by Rick Warren, 2008
“Let me blunt: you are the source of most of your problems. Even when other people cause you problems, your natural response often makes them worse…The middle letter of sin is I, and whenever I place myself at the center of my life, I sin…Sin is our greatest problem, and it is universal…This attitude of prideful self-will causes you to be disconnected from God and feel distant from Him. This focus on self is why you feel that God is a million miles away and that your prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling. If you feel far from God, guess who moved? God didn’t.” …”Our disconnectedness from God, which is due to our stubborn sinfulness, is the source of every single human problem on earth. On a personal level it causes worry, fear, anxiety, confusion, depression, conflict, discouragement, and emptiness. It causes us to act in ways that create guilt, shame, resentment, and regret…On a global level, we see the effect of sin all around us: war, injustice, corruption, prejudice, poverty, sex trafficking, and all our other social problems. Even many diseases are caused by our refusal to live by God’s standards for healthy living. Who can save us? Not government. Not business. Not academics. These can only deal with the visible symptoms and results of sin. But any lasting solution must start in the heart, and only God can transform hearts.
Salvation is Freedom
-Jesus frees us from Guilt over the past.
-Jesus frees us from bitterness and resentment…
“We can’t control what others do to us, but we can choose how we respond. Resentment is a cancer of your emotions. Unless you allow Jesus to free you from it, it will eventually destroy your happiness.”
-Jesus frees us from the expectations of others. “Constantly worrying about what other people think about you is a dangerous trap.”
“When The Purpose Driven Life became well known, I became a target of mean-spirited critics.”
He and John Stott were co-preaching and afterwards, John asked him to write the foreword for Basic Christianity…His love for me… “gave me the confidence to ignore the disapproval of people who didn’t know me.”
“Affirmation from others is encouraging, but feeling deeply loved and chosen by God is far greater!”
-Jesus frees us from addictive habits. God never intended you to go through life on your own power…He wants you to trust Him and depend on Him. That’s why He allows problems…that you have no possible chance of solving on your own…He’s been waiting for you to stop trying and start trusting.
-Jesus frees us from the fear of death. Jesus came to save you for a purpose. Acts 13:36 is his life verse: David served God’s purpose in his generation, then he died. “This phrase, “he served God’s purpose in his generation,” is the ultimate definition of a life well lived.”
“Nothing compares to the thrill of being used by God for a great purpose. It is the deepest longing in your heart, and no other experience can take the place of it. It is why you were created.”
Everyone lives at 1 of 3 levels: survival, success, or significance. Most of the world lives at the survival level…If you live in the United States, you live at the success level, even if you feel poor. Most of the world would love to have our problems. but success doesn’t satisfy…You were created for significance…Significance comes from service–giving your life away for a purpose greater than yourself.”
-Grace: “Religion is man’s attempt to please God. Grace is God reaching down to man…” When Jesus died for you on the cross, he exclaimed, “It is finished!” It is extremely important to note that Jesus didn’t say, “I am finished,” because he wasn’t!…The phrase “it is finished” is actually a single word in Hebrew that Jesus cried out. It was stamped on bills that had been paid off and on prison sentences that had been completed. It meant “paid in full!””
…no man or woman will ever love you as completely and deeply as Jesus does. His death for you proves it…
You may be looking for a Savior in the wrong places: If I could just find the right man or woman, everything would be great. If I had a certain job or got a promotion or had a baby or attained a certain level of wealth, then I’d feel peaceful and fulfilled. If only I could achieve a beautiful body, impress the right people, own the right things, or escape to Tahiti, then my emptiness would be filled.
The answer is not in a place, a program, or a pill. The answer is a Person. It’s Jesus. What you’re missing is a relationship with the One who created you so He could love you. 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life…”
FAITH: Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” “Faith makes God smile.” Like a parent with a child, “God wants you to learn to trust Him.” Lifeguard analogy – “A person can’t be saved until he gives up trying to save himself.”
“Consider this: if it were possible for you to save yourself and you didn’t really need a Savior, God would not have wasted the enormous energy, effort, and pain to send one. If there were any other way, don’t you think Jesus would have chosen it instead of suffering [God’s wrath] on a cross?”
RECONCILIATION is the restoration of peace. “Peace with God, peace with others, and peace in your own heart. (During the past 5,560 years there have been nearly 15,000 wars…As I write this (2007?) there are 32 large and small wars going on in the world.”
Understand the causes of conflict:
- Our natural self-centeredness (pride)
- Expecting others to meet needs that only God can meet. “We make demands of others instead of looking to God. So many people get married with unrealistic expectations and then divorce. No human being can fully meet all your needs. That’s a job for God.” … “If you prayed as much as you complain and quarrel, you’d have a lot less to argue about and much more peace of mind.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.”
“Jesus came at Christmas to bring us three kinds of peace:
Peace with God
The Peace of God
Peace with others”
Jesus offers you Peace with God: “…if you’re trying to live your way instead of God’s way, you’re in conflict with God…The symptoms of being at war with God are easy to spot: irritability, a quick temper, insecurity, impatience, manipulation, arrogance and boasting, holding grudges, and many other attitudes and habits that the Bible calls the “works of the flesh.”
The effects of being reconciled to God are the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23
…Peace comes from surrender – total, unconditional surrender to God. You admit that God is God and you are not! You give up the ridiculous notion that you know what’s best for you and what will make you happy than your Creator does. You give up the rebellious attitude that you can pick and choose which of God’s rules you’ll follow and which ones you’ll ignore.”
Jesus offers you the Peace of God: “…The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry…The path to the peace of God comes through living and enjoying one day at a time, accepting what cannot be changed instead of worrying about it, trusting in God’s loving care and wisdom, and surrendering to His purpose and plan for your life.” Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…”
Jesus shows you how to make peace with others: Blessed are the peacemakers… “To work for peace means you actively seek to end conflicts, you take the initiative in promoting reconciliation when relationships break down, and you offer forgiveness to those who have hurt you.” …”reconciliation is not the same as resolution. Reconciliation ends hostility. It doesn’t mean you’ve resolved all the problems in the relationship. You continue to talk about the issues and work on them, but now you do it with respect and love instead of sarcasm and anger…Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. Always focus on reconciliation first.”
Forgiveness – forgive so we can get on with our lives instead of getting stuck in the past due to resentment and bitterness…resentment is self-destructive because it always hurts you most, and it prolongs your pain…You need it let it go.”
www.thepeaceplan.com – Rick Warren launched in 2004: Promoting reconciliation, Equipping leaders, Assisting the poor, Caring for the sick, and Educating the next generation.