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Don't Be Surprised, Afraid, or Ashamed 0:02 Hello and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope with Rick Warren. We are so glad you're here with us today. We're going to continue our series called The Keys to a Blessed Life. Now in these messages,0:14 Rick walks through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and shows us how to live a truly hopeful and purpose filled life. And now, here's part 2 of handling opposition to your faith.0:27 So, these are the 3 things I need to remember. Whenever harassment comes in my life, it can make me more like Jesus, it can deepen my faith, and I'm going to be rewarded for it in eternity forever and ever and0:39 ever. Now, there are 6 things you need to do, you need to do. Before we look at those 6 things, I want us to look at a short video clip of some of the kind of harassment that's going on0:50 around the world right now. Watch this on the screen.0:56 I'm from a Muslim family. 1 of the days in the year 2003, my father called me and he gave me 2 options. Either to leave Jesus1:09 or to leave the family. My belief in Jesus is much stronger than any other relation that I have got. That's why I quit everything and kept Jesus.1:26 The Muslim radical The Muslim radical shouted demanding heavy punishment as heavy as possible. They came every day.1:38 After my father was told of my imprisonment, he said, I am proud of my daughter for the suffering she experienced for Christ. This is a great thing1:50 that God is doing in your life. So don't expect to get out of prison too soon. Just finish what the Lord has assigned you to do. Just keep2:02 on preaching the gospel.2:08 In a letter dated January 10 19 94, my father wrote, I praise the Lord that in the midst of the heavy attack on the fast growing church of Jesus Christ, the Lord has given the joy2:20 of the privilege of suffering for his name to all members of the church. Please don't worry about me. I'm quite ready for anything.2:34 9 days after this letter, that was written by Hayek, he was martyred.2:41 2 months ago, 1 of my father's neighbors gave me a call and told me that your sister had just died. I went to the funeral, but my whole family2:53 came against me. They kicked me, and they beat me, and I had 2 broken ribs.3:03 This is truly a time of suffering because I got separated from my family. My children need their mother beside them because they are still small, and I miss them terribly3:14 too. But God's grace is sufficient.3:20 Pastor Hajj, he was so humble, and he had peace in his heart.3:27 When I see him in heaven, I'm going to say3:30 thank you. You are the 1 who caused me to love Jesus.3:36 At his funeral, they gave us a booklet with brother Haik's biography.3:42 And this verse was written in the 1st page. I read it there, and I will never forget it.3:58 The persecution and the suffering we went through, really, it is nothing compared to the glory of God. I came to understand the4:10 beauty of the unity of the body of Christ and how when 1 part suffers, all the parts suffer. So in the future, I want to do the same thing for other4:22 Christians who are suffering for Christ.4:26 My sister is gone now. But what gives me more comfort about her is that before she died, she made her decision to follow Jesus Christ, and she died serving him.4:39 When brother Haqq was with us, his words were with us. He ministered to us each day. But even in his death, god did such great things.4:51 Oh, Nahum, I want him to know this. I want him to see that his blood was not useless.Recognize Satan's Source and Refuse to Retaliate 5:10 I'll say it again. I'll say it again, Christianity is not for weaklings, for wimps, for the faint of heart. It takes courageous men, it takes courageous women to follow Jesus.5:21 And these people are suffering in so many areas, we will never suffer as Americans. But what is it costing you to follow Christ? What is the5:33 cost to you? As I said, you're never going to, it's unlikely, you're never going to have to deal with violent oppression but you deal with silent5:45 repression every single day in this culture as America becomes more and more anti Christian and more and more secularized. Now the Bible says, what are we supposed to do?5:57 And it tells us 6 things, you might write these down. Here is what you do when you handle opposition for your faith. Number 1, don't be surprised. Don't be6:09 surprised. You should not expect the world to support your decision to follow Jesus. Why would you expect them to think that's a real popular thing to do? 1 Peter 4 12 says6:21 this, Dear friends, don't be surprised, don't be shocked when you go through painful trials that are like walking through fire as though something unusual6:33 is happening to you. Jesus had told us, he said, in the world you're going to have tribulation. It's going to happen, So don't be surprised. Number 2, don't be afraid. Just don't be afraid.6:46 Now how do I get rid of the fear of opposition? How do I get rid of the fear of disapproval? How do I get fear afraid? How do I get rid of that fear of of being6:59 rejected? You need to be filled with God's love. The more you realize how much God loves you, the Bible says there's no fear in love, perfect love casts out all fear. You focus on God's love for you.7:11 You see healthy people aren't afraid of rejection. Healthy people aren't afraid of disapproval. Healthy people don't need everybody's approval. Healthy people know they are loved by7:23 God. The bible says in 1 Peter 3 16, 13 to 16, If you suffer for doing what is right, at work, at home, in your family, wherever,7:35 God will reward you for it. So, don't be afraid and don't worry. Instead, worship Christ as Lord of your life, and if you are asked about your7:47 Christian hope always be ready to explain it. Now circle the word worry and the word worship. Those are the 2 alternatives you have when you feel put down, when you feel pressured to be quiet about your7:59 faith in Christ. You can either worry or you can worship. You can panic or you can pray. You can focus on the problem and the pressure and the persecution8:11 or you can focus on God. He says turn your attention away from the pressure you feel and turn it toward God. That's what worship is, focusing on God. The Bible tells us in8:23 the Bible that when Stephen, who was the 1st martyr, was stoned to death, it said he looked up into heaven, he he worshiped instead of worried as they were throwing all those rocks at him that8:35 killed him. So don't be surprised and he says don't be afraid, worship instead of worry. Number 3, he says don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed. You should never be embarrassed8:47 for standing for the truth. Never be embarrassed for doing what's right. 1st Peter 4 16 says this, it's no shame. You shouldn't be ashamed. It's no shame8:59 to suffer for being a Christian. Instead, thank God for the privilege of being called by his name. Question, is an insult going to9:11 kill you? No. Is a put down going to kill you? No. Is somebody calling you a name or labeling you something because you've made a stand for Christ and for what the Bible says?9:22 No. Is somebody, some troll on the internet who's trying to bait you and get you in an argument? Is that gonna hurt you? No. It's not. It's not gonna kill you. So he says9:34 don't be ashamed, don't be afraid, don't be surprised. Now I want you to write this sentence down and if you get this it will liberate your life. I don't need other people's approval to be happy.9:48 If you learn this, if this is all you get in today's message it will change your life. Because otherwise you are living your life for what other people think rather than what God made you to be10:00 and you can't be who God made you to be if you are worried about pleasing other people. I don't need others approval to be happy. That person you have been trying to get their approval for so many years, like maybe it's10:11 a parent, they maybe even died, if you haven't got it by now I hate to tell you this, you are not going to get it. But the good news is you don't need it. You don't need anybody's approval in order to be happy.10:23 You're as happy as you choose to be and you focus on God rather than the people who disapprove. If I spent my life worrying about all the people who disapprove of me, I'd be in bed with10:35 deep deep depression. But that's not what life's all about. I focus on God and I focus on what he wants, not what other people think. Because I don't need and you don't need anybody's10:47 approval in order to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Now the bible says this in 1 Peter 5 verse 9, Take a firm stand, take a firm10:59 stand against Satan and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same11:11 kind of suffering you are. So what is he saying here? He is saying, Well, I don't need to be ashamed in the 1st place, you are in good company. This has happened for 2000 years and there are11:23 people who are suffering right now for being a believer in Christ. You are in good company. If you want to go read Hebrews 11 which is God's Hall of Fame. And in God's Hall of Fame, he says they were beaten, they were11:34 tortured, they were imprisoned, they were pushed down, they were ridiculed, they were maligned, they were laughed at, and on and on and on. I don't know how to say it any clearer than this. Don't let11:46 don't ever let anybody laugh you out of following Christ. Don't ever let anybody laugh you out of living for Christ. 1 Peter 3 17,11:58 Remember, it's better to suffer for doing God's will than to suffer for doing evil. Now here is the point, no matter what you do in life,12:09 somebody's going to not like it. There is nothing that you can do that everybody is going to like. Does everybody agree with that? You can't make everybody like you. So there is nothing you can do12:21 that can make everybody like you. So you may as well do the things that God likes rather than the things that other people like because they aren't going to matter in eternity.12:33 If you're going to suffer, if you're going to have people who oppose you, if you're going to have people's disapproval, you may as well have the disapproval for doing the right thing rather than the wrong thing. That's12:42 just logic. Because somebody is going to disagree with you no matter what you do. You can't avoid disapproval. Now we come to the 4th step and here this is important,Ministry Invitation and Closing 12:54 recognize the source of the opposition and it is Satan. It is not other people, it is not co workers, it is not some other political party, It's13:06 not some other nation. It's not some other religion. It's not some competitor. It's not some person who just doesn't like you. The real source of the pressure you13:18 feel to cave in, to not have integrity, the pressure you feel to be quiet and to not stand up for what you know is the right thing. That pressure is not coming from other people, it's really13:30 coming from Satan. In Revelation chapter 12 verse 10, Satan is called the accuser of the Christians. That's his job, his number 1 job is to put13:42 you down. Now follow me on this, Satan hates God, obviously. And so he hates anything God has created. And what he13:53 hates most of all are God's children. And so Satan hates you. He doesn't just hate God, Satan hates you. You know, you've heard that phrase, God loves you and has a good plan for your life? Well, Satan hates you and14:05 has a bad plan for your life. And so he hates you. Now, follow me on this. Satan wants to hurt God but he can't. He can't hurt God.14:17 But he does have access to you and he can hurt you. And the quickest way to hurt a parent is to hurt his kids. The quickest way to hurt a mom's heart is to hurt her children.14:29 The quickest way to hurt a dad is to hurt his children. And so Satan can't get at God so what's he want to do? He wants to get at you. He wants to hurt you. And there is an unseen spiritual14:41 battle going all around you and this pressure to make your life miserable and to make you cave in and to keep you from doing the right thing, it's not coming from other people really. You got to look beyond that,14:53 they're just pawns, they are just tools, they are just weapons. And a lot of times they don't even know, most of the time they don't even know they are being used. But the real issue is the spiritual warfare. Ephesians 615:04 12 says this, We are not fighting against human beings, which is why you don't win this in the ballot box. We are not fighting against human beings, but against15:16 wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. Now let me explain this. You need to understand that Satan knows it is stupid to attack Jesus Christ15:28 directly. Why? Because he was the only perfect person who ever lived. How do you attack Jesus? I mean, the the the savior who taught love and grace and peace15:40 and joy and forgive other people and died, gave his life for others, how do you attack Jesus? So he knows rather than attacking Jesus directly, he wants to attack those15:52 who follow him. And today he uses the media and he uses music and he uses comedies and he is doing anything he can to ridicule those who follow16:04 Jesus and they say, Hey, they are out of date. They are on the wrong side of history. They don't know what they are talking about. They are fuddy duddies, they are bigots and on and on and on. Here is what the Bible says16:14 you should do. 2nd Timothy 2. Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. I would add, especially on the Internet.16:26 These only lead to trouble. God's servants must never quarrel. Star that, circle it, put a line on it, 15 exclamation16:38 points. God's servants must never quarrel. I didn't say that. God did. It's right there in the bible. And so you should not get into16:50 heated arguments. God's servants should never quarrel. That's what the bible says. Instead, when you're under oppression, when you're in opposition, when people are harassing you17:02 for being a Christian, when they look at you strange for what you believe, instead, be kind17:07 to17:07 everyone, including the opposition, and be patient with the opposition, and be humble when you correct people who oppose you. They have17:19 been trapped by the devil and he makes them obey him but God may help them escape. Now what is he saying here? He is saying those people they are just pawns. And17:31 see if you don't have the Holy Spirit in your life, you don't have God's power in your life, you have no defense against Satan. He could just whipsaw you this way and he can master your moods, he can lead you into17:41 depression, he can do all kinds, he can make you angry. You have no defense against Satan until you've got God's spirit inside you. You're not strong enough, sorry, you're just not. And so these people, they're17:53 just being used as tools. And what you need to do is recognize a source and treat the opposition the way Jesus did. How did Jesus treat those who opposed him? Even18:05 on the cross he's saying, father forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. They don't know what they're doing.18:21 These people who attack me, they don't know what they're doing. The people who put down Jesus and church and Christianity, they don't know The people who put down Jesus and church and Christianity, they don't know what18:33 they're doing. Father, forgive them. Now think about this, Jesus was lied to, lied about constantly. If you can go make a list of all things they lied about18:45 Jesus in the bible, they said, He is a revolutionary here to overthrow Rome and take Pilate's place. Wrong. But they used that to get him to the cross.18:58 They said, he's got a demon. Wrong. At 1 point they said, he's a drunk and a glutton. Wrong. They said,19:10 you know, he's he's the devil incarnate. Wrong. And how did Jesus respond to all those lies that were told about him? Look at the next verse, 1st Peter 2. When they hurled their insults at him,19:22 Jesus did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threat threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to God who judges justly. Look at this verse19:34 on the screen. I love this in the message. It says this, they called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let19:46 God set things right. This leads us to the 5th thing you need to do when you're under attack, Refuse to retaliate.Real-World Testimonies of Faith 20:01 Such a great message by Rick today and every day. I sure hope you were just as encouraged as I was. And now, here's Rick with an important message.20:10 Hi, everybody. Thanks so much for listening today. You know, my hope is that God uses this broadcast to help deepen your relationship with Jesus. Now these Daily Hope messages are20:22 distributed on radio stations and digital platforms all across the globe, and listeners are writing and letting us know that their lives are being changed. They're telling us that they're walking20:34 with Jesus and that guilt and fear has been chased from their lives by God's love. You know, relationships are being restored and marriages are being healed and many people are saying that they found their20:45 life purpose. I wanna say thank you to you because we're only able to carry the hope of Jesus to these people all around the world because of gifts from generous listeners20:57 like you. I just wanted to say, I am so grateful for your prayers and your financial support. Now, I understand in times like these, many of21:09 you are unable to give financial support. Hear it from me, that's okay. Because I never want anybody to give unless God leads them to21:21 give. That's between you and God, not between you and me, but between you and God. And your prayers are a continual and incredible contribution to this Daily Hope21:33 Ministry. Now, if you do wanna give a financial gift, I've got some really great news to share with you. There's a generous friend of Daily Hope Broadcast who21:45 is offering to match the amount of your gift. In other words, if you give 20 dollars, then that person has combined it with a grant to make your gift 40 dollars.21:57 Now, if you've never given a gift to Daily Hope, I want you to pray about partnering with us so that together we can continue to share the hope of Jesus throughout the whole world. I love you22:09 so much.22:10 Hey. If you'd like to support pastor Rick's daily hope, just go to pastor rick dot com. That's pastor rick dot com, or you can text the word hope to 7 0 3 0 9. That's the22:22 word hope to 7 0 3 0 9. And really, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope helps us share the hope of Christ with people everywhere.22:34 Hey, be sure to join us next time when 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.In this video 0:00 Don't Be Surprised, Afraid, or Ashamed5:10 Recognize Satan's Source and Refuse to Retaliate12:50 Ministry Invitation and Closing20:01 Real-World Testimonies of Faith
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