Leaving a Legacy of Hope — Part 3

Hi, I'm Rick Warren, and Merry Christmas. Christmas is going to be here very soon, and Jesus said in Luke 14:23, Go out into the highways in the countryside and urge everybody you find to come in so that my house will be full. Who are you thinking of to bring to your church? Maybe it's a friend or a neighbor or maybe your accountant or the person who rings up your groceries at the local market. Whoever it is, I want to challenge you to be a light at Christmas and invite them to services at your church. Hey, everyone.

This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. You know, sharing your faith with the next generation. Well, it's one of the most important things you can do. And we're so glad you're here, because today, Rick is continuing in his Leaving a Lasting Legacy series. Rick gives you some very special tools to help you share the biblical principles of faith, hope, love, and generosity with the next generation. This has been such a great series. And now here's Rick with the final part of a message called Leaving a Legacy of Hope.

What is God's purpose for your life? Well, there's a book about that, but let me show you this verse here, verse 29. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his son. That's one of his purposes.

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He wants you to become like Jesus. He wants you to grow up and stop being a baby so that his son would be the firstborn with many brothers and sisters. God wanted a family, and he wants you in it, and he wants you to grow up like your older brother, Jesus Christ. Well, what about all those times when I make the miscalculation? God didn't, but I blew it. And I'm discouraged and I'm in despair and flat out depressed. What about then? God's even taken care of that. Look at the next verse, Romans 8:26. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting. You ever get tired in the waiting? You're waiting for a problem to be resolved. You're waiting for a relationship to be restored. You're waiting for a prayer to be answered. A lot of times the most difficult part of life is living in the waiting rooms of life when you're in a hurry and God isn't. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's spirit is right alongside, helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us. In and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs and groans. Did you know that when you're hurting so bad, you don't even know what to say that God prays for you. He says, I've put my spirit in your life and I'll just talk to myself about your problems because you can't even utter the words when your heart is so broken and you feel so crushed or you feel so guilty or you feel so angry and you don't, all you can do is just go, oh God. And you're just groaning, oh, oh. You don't even know what to say. God says, that's okay, I know your heart and I'll just pray to myself for you. I've put my spirit in you. I know what you're feeling. I know what you feel more than you understand what you feel. I'm the one who wired you up. I'm the one who gave you emotions. So I know you better than you know you. And so I will just talk to myself about what you need. That is good news that when I don't even know how to pray, I can go. God, would you just take my sighs and groans and you know what I need? I'm trusting you. I want you to hear a good example of this from Randy. Would you give him a warm welcome?

I'd like to share how God has restored hope in my heart after a devastating event to my family. On April 7, 2003, I got a call from an administrator at Tesoro High School explaining that my 16 year old son Corey had been in a terrible accident in four front of the school and I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Driving to the hospital, I pleaded with God to protect Cory. I told God I'd give away everything I owned, just let him live. I couldn't imagine God allowing a 16 year old to die who had so much to offer this world. Arriving at the hospital, I was told I needed to stay in the waiting room. But I just couldn't sit there. So I went outside to sit on the curb. I put my head down to pray again. Please God, save my son. While praying, somebody put their arm around me and squeezed me tight. I looked up and it was a paramedic. He asked if he could stay with me and he did. He shared that he'd been with Cory since the accident and wanted to assure me he wasn't suffering. He continued to keep his arm around me tightly while the doctor shared the news Cory had passed away. As I screamed and cried, his grip did not diminish. God knew exactly what I needed. Craig, the paramedic shared later that what he did was not company policy, but he wanted to be there for me. Through the next week, that firm hug never stopped. It was just different people in my life taking turns caring for me while I grieved. Cory had the ability to light up a room. My heart had a huge hole in it and I couldn't imagine being able to get through life with the feelings of anger, despair and hopelessness. While making funeral arrangements, I wanted the event to not only celebrate Cory's life, but also show how God can work through life's tragedies. I remember very vividly walking into this church five minutes before Cory's memorial service was to begin and experiencing a peace that I can't explain my anger. My sorrow subsided briefly while I celebrated his life. Practically everyone from Megan, Pastor Doug to our friends, Cory's buddies, my other son Matt and I shared about how my wonderful young 16 year old Christian love for the Lord and others had deeply impacted our lives. It was the junior high and high school ministries here at Saddleback that had nurtured that love. At the memorial service, Pastor Doug announced that Pastor Rick wanted all the teenagers to have a free copy of the Purpose Driven Life. Well, everybody must have felt young that day because people of all ages took a copy. Even that sad experience, the seeds of hope were being planted in hundreds of lives as time passed. I wanted God to use the tragedy for good and to prevent future accidents. With the help of our community. The speed limit at the school was changed from 55 to 25. In spite of the fact that we were told at first that there was no chance of that happening. I saw God's hands in this and and I saw Cory's smile. Since Cory's death, many God things have taken place that have given me purpose and a sense of hope for the future. Friends of Cory sent letters sharing how his death and love for Christ had affected their lives. Friends of mine shared a desire to grow in their relationship with God. We started a small group with friends, were baptized together and volunteered together at the Friendship House. We're known as Cory's Crew. At my school we started a character garden and my class purchased a beautiful tree in Cory's honor that is named the Kindness Tree. Now I see that tree growing when I look out my classroom window where I teach. I'm blessed that my other son Matt and his best friend Matthew love the Lord and have been baptized. I'm sure Cory is beaming. Saddleback Church has blessed my family in so many ways. I cannot tell you how important the student ministry Here at Saddleback is to thousands of students like Cory. After Cory's death, I found a handout from a service Cory attended. On that paper, Cory had written that he was excited to know he was saved and looked forward to meeting Jesus. That brings me hope. We want other students to experience the hope that Cory and our family found in Jesus. Cory thought it was so cool to be a Christian. And this new student zone will be cool. Safe place for students to gather and grow in Christ in a climate of acceptance and support. I know that Cory is smiling down from heaven on this entire project. Losing my son was the most painful thing I'll probably ever experience. After more than three years, the tears still flow. I miss him terribly. But I give my grief to God, rely on his plan for my life and through his surrender. Through this surrender to the God of hope, my broken heart is mending. My message to anyone who has lost a loved one or has been in any other desperate situation is there is always hope in Jesus Christ. The huge hole in my heart is now filled with hope from knowing that God is bringing good out of Cory's death. That I don't have to fear or worry that Corrie is now enjoying heaven and that one day I will be reunited with him and Jesus forever and eternity. Thank you.

The sixth reason for hope in Romans chapter 8 is it is possible to live without intimidation. And that means I don't have to fear anything. I never need to fear. That means no intimidation. And that is why we have hope. Because we don't have to be afraid of anything as God's children. Romans 8:31 says this. What can we say about such wonderful things as these? In other words, the things we've just been looking at. If God is for us, who can ever be against us? One plus God equals a majority. If God is near, you lose your fear. You don't really need to fear anything if God's on your side. Notice it says, if God is for circle the word. For God is not just with you. When you have put your trust in Christ, God is now for you. He's for his children. He's for those who put their faith in Him. I'm for you now. Fear is a universal problem. It's very destructive emotions. And psychologists have identified 645 different fears. Most people have fears in their lives that plague them. Everybody has some fear. But God says this. You can live without intimidation because God is on your side. And it doesn't matter what people say about you. God is on your side. Notice this next verse Here it says, who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one, because God is the one who makes them right. When somebody starts to come accuse you of your background, you go, yeah, I'm a trophy of grace. I'm a trophy of grace. When Satan tries to remind you about your past, you just remind him about his future. We win, he loses. When people try to put you down and say, yeah, but you this and you that and you do that and you do this and they start putting you down, you go, well, God likes me. Now if God likes me and I like me, you don't like me, what's your problem? If God is for us, who can be against us? He says, who can accuse you if God says you're okay because of what Jesus does? You know, I've been on a lot of these lists of different national lists over the years. This week I was put on the list of the 13 scariest people in America. Boo. No intimidation. I'm not afraid of anything. This afternoon I go get on a plane where I go for a five nation speaking tour. And some of the places I'm going aren't exactly safe, but I'm not afraid of it. Why? If God is for you, who can be against you? You have confidence. I got this letter just recently. Dear Pastor Rick, Our church here in Florida did 40 days of purpose and it was great. And during the same time I've been in training for a triathlon, swimming in a local lake. One night in our 40 days of purpose small group, my wife Vicki shared her fears of an alligator attack while my wife and my daughters and I were out training. Everybody laughed and reassured her that the odds of me being bitten were more likely that I'd get struck by lightning. Well, The next day I was swimming in 8ft of water with goggles. I had just taken a deep breath when I was attacked by a seven foot alligator. He bit into my leg and pulled me four feet under the water and held me there for almost two minutes. With my goggles on, I could see him clearly, eyeball to eyeball as we thrashed around under the water. Can you imagine that? Now, I'm not kidding you, but at that very moment I thought about your book, The Purpose Driven Life, Chapter 22, Page 173. I'm not making this up. And I remembered your words. Life is not about your comfort, it's about your character. Instantly I thought, don't panic, just deal with it and trust God. Not bad advice when you feel intimidated. Don't panic, just deal with it and Trust God. I struggled to pry the alligator's mouth open, but I couldn't. Next I thought, is it a shark or a gator you're supposed to punch in the snout. Instantly? I thought, you idiot, just swing. Now remember, he's four feet under the water, holding his breath. You know, it's funny that while I was wrestling an alligator for my life, that God used your words from purpose driven life to replace my fear with peace, hope and presence of mind. I know this is a strange endorsement for your book, but it's true. My story aired on Animal Planet tv, and I now have the gator's head on a plaque. It said, with Psalm 18:16 underneath it, which says, God reached down from above. He took me out of the deep water. He rescued me from my powerful enemy. Keep up the good work, Rick. What's the gator in your life? Everybody's got gators biting at them, and there are things in your life that are pulling you under. And you're about to go under for the last time and you're about. Your breath is out and you think, I'm drowning. This is it, it's curtains, it's over. I'm throwing in the towel. Maybe a financial gator that's got you intimidated. Or maybe some situation that's scaring you to death at work, or the possibility of a difficult pregnancy, or who knows? Everybody's got gators in their life. Things that intimidate you. If God is for us, who can be against us? I love this next verse, verse 37. Nothing, none of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I live a life without condemnation. I'm forgiven. Without domination. I have the power. I've set, been set free without termination. I'm going to live forever, without limitation. God's going to share his resources with me without miscalculation. Nothing happens by accident. There's a purpose and a plan behind it all. I live a life without intimidation. I'm not afraid of anything. And without deprivation. That means I never need to worry because God is going to provide for all my needs. I will never be deprived without deprivation. Philippians 4:19. My God shall supply all your needs. Physical, emotional, financial, relational, mental. All your needs in Christ Jesus, if you trust him. No deprivation. I never need to worry. Now follow the logic of this verse. Verse 32 of Romans 8. Since God did not spare even his own son, but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ also give us everything else? Well, duh. That's a Greek word, duh. I Mean, get the logic here. If God loved you enough to take care of your biggest problem, eternal damnation and separation from God, don't you think he will take care of your finances or your boyfriend or your girlfriend or your marriage or whatever? I said this last week. I don't get the logic of people who say I can trust God to get me to heaven, but I can't trust him enough to tithe. Cause I don't really think he'll take care of me. I don't think that promise of I'll supply all your needs is really true. What's the logic in that one? It just doesn't make sense. No deprivation. I never need to worry. Somebody asked me last week and said, rick, how do you do this? This giving generously stuff? You don't give out a reason. You give out a revelation. And I heard you talk about that. You don't give her a reasonable amount. You say, God, what do you want to give through me? And then you get this astronomical thing, why do I do that? Why am I able to be generous? Well, because I live a life with no condemnation. No matter what I do, I'm forgiven. I live a life with no domination. I am set free from a lot of things that used to mess up my life. I live a life of no termination. I'm going to live forever. And not only that, God's going to share all his resources with me. No limitation. And even though I make mistakes in my life, there's no miscalculation that God has a purpose bigger than my mistakes. And I'm not afraid because there's no intimidation. If God is for us, who is against us? And I'm not worried about not having what I need because there's no deprivation. If God, who loved me enough to send Jesus to die for me, he'll care for all my other needs. And then finally there is a life with no separation. And that is, I will always be loved. God will never, never, never, never, never stop loving me. I will always be loved. Nothing can destroy my relationship to God. If you grasp this fact, it will change your life. Let me read you verse 38 and 39 of this wonderful chapter of the Bible. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't. Life can't. The angels can't. Demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we're high above the sky, some of you have a fear of flying, or in the Deepest ocean. You're in a submarine. Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. When you put your hand in God, he grasps onto it and he's never letting go. There may be times you'd like to let go, but he's never letting go. You are eternally secure. Once you are born into a family, you can't be unborn out of it. Once you're born again, you can't be unborn out of the family of God. Once your name is written in the eternal book of life, it can't be erased. It's indelible ink. Jesus said, they are in my hand and no man can clutch them out. Doesn't matter how I feel, how many doubts, how many fears, or how many sins I commit, if I have put my trust in Christ in his hand, he says, nothing, nothing will separate me from the love of God. Jude 24 says, he is able to keep you from falling, not failing. You're going to fail in life. He's able to keep you from falling. You will not fall out of his grace. And no matter what you face in life, you will never face it alone. Now, what kind of response should I have to this kind of life? Friends, this is the hope of the world. Everybody needs to know this hope. This is the good news. It's the gospel. Gospel means good news. And what is the gospel? I'm forgiven. No condemnation. I'm free. No domination, no mistake can keep me out of God's purpose. No miscalculation, no limitation, no transformation of my life will ever stop me from being what God wants me to be. I'm going to live forever, and God is for me, and he's never going to stop loving me. Everybody needs to hear that message. This is the good news. It's why we're doing the peace plan. It's why we train pastors around the world, and it's why we do student ministry and children's ministry and 400 other ministries. Because nobody can offer what Jesus Christ offers. A life of freedom and forgiveness and power and peace and purpose that goes on and on for eternity. So what should be my response? The last verse in your outline? Live and act in such a way, in a way worthy of. Of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. Live in a way that's worthy. Live with hope. No situation is ever hopeless when you give it to God. Let's bow our heads. Would you pray? Father, forgive me for the times I've been afraid. Forgive me for the times I've been worried, stressed out, doubting, discouraged, despairing. I wasn't trusting you, and I'm sorry. Jesus Christ, today I put my trust 100% into your hands. Lead me, direct me. I want to learn to love you and trust you more each day. Thank you for this great news that there is no condemnation on my life. I receive your forgiveness today. Thank you. That you have the power to set me free from things I can't change. And I ask you to start doing those changes in my life. Thank you. That I'm going to live with you forever. That I'm going to share in your glory. That's just too amazing to understand. Thank you. That your purpose for my life is greater than my problems. That you're for me, not against me. That I don't have to be afraid and I don't have to worry because you've promised to meet all my needs. Thank you. That you will never stop loving me. Help me to become a loving person, a generous person, a giving person, a person of faith, and to live in a way that's worthy of the wonderful blessings you've given to me. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Did you just pray with Pastor Rick to accept Jesus? Well, if you did, congratulations. And if you email rickastorrick.com and let us know that you prayed that prayer, we're going to send you some free materials to help you on your spiritual journey. Okay? You know, people are being transformed by these messages every day, but that's only because of your partnership with us. In fact, here's Rick to tell you how you can help support this ministry.

Hi, everybody. You know, as we come to the end of this year, one of the things that worries me the most is that there's still about 3,000 people groups, small tribes in the world where there are no Bibles, no believers, and no body of Christ. We call these people the unreached, unengaged people groups. And it's one of the reasons we started Daily Hope to take the good news to the final frontier. We need to make every effort to reach these people with a Bible, a believer, and a new church. Now, thanks to your support, we're being able to do this. Thanks to your support, we're now broadcasting on radio stations, literally, not just across America, but all around the world. We're in places like Rwanda and Uganda. We're in places like South Sudan, which has very, very little. Zambia, Korea, things like that. But we're also reaching even more people and More nations through the world with our Daily Hope podcast online. It goes literally to the whole world. Now as we end this year, I wanna express to you how much I appreciate your prayer support and your financial support of Daily Hope for this global effort. I can't do it without you. You can't do it without me. And as you consider your year end giving, I wanna ask you to pray about giving a special gift to Daily Hope. Together we're partners in going to the final frontier of people who have never heard of Jesus Christ. Now the good news is this. A generous friend of Daily Hope is offering at the end of the year a matching gift. That's a challenge gift, which means they will match whatever gift you give. In other words, whatever you give will be doubled because of their matching that gift. So I'm gonna ask you, I'm gonna be very bold this give the biggest gift you can possibly give at the end of the year. At this Christmas time, God gives his gift to us. We give our gifts back to him in Thanksgiving and out of Christ. Give our gifts to Jesus. It's his birthday. And when you do, it will be matched by a donor, doubling the impact of your gift. Thanks so much. And we're gonna enjoy the end of the holiday seasons and we're gonna enjoy the new year together. God bless you.

You can give right now by going to pastorrick.com or you can just text the word hope to 70309. Again, that's pastorrick.com or just text the word hope to 70309 and thank you so much for your support. Be sure to join us next time as we look into God's word for our Daily Hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.