before
Speaker 2: God chose any bird, before he chose any animal, before
Speaker 2: he chose to make anything. He said, I'm gonna make
Speaker 2: all these other things because I'm gonna make you. That
Speaker 2: is a foundation of your identity. Now, not only that,
Speaker 2: there's more because you're not only chosen, you're loved. That's
Speaker 2: why he says. God did it because of his love.
Speaker 2: You are loved. Look at this verse on the screen
Speaker 2: Ephesians one, verse four. You have been chosen. That's first.
Speaker 2: Peter two nine. You've been chosen by God long before
Speaker 2: he laid down the earth's foundations. See who says it again,
Speaker 2: Before the earth was even created, God had us in mind,
Speaker 2: and he settled on us as the focus of his love.
Speaker 2: Do you realize that God has focused on you? You're
Speaker 2: not focused on God. You're rarely focused on God. God
Speaker 2: has focused on you all the time. Can God focus
Speaker 2: on everybody the same time? Yeah? Why he's God. There
Speaker 2: is never a moment of your life when God is
Speaker 2: not focused on you. You're not focused on him, but
Speaker 2: He's focused on you. He sees every high low, every
Speaker 2: good bad, every hill, every valley, every tear, every joy.
Speaker 2: There's never a moment in your life when God has
Speaker 2: not focused on you, wife, because He made you to
Speaker 2: love you. You're loved. Will God's ever stop focusing on me?
Speaker 2: Will he ever stop loving me? No? Look at this
Speaker 2: next verse Romans, Chapter eight, Verse thirty eight and thirty nine.
Speaker 2: I am certain confidence. I'm certain that nothing can separate
Speaker 2: us from God's love. Not life nor death, nor angels
Speaker 2: nor demons, demons can't separate you from God's love. Not
Speaker 2: the present nor the future, not the powers above or below.
Speaker 2: Nothing in all creation shall ever separate us from God's
Speaker 2: love for us. In Christ circle that in Christ, Jesus
Speaker 2: Our Lord. Why can't I be separated from God's love? Well?
Speaker 2: For two reasons. It's unconditional and it's eternal. It's unconditional.
Speaker 2: In other words, God doesn't say I love you if
Speaker 2: that's conditional. God doesn't say I love you because that's conditional.
Speaker 2: God says I love you period. I love you in
Speaker 2: spite of the fact that you don't always love me,
Speaker 2: because God is love. God's love for you is based
Speaker 2: on who he is not what you do. It's not
Speaker 2: based on your performance. It's based on his character. You
Speaker 2: can't make God stop loving you. You can try, but
Speaker 2: you will fail because God is well. It's unconditional. But
Speaker 2: not only that is consistent. You never have to wonder
Speaker 2: about God's love. You and I don't wake up in the
Speaker 2: morning and go, I wonder if God's going to love
Speaker 2: me today after what I did last night. God says,
Speaker 2: my love for you is not fickle, it's not unpredictable.
Speaker 2: He doesn't hug you one day and slug you the
Speaker 2: next day. We never need to ask will God love me?
Speaker 2: He will. In fact, we always get into trouble when
Speaker 2: we doubt God's love. Anytime you doubt God's loved and anything,
Speaker 2: I know more than God. I'm gonna do what I
Speaker 2: want to do right and what I want to do.
Speaker 2: How's that working out for you? Your life just sailing
Speaker 2: along with no problems, no depression, no discouragement. We always
Speaker 2: get into problems when we doubt God's love and when
Speaker 2: we doubt God's wisdom. But there's more in this first pillar.
Speaker 2: I'm not just chosen by God. You're not just chosen
Speaker 2: by God. You're not just loved by God. There's more.
Speaker 2: You're accepted. Most people don't realize this. You're accepted by God.
Speaker 2: We spend our entire lives trying to be accepted. You
Speaker 2: wear the clothes you wear because you want to be accepted.
Speaker 2: You drive the car you drive because you want to
Speaker 2: be accepted. You choose your friends, the food you eat,
Speaker 2: the things you say on the internet. Everything you do
Speaker 2: is out of this massive need to say accept me,
Speaker 2: accept me, accept I want to be accepted. Well, friend,
Speaker 2: you're already accepted by God, who created you. First Corinthians
Speaker 2: chapter one says this verse thirty, God alone made it
Speaker 2: possible for you to be in Christ. There's that phrase again,
Speaker 2: in Christ. And he says, you didn't do this to yourself.
Speaker 2: I did it for you. God alone made it possible
Speaker 2: for you to be in Christ. Jesus, he is the
Speaker 2: one who made us acceptable to God. Now how does
Speaker 2: Jesus make us acceptable to God? And what does that mean? Well,
Speaker 2: here's the problem. God's perfect and you're not and I'm not.
Speaker 2: How does a perfect God let an imperfect person into
Speaker 2: a perfect place called heaven. Well, something's got to happen.
Speaker 2: So God says, I'll take care of the problem myself.
Speaker 2: He comes to earth as a man in the form
Speaker 2: of Jesus Christ. God comes to earth, dies for your sin.
Speaker 2: This is called grace. This is called redemption. This is
Speaker 2: called being rescued by God. There a whole bunch of
Speaker 2: theological terms that's called justification. Just as if I'd never
Speaker 2: send justified, just as if I'd never send. God says,
Speaker 2: I'm going to make you clean and perfect in my eyes,
Speaker 2: no matter what you've already done. God says, I came
Speaker 2: and I sent my son to die for you so
Speaker 2: that you are acceptable to me. So if God accepts you,
Speaker 2: why do you need the approval of other people? One
Speaker 2: of the most liberating things in life will be when
Speaker 2: you finally learn someday, I don't need other people's approval
Speaker 2: to be happy. You don't. You only need the approval
Speaker 2: of one person, God. And if God likes you and
Speaker 2: you like you, if you don't like me, if I
Speaker 2: like me and God likes me, what's your problem. I
Speaker 2: don't need your approval. I don't know if you know
Speaker 2: this or not. Some people don't like me and they
Speaker 2: criticize me, and they say, oh, you know, I spend
Speaker 2: one none, no seconds of my life thinking about those people.
Speaker 2: What I don't need their approval will be happy. I'm
Speaker 2: happy while they're students. You I don't like Rick Warren, Fine,
Speaker 2: God does. I'm chosen. I'm loved and I'm accepted. You're chosen,
Speaker 2: You're loved and you're accepted.
Speaker 1: What a great message from Pastor Rick today. There's something
Speaker 1: I always take away from his message. Here's Rick to
Speaker 1: tell you how you can help support this ministry.
Speaker 2: Jesus told his disciples that they should live their lives
Speaker 2: according to five specific purposes. He said, you've got to
Speaker 2: love God with all your heart. That's worship, and love
Speaker 2: your neighbors yourself. That's ministry. That's called the Great Commandment.
Speaker 2: And then Jesus said, go make disciples. That's evangelism, Baptize
Speaker 2: them into the Family of God. That's fellowship, a fellowship.
Speaker 2: And then he said, teach them obey everything I've taught you.
Speaker 2: That's discipleship. And we call that the Great Commission. We
Speaker 2: believe it daily hope that a great commitment to the
Speaker 2: Great Commandment and the Great Commission will produce a great Christian,
Speaker 2: a great church, a great company, a great community. You know,
Speaker 2: I started daily Hope so I could spread the good
Speaker 2: news about Jesus, not just across America, but all around
Speaker 2: the world. And we want people to know that God's
Speaker 2: word is filled with hope and truth and the power
Speaker 2: that we need to follow him every day is available
Speaker 2: to every single one. You know as well as I do,
Speaker 2: that the Word of God changes lives. It's a live
Speaker 2: it's active, and it breathes new life and new love
Speaker 2: into all of our lives. So wherever you listen to this,
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Speaker 2: God will bless you, and we'll get to heaven and
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Speaker 2: in heaven because you cared.
Speaker 3: Hey, if you'd like to support Pastor ricks Daily Hope,
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