Rick Warren - God's Unbreakable Promises About Your Future - Part 3

0:00The truth is life is not fair. God never said that life is fair. In fact, it's unfair because of the sin in the world. Jesus came to make things right. And one day they will be made right. But life is not fair right now. Sometimes bad people win. Sometimes good people suffer. Come sometimes the innocent get hurt. Sometimes well-meaning people get abused. And a betrayed and are cheated on and have the heart broken and on and on and on. If you have been discriminated against because of your race or culture or language or gender. If you have been abused, if you have been harassed, if you have been mistreated.

1:01As your pastor, as your shepherd, that breaks my heart. I agree for that. And I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry for your hurt. That's not fair. It's just not fair. And we should do whatever we can to correct injustice. But there's something even more important in the way I feel about it. It's the way God feels about it. And God, you need to know that God has seen every hurt in your life and he grieves over it too. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked by somebody, where was God when your son died? And I say he was the same place he was when his son died. Grieving. Grieving over man's inhumanity to humanity. God looks down and sees so much of what's going to happen in the world today and it hurts and it grieves. And the Bible says he, God, grieves over and over and over. God has seen every hurt in your life.

2:04Every means, word, every mean action, every injustice, abuse, prejudice, bias, or anything like that. He said, well, why didn't he stop it then? Well, God could stop all the evil in the world just like that. Take away our freedom to do it. But if he's going to be fair, he's not only going to have to take away other people's freedom, he's going to have to take away yours too. If we're going to be just and fair. And the fact is, you've hurt people. You haven't always done the right thing to people. I've hurt people. Yes, God could get rid of all the evil in the world instantly. Just take away our freedom to choose to not follow him. Take away our freedom to say, I'm going to do what I think's best. That would instantly get rid of all the evil in the world. So we can't blame God for that because he's given us the freedom to make that choice. God's never stopped me from hurting people, stopped you from hurting people.

3:05But I do know this, God is keeping a record. The Bible says very clearly, the God is keeping a record of all the ways you've been hurt in life. Did you know that in Psalms, Psalm 56 verse 8, it says, God stores up your tears in a bottle. You don't even know all the tears you've shared. God does, says he's kept an accounting of how much, how many tears you've shed. And you're like, that's how much your good, good father cares about you. And that kind of God says this, Romans 12, 19, here's the next promise. Never avenge yourselves. In other words, don't retaliate. Don't try to get revenge against firstness hurt you. Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. Wow. Now follow me on this. God is a God of love. And because God is love, that's why we all have love in our lives. If our creator wasn't loving, there would be no love in the universe.

4:05God is the source of all love. Because God is loving, as a loving God, He is also a God of justice. God is a just God, God is a fair God. He is a righteous God. Why? Because to allow evil to hurt his children and not seek justice would be unloving. Justice is sometimes the loving thing to do. And protection, sometimes if somebody tried to hurt my wife, or my kids, or my grandkids, and I did nothing about it, and I didn't care about it, that's called being unloving. Sometimes love fights, sometimes love defends, sometimes loves fights for the protection of other people. The Bible says greater love have no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friends. The greatest compliment Jesus ever gave to a Roman soldier.

5:07He said, I've never seen great faith like in this. Why? The guy was given his life for a cause greater than himself, for the protection of other people. So God says this, never avenge yourself. Leave that to me. For I've said that I will repay those who deserve this. God says, the people who hurt you in your life, He says, trust me, I'll handle this. And I've gotten more weapons than you do. And I can administer just as better than you can. And God says, I don't want you wasting one second of your life on resentment and retaliation and revenge, and trying to get even, because that's just going to fill you with the poison of bitterness. And I don't want you to waste your precious life being bitter. Some of you are still allowing people who hurt you ten years ago to hurt you today, because you're holding onto the memory of it. That's dumb.

6:10That's just stupid. They can't hurt you anymore. Your past is past. They can't hurt you anymore. The only way they can hurt you is you're holding onto the hurt. You won't let it go. God says, I want you to let it go. Not because they deserve it, because they don't. You don't, you don't, you don't, you don't, you don't, you let it go, because you go, I want to get on with my life. Some of you today need to go. I'm going to trust this promise that God's going to settle the score. I'm going to stop trying to get even. And I think I've been thinking that I was getting even by holding onto the hurt, because they haven't gotten judged for it. And so I feel like I got a hold on to it so I can remember that somebody remembers how much they hurt me. That's faulty logic. Justice delayed is not justice denied. The Bible says there will be a day of reckoning. There will be a day of accounting. There will be a day of judgment. And God is very aware of what people have done to you. And he's going to settle the score one day. Do you trust him?

7:12If you do, you'll let it go. Why? Because it's hurting you. It's eating you alive. And today, to be the rest of your life, for the first day of the rest of your life, you need to just go, I'm not going to hold onto that hurt anymore. I'm letting it go. And every time that comes up, I've let it go. I forgive him, I let it go. God will settle the score. Let me give you a fifth promise. Number five. God promises to reward my service and generosity. God promises to reward my service and generosity. Now part of God's plan and purpose for your life is he wants you to become like Jesus Christ. Jesus is the model of perfect humanity. God wants us to grow up like Christ. He wants us to think like Christ, to feel like Christ, to love like Christ, to serve like Christ, to be giving like Christ. Well if God wants me to become like Jesus, what is Jesus like? Well in a word, in one word, it's this word, unselfish.

8:16The whole goal of life is learning how to become more and more unselfish because to be unselfish is love. And God wants you to be like Him. God is love. So when you're born, you are born as a baby totally selfish. As a baby, you're not thinking about anybody else. It's me, me, me, I, I, I, I want it, I want it now. You can't nothing is more selfish than a brand new baby. Okay. We cool and we oo and they, you know, thank God they're cute but they're little selfish boogers. Okay. All right. And as only as they start growing up, they start learning how to share and they have to be taught how to share because it's selfishness. It is my nature to only think of me and not think about you. You don't think about me. You don't get up nowhere and go, I wonder where Frix okay today. Oh, you're getting up thinking, is that a pimple? You know? So God wants us to become like Jesus.

9:18What is Jesus like? Well look up here on the screen. Mark 10, 45. I did not come to earth. This is Jesus talking. I didn't come to be served. I didn't come to live for myself. I came to serve and to give. I came to serve and to give my life for many. There are two verbs in that serve and to serve and to give. Friends, those two verbs describe the Christian life. Serving and giving. Those two words describe what it means to follow Christ, to serve and to give. If you don't like serving and you don't like giving, don't call yourself Christian. Because that's what it's all about. It's learning to be unselfish. It's learning real love. And how do you spell love? G-I-V-E. You can't. You can give without loving. You cannot love without giving. You cannot love without serving. Love means I make your problem, my problem. Love means I serve your needs, not my needs. Love can always wait to give.

10:20Lust can never wait to get. Love is all about giving and serving, giving and serving. That's real love. Lust is all about getting and being served. And so we end up, we just understand what love is all about. Now in heaven, we're all going to serve God. Joyfully, we're going to enjoy it and do it. And God puts you on earth first so you can practice learning how to give and practice how to serve here. So when you get to heaven, you're not a doofus. You know how to give and you know how to serve. Now that's how we learn real love. Hi, this is Rick and thanks for joining me today. You know, this month on Daily Hope, we're offering to send you a special copy of my book called The Purpose of Christmas.

11:21I wrote this book to help you come to a deeper understanding of God's love for you by explaining the three purposes of Christmas that were announced by the angel at the birth of Jesus. The angel announced the time of celebration. I bring you good news of great joy. Salvation for unto you is more in this day in the city of David, a savior who has Christ the Lord and reconciliation. Peace on earth, good will toward men. Daily Hope is 100% listed in the supported ministry. So if you can help us continue to spread the good news through this broadcast, I'd appreciate any gift that you can send. I'll send you the hardback edition of this book, The Purpose of Christmas. Because our special thank you for your gift of support to Daily Hope Ministries. Most people in the world today are living completely self-centered lives. They're not thinking about how can I give to God and to others. They're not thinking about how can I serve God and others.

12:25God has wired the universe in such a way that your life will never make sense until you give it away. You're made by God and you're made for God. And until you figure that out, your life ain't going to make sense. And God wired the universe that we're rewarded when we do what he does. God is a giving and serving God. He's loving and serving and generous to a fault. Everything you have from the generosity of God. So when you learn to give your life away and you learn to give your time away, and you learn to give your money away, and you learn to be a giver, not a taker in life, that's when you begin to fully live. And life takes on new meaning and new joy and new excitement. But most of us, when you make excuses that reveal our self-centered, I don't have time to serve God. I don't have time to serve others. My life's too busy with my stuff. You want to reconsider that? Do you think God created you and put you on earth just to live for yourself?

13:29Let me say that again. Do you think God created you and put you on earth just to live for you? No. If you're living for yourself, you don't have a big enough God. You're God's too small. That's not a reason enough to get out of bed just for you. It's a very puny, puny goal. God says, I want to reward your service in generosity because he wants us to become like then he rewards it in a great way. Let me show you two verses about you. Look at this verse. God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shared your love for him by helping his people as you continue to do. God is going to reward you. I'm proud of you. I'm grateful for you, but that's nothing compared to the reward you're going to get in heaven. And that reward in heaven is going to be based on what you did here on earth. One day, we're all going to stand for God.

14:30God's going to say, what did you do with what you were given? Well, I made a lot of money retired and died. Ah, wrong answer. No, you're here for more than that. Are you giving back in any way, in a volunteer way, that you can't get repaid for? These people are doing that. God says you're going to reward him. And by the way, same's true with your giving. Look at this verse. Generosity. Jesus said, use your worldly resources. That's money to benefit others. In other words, we don't spend all our money on us. We give some of it away to help other people and support the Lord's work. Make friends for eternity. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven. You're going to be rewarded. No service, no reward in heaven. No service, no reward. No generosity, no stored up in heaven. I'm not spending it all here. I'm sending it on ahead. And you've got to decide, am I going to live for my desires?

15:33Am I going to live for God's promises? Now here is the last and the most important promise of all. Number six, God promises for my future to keep me saved until heaven. He's going to keep me saved until I get to heaven. I don't have to keep myself saved. Thank God. Because if it were up to me to keep myself saved, I'm in deep, deep weeds. I thought there's no way I could save myself. God says, it's not up to you. Once you put your hand in the hand of the man who's still the waters. You may want to let go, but he's not going to let go. And once you are saved, it is his job to keep you saved no matter what happens in your future.

16:33Three verses, three promises, and we'll close. John 10, 28. Jesus said, I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. It's a gift. He doesn't take it back. They will never perish. And no one can snatch them out of my hand. When you put your hand in God's hand, their times are going to want to let go. One time I took my kids to the Grand Canyon and my two boys were young and they were squirreling and wiggly and I held on to their hands and we walked up to the edge of the Grand Canyon and they wanted to let go. There was no way I was letting go of their hands. Not a chance because as their father, I love them too much. And there have been times in my life when I have put my hand, I put my hand in God's hand a long time ago. There have been times in my life when I have gone, God is not convenient right now to be a Christian. To be a follower of Jesus, to be the disciple. And it would be more convenient. It's politically incorrect what I'm going to have to do here will be unpopular.

17:36I'd like to go to this party or whatever. I'd like to kind of let go for a little bit. And God says, well, you might want to let go of me but I'm not letting go of you. You are in my hand and no man can snatch you out. I had a person say, well, to me one time, well, you can't be snatched out of God's hand but you can jump out. And I said, how big do you think God's hand is? You think it's so small you can get to the edge of it? His hands is bigger than the universe. You'll never get to the edge of God's love. You'll never get to the end of God's love. You'll never get to the end of him keeping you safe and saved. Once you are born again, you can't be unborn. Once your name is written in the eternal book of life, it's written in indelible ink in the blood of Christ. It can't be erased. Once I am saved, I am always saved.

18:38That's good news. I don't know what my future holds. I don't know how many years I've got left. And I might lose everything. I might lose my health. I might lose my wife. I might lose my family. I might lose my mind. But I am never losing my salvation. That's a good news. And that means I can do all things you Christ, you strengthens me. And I don't know what's coming. And I don't know what how the world's going to turn out. But that's not my job. And the fact is, no matter what happens, there's one thing I can count on. He'll always be with me. He's never going to stop loving me. And he's going to keep me saved until I'm safely home in heaven. That's good news. He said, what if I mess up? And I really sin and I deny Christ. Yeah, well, lots of people have done that.

19:41Next verse, promise, 2 Timothy 2, 13. If we are faithless, he, God, will remain faithful for he cannot disown himself. Thank you, God. I can be unfaithful, but he's never going to be unfaithful to me. That's how much he loves me. Last verse, Philippians 1-6, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. What God started in your life, he is going to finish. God never leaves anything half finished. As Ethel Waters said, God doesn't sponsor flops. So you can be confident of this, that God who started something in you is going to finish it in you and you're going to make it to the finish line.

20:46So let's thank him. Let's power heads. And in this prayer, say, God, I know you know all of my future. You already know how it's going to end. Tell that to God. God, you already know how my life is going to end. And God, you know all the problems I'm going to have. And you know all the mistakes I'm going to make. And you still love me. And you have a good plan for my life. And I'm saying today, I want the rest of my life to be on your plan, not mine. I want to live the rest of my life for you, not for myself, for you, not for me. And so I want to thank you for these promises that you will never leave me alone. You'll never abandon me. I'll never go anything through anything in my future without you. And then say this to God, God, thank you for your promise to guide me when I'm confused.

21:49And thank you for your promise to help me when I'm tempted. You know where I'm tempted. And you want me to win. You're on my side. Thank you that you've promised to support me when I'm troubled. When I don't know which way to turn, you're going to help me out. Give me support. And Lord, I even thank you that you've promised to repay those who've hurt me. And so today, I'm going to let it go. I'm not going to waste any more of my time and life or energy on bitterness and resentment, on retaliation and revenge, on holding on to the hurt. I'm letting it go. I'm putting it all in your hands. I'm saying, I'm trusting you for justice. Lord, thank you that you've promised to reward my service to you and my generosity, to you and others.

22:51Every year for the rest of my life, I want to serve more and I want to give more. I want to learn to be more generous every year and I want to be more of a servant every year. I don't want to be stuck at this same level of maturity. I want to grow every year in the rest of my life. And most of all, I thank you that you've promised to keep me saved until I get to heaven. I'm going to be more of a servant every year. I want to be more of a servant every year and I want to be more of a servant every year. I want to be more of a servant every year and I want to be more of a servant every year. Hi, everybody. Today, I want to read part of a letter that I received from June, who is a prisoner that was given a second chance by God. He wrote this, I'm a prisoner here in the national penitentiary serving my sins. I came to know the Lord inside myself 13 years ago and now I'm serving the Lord as an inmate

23:54pastor. Rick, I always use your daily hope preaching and devotionals in sharing the words of God to my fellow prisoners and I see people come to the Lord in many, many ways. You know, before I was in prison and I came to know the Lord, I was a high-ranking police officer and I was about to commit suicide because of the numerous charges filed against me. But when God saved me physically and spiritually, my journey in prison became the most wonderful vessel used by God to manifest His love to me. He never leaves me, nor forsakes me, and may His name always be glorified. Thank you, Pastor Rick. You're an inspiration and encouragement to all of us. Well, June, it's amazing to know your story and to hear that you're using the daily hope messages to teach your fellow inmates about Jesus Christ. That is fantastic.

24:54I couldn't be more happy. They need to hear that God gives second chances. They need to hear that He still has a plan and purpose for their lives, even though they're in prison. Your story is a great reminder that any one of us can use what we learn through daily hope, podcast, devotionals, and we can take these things and teach others about God's grace and forgiveness and unconditional love. Keep it up, my friend. God bless you. Hi, this is Rick and thanks for joining me today. You know, this month on daily hope, we're offering to send you a special copy of my book called The Purpose of Christmas. I wrote this book to help you come to a deeper understanding of God's love for you by explaining the three purposes of Christmas

25:56that were announced by the angel at the birth of Jesus. The angel announced the time of celebration. I bring you good news of great joy. Salvation for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord and reconciliation. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. Daily hope is 100% listed in the supportive ministry, so if you can help us continue to spread the good news through this broadcast, I'd appreciate any gift that you can send. I'll send you the hardback edition of this book, The Purpose of Christmas, because our special thank you for your gift to support the daily hope ministry.