WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.160 Hey everyone, thanks for joining us today on Pastor Rick's 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:06.960 Daily Hope. 3 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:08.359 This is the place. 4 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:12.039 Where Rick Warren brings you uplifting messages from God's Word 5 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:15.759 every day to help you grow deeper in faith and 6 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:19.679 live a life with purpose. Today we're continuing in a 7 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:24.320 powerful series called Toolbox for Life. In this series, Rick 8 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:28.600 teaches us four essential skills that you need to succeed 9 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:32.759 wherever God has placed you, whether it's at home, at work, 10 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:36.520 at school, or in your community. These are tools that 11 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:41.920 every follower of Jesus absolutely needs. And now here's Pastor 12 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:44.960 Rick with the final part of a message called knowing 13 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:48.320 what matters most Now. 14 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.520 One of the greatest weaknesses of our modern culture. There 15 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.399 are many, but one of the greatest ones is short 16 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:00.479 term thinking. Our society has taught us that all that 17 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:02.799 matters is here and now. 18 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:04.519 That's all that matters. 19 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:06.920 Tomorrow, it doesn't matter, next year, it doesn't matter a 20 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.680 thousand years from day, no matter eternity, Heaven certainly doesn't matter. 21 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:14.159 All that matters is here and now live for today. 22 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.239 And what we're doing is we're giving our allegiance to things. 23 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:18.040 That won't last. 24 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:22.200 Here's what the Bible says the world and its desires 25 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:26.319 will pass away. But those who do the will of 26 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:31.319 God what read it with me will live forever. So 27 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:36.120 to live only for here and now is incredibly short sighted. 28 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:40.879 It's incredibly short sighted. Now, when you are tempted, I 29 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.719 don't care what temptation is bad for you. I don't 30 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:47.680 care what's your weakness when you're tempted. Temptation is never 31 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.719 just between right and wrong. Temptation is not just between 32 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:58.120 good and bad. Temptation is not just between what's best 33 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:04.799 and what's not best. Temptation is it is always a 34 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:10.199 dilemma between now or later. Now or later? 35 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:12.039 Am I going to do what. 36 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:14.520 God says and enjoy the benefits later? Or am I 37 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:16.639 going to do what I want to enjoy the benefits now? 38 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:21.360 Every temptation really comes down to now or later. And 39 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:23.319 it's true. With my money, am I going to spend 40 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:24.639 it now? Or am I going to save it and 41 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:29.680 enjoy it later invest it in heaven? But with my money, 42 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:32.400 with my schedule, am I going to do what's easy 43 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:33.960 for me to now? Or am I going to do 44 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:37.719 the tough thing now and enjoy the benefit later? With 45 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:39.879 my mouth, am I going to say what I really 46 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.560 would like to say right now, or am I going 47 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:47.120 to hold it back and enjoy the benefit of it later. 48 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:51.680 Temptation always between now and later, And so I have 49 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:54.840 to ask the question, what's going to last the longest? 50 00:02:55.120 --> 00:03:02.000 Second Corinthians four eighteen says this we focus, we focus 51 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:05.479 our attention. This is a key to success, not on 52 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:10.919 what we can see around us, but what we cannot 53 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:15.960 see with our eyes. For everything that we see, all 54 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:19.840 the physical things on earth is temporary. Everything is seen 55 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:22.199 is temporary. This building is temporary. It's not gonna last forever. 56 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.520 This table is not gon'na last forever. The things we 57 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.319 see are temporary and will only last a short time, 58 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:34.080 but what is unseen is eternal and will last forever. 59 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:35.280 So the first. 60 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.240 Question is what's going to be the authority of my life? Me, 61 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:45.159 the world or God. That's pretty much it. Question number two, 62 00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:48.000 what's going to last the longest? I need to do 63 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:50.520 less of my life and things that a short term, 64 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:52.520 and more of my life than things are long term, 65 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:55.280 because God has long term plans for you for millions 66 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.319 and millions and trillions and trillions of years. Third question 67 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:04.520 that will determine your destiny. Will I choose what's easy 68 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:09.960 or what's best? Oh man, we face this every single 69 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:12.599 day of our lives in a thousand different ways. Will 70 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:17.639 I choose what's easy or what's best? In other words, 71 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:21.519 am I going to actually live what I claim to believe? Now, 72 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:27.399 living by your values is called alignment. Living by your 73 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:34.120 values is called integrity. Living by your values is called congruence. 74 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:37.560 Now this is redundant. 75 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:41.160 But isn't it easier to do what's easy? 76 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:44.759 Duh? That's why they call it easy. 77 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:48.959 It's easier to do what's easy than to do what's right. 78 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:51.920 And a thousand times a day I get a choice 79 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:56.160 between what's easy and what's right. Okay, what's easy and 80 00:04:56.199 --> 00:05:01.120 what's best. When I do the right thing, that's called congruits. 81 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:04.079 It's called alignment with what I say I believe. Now, 82 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.600 why did I point this out? George Gallup did a 83 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:11.319 survey of Americans and he discovered the number one cause 84 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:16.720 of stress in America. He said, the number one cause 85 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:22.279 of stress in America is what he called incongruent values 86 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:24.160 or incongruent lifestyle. 87 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:25.279 What does that mean? 88 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:30.040 We're not living what we say we believe. We believe 89 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:32.519 one thing and we act in another way and he says, 90 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:33.600 you weren't wired for that. 91 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:34.879 Your body wasn't wired for it. 92 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:38.680 And that's what makes you stressed out, nervous, under tingsent 93 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:41.639 because incongruent values. When we say we believe this and 94 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:45.319 we act in a different way, it doesn't work. So 95 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:48.399 I've got to figure out will I choose what's easy 96 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:53.439 or will I choose what's best. Now I've asked Mike Brook, 97 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:56.560 who's our college pastor, to come and talk about what 98 00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:58.639 that may mean in a practical way. 99 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:04.319 Would you give a warm welcome to Pa Mike? Anybody's 100 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:05.120 five sets? 101 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:11.319 So here's a question, will I live what I claim 102 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:14.040 to believe? Will we live what we claim to believe? 103 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:17.399 Because you see spiritual maturities not about just what we know, 104 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.959 but it's how quickly we change and react to the 105 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.600 Word of God. And so there's four areas in our 106 00:06:23.639 --> 00:06:26.560 life that we may need to change and make changes 107 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:28.439 this week, and so you might write these down on 108 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:28.959 your outline. 109 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:30.720 The first one is if I live. 110 00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:33.399 What I claim to believe, that may mean changing what 111 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:37.000 I watch and what I read. And here's the question, 112 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:39.879 what are you filling your mind with? Are you filling 113 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:44.399 your mind with what's right or with junk. The average person, 114 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:47.399 by the age of sixty five has watched nine and 115 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:51.720 a half years worth of television. Isn't that unbelievable? Nine 116 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:54.560 and a half years. I took one of the hours 117 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:58.360 of those years and I watched this documentary and it's 118 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:01.279 called Supersize Me, and maybe we've seen it. And in 119 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:04.879 this documentary, this man, who's a healthy man, takes thirty 120 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:09.480 days and he eats nothing but McDonald's morning, noon, and night. 121 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:12.560 He's only allowed to order off the McDonald's menu. And 122 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:14.879 by the end of his time, at the end of 123 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:19.519 the month, he was sick. He was overweight, had serious 124 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:22.199 health issues, and he said, every day I just feel gross. 125 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:25.839 And what he was trying to prove. 126 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:27.959 Is that while fast food is easy, you can't live 127 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.680 on fast food without there just being some serious repercussions 128 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:33.839 to living on only fast food. 129 00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:36.639 And some of us in our lives, we wonder why 130 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:37.839 we struggle. 131 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:39.480 In our relationship with Christ, but we've been filling our 132 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:43.199 mind with nothing but junk food this whole time. In fact, 133 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.160 in saw him one nineteen thirty seven, it says, turn 134 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:51.879 my eyes away from worthless things. God, did you focus 135 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:54.879 my eyes on things that are important. And so here's 136 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:58.879 the thing. Do your media habits represent what you say 137 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.399 is important to you? Or let me put it this way, 138 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:05.639 do you fill your mind with as much scripture and 139 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:09.600 as much truth as you do with Netflix and internet surfing. 140 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:12.439 That's a good question to ask yourself. 141 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.040 And if if you'd say those are out of line, 142 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:15.480 maybe it's time for a change. 143 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:17.680 If we live what we claim to believe. 144 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:20.240 The second change it might mean is that we need 145 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:24.759 to change some friends. Do your friendships build you up 146 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.279 or are they pulling you away from Jesus? It might 147 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.360 mean we need to make some changes. And here's the thing. 148 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:34.960 It's important for us to have people that we're influencing. 149 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:37.960 But you can't surround yourself with people that are far 150 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:38.600 from God. 151 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:41.000 And expect to grow closer to God. 152 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:44.480 As Pastor Rick always says, you can't soar with the 153 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:46.440 eagles if you're gonna run with the turkeys. 154 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:50.360 But here's the thing. 155 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:52.799 Who you run with dictates how you run the race, 156 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:55.960 and many of us hope to run well in the 157 00:08:56.039 --> 00:08:58.360 race of life. But if you're surrounding yourself with people 158 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:00.360 that don't do you any goods, The Bible said this 159 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:05.960 in one Corinthens fifteen thirty three. Don't be misled. Bad 160 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:12.039 company corrupts good character. It also says in Exodus twenty 161 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:15.360 three too, do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. 162 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:19.559 And if your friends are doing nothing but dragging you down, 163 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.960 maybe it's a sign to make a change. The third 164 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:26.000 area you might need to change is maybe living out 165 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:29.080 what we believe means changing how I spend my money. 166 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:34.080 Here's the question, is most of your money spent on 167 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:35.000 selfish things? 168 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:36.960 Or are you generous where you can be? 169 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:40.360 See we might not be able to be generous in 170 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:45.120 every area and every opportunity, but are you taking opportunities 171 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:49.240 to be generous where you can? The Bible says Jesus 172 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:52.440 gives words saying don't store up things on this earth, 173 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:55.519 but he says in Matthew six nineteen to twenty, don't 174 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:58.399 store treasures here on earth where they can erode away 175 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.960 or maybe stolen, store them in heaven where they will 176 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:08.440 never lose their value. The only way to secure your 177 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:11.240 money is by actually being generous with it and storing 178 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:12.679 up the treasures. 179 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:15.200 In heaven and leaving a legacy. 180 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.720 The fourth area that living what you believe might mean 181 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.960 we have to change you might mean changing how I 182 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:25.399 treat other people might mean I have to change the 183 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:27.639 way I treat other people. As Pastor Ricks has said 184 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:30.480 many times, the Bible tells us that we're to use 185 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:34.399 things and love people. And when we confuse these last 186 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:38.200 two areas, we end up using people to get things. 187 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:42.879 And what I see in Jesus and what you see 188 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:45.480 from Jesus in the Bible is if you want to 189 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:48.279 be great, you need to become a servant. In fact, 190 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.840 in one of his very last times, what he does 191 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:54.080 in those last moments is he wraps a towel around 192 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:57.519 his waist, gets down on his knees, and washes his 193 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:02.480 disciple's feet, and he says things like no servant is 194 00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:05.600 greater than their master, demonstrating if I am this great 195 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:07.879 I you should be able to serve just as much 196 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:08.519 as I did. 197 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:10.600 He even uses. 198 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:12.039 Phrases like if you want to be great in the 199 00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:14.240 Kingdom of God, then you're gonna have to become a 200 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.440 servant of all, or phrases like the first will be 201 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:21.559 last and the last will be first. Showing greatness in 202 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.840 the Kingdom comes by how you serve and love others. 203 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:28.000 In fact, and two Corinthians five sixteen. 204 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:31.919 It says, so from now on we regard no one 205 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:36.000 from a worldly point of view, saying this. The world's 206 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:40.440 point of view is use people to get things. God's 207 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:45.840 point of view is use things to love people. And 208 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:49.679 so here's here it is. It's it's tough to do 209 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:53.200 these things. It's not easy to accomplish all these things, 210 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.120 to ask these questions, to make the changes. 211 00:11:55.159 --> 00:11:57.200 In fact, what's easy is to. 212 00:11:57.200 --> 00:11:59.639 Keep living in the moment, to keep doing what feels 213 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:00.600 right right now. 214 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:03.759 A few years ago, I ran a marathon. 215 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:05.519 It's the only time I ran a marathon, and I 216 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:07.600 made If you don't know what a marathon is, it's 217 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:11.200 twenty six point two miles of running consecutively. And I 218 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.440 made the decision to run a marathon while I was 219 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:16.440 in my bedroom, in my bed eating ice cream, watching 220 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:18.960 Biggest Loser. That's how I wish I was making that up, 221 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:24.399 but I was watching the show and I went, they 222 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:26.879 made the contestants run a marathon. I went, I'm going 223 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:28.879 to run a marathon this year, and so I gave 224 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:31.480 myself six months to train, and I woke up the 225 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:33.639 next morning, laced up my shoes and went, I'm gonna 226 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:37.000 run as far as I can until I'm tired. I 227 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:40.120 made it maybe a mile, and I got to the 228 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:41.679 mile and I was like, I only got to do 229 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.200 this twenty six more times to get to the end. 230 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:46.320 That's I'm not doing well. 231 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.279 But over the course of six months, I trained and 232 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:52.320 ran every day. And I remember the night before the marathon, 233 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:54.919 I was sitting with my wife and my brother and 234 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:57.159 they said, are you excited for the race tomorrow? And 235 00:12:57.200 --> 00:13:01.159 I was like, no, I'll be excited when I'm at 236 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:02.600 the finish line and I'm. 237 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:04.000 Done running tomorrow. 238 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:06.919 And my brother said something that was so profound, and 239 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:09.279 I don't think he knew how profound, how much this 240 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:12.360 stuck out to me, but he said, Mike, you've trained, 241 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:16.039 now sit back and enjoy the challenge and keep putting 242 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:18.759 one foot in front of the other. And that's exactly 243 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.559 what I did for the first eighteen miles. And about 244 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.080 mile eighteen, my hips started to hurt and I wanted 245 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:28.080 so bad to stop, and I remember looking and going 246 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:30.519 at mile nineteen, I'm stopping and I'm going to stretch 247 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:33.240 because that's just going to feel so good to stretch. 248 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:35.919 And at mile nineteen I'm looking ahead and I see 249 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.799 a guy who stops and stretches, and I'm kind of 250 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:40.919 drooling a little bit, going, oh my gosh, that looks 251 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:43.320 like that feels so good. That's exactly what I need 252 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:45.200 right now. When I get to that mile marker, and 253 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:45.519 then he. 254 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:46.399 Falls over. 255 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:51.159 And he waves and the medical team lifts him off, 256 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:52.320 and I'm like, don't. 257 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:55.440 Stop running, just keep going, just keep on going. 258 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.559 And so I ran by it no joke, And the 259 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.639 remaining eight miles I had, I saw six people drop 260 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.799 off the race. The last one was at mile twenty 261 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:10.360 five with the finish line in view, and I remember thinking, please, 262 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:13.200 don't stop, and he stopped and that was it. And 263 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:16.080 here's the thing many of us, in our race of life, 264 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.279 in our journeys, we think. 265 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:22.240 It'll feel so good to just stop and stretch. 266 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:24.879 You know what I need. I just need to stop 267 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:27.279 and stretch my mind. I need a mental break. And 268 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:30.080 so I'm gonna escape. You know what I need. I 269 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:32.679 just need to escape with some friends that aren't gonna 270 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:35.399 remind me. I just need to escape with my finances 271 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.159 and be selfish. I can escape with the way I 272 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.720 treat people. And here's the thing I want you to 273 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:45.120 run the way the race. Well, I want you to 274 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:47.759 run the way the race in such a way that 275 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:51.000 at the end you hear from Jesus, well done, my 276 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:55.159 good and faithful servant. And here's how that happens. And 277 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:57.360 some of you are going. These are four changes. They're 278 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.440 not easy, and of course not, but we don't have 279 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:02.759 to do this on our own. In fact, in Philippians four, 280 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:06.240 Pin thirteen says I can do everything God asked me 281 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:09.240 to with the help of Christ, who gives me the 282 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:13.559 strength and the power. Meaning you're not running this race 283 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.240 on your own. You don't have to do this on 284 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:19.200 your own power. But we have the power of Jesus 285 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:22.200 behind us. So Pastor Rick is going to come by 286 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.000 and teach point four. 287 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:34.159 But now, as Mike was saying, it's not easy to 288 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:36.159 live for the truth, it's not easy to live for Christ. 289 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.279 It's not easy to have good Godly values when everything 290 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:43.320 in the world is exact opposite. If it were easy 291 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:48.080 to live for Christ, everybody would do it. There's a 292 00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:51.840 reason why everybody does not live for Christ. It's easier. 293 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:59.080 It's easier to be self centered, it's easier to go 294 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:02.159 the way of the world. It's easier to swim with 295 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:06.080 the fish instead of upstream. And so we come to 296 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:11.159 the fourth question that will determine your destiny. Question number four. 297 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:17.240 Is it worth the price? Paul says in Corinthians. If 298 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:19.720 all we have is here on earth, we Christians are 299 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:23.600 most miserable of all Why because it's not easy to 300 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:27.759 live for Christ in a world that doesn't like Christ. 301 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:34.279 And so the Bible tells us this question, is. 302 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.399 It worth it? Now? 303 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:41.120 Everything in life has a price tag. Everything in life 304 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:45.200 has a price tag. Anytime you say yes to something, 305 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.720 then you're saying no to something else. There's a price 306 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.720 to be paid. I did this, so I didn't do that. 307 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:56.679 There's a price to be paid in every area of life. 308 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:01.240 Is the price? Is the prize worth the pricet in 309 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:03.679 following Christ and doing the right thing, and doing the 310 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.200 hard thing, not the easy thing, and living for long 311 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:10.440 term reward rather than short term relief. Well, let me 312 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:12.799 just close with a few verses. I'm just gonna go 313 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:15.720 right one right after another Matthew sixteen twenty six. 314 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.640 Jesus says this, what profit? 315 00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:26.279 What profit is there if you gain the whole world. 316 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:28.400 And lose eternal life? 317 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:33.839 What can be compared with the value of eternal life. 318 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:37.319 That's a value statement right there. Look up here on 319 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:39.759 the screen. Here's the same verse from the message paraphrase, 320 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:43.759 What kind of deal is it to get everything you 321 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:48.000 want but lose yourself or your soul? What could you 322 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.880 ever trade your soul for? Well, I tell you people 323 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:52.519 are trading their soul for a lot of things. They're 324 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:54.880 trading for sex, they're trading it for drugs, they're trading 325 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.759 for self centeredness, they're trading it for materialism. A lot 326 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.799 of people are trading their soul today. A lot of 327 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:02.079 people are trading their soul. 328 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:03.279 Is it worth it? 329 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:08.480 Absolutely not. It's a poor investment. It's a dumb decision. 330 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:12.839 It's a bad choice. Look at this next verse on 331 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:16.720 the screen. Jesus said, the things that are considered of 332 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:21.519 great value by people are worth nothing in God's sight. Question, 333 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:23.880 do you want to live your life based on what. 334 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:24.880 People think is important? 335 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:26.519 Or do you want to live your life based on 336 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:27.880 what God thinks important? 337 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:29.319 Which of those two do you think. 338 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:32.680 Is gonna matter when you die and you go into 339 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:35.240 eternity and spend trillions and trillions of years in the eternity, 340 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:38.920 Which is gonna matter? People's opinion? Or what God has 341 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:41.480 to say, God's truth. Let me give you one more 342 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:45.720 look here on the screen, mark ten thirty one. Jesus said, 343 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:48.920 many people who seem to be important now will be 344 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:52.559 the least important eternity now. I said earlier that every 345 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:57.440 temptation is a choice between short term relief and long 346 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:58.200 term reward. 347 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:01.319 But it's also something else. 348 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:05.960 Every temptation is always a choice between God or me. 349 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:12.400 In every temptation, I am choosing either God or I'm 350 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:15.960 choosing me. It's not just good and evil, right and wrong, 351 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:20.079 better and best. It's a choice. Every temptation is a 352 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.799 choice between what God has said to do or what 353 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.799 I want to do. God or me. That is a 354 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:30.119 fatal flaw to choose what I want instead of what 355 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:34.680 God wants. Now, some of you have been coming to 356 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:36.759 saddle Back, and some of you are at the campuses 357 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:43.839 and you're watching this, and you've been thinking about becoming 358 00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:46.039 a Christian. You haven't become a Christian. You haven't stepped 359 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:49.160 across the line. Maybe you come with your spouse or 360 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.960 a boyfriend or girlfriend or a friend, and you haven't 361 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:54.880 stepped across the line. As a pastor who loves you, 362 00:19:55.359 --> 00:19:58.519 I just need to be real honest with you. I 363 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:00.039 need to be real honest with you before you you 364 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:02.559 make the decision to give your life to Jesus Christ. 365 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:09.720 You cannot follow Christ without a shift in your values. Sorry, 366 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:14.440 you can't. You can't say I'm gonna follow Christ and 367 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.680 by the way, live like hell. I want to go 368 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:21.720 to heaven, but I want to live like hell. I 369 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:23.480 want to go to heaven, but I want to be 370 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:25.960 the judge of my own life. I want to choose 371 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:27.799 what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna listen to me now, 372 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:30.440 what the Bible says, I want to do. What the 373 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:32.559 what the world says is important. And I'm going to 374 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:35.279 spend most of my life trying to look good, trying 375 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:39.480 to feel good, and try to have the goods. You can't. 376 00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:41.039 Don't even waste your effort. 377 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:41.920 You can't. 378 00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:47.920 Following Christ requires something called repentance. Now we don't understand 379 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:51.160 that word because nobody uses it anymore. When people say 380 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:52.519 the word repents, they think of a guy on the 381 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:55.720 street with a sandwich sign that says turn or burn, 382 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:57.680 You're gonna die and fry while we go to the 383 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:01.960 sky in a like holding up a big sign repent 384 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:06.920 Repentance is not a bad word. It actually simply means. 385 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:10.480 It's the Greek words meta noia, which means to change 386 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:11.000 your mind. 387 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:14.480 That's all it means. Repent means to change your mind. 388 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:15.200 It means to. 389 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:17.359 Say, I used to think this, but now I think this. 390 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:19.960 I used to value this, but now I value this. 391 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:22.359 I used to think this was important, but now I 392 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:26.119 know this is what's really important. You can't follow Jesus 393 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:31.200 without repenting. You can't follow Jesus without a change in 394 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:36.359 your value system. Close with this verse from Paul Philippians 395 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.720 chapter three. Paul says this this is a personal story, 396 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:45.599 is personal testimony. Paul says, you know, I once thought 397 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.680 that all these things, the things in the world, what 398 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:51.000 the world values. I once thought all these things was 399 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:57.839 so very important. But now I consider them worthless because 400 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:02.519 of what Christ has done for me. Yes, everything else 401 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:09.119