WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:07.360 As your pastor, I am deeply concerned about how you're 2 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:11.960 handling the trauma and the stress of all of the 3 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:14.720 changes that have taken place in your life in the 4 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:19.719 past eighteen months now. Certainly, the global pandemic of COVID 5 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:23.679 changed everything, and we're still not out of the woods. 6 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.120 We're still not free from it yet. But there's a 7 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:29.239 lot of other changes going on in the world at 8 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:31.760 the same time. And that's why I started this short 9 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:35.960 series a couple weeks ago that I'm calling strategies for 10 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:41.479 Stressful Times, Strategies for stressful times, and we're looking at 11 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:45.960 tips and strategies and skills from the scripture on how 12 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.079 do you handle when things aren't good? The first message 13 00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:51.679 you remember a couple weeks ago, I did a message 14 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:55.600 called finding the strength to keep going when you're emotionally 15 00:00:55.640 --> 00:01:00.200 worn out? Anybody ever felt that way? Emotionally worn out? Yeah? 16 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:02.359 And then last week we looked at how do you 17 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:06.200 be happy no matter what happens? And we talk about 18 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:09.439 how happiness is a choice. It doesn't depend on happenings. 19 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.400 You're as happy as you choose to be. If you're unhappy, 20 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:15.519 you can't blame your why for your husband or anybody else. 21 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:17.480 You're as happy as you choose to be. I know 22 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:20.480 people in much worse situations than us that have chosen 23 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:24.040 to be happy. This week, in Part three of the 24 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:27.319 Strategies for Stressful Times, I want us to look at 25 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:32.120 how do you trust God during changes you don't like? 26 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:36.640 How do you trust God for changes you don't like 27 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:41.959 during those changes? Now, we all know that everything constantly changes. 28 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.079 Everything is constantly changing. In fact, even material objects are 29 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:51.799 actually changing at the molecular level constantly. There are protons 30 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:56.079 and neutrons and electrons that are zipping around in these 31 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:59.439 metal bars. They look like they're solid, they're moving out 32 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:06.000 a molecular Now. While we love some changes, and we 33 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:08.199 all do, we love some changes, but there are some 34 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:12.280 changes we just hate. And there are seasons like the 35 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:15.719 one we're in right now, where change is so rapid 36 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:20.759 and so relentless that you just get tired of it. 37 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:25.159 And right now we have been hit with so many 38 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:31.800 unwanted changes that as I talk to people, they're reeling 39 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.120 from it. They are literally reeling. And so many people, 40 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:36.919 maybe you feel this way, just feel like they're in 41 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:40.639 limbo right now. They're just treading water because you're unable 42 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.439 to get on with your life, unable to get out 43 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:44.919 of what's going on, and it feels like we're we 44 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:46.879 can't really get on going because we don't know how 45 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:49.439 long this thing's going to last. And a lot of 46 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:54.000 people are just overwhelmed and they're just barely getting by. 47 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:57.280 I care about you if you feel that way, And 48 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.639 so today, as I've studied God's word all the I 49 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:05.599 want to give you some very practical guidance from God's 50 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:10.439 word on how do you trust God when you're going 51 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.599 through changes in your life that you don't like. You'll 52 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:17.560 have plenty of those in life. And what I want 53 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:19.000 to do is I want to give you I want 54 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:23.080 to summarize what Scripture says five things, five truths you 55 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:27.280 need to remember and five things you need to do. Okay, 56 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:29.479 so if you get out your message notes, we'll look 57 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:32.280 at these five things you need to remember when you're 58 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.919 going through changes you don't like, and how do you 59 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.439 keep trusting God in those situations. So anytime you're overwhelmed 60 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:43.879 by change, there are five things you need to remember, 61 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:46.879 So write these down. Number one, that's what's kind of obvious, 62 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:51.039 but we need to start with it. Change is unavoidable. Okay, 63 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:53.400 that's the first thing. We all know that, but we 64 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:56.240 just need to be reminded that change is unavoidable. No 65 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:59.120 matter how much you like a change, or how much 66 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:02.639 you dislike a change, no matter how much you like 67 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:07.759 the way things have been, they're not gonna stay the same. Now. 68 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:12.280 When change happens and it's constant, you can complain, or 69 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.400 you can grumble, or you can get mad, or you 70 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.319 can blame other people. You can even try to stop 71 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:21.279 the change futilely because you can't stop change. But things 72 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.839 are still gonna keep changing every moment of your life. 73 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:32.360 You are changing for good or for bad. Now. When 74 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:35.959 God created the earth way back in the beginning, here's 75 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:38.480 one of the first things he said in Genesis eight, 76 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:43.360 verse twenty two. As long as the earth remains, there 77 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:48.800 will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, 78 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:53.480 day and night. What's he saying. He's saying that everything 79 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:59.000 on this planet is seasonal, Nothing stays the same. We 80 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:02.680 live in a world of opposites, and the world isn't 81 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.560 the same the way it used to be. Your family 82 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.920 isn't the same, the way it used to be. Your 83 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:12.319 job isn't the same it used to be. You aren't 84 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:15.319 the same that you used to be. As I said, 85 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:19.959 even inanimate audience objects like this table. It looks solid, 86 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:22.959 but actually at a molecular level, it's moving constantly on 87 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:28.040 the inside. Many of you know that I drove the 88 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:34.240 same green Ford truck for twenty years. Why I liked it, Okay, 89 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:37.439 I didn't. I don't buy a car for bling or 90 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:41.040 to show my status. It got me the same way 91 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.759 Rolls Royce would and it was comfortable, and frankly, I 92 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:47.839 would have driven that twenty year old truck for the 93 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:50.480 rest of the life. But after a quarter of a 94 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:55.959 million miles, it started changing, and it started breaking down, 95 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:58.800 and it started falling apart, and I couldn't stand to 96 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.000 give it away. So actually it's parked in my barn, 97 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:05.399 even though I don't drive it anymore. Now, I've taught 98 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:07.800 this for decades. Look there on your outline. I've taught 99 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:12.639 you that there is no growth without change. There is 100 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:16.439 no growth without change, There is no change without loss. 101 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:21.040 There is no loss without grief, and there is no 102 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:25.279 grief without pain. A person who wants to grow and 103 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:29.000 be better but not go through the pain of change 104 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:31.439 is like a woman saying I want to have a baby, 105 00:06:31.480 --> 00:06:32.959 but I don't want my tommy to get bigger, and 106 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:35.720 I don't want to go through labor. It ain't gonna happen. 107 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:39.319 They don't call it labor for nothing. Any of you 108 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.680 ladies want to testify to that right now, every to 109 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:48.879 bring new life into the world requires pain. Things change. 110 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:54.240 But remember this, if if nothing ever changed, you would 111 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:58.720 have never been born, because you were a change. You 112 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:03.040 wouldn't have even been So change is unavoidable. Okay, we 113 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:05.360 got that one down. Here's number two. This is more important. 114 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:10.639 Change is not always good, but God uses it for good. 115 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:15.720 Change is not always good, but God uses it for 116 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:19.439 good in the lives of those who trust him. It's 117 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:21.959 not good for everybody, but it is good in the 118 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:25.000 lives of those who trust him. One of the greatest 119 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:31.000 promises of the Bible, Romans eight twenty eight. We know not. 120 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:35.199 We're confident that in all things God works for the 121 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:39.399 good of those who love Him, who have been called 122 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:44.360 according to His purpose. Now, as I've said many times, 123 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:48.199 that verse does not say everything is good. There's not 124 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.040 a lot of things in the world that are not good. 125 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:55.199 Evil is not good, cancer is not good, Rape Molestation 126 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:59.120 is not good, War, prejudice is not good. A lot 127 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:01.519 of bad things that are world, But the Bible says 128 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:06.360 God specializes in bringing good even out of bad. He 129 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:11.680 can turn crucifixions into a resurrection. And the way God 130 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:15.399 works all things together for good is kind of like 131 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:19.639 baking a cake. Now you may not realize this, but 132 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:23.000 I'm a master cake builder. I know how to bake 133 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:25.639 cakes because I figured if I want to eat them, 134 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:27.920 I don't know how to make them. I once made 135 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:32.279 of German chocolate cake from scratch, no box, for my 136 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:36.399 wife's birthday, so I know how to make cakes. Now, 137 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:41.320 when you make a cake, the individual ingredients don't taste 138 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.360 good at all. In fact, some of them are quite bitter. 139 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:49.159 If you eat flour by itself doesn't taste good. You 140 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:52.600 eat butter by itself doesn't taste good. If you eat 141 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:56.960 baking powder by itself, oil by itself doesn't taste good. 142 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:01.480 Even a little vanilla, raw eggs by themselves. None of 143 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.919 the ingredients in a cake taste good by themselves. But 144 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:10.559 if you mix them all together, stir it all up, 145 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:12.879 and stir and stir and stir, and then put the 146 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:20.039 heat on it, it's delicious, delicious in your life. There 147 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.840 will be elements of your life that are bitter and 148 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:28.440 unpleasant anyway that doesn't taste good. I don't like that 149 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:31.600 change in my life. I don't like what just happened. 150 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:36.480 I don't like what's happening in the world today. But 151 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:39.720 God takes it all, and he takes even the bad 152 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:42.320 and the bitter. If you ever drunk, some vanilla by 153 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:47.440 itself is not very tasty, and He mixes it all up. 154 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:50.799 All things work together for the good of those who 155 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.399 love God, who are called according to His purpose. Now, 156 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:57.240 the most important word in that verse that we just 157 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.440 looked at on your outline Romans eight twenty eight is 158 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:03.960 the word all, So circle the word all. What does 159 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:10.000 all include? In all things? God works for the good 160 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.600 of those who love it. That means all. It literally 161 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:19.159 means all. It means every circumstance you face, every choice 162 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:24.919 you make, every consequence you feel, and every change you experience, 163 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:27.320 including all of the changes we've just had in the 164 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:31.879 last eighteen months, all work together for the good of 165 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:34.679 those who love God. You know, some people act as 166 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:38.559 if God was caught off guard by COVID nineteen, Like 167 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.720 God goes wow I didn't see that coming. I didn't 168 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:46.519 imagine that world global pandemic ever happening, And I had 169 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:49.120 no idea what was going to do to all my churches. Man, 170 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:54.240 am I in a mess? God is not sweating this pandemic. 171 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:59.519 The church has outlasted everything for a two thousand years. 172 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:05.000 Every dictator, every pandemic, every fire, every flood, every revolution, 173 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:08.879 every critic is still here and none of those things 174 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:14.240 are now. The difference between whether you're going to be 175 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:17.960 bitter at the end of this season we're in a 176 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:21.919 rapid change and relentless change. Are you going to be bitter? 177 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:24.960 Are you going to be better? The difference is the 178 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:28.600 letter I the dear's being bitter, and better is I. 179 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:32.399 I make the difference my attitude. So I need to 180 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:36.639 remember that change is not always good, but God always 181 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:41.320 uses it for good if I trust him. Number three, 182 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:46.159 here's the third thing. To remember. God's purpose in every circumstance, 183 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.639 every one of them, including the ones we're going through 184 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:52.840 right now, is to make me more like Jesus. God's 185 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:57.720 purpose in every change in my life is to make 186 00:11:57.799 --> 00:12:01.759 me more like Jesus. Now. The promise of Romans eight 187 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.559 twenty eight is a wonderful promise, but it doesn't really 188 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:08.399 make sense until you read the next verse Romans eight 189 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:11.679 twenty nine. So let me read you those two verses 190 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:14.759 together from the New Living Translation. Here's what it says. 191 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:19.759 We know, in other words, we're not guessing. We know 192 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:25.360 that God causes everything, even the bad stuff, even the 193 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:30.840 bad changes. God causes everything to work together for the 194 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:34.120 good of everybody, know, for the good of those who 195 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:38.919 love Him and are called to His purpose for them. 196 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:43.360 For God knew in advance who would come to him. 197 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:45.960 He already knew before you decided to accept Christ that 198 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:48.399 you were going to accept him. He knew in advance 199 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:50.840 who would come to him, and he chose them to 200 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:55.759 circle this become like his son, so that his son 201 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:59.240 Jesus would be the firstborn in his family with many 202 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:03.000 brothers and sisters. God doesn't just want you in his family. 203 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:06.879 He wants you developed the family characteristics of a daughter 204 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:11.200 of God or a son of God, a child of 205 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:16.360 God like father, like son, like father, like daughter. God says, 206 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:19.240 I want you to grow up, and who's the model 207 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:24.320 for maturity now you or me Jesus Christ. And God says, 208 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:26.919 my number one goal in your life is to make 209 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:31.440 you like Jesus Christ. His number one goal is not 210 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.320 to make you happy. His number one goal is not 211 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.679 to make you comfortable. His number one goal is to 212 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:41.519 not make your life pleasant. Those things are the result 213 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:47.559 of becoming like Christ. This is not heaven. In heaven, 214 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:53.279 there's no sorrow, suffering, sadness, sickness. But on earth everything's broken. 215 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.279 And so what are we doing here? This is a 216 00:13:56.360 --> 00:14:00.799 school in character for the sixty or eighty at the most, 217 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:02.919 one hundred years you get on this planet. You're in 218 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:06.480 school for character. You're not taking your career to heaven. 219 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:10.600 You're not taking your cash to heaven. You're not taking 220 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:12.919 your reputation to heaven. What are you taking to heaven? 221 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.480 Only one thing? Your character? What you became, the man 222 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:18.799 you became on this earth, You're taking that to heaven. 223 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:21.240 The woman you became on this earth, you're taking that 224 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.960 to heaven. So his number one goal, God uses everything 225 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:27.039 for our good. And what is that good? He uses 226 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:29.600 it to build my character. He uses it to make 227 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:33.200 me more like Jesus. So what is Jesus like? The 228 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:36.879 best picture of Jesus in the Bible is Galatians chapter two, 229 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.360 verses twenty three. And twenty four, twenty two, and twenty three. 230 00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:43.519 They're called the fruit of the spirit. Nine character qualities. 231 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:48.320 The fruit of the spirit are love, Jesus's love, joy, 232 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:55.399 Jesus's total joy, peace, Jesus was always at peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meetness, kindness, 233 00:14:55.399 --> 00:15:00.759 self control. These nine qualities are a perfect picture of Jesus. Now, 234 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:04.000 how does God produce that kind of fruit in you? 235 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:07.279 How does God make you more loving? Are you just 236 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:09.159 walking down the street one day and all of a 237 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:12.440 sudden zap, You're filled with love and I'm so loving, 238 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:17.600 I love everybody. I'm just the lover of lovers. No, no, no, 239 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:21.600 it doesn't zapp There's no pill you could take. No, seminar, 240 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.399 are you going to tend that's going to turn you 241 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.600 from a hater into a lover or from a loving 242 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:31.559 person into a really compassionate person. How does God produce 243 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:34.679 love in your life? How does God produce joy in 244 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:37.759 your life? How does God produce peace and patience in 245 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:40.120 your life? Listen very closely. I've told you this before, 246 00:15:40.200 --> 00:15:42.759 but I'll talk to you again by putting you in 247 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:48.240 the exact opposite situation where you get a chance to 248 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:52.679 learn and practice that character quality. How does God teach 249 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:56.399 you love? It's real easy to love people like you 250 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:00.960 who are cool. If God's to teach you real love, 251 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:06.919 He's gonna put you around some unlovable people, unlovely people. Now, 252 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:09.759 don't look at him right now, don't hit him in 253 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:15.639 the elbow with your elbow. Be cool. But God puts 254 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.320 people around you who get on your nerves to teach 255 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:24.159 you real love. Their heavenly sandpaper. They're running roughing down 256 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:29.080 your rough edges. Anybody can love the lovely. How do 257 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:32.399 you learn to love the unlovely the way Jesus loves 258 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:36.080 you in spite of all your hang ups and hurts 259 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:39.240 and stuff. How about joy? How does God teach you 260 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:43.200 real joy in the middle of suffering, in the middle 261 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:47.600 of grief. Joy is not happiness. Anybody can be happy 262 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:50.679 when you're out, you know, out a bonfire at the beach, 263 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:53.559 in the sunsetting. Man, it doesn't get any better than this. 264 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.320 Anybody be happy, fly fishing in the mountains. If God's 265 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:00.639 gonna teach you real joy, it'll be in the middle 266 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:05.880 when your heart's breaking. How about peace? How does God 267 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:07.880 teach you peace? It's easy to be peaceful when everything's 268 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:11.920 going your way. He'll allow chaos in your life, conflict 269 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.200 in your life to teach you inner peace, the peace 270 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:18.720 that passes understanding, which says there's no reason I should 271 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:22.920 be peaceful now, but I am patience. How does God 272 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:29.920 teach you patience? The department of motor vehicles, waiting in line, 273 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:35.920 traffic jams, delayed doctor's appointments, and honor any time you 274 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.680 have to wait. God is teaching you the quality of 275 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.440 patience to make you more like Jesus. I remember a 276 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:45.559 number of years ago when I was going through major 277 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:50.119 problems and I said, Lord, I need patience. And instead 278 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:54.880 of getting better, they got worse. They got worse. And 279 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:57.799 I said, Lord, I need patience, and and my problems 280 00:17:57.799 --> 00:17:59.480 got worse, and that Lord, I need more patience. It 281 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.839 got worse. Finally, after six months, I realized I'm a 282 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:06.440 lot more patient when I started out. It's easy to 283 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.319 be patient. Everything goes your way. Have you thought about 284 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.720 maybe the last eighteen months, God has been trying to 285 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:15.759 teach you love for people who are unlovely, joy in 286 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:21.240 the middle of crisis, Peace in the middle of chaos 287 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.599 and uncertainty, and transition. When you feel like you're in limbo, 288 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:30.599 patience with people who won't be won't do what you 289 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:33.319 want them to do, and on and on and on. 290 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:39.079 This is a school we're in right now, and God's watching. 291 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:43.759 Change is not always good, but God uses it for 292 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:46.319 good and the purpose is to always make me more 293 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:50.720 like Jesus. All right, now, here's the fourth thing you 294 00:18:50.759 --> 00:18:56.119 need to remember. Write this down. God can even can 295 00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:03.440 use even human error and sin. God can use even 296 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:08.319 human error and sin. I'm talking about when you are 297 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:14.599 the innocent victim of somebody else's bad decision. My family 298 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:16.640 isn't what it used to because my husband broke it 299 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:21.759 up and left me, or my wife left me. Whatever. 300 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:26.160 God can use even human error and the sins of 301 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:30.240 other people, not even just my own, for the good 302 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:33.079 in my He can bring good in my life in 303 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:37.119 his plan to grow your character and make you like Jesus. 304 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:40.519 Do you remember the story of Joseph. You remember the 305 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:44.559 story of Joseph, How his brothers were jealous because he 306 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:48.880 was the favorite son, and so his brothers sold Joseph 307 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:52.799 into slavery, and he's taken to Egypt, and for the 308 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:56.480 first forty years of his life, everything goes wrong. He's 309 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:00.640 falsely accused of rape, he sold into slavery, He's thrown 310 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:04.519 in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and sitting 311 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:08.119 in a foreign jail. Forty years later, he's gone, nothing 312 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:12.559 has gone right in my life so far. First forty years, 313 00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:17.319 his whole life's downhill. But God had put Joseph exactly 314 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:20.920 where he wanted him to be, and a series of 315 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:25.519 God's circumstances, Joseph is raised up to become the second 316 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:30.039 most powerful leader in the most powerful nation in the 317 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.799 world at that time, which is Egypt in the Age 318 00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:39.039 of the Pyramids. And when Joseph later and he actually 319 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:43.519 saves two countries from famine. He saves Egypt and he 320 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:48.319 saves Israel from famine because of his wisdom. But it 321 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:50.279 didn't look like things were going good in his life 322 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:53.559 for a long long time. One day, though, he finally 323 00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:57.319 has his brothers come to meet him, and he confronts 324 00:20:57.319 --> 00:21:00.839 his brothers, the guys who had sold him into slavery 325 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:02.920 in the first forty years of nothing going right in 326 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:07.079 his life, And what was Joseph's attitude? He treats them 327 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:13.440 with grace, not bitterness. Why well, Genesis fifty tells us 328 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:17.240 his perspective that God can use even human error and 329 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:21.720 sin for good. And Joseph says in Genesis fifty twenty, 330 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:25.319 you talking to his brothers, you intended to harm me, 331 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:32.839 but God, that's the most important thing. But God intended 332 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:36.279 it for good. To accomplish what is now being done, 333 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:40.079 the saving of many lives. Two entire nations were saved. 334 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:43.279 So out of the sin of his brothers, two nations 335 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:48.319 got saved from famine and destruction. You intended to harm me, 336 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:50.799 but God intended for good. Friends, I'll be honest with you. 337 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:55.440 There are people in your life who intend bad. You 338 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:58.440 will face people in your life, people who resent you 339 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:02.039 at work. They're in co petition with you, they're critical 340 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:05.519 of you, they don't like you, or whatever. They intend 341 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:09.680 to hurt you. They intended for bad, but God intends 342 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:13.880 it for good. And so God can even use human 343 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:18.480 error and sin in all the circumstances of life. You 344 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:21.319 know here at Saddleback, we all know the story of 345 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:26.319 how God brought good even out of Danny Dushane's life 346 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:30.000 in prison. How he went to prison for a double 347 00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:33.440 murder and was spending all his years in prison, was 348 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.799 in there nearly thirty years, but he came to the 349 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:40.920 Lord and he lived for God. And I called up 350 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:45.279 the governor and asked for a commutation and said I 351 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:47.400 need him on our staff around our prisons ministry. And 352 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:50.319 he wasn't. Today Danny is a pastor of Saddleback and 353 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:57.160 ministers to prisoners all over America. That's grace. That's grace, 354 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.799 and that's the kind of church we are. It doesn't 355 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.599 mat matter what your background is. I don't care what 356 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:05.599 you've done, how badly you've done it, or who you 357 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:07.440 did it with, or how long he did it. What 358 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:11.240 matters is the direction of your feet today. That's all 359 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:14.839 it matters, all right. Now, here's the fifth truth that 360 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:18.240 you need to remember when we're going through changes we 361 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:22.240 don't like. It's unavoidable, but God uses it for good 362 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:25.519 and he wants to make me like Christ. And even 363 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:27.519 he can use the bad things that other people do 364 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:31.160 in my life that spread the problems to me that 365 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:36.559 I didn't ask for. Number five, every change is always 366 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:40.720 a test of my faith. Write that down. Every change 367 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:45.319 in your life is always a test of your faith. 368 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:51.880 One Peter, chapter one, verse seven says this the purpose 369 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:54.359 of these troubles, you know, the ones you're in right now, 370 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:57.559 the ones we've been facing for eighteen months. The purpose 371 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:02.119 of these troubles is to test your faith. Circle that 372 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:07.079 as fire tests how genuine gold is, your faith is 373 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:11.519 more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it 374 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:18.400 gives praise and glory and honor to God. Now I've 375 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:23.240 told you before that having faith during a time of change, 376 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:27.519 major change, like we're going through these days, these ugly 377 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:31.839 days that we're going through, when it's rapid and it's relentless. 378 00:24:32.680 --> 00:24:34.839 Having faith during a time of change is like a 379 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:38.359 trapeze act and a trapeze artist. You've all seen it, 380 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:42.039 and the circus of stuff. Trapeze artist swings out on 381 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:44.559 one bar. The other one comes from the other direction, 382 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:46.480 and at one point they let go of this bar 383 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:49.400 and then grab on to that one and swing across 384 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:54.839 the other side. At some point in that trapeze artist, 385 00:24:55.319 --> 00:24:58.400 you have to let go of this one in order 386 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:00.279 to jump over and grab the other one. At that 387 00:25:00.359 --> 00:25:03.640 point you're hanging, suspending in space with nothing holding you up. 388 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.920 That is the moment of faith in your life. But 389 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:09.319 when you grab on to that, it'll take you to 390 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:13.000 the other side. If you don't take that risk, if 391 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:16.319 you don't step out in faith. You'll get out there 392 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:18.640 and you go, I'm afraid to do that. Then you 393 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:20.839 swing back here, and you swing back here, swing back here, 394 00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:23.759 swing back here. Pretty soon you're dead, sinner, and there's 395 00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:31.160 only one way out, straight down. You gotta let it go. 396 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:35.799 You gotta stop wishing for the good old days. They're 397 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:40.039 not coming back. Besides that, the good old days weren't 398 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:43.039 as good as you think they were. There were problems 399 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:49.119 then too, and pressures and struggles then too. Now before 400 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.599 we look at what God says to do, and we're 401 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:55.200