Speaker 1: Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Hey everybody, this is
Speaker 1: the Bible Teaching Ministry of Rick Warren. We're so glad
Speaker 1: that you've joined us. Today, we're bringing our series called
Speaker 1: Talking About Stuff That Matters.
Speaker 2: To a close.
Speaker 1: In this series, Rix looked into the scriptures and unpacked
Speaker 1: what it means to live in community, have real conversation
Speaker 1: about what matters most, and face discouragement with courage and faith.
Speaker 1: It's honest and hopeful, So please stay tuned. You won't
Speaker 1: want to miss a second. And now the final part
Speaker 1: of a message called when You're Harassed and.
Speaker 2: Bullied Number four. When you have a bully in your life,
Speaker 2: respond positively, respond positively. This is the faith step. You say, well, Rick,
Speaker 2: how in the world do I respond positively? Well, let's
Speaker 2: look at a couple verses Romans, Chapter twelve, Verse twenty
Speaker 2: one says this not be overcome by evil, but overcome
Speaker 2: evil with good. That's how you be positive. You don't
Speaker 2: overcome evil with more evil. You don't fight darkness with darkness.
Speaker 2: You fight darkness with light. You fight hatred with love.
Speaker 2: You fight unkindness with kindness. You don't be overcome by evil,
Speaker 2: but you overcome evil with good. The next verse even
Speaker 2: gets a little bit more specific. Matthew, Chapter five, verse
Speaker 2: forty four, It says, love your enemies. Oh, come on,
Speaker 2: love your enemies and pray for them. Really, pray for
Speaker 2: those who persecute you. Is that easy? No? Is it unusual? Yes?
Speaker 2: Is it a choice? Yes, it is your choice. You
Speaker 2: can choose why. Because I'm going to be better than
Speaker 2: the bully. I'm going to pray for them. I'm going
Speaker 2: to show love to them, and I'm not gonna to
Speaker 2: be as bad as them. I'm not going to be
Speaker 2: equal to them. I'm not going to return evil for
Speaker 2: evil or hatred for hatred. Now, I do need to
Speaker 2: warn you that the more positive you are, the more
Speaker 2: negative people in this world are going to dislike you.
Speaker 2: Jesus was the most positive person who ever lived, and
Speaker 2: they nailed him to a cross. The more positive you are,
Speaker 2: the more negative people. It just grates on them that
Speaker 2: you are positive, your person of faith, you're a person
Speaker 2: of love. How do I do that? How do I
Speaker 2: return good for evil? Well? Number five, here's the next step.
Speaker 2: Refocus on what God says. Refocus on what God says.
Speaker 2: This means? What does the harassment in your life. What
Speaker 2: does the persecution in your life? What does the bullying
Speaker 2: in your life? What does this opposition in your life
Speaker 2: really mean? Well, look at what the Bible says. It
Speaker 2: means one Peter, chapter four, verse fourteen. If you are
Speaker 2: insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed.
Speaker 2: Why Because it means God's spirit rest on you. One
Speaker 2: Peter four fourteen says that when I am harassed for
Speaker 2: being a Christian, it means that God's spirit can be
Speaker 2: seen in my life. The Bible says, all who live
Speaker 2: godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. If I don't
Speaker 2: ever have any harassment or any persecution or any opposition
Speaker 2: in my life, it means I'm not living godly. Does
Speaker 2: anybody even know you're a Christian? If people react to
Speaker 2: Christ in your life, it means that God's spirit can
Speaker 2: be seen in you. That's a good thing. God's spirit
Speaker 2: can be seen in me. Let me tell you another thing.
Speaker 2: It means Acts five forty one. The apostles were full
Speaker 2: of joy that God considered them worthy to suffer disgrace
Speaker 2: for Jesus's name. The second thing the Bible says, when
Speaker 2: I'm hera and I'm bullied, and I'm put down, and
Speaker 2: I'm opposed. It means God can trust me. Notice the
Speaker 2: apostles were full of joy that God considered them worthy.
Speaker 2: He said, they can handle this. God will never put
Speaker 2: more on you than He puts in you to bear
Speaker 2: it up. He's growing your character. It means that God
Speaker 2: can trust you. If God can't trust can trust you, well,
Speaker 2: that means you're still a baby, spiritual baby. Tewod Corinthians,
Speaker 2: chapter four, verse seventeen says this, these troubles, you know,
Speaker 2: the problems we're facing on a day to day basis,
Speaker 2: and the people are coming against this opposition. These troubles
Speaker 2: won't last very long. Yet this time of distress will
Speaker 2: result in God's richest blessing upon us, how long, forever
Speaker 2: and ever. Here's the third thing it means. It means
Speaker 2: not only is God's spirit in me, not only does
Speaker 2: people see God's spirit in me and that he can
Speaker 2: trust me. It means God is going to bless me.
Speaker 2: So he says, there, God is going to give you
Speaker 2: his richest blessings forever and ever. Because of the trials
Speaker 2: and the tribulations and the bullying that you stood up
Speaker 2: to God is going to bless me over and over again.
Speaker 2: In this book, we're taught this simple point. The pain
Speaker 2: is temporary, it's not going to last, but the payoff
Speaker 2: will last forever. So what do you want more of
Speaker 2: temporary pain or long term pleasure? You have to maintain
Speaker 2: an eternal perspective if you're going to deal with the
Speaker 2: people who are the crazy makers in life. And that
Speaker 2: leads to this next point. If you're going to have
Speaker 2: an eternal perspective, the sixth thing you want to do
Speaker 2: when you're facing a bully is remember your reward. Remember
Speaker 2: your eternal reward. One of the most beautiful passages is
Speaker 2: in the Sermon on the Mount. It's called the Beatitudes,
Speaker 2: and it gives eight ways to be happy, and in
Speaker 2: the eighth way. The eighth beatitude is Matthew chapter five,
Speaker 2: verse eleven, and verse twelve, and Jesus promises this. He says, this,
Speaker 2: blessed are you, blessed circle that blessed are you. When
Speaker 2: people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds
Speaker 2: of evil against you because of me, rejoice and be glad,
Speaker 2: because great is your reward in heaven. For in the
Speaker 2: same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Speaker 2: When you respond correctly to the harassmers and the bullies
Speaker 2: and the oppositions in your life, God says, you're right
Speaker 2: up there with Moses and Abraham and Elijah and Elisha
Speaker 2: and all the great prophets of the Bible. He said,
Speaker 2: great is your reward in heaven, For in the same
Speaker 2: way they persecuted the prophets before, you're in good company.
Speaker 2: You're in God's hall of fame. You need to teach
Speaker 2: that to your kids that when they're being harassed for
Speaker 2: their faith because they won't go take drugs, or they
Speaker 2: won't you go get drunk, they won't go have sex
Speaker 2: with somebody, that that is saying, great as you're rewarding
Speaker 2: heaven for in the same way they persecuted the godly
Speaker 2: men and women who were before you. Romans, chapter eight,
Speaker 2: verse seventeen. Look at this verse. Since we are God's children,
Speaker 2: if we share in Christ's suffering, we will also share
Speaker 2: in his what glory? Circle that share in his glory,
Speaker 2: it says. This is an amazing promise that God says,
Speaker 2: if you share in Christ's suffering. Did Christ suffer abuse
Speaker 2: on earth? Yes, harassment on earth, Yes, bullies on earth, yes, opposition, yes, criticism, Yes.
Speaker 2: Were the people who tried to take advantage of Jesus? Yes?
Speaker 2: Were there people who plotted against Yes? And there maybe
Speaker 2: people like that in your school or in your office.
Speaker 2: But it says, since we are God's children, if we
Speaker 2: share Christ's suffering, that's the same thing Jesus went through,
Speaker 2: we will also share in his glory. Do you realize
Speaker 2: what that means? You are going to share in God's
Speaker 2: glory for eternity. You are going to share in God's
Speaker 2: glory in heaven forever and ever and ever because you
Speaker 2: put up with harassment and bullying and being put down
Speaker 2: for your faith, when you stand tall for integrity and
Speaker 2: humility and generosity. What does it mean to share God's
Speaker 2: glory in heaven. Well, I can't even explain it. It's
Speaker 2: going to be so glorious. But let me just give
Speaker 2: you an analogy. Imagine a movie marquee like where they
Speaker 2: announce new movies that are coming up, and it says,
Speaker 2: in the marquis now starring for eternity, Jesus Christ co
Speaker 2: starring for eternity your name. Can you imagine that you're
Speaker 2: going to share in the glory of God forever and
Speaker 2: ever and ever. That'll be worth it. And because of
Speaker 2: those first six things that I just mentioned to you.
Speaker 2: When you are having harassment for your faith or anything else,
Speaker 2: but it's Satan's behind it, because he's trying to take
Speaker 2: you down. It may be for your race, it may
Speaker 2: be for your gender, but he knows you're a Christian.
Speaker 2: The final step is this number seven. Remain faithful. Remain faithful,
Speaker 2: Just keep doing the right thing. You don't need anybody
Speaker 2: else's approval to be happy. You don't need their opinions.
Speaker 2: You don't need the clique, you don't need the club,
Speaker 2: you don't need the popular people, you don't need the bullys.
Speaker 2: You just keep doing the right thing. You keep persevering
Speaker 2: in doing what is right. You know, I learned a
Speaker 2: long time ago that people can laugh at you, but
Speaker 2: they can't stop you. They have no ability to stop
Speaker 2: you from believing and acting and doing the right thing.
Speaker 2: They can laugh at you, but they cannot stop you.
Speaker 2: One Peter, chapter four or nineteen says this, So those
Speaker 2: who suffer according to God's will, By the way, look
Speaker 2: at that verse. There. Some people think that, well, if
Speaker 2: I'm suffering. I'm sinning. Oh no, no, no, Did you
Speaker 2: realize that some suffering in life is God's will? Those
Speaker 2: who suffer according to God's will? There are some brands
Speaker 2: Christianity thing. If you're ever sick, you're ever suffering, you
Speaker 2: must be out of the will of God. Well, that
Speaker 2: verse right there disproves that point that the Bible says
Speaker 2: that sometimes we suffer according to God's will. Sometimes it's
Speaker 2: God's will for you to be sick. Sometimes it's God's
Speaker 2: will for you to suffer. Sometimes it's God's will for
Speaker 2: you to have problems. Why Because He's more in your
Speaker 2: character than your comfort, and he's more interested in growing
Speaker 2: you to be like Christ than he is making life easy. So,
Speaker 2: those who suffer according to God's will, what should we
Speaker 2: do when the bullies and harassers are out there? We
Speaker 2: should commit ourselves to their faithful creator and continue to
Speaker 2: do good. What does that mean? Be faithful? Remain faithful,
Speaker 2: commit yourself to your faithful creator, and you continue to
Speaker 2: do good and be faithful. Let me ask you a
Speaker 2: very personal question. What does it take to stop you
Speaker 2: from doing the right thing? One person looks kind of sideways.
Speaker 2: Somebody makes a comment what does it take you to
Speaker 2: stop you from living for Christ? You're afraid of a
Speaker 2: smirk or a smile, or a laugh or a giggle.
Speaker 2: What does it take to stop you from praying in public? Well?
Speaker 2: What would other people think? Why do you care about
Speaker 2: what other people think? God is looking for people who
Speaker 2: cannot be stopped. They cannot be stopped by bullying. They
Speaker 2: cannot be stopped by harassment. They cannot be stopped by intimidation.
Speaker 2: They cannot be stopped by put downs. They cannot be
Speaker 2: stopped by political correctness. They cannot be stopped by peer pressure.
Speaker 2: Two Timothy three twelve said this, everyone who wants to
Speaker 2: live as God desires in Christ Jesus will be hurt.
Speaker 2: If you choose not to go along with the crowd
Speaker 2: at school, or with the crowd at work, or with
Speaker 2: the crowd anywhere else. You can expect to be harassed.
Speaker 2: You can expect to be ridiculed. Sometimes you can expect
Speaker 2: to be bullied. When a teenager refuses, as I said,
Speaker 2: to take drugs or or to smoke, or or they
Speaker 2: make a commitment to wait until marriage for sex. Somebody's
Speaker 2: not gonna like that. You know this is true with
Speaker 2: adults just as much it is with kids. I know
Speaker 2: a wealthy businessman who literally had it all. I mean
Speaker 2: he even had two maids, full time maids, and a limousine.
Speaker 2: And he became Christian. And when he became a Christian
Speaker 2: started following Jesus, all his values changed. And one day
Speaker 2: he was asked by the board of his organization of
Speaker 2: his business to do something unethical at work, and as Christian,
Speaker 2: he refused. You know what happened. He was fired, and
Speaker 2: he was left unemployed, and he couldn't find a job,
Speaker 2: and he lost so much that he even had to
Speaker 2: move in with his friend. And it was actually I
Speaker 2: followed this story. It was actually a two year test
Speaker 2: of faith before things finally turned around. What do you
Speaker 2: think is going on in that guy's mind for the
Speaker 2: two years because I'm trying to do the right thing,
Speaker 2: and all of a sudden I lose everything. I lose
Speaker 2: all of the physical attributes and accouterments of wealth. And
Speaker 2: it was a two year test of faith before actually
Speaker 2: anything turned around. Yet he refused to compromise his integrity.
Speaker 2: He refused to back down on his witness, and he
Speaker 2: would not give in to pressure. I asked him, how
Speaker 2: in the world. Did you do that? How did you
Speaker 2: hold on going from a limo and two maids to
Speaker 2: having to live with a friend? How did you hold
Speaker 2: on during those two years? In that test? And he said, Rick,
Speaker 2: I did it by clinging to God's promise. In Matthew
Speaker 2: nineteen twenty nine, I went and looked it up. Matthew
Speaker 2: nineteen twenty nine says this. Jesus says, anyone who has
Speaker 2: given up houses, or lost brothers and sisters, or fathers
Speaker 2: or mothers or children. In other words, even family members
Speaker 2: turn on you, or you've lost property. He said, have
Speaker 2: you lost anything for my sake? You will receive back
Speaker 2: Notice this ae hundred times as much in return, and
Speaker 2: you will have eternal life. That is a quote of
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. Do you believe Jesus Christ a hundred times
Speaker 2: as much return on your investment? He says, whatever you
Speaker 2: give up for Christ, you will be rewarded one hundred
Speaker 2: times over plus eternal life. Do you believe that this
Speaker 2: is the same. If you don't believe that, then you
Speaker 2: can't believe that Jesus will save you, because he's the
Speaker 2: same one. When you consider the results of being faithful
Speaker 2: to Christ in the midst of persecution, in the midst
Speaker 2: of harassment, in the midst of being put down, in
Speaker 2: the midst of bullying. When you consider the results, is
Speaker 2: the harassment worth it? It's not even a question, of
Speaker 2: course it is, of course it is. I remember reading
Speaker 2: a quote a long time ago from President Woodrow Wilson,
Speaker 2: the US President, and he said this, I'd rather temporarily
Speaker 2: lose with a cause that will ultimately succeed, then temporarily
Speaker 2: succeed with a cause that will ultimately fail. People say, well,
Speaker 2: you're on the wrong side of history in this issue.
Speaker 2: It doesn't matter what history says. What doesn't matter to
Speaker 2: be on the right side of history. What matters to
Speaker 2: being on the right side. I'd rather temporarily lose for
Speaker 2: a cause that will ultimately succeed, then temporarily succeed with
Speaker 2: a cause that will ultimately fail. Now let me wrap
Speaker 2: this up. Let me close with some personal questions. If
Speaker 2: it became illegal, for instance, in the United States and
Speaker 2: a crime to follow Jesus here or in your country,
Speaker 2: in Germany, or in Buenos Aires, in Argentina or China,
Speaker 2: or in the Philippines or anywhere else, If it became
Speaker 2: illegal in a crime to follow Jesus in your country?
Speaker 2: Would there be enough evidence to convict you. Let me
Speaker 2: give you another question. When people say insulting things about
Speaker 2: other Christians? Do you wimp out and say nothing? And
Speaker 2: you don't speak? Up? Here? What I call a Arctic
Speaker 2: river Christian frozen at the mouth. When people say insulting
Speaker 2: things about Christians, don't do you wimp out and say nothing?
Speaker 2: Do you ever stand up for a brother and sister?
Speaker 2: Let me phrase it this way, what is your faith
Speaker 2: costing you? Well, in much of the world, it's literally
Speaker 2: costing believers their lives. We have it so easy. We
Speaker 2: don't have persecution. We might have harassment, we might have
Speaker 2: political correctness, but we don't have persecution. You're not in
Speaker 2: danger of being arrested and thrown in jail. What is
Speaker 2: your faith costing you? And at what cost would you
Speaker 2: stay faithful to Christ? You see, you're not really ready
Speaker 2: to live until you have decided what's worth dying for.
Speaker 2: Jesus said there's a price to be paid for following him.
Speaker 2: Nowhere in scripture does Jesus say the popularity on Earth
Speaker 2: is guaranteed. No popularity on Earth is not guaranteed. He said,
Speaker 2: people are not going to like you for doing the
Speaker 2: right thing. But reward in heaven is guaranteed, and it's
Speaker 2: going to go on and on forever. Jim Elliott once said,
Speaker 2: he is no fool who gives up what he cannot
Speaker 2: keep for that which he cannot lose. So let me
Speaker 2: end with just two statements of Jesus. In Mark chapter eight,
Speaker 2: verse thirty eight, Jesus says this, if you're ashamed of
Speaker 2: Me and my commands in this godless and sinful generation,
Speaker 2: I will be ashamed of you when I come back
Speaker 2: in glory with the Holy Angels. That is a frightening statement.
Speaker 2: It's sobering and Matthew ten, verse thirty two. But for
Speaker 2: those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I
Speaker 2: will do the same for them before my father in heaven.
Speaker 2: I want that true of you. I want it true
Speaker 2: of me. God is looking for men and women, a courage,
Speaker 2: men and women, a courage who aren't afraid to publicly
Speaker 2: identify themselves at school, on the campus, on the soccer field,
Speaker 2: in the office, in the workspace, in the marketplace, who
Speaker 2: aren't afraid to publicly identify themselves as follower of Jesus.
Speaker 2: So let me encourage you to take a risk for
Speaker 2: Jesus this week. Have the courage to let people know
Speaker 2: where you stand. Don't be bullied anymore. Be courageous. What
Speaker 2: risk will you take this week to identify yourself as
Speaker 2: a follower of Jesus Christ. Maybe you need to start
Speaker 2: praying before your meals in public in restaurants. That's a statement.
Speaker 2: Nobody's going to throw you out of their restaurant for that.
Speaker 2: They might in some countries, but not here. Take your
Speaker 2: Bible to work with you, put it on your desk.
Speaker 2: I dare you to do that. Make a public stand
Speaker 2: if you haven't been baptized, that's the first stand you
Speaker 2: need to take. Your public statement of coming out saying
Speaker 2: I'm not ashamed to say I love Jesus Christ. And
Speaker 2: then let me encourage you to do this. Text a
Speaker 2: non believer this week, somebody who doesn't know Jesus. Text
Speaker 2: them and just say, friend, I'm praying for you. That's
Speaker 2: all you need to say. Who's going to be upset
Speaker 2: about that I'm praying for you. Text a non believer,
Speaker 2: I'm praying for you this week. Let me pray for you. Jesus.
Speaker 2: We've gone through a lot of major issues in this series,
Speaker 2: and this is another big one. And I pray that
Speaker 2: today that people will take these seven steps and begin
Speaker 2: to build the courage and the backbone and the integrity
Speaker 2: to be willing to stand up in a world that
Speaker 2: is increasingly getting darker and darker in culture. Help us
Speaker 2: to be people of kindness in an unkind world, people
Speaker 2: of love and an unloving world, people of integrity in
Speaker 2: a world that practices dishonesty and deceit and deception in
Speaker 2: every area. And help us to stand firm and speak
Speaker 2: the truth and love, knowing that great is our reward
Speaker 2: in heaven. Thank you that you promised that blessed are you,
Speaker 2: and men will revile you and persecute you, and say
Speaker 2: all manner of evil against you falsely. For my sake,
Speaker 2: he told us, rejoice and be exceeding glad. Great is
Speaker 2: your reward in heaven. We look forward to that reward.
Speaker 2: I pray for every student, every grade school student, every
Speaker 2: teenage junior, high and high school student, every college student
Speaker 2: who've been bullied or harassed for whatever reason, that they
Speaker 2: will stand firm and realize that you, realize that you
Speaker 2: can trust them, that God's spirit can be seen in
Speaker 2: them and that it's only temporary, but the rewards will
Speaker 2: last forever. Now you pray, say Lord, I don't want
Speaker 2: to be a weak follower of you. I want to
Speaker 2: be a strong woman of God. I want to be
Speaker 2: a strong man of God. I don't want to whimp out.
Speaker 2: I don't want to let society or bullies or anybody
Speaker 2: else determine what I believe, or how I act or
Speaker 2: how I feel. I want to be a God pleaser,
Speaker 2: not a person pleaser. If you've never invited Jesus Christ
Speaker 2: in your life, say Jesus Christ, put your spirit inside me.
Speaker 2: I need your strength. Can't do this on your own.
Speaker 2: I open my life to you, and I humbly ask
Speaker 2: you to accept me into your family by your grace.
Speaker 2: I know I need you, and I pray this in
Speaker 2: your name. Amen. You know, if you just prayed that
Speaker 2: prayer for the very first time, or you just recommitted
Speaker 2: your life to Jesus again today, would you let me
Speaker 2: know about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment.
Speaker 2: So write me Rick at pastor Rick dot com and say, Rick,
Speaker 2: I prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life
Speaker 2: to Christ and I'll send you some material that will
Speaker 2: help you on your journey with Jesus, and I'll also
Speaker 2: pray for you. God bless you. Wow.
Speaker 1: Such a great message today and every day. Thanks Pastor Rick. Hey,
Speaker 1: do you know someone who's graduating this year? Maybe it's
Speaker 1: your son, a daughter, grandchild, perhaps a neighbor or even
Speaker 1: a family only friend. As you celebrate this important milestone
Speaker 1: and as they begin the next phase of their journey,
Speaker 1: they need to know that God created them, loves them,
Speaker 1: and has a plan for their life. So that's why
Speaker 1: Rick Warren created a special resource just for graduates called
Speaker 1: The Purpose Driven Life, Selected Thoughts and Scriptures for the Graduate.
Speaker 1: It's filled with inspirational scripture, biblical wisdom from Rick, and
Speaker 1: beautiful imagery. This unique hardcover giftbook provides a priceless reminder
Speaker 1: of the bountiful life that God has planned for your
Speaker 1: graduate and it's going to inspire them to seek His
Speaker 1: unique plan and purpose for their life. So please don't
Speaker 1: miss this opportunity to minister to the graduate in your
Speaker 1: life today. Be sure to request your copy of The
Speaker 1: Purpose Driven Life for Graduates when you give a gift
Speaker 1: to Daily Hope. Just go to Pastorick dot com. To
Speaker 1: get your copy of this great resource, that's Pastor Rick
Speaker 1: or you can text the word hope to seven oh
Speaker 1: three oh nine. Again, that's the word hope to seven
Speaker 1: oh three oh nine. And we thank you so much
Speaker 1: for your support. It helps us share the hope of
Speaker 1: Christ with people all around the world. Be sure to
Speaker 1: join us next time as we look into God's.
Speaker 2: Word for our daily hope.
Speaker 1: This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and
Speaker 1: your generous financial support.