Skip to content You Are Called to Belong—Part 2 Jan 9 · 28 min ...more
You Are Called to Belong—Part 2
January 9, 2026 · 28 min
Because you belong to God's family, Jesus isn't ashamed to call you his brother or sister, no matter how messed up your life might be. In this broadcast, Pastor Rick teaches that if you're a member of the family of God, your sin doesn't define you anymore and why that truth brings freedom to your life.
Series Pastor Rick's Daily Hope January 9, 2026 · 28 min · Pastor Rick's Daily Hope
Because you belong to God's family, Jesus isn't ashamed to call you his brother or sister, no matter how messed up your life might be. In this broadcast, Pastor Rick teaches that if you're a member of the family of God, your sin doesn't define you anymore and why that truth brings freedom to your life. ...more Show the full description Show less Because you belong to God's family, Jesus isn't ashamed to call you his brother or sister, no matter how messed up your life might be. In this broadcast, Pastor Rick teaches that if you're a member of the family of God, your sin doesn't define you anymore and why that truth brings freedom to your life.
Series Pastor Rick's Daily Hope Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
101K followers
Pastor Rick Warren shares the hope and encouragement you need to hear everyday. Listen in as he shares biblical truths to help you live the purpose driven life
101K followers
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
0:02 Hello everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren. Now today we're continuing into the new year, and we're digging deeper into 10:14 of life's biggest questions, does my life really matter? In today's message, Rick's gonna continue his powerful series, live your calling, what on earth am I here0:25 for? In it, you'll discover how living out God's purpose for your life brings real meaning, direction, and joy no matter where you're starting from. Let's hear what Rick has0:37 to share with us today in the final part of a message titled, you are called to belong.0:44 First, I learned my identity in God's family, and I get stability in God's temple. But I learned my capacity in Christ's body. I discover my unique value.0:57 Romans chapter 12 4 and 5 says this, just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of it,1:09 and it takes every 1 of us to make it complete. For we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the1:21 others. That's a very important passage. It says 4 or 5 things. First it says, that the body of Christ, the church is made up of many parts. We're all different. Look around here, nobody's like you. Nobody looks like1:33 you. Nobody smells like you. We're all we're all different. We're all God designed us that way. God loves variety. Can you imagine if God had just said, let's only make 3 kinds of human beings. God1:45 made us all different and we're all many parts and notice it says, everybody's needed. Look at that verse. We're all needed to make the body complete. Nobody can say, well, I'm not important. No, you're needed.
1:57 If you have a jigsaw puzzle and 1 piece is missing, what's the part you miss? The 1 that's missing. The 1 piece that's missing. It's what you notice first. It says we all have a work to do. We all have different
2:08 roles, different ministries. And if all other parts did the same thing, it'd nonsense. Like, if every part in your body was an ear, it'd be kinda silly. So we all have different roles to
2:20 play and different things to do. But we belong to each other. Notice it says there, so we belong to each other. Underline or circle that. I was gonna have you turn to the person next to you and say, you belong to
2:32 me, but that might result in a marriage proposal. So, we belong, but it's true. If you're in the family of God, if you're in the body of Christ, if you're in the temple of God, we belong
2:44 to each other. We don't just belong to God, we belong to each other, and it says each of us needs all the others. In other words, what good is an eyeball if it's detached from the body? Nothing. An
2:56 eyeball out here on its own is worthless. It can't see anything. It can only see as it is attached to the body. What good is an ear if your ear is detached and sitting out over there? None at
3:08 all. It has no value at all. It can't hear unless it's attached to the body. What good is your hand if it's cut off and put over on the on the shelf? It just withers and dies. You cannot
3:20 be what God made you to be without a church family, without being connected to Christ's body. You can't do it. You can't fulfill your purpose in life on your own. You have to be
3:31 connected. You have to belong, you have to be in association, you have to be attached to some local body of Christ. Otherwise,
3:43 you're just a hand out there floating along which can't do anything cause you are not connected to the rest of the body. We need each other. And nobody could say that 1 part is more important than the other. Look at the
3:54 next verse, first Corinthians 12. If your foot says, I'm not a part of the body because I'm not a hand. Well, that doesn't make it any less part of the
4:05 body. And if your ear says, well, I'm not part of the body because I'm only an ear and not an eye. Would that make it any less a part of the body?
4:17 The answer is no. No. All of the parts are important. Some are more visible, but but they're all important. Ephesians 4 25, in Christ's body, we're all
4:29 connected to each other, and a disconnected part dies. Let me give you a fourth metaphor. The fourth description of the church in the bible is a flock.
4:41 It is a flock, like a flock of sheep. We're God's family, we learn our identity. We're in God's temple, we're supported by each other. We're Christ's body, we discover our own
4:53 unique value. And in God's flock, we're banded together. Look up here on the screen, Psalm 100 verse 3 says this, God made us and we are his.
5:05 We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Now, probably, I imagine what you're thinking, you're saying, I'm a sheep in a flock, that doesn't sound too appealing.
5:17 I mean, because we live in suburbia, you've never seen a sheep, and you you have no idea how well cared sheep are taken care of. Because sheep are
5:29 pretty innocent animals, they have no natural defense against predators, so they have to be protected by shepherds. You don't
5:41 have to care for cows like you care for sheep. You don't have to care for horses or even chickens like you have to care for sheep. Because sheep are pretty dependent. And
5:53 let me read to you what it means to be a sheep. From Psalm 23, the most famous psalm, most famous chapter in the bible. Because the this is from the living bible. Because the Lord is
6:05 my shepherd, I have everything that I need. Now I'm interested in being a sheep. If God is my shepherd, then I have everything I need. He lets me rest in meadow grass, and he
6:17 leads me beside quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me to do what honors him the most, and even when I'm walking dark valley of death, I won't be afraid because you Lord
6:28 my shepherd are close beside me, guiding, guarding all the way. You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies, and you welcome me as your guest. Blessings overflow. Your goodness and
6:40 unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home. Now I wanna be a sheep. Now we're talking. Let me read you what Jesus said
6:52 about shepherds and flocks and sheep in John 10. I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. A hired hand runs away because he
7:04 cares nothing for the sheep, like when the wolves come. But I'm the good shepherd and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me, I lay down my life for my sheep. They listen to my voice and they follow me and I give them
7:16 eternal life and they will never perish. And no 1 will ever be able to snatch my sheep out of my hand. Now I wanna be a sheep. So flock
7:27 is a good term. I'm God's temple, I'm God's body, Christ's body, I'm God's family, I'm God's building, and I'm in God's flock. And why
7:39 did God choose a flock of sheep as an illustration of what the church is like? Write this down. Because in God's flock, I'm protected and I'm cared for. I'm protected
7:51 and I'm cared for. I'm not on my own. I have other people looking out for me. I enjoy safety and security because I've got a shepherd. And that makes me more confident, and that makes me less anxious, and
8:03 makes me less fearful. And I I know that God is protecting me because I'm in his flock. Now when is that important? When I'm being beat up in the business world?
8:15 When my family or my marriage is being strained to the to the breaking point? When I'm facing a personal crisis or a terminal illness, I need to know that somebody is protecting and caring for me.
8:28 Now not just God cares and protects for you, in the flock of God, we help each other. And what you need in your life is you need some people who will step up the bat for you when you need them.
8:40 You need some people who walk into your life when everybody else walks out of your life. Do you have anybody like that? That's what the church is for. We are to walk into each
8:51 other's life when everybody else walks out. That's what it means to be in the flock of God. Now, you need people who will step up for you. And in the flock of God, God has
9:03 created 2 kinds of people who are caregivers. 2 kinds of people who will step up for you. 2 kinds of people who will look out for you. The first is pastors. My
9:14 pastors look out for me or watch out for me when I'm in a part of the flock of God. You know what the word pastor means? It's the Greek word for shepherd. That's what it means. Poimon,
9:27 a pastor is a shepherd. A shepherd is a pastor. Pastors are to shepherd the flock of God. In fact, you wanna know my job description? Look at this, on your outline. First Peter 5
9:38 2. This is God's word to pastors, to shepherds. Take care of God's flock, his people that you are responsible for.
9:51 Watch over them because you want to, not because you're forced to. I'm to take care of God's flock. I'm to shepherd. I'm to be responsible. I'm to watch over you.
10:02 Let me show you another verse. Look up here on the screen. Hebrews 13 17 says this, obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say.
10:15 Their work is to watch over your souls and they know they are accountable to God. Now I'll be honest with you
10:26 guys, that to me is the scariest verse in the bible. It scares me to death. Not the part about obey your spiritual leaders and do what to say. The part that scares me is they watch
10:38 over your souls and they know they are accountable to God. That scares me to death. Let me just share with you heart to heart here for a minute.
10:51 The bible says that if you choose to put yourself under my care as the shepherd of Saddleback Church, and you join this flock and you say, this is gonna be my family, this is gonna be my
11:03 flock, this is where I'm gonna serve the body of Christ, this is the temple that I'm gonna be built into and sharing with, that if you put yourself under my care, that 1 day, I am gonna give
11:14 an account to God for how well I helped you grow spiritually. And that scares me to death. 1 day, I'm gonna give an account to God. Me, Rick Warren, will
11:26 personally give an account to God for how well I took care of your soul. And you guys, I'm not that smart. And
11:38 if you join this church, I beg you, beg you to pray for me. Because I I don't think anybody's smart enough to pastor a church this size.
11:50 I couldn't possibly care for everybody's needs, much less know everybody's needs. And yet the bible says 1 day I will give an account for the direction that I led this flock.
12:02 And I take that very, very seriously. It drives me to my knees every single day. And I am praying for you and your spiritual care, and
12:14 I beg you to pray for me. Cause as I said, I'm just not smart enough to do that. I need your help. And I I am concerned that I
12:26 lead you in the right direction. I would rather stick a knife in my heart than lead you in the wrong way. This is the family of God, this is the flock of God, this is not like some business, where you just
12:38 mess it up, you just go start another 1. Eternity is in the balance here, heaven and hell, it's extremely important. And and sometimes the
12:50 burden is crushing to me. The bible says, I will give an account to God 1 day. And so, I I take that serious, that I wanna make sure that
13:02 you are you are you're safe, that I protect you from false doctrine and cults and wolves and false ideologies and things like that, and lead you in the right way. Because I'm
13:13 accountable to God. But not only do we have pastors to help us in the flock of God, we have our small groups. And 58 times in the bible, the phrase 1
13:25 another is used. And the bible says that the sheep take care of each other. Sheep care for sheep, not just shepherds. And the bible uses the phrase 1 another. Says love 1 another, care for 1 another, help 1
13:37 another, encourage 1 another, support 1 another, pray for 1 another, love 1 another, greet 1 another. 58 times we are to do these. And the only way you can do that is in a small group. That's why if you're
13:49 not in a small group, you're not really connected. Because you can't do those 1 another's in a crowd of several thousand people. You could only do it in a group of 4 or
14:01 6 or 7 or whatever. Here's what the bible says, Galatians 6 2. Share each other's troubles and problems. And in this way, in
14:12 other words, when we share each other's troubles and problems, in this way you obey the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? Love your neighbor as yourself. And when you're in a small group and you pray for somebody
14:23 who's just gone through a tough time, somebody just says, you know, this week was terrible. This happened, this happened, this happened, and you stop and you pray for them, and you encourage them, you give them a pat on
14:34 the back, you give them a warm encouraging word, you have just done the 1 another's. You have just shepherded the flock yourself. You have been a part of the
14:45 family of God. You've been a part of the body of Christ. You've been a part of the temple of God. You've been a part of the flock of God. And there has been protection and care. First Thessalonians 5
14:57 11 says, encourage each other and give each other strength. You get strength, I get strength by we encourage each other in small group. So here's my question. Who's looking
15:09 out for you? Here's another question. Who are you looking out for? Can you name 3 or 4 specific people? Go, these are people in our flock, in our family, in our
15:21 small group, in our body of Christ that I'm looking out for. And they're looking out for me. That's what it means to be a Christian. That's what it means to be a part of the family of
15:33 God. That's what it means that I'm not just called to be loved, I am called by God to belong. And 1 day you'll stand before God and say, did you do that 1? Did you do the belonging
15:45 part? That I called you to be a part of my family, a part of my flock, a part of my temple, a part of my body? Did you do those things? But here's the cool
15:57 thing. All the stuff that you're most embarrassed about in the world, God uses it for good in the church. The very thing you're most embarrassed about, your habits, your hurts,
16:09 your hang ups, your sins, your mistakes, your weaknesses, God says, you know what, in my family, I'm gonna use those to encourage other people. So the stuff you wanna keep a secret from everybody else
16:21 in the world, you get to tell everybody here because it'll encourage them. Who could better help somebody who's on the verge of a divorce, than somebody who's been on the verge of a divorce? Been there, done that, let me
16:32 tell you what's going on. Who could better help somebody who who's struggling with an addiction than somebody who's had an addiction? Who could better help somebody who's been molested than somebody who's been molested?
16:43 Who could better help somebody who's gone through a bankruptcy? Or has lost a child? Or any anything good, bad, sinful,
16:54 God says I can use it all. The final description that I want us to look at this weekend of the church is the church is called a garden. A garden, specifically a vineyard.
17:06 This is an organic metaphor that has to do with how being a part of a church family helps you grow, like fruit in a garden, like grapes on a vine. On the screen the bible says in
17:18 John 15 Jesus said, I am the true vine and my father is the gardener and you are the branches. Now what's the lesson we get out of this?
17:30 The lesson we get out of the fact that the church is like a garden, where Jesus says, you know, I'm the vine and you're the branches, you know, I actually grow a bunch of different kinds of grapes, and I could bring in
17:42 you some grape vines and and I could bring them in, they're all cut up, but if they're disconnected, they don't don't bear any fruit at all. This is talking about being fruitful. Your life needs to be productive. You
17:54 need to make a difference with your life. Everybody wants to end their life feeling like, I didn't just waste my life, I was productive with my life. I did something with life. I made my life count. And
18:06 this is the fifth thing that we learned, that in God's garden, my life becomes productive. It becomes fruitful. I do something with my life because now I'm connected
18:18 to the vine and there's life giving life flowing through those vines and those branches, so I'm able to bear fruit. If I'm disconnected, there's no way I'm gonna bear fruit. I can cut off a branch of an apple tree, it
18:29 will never in 1000000 years grow any apples. It only grows apples as it's connected to the tree. The bible says in John 15 4 and 5, a branch
18:41 cannot bear fruit if it's severed from the vine. And you cannot be fruitful apart from me, Jesus says. I am the vine and you are the branches.
18:53 Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. Circle much fruit. That's called productivity. But apart from me, you can do nothing.
19:06 The point is, a disconnected branch can't bear fruit. God has all kinds of fruit he wants to bear in your life. But you can't do it. None of the fruit that God has for your life will
19:17 happen unless you're connected to the church. Unless you're connected to the vine. You're built into the building. You're a part of the body. You're a member of the
19:29 family. You're a sheep in the flock. All these connection metaphors say, nothing happens that God intends for your life, your purpose. That's why your calling, your second calling is to
19:41 belong, to get connected. You have 5 basic needs in your life. You have a need to know your identity. Who am I really? You have
19:53 a need to develop stability, so you don't get blown away by the tough things in life. You have a need to increase your capacity. You have a need to have
20:04 security in your life. And you have a need for productivity. All 5 of these things are found in God's family. In God's family, I learn my
20:16 identity. In Christ's body, I discover my unique value, my capacity. In God's temple, I I learn how to support others and be supported by others and have that stability. In In God's
20:28 flock, I come together for protection and care, security. And in the vine, in in the garden, I learn productivity, fruitfulness.
20:39 Let me say it another way, in your life, if you're gonna really live the life God made you to live, you need power to live on, you need people to live with, you need
20:51 principles to live by, you need a plan to live out, and you need a purpose to live for. Where are you gonna get that outside of the church? Nowhere. Nowhere in the
21:03 world will you find those 5 things anywhere else except in the plan of God who created the whole thing and designed his family, the church, to answer your deepest needs.
21:15 So here's my 1 question. Why should you remain disconnected when a church like this has so much to offer? I mean, what are you waiting on?
21:27 Now is the time. You are called to belong, to be connected, to be associated, to be involved. Some of you have long your
21:39 families live a long distance away. We don't live in where we used to have 5 generations in the same town anymore. And many of you, your family and relatives are long way, many of you are single adults,
21:51 and and many of you are in unsupportive family or or marriage relationships where they don't support you spiritually. And maybe all your life, you have tried to fit in, and
22:03 you have tried to belong, and you've looked for places to belong all your life. You just want to be accepted and to be along. But the truth is you would say, you know Rick, I've never felt I belonged
22:15 anywhere. Here's my word to you. Fall in love with the church. Fall in love with the bride of
22:27 Christ, the body of Christ, the family of God, the flock of God, the most brilliant concept ever created, it's the reason the
22:38 universe exists. People who say, well, I love Jesus, but I don't love the church, I don't need the church, that's the stupidest thing you can say. The church was designed to
22:50 meet your deepest needs. You cannot be what God put you on this earth to be without being connected. We're better together. We grow together. And God says it 4 or
23:02 5 different ways. The church is the hope of the world. America is not the hope of the world. Politics is not the hope of the world. Economics is not the hope of the world. Education is
23:14 not the hope of the world. If any of those things would work, we would have already turned the thing around. The hope of the world is the spread of God's good news so that lives are changed, and hearts are changed, and
23:25 families and marriages are saved. And the only thing that's gonna last is the church of God. So I highly recommend you invest the rest of your life in that which is gonna outlast
23:36 it. Nothing else will. Let me close with this verse on the screen. Ephesians 3 21, glory belongs to God in the church and
23:48 in Jesus Christ for all time and eternity. Now notice, the bible says 2 things bring glory to God, the church and Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the son of God. The church
24:00 is the family of God. And those 2 things bring glory to God. Don't you ever put the church down again. It's God's bride. It's God's family. It's God's flock. And it's
24:12 God's purpose for your life. You're called to belong. Let's bow our heads. Lord, I thank you that even with all of our faults and weaknesses and all of
24:24 the many sins in your family. You love your family, the church. Of course it's gonna be imperfect. It's filled with imperfect people.
24:37 But you love it. And Jesus, I thank you that you're not ashamed to call us your brothers and sisters. And so we may we never be ashamed of your church. It's your family.
24:50 Lord, you've said in the word, Christ died for the church. And I pray that we would have that same attitude, that the attitude of our brothers and sisters. You've said, we know what love is
25:02 that we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. May we realize we're not just friends. We're not just attenders. We're family. May we stick up for each other.
25:14 May we support each other. May we care for each other. If you haven't stepped across the line and invited Jesus Christ in your life, say, Jesus Christ, come into my life right now. Come into my life and
25:26 change me and save me. I wanna be a part of your family. And I wanna accept your call to to be loved, and I wanna accept your call to belong.
25:40 In your name I pray. Amen.
25:48 Hey, if you just prayed to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, awesome, congratulations. And we would love to hear from you and send you some free materials to help you know Him better. So email
25:59 rick at pastor rick dot com. That's rick at pastor rick dot com. Hey, would you like to go deeper with pastor Rick to discover God's purpose in your life? Well, now you can
26:11 with the video based study kit called What on Earth Am I Here For? This life changing study is taught by Rick and includes a workbook and 6 video sessions. As you go through
26:23 these lessons, you'll embark on a journey of discovery to answer life's most fundamental question, What on earth am I here for? You'll learn that it's only in God that we
26:35 discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end. This resource is
26:47 packed with biblically centered principles and is perfect for personal or small group study. So be sure to request this study kit when you give a gift to Daily Hope to help share the
26:59 hope of Jesus with a hurting world. Just go to pastorrick dot com to get your copy of this great resource. That's pastorrick dot com, or you can text the word hope to 7
27:11 0 3 0 9. Again, that's the word hope to 7 0 3 0 9. Be sure to join us next time as we look into God's word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by
27:23 pastor Rick's daily hope and your generous support.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.