Knowing You Are Loved

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It's time 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.200 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:04.840 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.119 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.280 and career. Make it count with Purdue Global Produce online 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:14.880 University for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.759 Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:34.640 your homes, and if you're ever in our area, please 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:37.400 stop by be a part of one of our services. 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:40.240 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:43.280 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.480 about this man. He was the only Protestant in a 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:51.680 large Catholic neighborhood. Every Friday during Lent, while his neighbors 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:55.120 were eating cold fish, he was in his backyard grilling 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:59.320 a steak. They couldn't stand the temptation and decided to 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:03.360 try to convert him to Catholicism. He finally agreed. A 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:06.600 priest came over, sprinkled water on his head, said, you 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.400 were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, but 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:12.840 now you're a Catholic. The next year, on the first 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.440 Friday of Lent, they smelled the same smell. They rushed 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.880 his house. He was in his backyard sprinkling water over 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.080 his steak, saying, you were born a cow, you raised 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:27.600 a cow, but now you're a fish. Say it like 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.280 you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:32.959 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:36.120 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:39.600 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:43.440 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:47.200 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:50.799 I want to talk to you today about knowing it 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:54.239 you are loved. When Victoria and I had been dating 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:58.000 for about nine months, a friend of mine called me secretly. 0:02:58.520 --> 0:03:02.040 She said, Joel, I just talk to Victoria. Don't tell 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:05.320 her that I called. But she told me she thinks 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:09.840 she loves you. My friend was so excited, she was 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.840 waiting for me to join in the excitement. But I 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:17.120 had a problem with two words. She thinks if she 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:21.000 thinks she loves me, that means maybe she does, maybe 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:23.840 she doesn't. She's still trying to figure it out. It 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.320 could go either way. She thinks didn't give me any 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:30.560 confidence at all. In fact, it made me think I 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:33.400 need to perform better, I need to do more, try 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:37.640 to impress, be good enough, she thinks, put me under 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:42.280 more pressure. Eventually, I'm happy to say Victoria came to 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:46.280 her senses and she went from I think to I 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.360 know that was over thirty years ago. But when you 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:53.440 know somebody loves you, it puts you at ease. You 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:57.480 don't have to try to perform, impress, be good enough. 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:03.440 You can relax, be yourself. You're comfortable, you're secure. But 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:06.400 a lot of people live with this I think he 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:10.280 loves me mentality. When it comes to God, they base 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:13.720 it on their performance. I went to church last week, 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:17.440 I did good. I think he loves me. I volunteered 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:20.560 at the hospital. I was kind of my neighbor. I 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:25.200 resisted temptation. I earned his love. The problem with this 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.920 approach is when we make mistakes, we get off course, 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:33.000 we don't perform perfectly. We think God goes and finds 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.640 somebody else to love. After all, if you don't love me, 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.919 human nature says, I'm not going to love you back. 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:45.360 But God is not like people. People can love you conditionally. 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.360 If you do right, perform right, treat me right, then 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:52.200 I'll love you, but if you let me down, I'll 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:56.760 go find somebody else. When we make mistakes, God doesn't 0:04:56.839 --> 0:05:00.279 change his mind. You can run away from God God. 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:03.440 Instead of turning the other way, God will come running 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:08.320 towards you. Quit trying to earn this love. There's nothing 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.440 you can do to make God love you any more 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:15.640 or any less. It's a gift. Just receive it by faith. 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:20.239 Sometimes we're trying to clean ourselves up. Get good enough, 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:24.960 then we'll believe God really loves us. Take the pressure off. 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:28.320 God loves you right now. He loved you when you 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:31.040 were wrong, he loved you when you were off course. 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:35.760 Paul said, nothing can separate us from the love of God. 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:40.760 You are a marked man, a marked woman. God put 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:45.200 his love on you. Now you are permanently loved. The 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.680 Psalm has said, if I go down to the depths 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:50.560 of the ocean, God you are there. If I go 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:53.080 way up into the heavens, God you are still there. 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:56.680 He can't get away from this love. Well, Joel, I'm 0:05:56.720 --> 0:06:00.000 an atheist. I don't believe in God. He still loves you. 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:04.360 I've made mistakes, I've had a rough pass. Nothing you've 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:08.680 done has changed God's love. I have an addiction. I 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:12.000 still struggle with my temper. That didn't cancel this love. 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:17.200 The scripture talks about the great love, wherewith God loved us. 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:20.640 It wasn't a little love, and I think love a 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:24.400 conditional love. It was a great love. And we think 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:28.440 about how much we love God. But what's more profound 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:33.480 is how much God loves you. Before you were formed 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:37.680 in your mother's womb, God knew you. He took time 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:41.120 to plan out all of your days. He knows your 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.800 thoughts before you think them. He knows your words before 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:48.719 you speak them. Jesus said, the hair on your head 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:53.200 are all numbered. Now. I love Victoria, but I have 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:57.680 never taken time to number her hairs. Number doesn't mean 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:01.760 there are fifty four thousands, hundred and twenty three that's counted. 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.719 Numbered means this is hair number twenty one thousand, two 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:09.280 hundred and thirty eight. Every time you take a shower, 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.840 every time we lose a hair, God has to renumber. 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.680 There was a popular book turned into a movie a 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:19.120 few years ago. It was called He's Just Not That 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:23.239 Into You. It was about guys not really liking a girl. 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.360 Can I tell you God is just the opposite he's 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.680 way into you. If he's taken the time to number 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:35.360 your hair, to know your thoughts, to plan out all 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:39.000 of your days. Do you really think there's anything you 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:43.280 can do to cause him to stop loving you? But 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:46.720 how God must feel when we go around thinking I 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.680 think he loves me, I think I'm good enough, I 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:52.760 think I haven't done too much wrong. Get rid of 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:57.280 the I think mentality and start having and I know mentality. 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:01.000 It's very freeing when you can say I know God 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.280 loves me, I know I'm the apple of his eye. 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:08.080 I know he's smiling down on me. Voices will whisper 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.280 not you. You've made mistakes, you lost your temper, you're 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:16.800 not religious enough. God doesn't love you because you're religious, 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:20.440 or good enough, or come from a certain family. He 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:24.520 loves you because you are his child. He breathed his 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.920 life into you. When you receive this love, you'll live 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:32.120 with a confidence. When you go from I think to 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.480 I know, you'll quit trying to earn it, quit trying 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:39.360 to be good enough. You'll live secure knowing that your 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:43.280 heavenly Father loves you. In the Bible, the Book of 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:47.920 John was written by the disciple John. What's interesting is 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:52.000 He never referred to himself as John. When he talked 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:56.200 about himself, Instead of using his name, he said, the 0:08:56.280 --> 0:09:02.160 disciple whom Jesus loved. Thirteen he wrote, the disciple whom 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:05.880 Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus. He could have 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:10.360 just written, John was sitting next to Jesus. When Matthew, Mark, 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.320 and Luke wrote their books their accounts of the Gospel, 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:17.640 they referred to themselves using their own name. Can you 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:21.320 imagine if they would have read John's account, they would 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:25.280 have thought, who does John think he is describing himself 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.920 as the one Jesus loved. Jesus loved us all the 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:33.120 nerve of that God. But John had an incredible confidence, 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:36.680 not just in how much he loved God, but in 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:41.080 how much God loved him. Four times he referred to 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:45.679 himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. You would think, 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.280 all right, John, we got it the first time. We 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:51.319 heard aloud and clear. You think you're the one he loves. 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:54.440 You don't have to keep telling us. But in chapter 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:59.480 nineteen he wrote again, when Jesus saw his mother and 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:04.360 the decl whom Jesus loved. Now you know Jesus loved 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:08.040 his mother. In fact, he probably loved his mother more 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:11.280 than he loved John. But John didn't take the time 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:13.800 to tell us how much he loved his mother. He 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:17.480 just reiterated the fact he was the one Jesus loved. 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.240 Now you can fault him for it, but I have 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:23.600 to give him credit. He knew how much he was loved. 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:28.680 Two chapters later, John wrote, the disciple whom Jesus loved 0:10:28.960 --> 0:10:32.840 said to Peter. It's funny he didn't say. The disciple 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:36.960 whom Jesus loved said to the other disciple whom Jesus loved. 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:41.400 You could take this as being arrogant, self centered, but 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.959 John was showing us the confidence he had and how 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.400 much he knew God loved him. When you can do 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:52.680 like John, maybe not announce it to everybody, don't put 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.600 it on your business card, but in your heart, I'm 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.920 the one that he loves. You wake up in the morning, 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:01.760 Good morning life, Lord, it's the one that you love 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:04.959 all through the day. Lord, I love you, and I 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:09.360 know I'm the one you love. When Lazarus was very 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:12.959 sick and close to death, his two sisters Mary and 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:17.000 Martha sent a note to their good friend Jesus asking 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:19.960 him to come and pray for Lazarus. Jesus was in 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:24.120 another city. The note didn't say, Jesus, we're begging you 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:28.280 please come pray for Lazarus. Jesus, you know Lazarus is 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:31.960 a good man, you know how much he loves you. Instead, 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:36.040 the note read Jesus, the one you love is sick. 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:41.120 They didn't tell Jesus how much Lazarus loved him. They 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:45.600 thought it would be more persuasive, more effective, to remind 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:50.440 Jesus how much he loved Lazarus. Sometimes we're trying to 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:52.720 convince God that we love him. God. I went to 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:55.400 church last week. God, I bit my tongue at the 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:58.280 office when I felt like telling them off. God, I've 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.520 been performing perfectly. Would you please please help me? Why 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:04.920 don't you do like Mary and Martha and say, Lord, 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.600 the one you love needs healing, the one you love 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:11.560 is lonely, the one you love has a child that's 0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:15.680 off course. What moves God is not just your love 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:20.840 for him, but recognizing his love for you. It pleases 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.680 God when you know you are dearly loved. That's why 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:28.280 the scripture says, come boldly to the throne, don't go 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.439 like a weak worm of the dust. If my son 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:36.280 came up to me, half embarrassed, ashamed, head down, Dad, 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:39.480 I hate to bother you. I know you're busy. I 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:41.800 don't deserve it. It's just little o'd me. But Dad, 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:44.959 I'm just begging you. Would you help me in this area? 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:47.880 I wouldn't feel sorry for him. I would feel bad 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:51.680 about myself as a father. I would think, what have 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:55.400 I done wrong? A son comes to me so inferior, 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:59.120 feeling unworthy, begging me for a little help. It's not 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.240 my life of love for my son, I'd give him 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.560 the world. It's his lack of knowing how much he 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.880 is love. Now, I'm happy to say my children don't 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:11.680 feel that way. They know how much they're loved, and 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:15.480 they're not afraid to ask. When our daughter Alexandra was 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:17.920 ten years old, she was going out to eat with 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:20.559 her cousins and they were about to go ice skating. 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:23.640 She came up to me in the den and said, Dad, 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.640 can I have twenty dollars to go out to eat 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.480 and go ice skating? I said, sure, go back and 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:32.400 get it off my bathroom counter where I keep my keys. 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.640 She gave me a kiss and said thank you. Then 0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:39.280 she turned and started walking toward the garage the wrong way. 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:41.560 I said, wait a minute, aren't you going to go 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:44.640 get the money? She smiled and said, already got it. 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:51.560 She said, I knew you would say yes. That made 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:55.720 me feel good as a father. She knows how much 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:59.280 I love her. She's not living with an I think mentality. 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.080 He loves me. If I perform good enough, he'll love me. 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:07.839 She has no doubt my father loves me. What if 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:11.760 we felt that same way about our heavenly father. You 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:14.760 want to make God smile, You want to make his day. 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:18.840 Start approaching him like you know he loves you. You 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:22.040 know he's for you, you know he's longing to be 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:26.280 good to you. It doesn't bring God any pleasure for 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:30.400 us to go around insecure, unworthy, beating ourselves up for 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:34.680 past mistakes. Shake that off, and start going boldly to 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:39.040 the throne. Our daughter, Alexandra is in college now. She 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:41.920 called Victoria a few months ago and told how their 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:46.080 sorority was having the Big Mother Daughter weekend. Wanted to 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:49.920 make sure that Victoria could come. She gave Victoria the dates. 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:54.880 It just so happened it was this weekend. Victoria said, oh, Alexandra, 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:58.200 we have a night of hope that Friday night. Plus 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:00.200 Dad and I are supposed to speak at late with 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.560 that weekend, and Dad really doesn't like me to miss. 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:07.400 Alexander said, Oh, Mom, don't worry, I'll call Dad. He'll 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:12.160 do anything that I ask. She called, and you notice 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:16.880 they're not here. You know why Alexandra can have that boldness. 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:20.640 She knows she's the one I love. She knows she's 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:24.120 my prize possession. She knows I'll go out of my 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:28.160 way to be good to her. She's my child. Now 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.440 I'll be good to your child. I'll be kind, loving, generous. 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.560 But let's be honest. If it's between your child and 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:38.040 my child, I'm gonna choose my child. That's my daughter. 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:42.960 She's my favorite. That's the way God feels about you. 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:46.160 You're his child. Can I tell you a secret? Don't 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:50.760 tell anyone, keep it confidential. You're his favorite. You're the 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:55.600 one that he loves. I've heard it said God has 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:59.800 no favorites. I think that's wrong. God has all favorites. 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:03.080 You're his favorite. You're his favorite. You're his favorite. You're 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:06.800 his favorite. God has the amazing ability to trade us 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.640 all like we're his favorite. He's not like people. He 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:13.920 doesn't have to pick and choose. He has unlimited love. 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:18.080 He doesn't just show love, he doesn't just express love. 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.400 He is love. That's not what he does, it's who 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:25.880 he is. When you start seeing yourself as his favorite, 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:29.680 you'll go to him with confidence. You'll pray bold prayers. 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:33.080 You'll ask him for your dreams. You'll believe for your 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:36.040 health to turn around. You'll expect new doors to open. 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:40.000 Not because of who you are, but because of who 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.080 your father is. You know he'll go out of his 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:46.240 way to be good to you. I grew up with 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:50.800 five siblings. My sister April is the youngest. She always 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:53.800 felt like she was the favorite of the family. The 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.960 truth is my parents had more resources when she came along. 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.600 My older brother, Paul, is forty seven years older than April, 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:06.040 I mean twelve years older than April. From a young age, 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:10.640 April started telling us all that she was our parents' favorite. 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:13.160 Now that never bothered me because I knew she wasn't 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:17.879 I was, but she's been doing this so long now. 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.680 When my mother sends us kids a group text, it 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.560 lists our names at the top. Paul, Lisa, Tamra Joel 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:29.240 instead of April. It says favorite. I had my mother's 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:33.000 cell phone one time. Under the contacts, she has April 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:39.800 stored as favorite. Now that's not right. I can imagine 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:43.160 if God had a cell phone, you would be stored 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:49.480 under favorite, not Joseph Rodriguez favorite, Rodriguez favorite, Smith favorite, 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:53.600 Edward favorite, Rebecca. We're all his favorite. You're the one 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.280 that he loves well, not me, Joel. You don't know 0:17:57.320 --> 0:18:00.800 the mistakes I've made. You don't know the past I've lived. 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:03.280 When I clean myself up, I know God will love 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:07.000 me a lot more. Nothing you can do will make 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:10.560 God love you anymore. You might as well believe you're 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:14.480 his favorite right now now. He may not be pleased 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:18.000 with all your behavior, but that doesn't change his love 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:22.360 for you. When we go around guilty, beating ourselves up, 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:25.520 that doesn't help you to do better. It pushes you down, 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:29.440 causes you to struggle more. But when you receive God's 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:34.000 love and no, despite your shortcomings, he's still proud of you. 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:38.600 He still says you're amazing, he still calls you a masterpiece. 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.480 That's what lifts your spirit, that's what gives you the 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:44.600 strength to do better and to break those chains that 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:48.439 are holding you back. Luke, chapter nineteen. There's the story 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:52.840 of Zachius. He was a tax collector. Back in those days, 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:57.000 they were known for being dishonest, for cheating people. They 0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:02.760 were very disliked, even hated. Zachias was the chief tax collector. 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:08.080 He was especially despised, looked down on by everyone, not 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:13.200 just figuratively, but even physically. He was very short. One day, 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:17.240 Jesus came passing through their town, and words spread quickly. 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.560 Everyone went out to try to get a glimpse of Jesus, 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:25.080 including Zachius, but it was so crowded, so many throngs 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:28.520 of people. Zachias couldn't see anything. He was too short. 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:32.159 Rather than give up, he decided to climb up in 0:19:32.240 --> 0:19:36.480 a tree. He got in perfect position, had a great viewpoint. 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:39.800 In a few minutes, Jesus came walking down the street. 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:44.359 I can imagine Zachius was in awe. He had heard 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:48.280 how Jesus had healed the sick, open blind eyes, cured 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:51.920 the lepers. Now Jesus was passing right in front of him. 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:54.960 It was an amazing moment. Hundreds of people were trying 0:19:55.000 --> 0:19:58.680 to touch Jesus, get his attention. All of a sudden, 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:03.760 in the midst of commotion, Jesus stopped. Everyone froze, thinking 0:20:03.800 --> 0:20:06.600 why is he stopping? They got quiet. He's going to 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:11.520 say something. Jesus turned and looked up in the tree. 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:16.440 Time stopped for Zacheus. Every eye was focused on him. 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:19.920 Zacheus knew he was hated, he knew he had cheated, 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:23.639 done people wrong. He was waiting for Jesus to let 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:27.440 him have it. But Jesus said, Zacheus, come down from 0:20:27.520 --> 0:20:30.239 the tree. I want to go to your house and 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:35.399 have dinner. At that moment, I believe Zachias felt something 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:40.320 that he had never felt. Something on the inside, said Zachius, 0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:44.080 you're the one that he loves. Out of all the 0:20:44.119 --> 0:20:47.840 people there that day, no doubt there were rabbis, elders 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:52.119 in the synagogue, respected leaders. Jesus could have gone to 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:55.800 dinner with any of them. But he was making this point, 0:20:56.440 --> 0:20:59.439 you don't have to have it altogether for God to 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:02.840 love you. You don't have to clean yourself up. Then you 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:04.960 can come down out of the tree, then you can 0:21:05.000 --> 0:21:08.040 go to dinner. That was the case. None of us 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:11.800 would have had a chance. What's interesting is the name 0:21:11.920 --> 0:21:16.520 Zychias means pure one. I doubt if anyone in that 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:22.720 crowd ever called him Zachias. They probably called him fraud, crook, cheater. 0:21:23.320 --> 0:21:27.960 One version says they called him scum. Jesus could have 0:21:28.040 --> 0:21:31.359 looked up in the tree and said, hey, you come down, 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.720 Hey mister, hey sir, or somebody get that guy from me. 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:41.919 But on purpose, Jesus said, Zacheus, pure one, come down. 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:44.679 I want to go to your house for dinner. The 0:21:44.760 --> 0:21:48.760 religious leaders nearly passed out. They said, why would he 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:53.080 go to dinner with such a notorious sinner. We don't 0:21:53.160 --> 0:21:56.600 see people the way God sees them. We look at 0:21:56.640 --> 0:22:01.199 their behavior, how perfectly they perform. God looks beyond all that. 0:22:02.040 --> 0:22:06.280 They saw a notorious sinner. God saw the one that 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:10.560 he loved. You may have made mistakes, like zach Heus, 0:22:10.720 --> 0:22:13.280 you got off course. You know you're not where you 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:17.680 should be. But if Jesus came passing by today, he 0:22:17.680 --> 0:22:20.840 wouldn't say, hey, Joel, come on man, let's go to lunch. 0:22:20.840 --> 0:22:24.520 You got that big church. Hey, sister, do right. You 0:22:24.560 --> 0:22:27.040 hadn't made a mistake in thirty three years. I'm proud 0:22:27.040 --> 0:22:29.880 of you. Let's go get something to eat. He would 0:22:29.960 --> 0:22:33.199 pass by all the people that look like they have 0:22:33.280 --> 0:22:36.720 it together, He would come to you. You're the one 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:39.880 that he loves. You may be up in the tree 0:22:40.400 --> 0:22:42.959 trying to hide dealing with issues. Can I tell you 0:22:43.240 --> 0:22:47.640 we all have issues. God is saying, come down, pure one, 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:53.080 come down, forgiven child, come down, redeemed daughter, come down, 0:22:53.160 --> 0:22:58.600 favorite one. Jesus pointed in choosing zach hes over all. 0:22:58.680 --> 0:23:02.120 The other quote goodness People was to let us know 0:23:02.640 --> 0:23:07.280 your performance doesn't determine God's love for you. Well, Joel, 0:23:07.320 --> 0:23:09.840 if I can break this bad habit, if I can 0:23:09.840 --> 0:23:12.480 stop this addiction, I know he'll love me a lot more. 0:23:13.200 --> 0:23:16.280 He will be more pleased with your behavior. Your life 0:23:16.280 --> 0:23:20.200 will go better. But that doesn't affect God's love for you. 0:23:20.800 --> 0:23:25.240 He's calling you pure one right now. Will you receive 0:23:25.359 --> 0:23:28.359 this love? Will you come down and go to dinner, 0:23:28.400 --> 0:23:31.199 so to speak? Or are you going to stay up 0:23:31.240 --> 0:23:35.239 in that tree and let condemning voices convince you that 0:23:35.280 --> 0:23:38.000 you're all washed up? You have to shape that off 0:23:38.280 --> 0:23:41.600 and say it. By faith, Lord, I believe I'm the 0:23:41.600 --> 0:23:46.280 one you love. I believe despite my failures, despite my mistakes, 0:23:46.480 --> 0:23:50.600 you still have a great plan for my life. First, John, 0:23:50.680 --> 0:23:54.800 for says, this is real love, not that we loved God, 0:23:55.440 --> 0:23:58.960 but that He loved us and sin his son as 0:23:58.960 --> 0:24:03.320 a sacrifice for our sins. Real love is not our 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:07.280 love for God, it's God's love for us. When we 0:24:07.400 --> 0:24:10.239 try to perform to gain this love, the problem is 0:24:10.400 --> 0:24:13.520 we'll never measure up. There will always be something we 0:24:13.560 --> 0:24:17.119 can't do right, some reason we can't feel good about ourselves. 0:24:17.800 --> 0:24:21.520 Why don't you take the pressure off and receive real love, 0:24:21.840 --> 0:24:25.199 God's love for you. That's what the lady had to do. 0:24:25.280 --> 0:24:29.320 In John chapter eight, the religious leaders brought her to Jesus. 0:24:29.800 --> 0:24:32.760 She was caught in the act of adultery. They threw 0:24:32.760 --> 0:24:35.560 her at his feet, said, the law says stoner. What 0:24:35.600 --> 0:24:38.720 do you say we should do? Jesus said, you that 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:42.280 are without sin, throw the first stone. They all left, 0:24:42.280 --> 0:24:45.720 from the oldest to the youngest. Jesus asked the woman, 0:24:46.320 --> 0:24:51.160 where are your accusers? Hasn't anyone condemned you? She said no. Man, Lord, 0:24:51.800 --> 0:24:55.520 he said, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:59.760 no more. He didn't say, go and sin no more. 0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:03.600 Then I won't condemn you. Change your ways, get your 0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:07.120 act together, quit giving in to the temptation. Then I'll 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:10.800 love you, then all be for you, just the opposite, 0:25:10.840 --> 0:25:14.400 He said, I don't condemn you first before he talked 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:18.960 about her behavior, Before he addressed the issues. Jesus wanted 0:25:19.000 --> 0:25:22.320 to make sure she knew she was the one that 0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:26.399 he loved. When she felt this real love, when she 0:25:26.560 --> 0:25:29.600 realized the one person that could have condemned her wouldn't 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:33.119 do it, I believe something happened on the inside. She 0:25:33.240 --> 0:25:37.360 walked out of there a changed woman. But sometimes religion 0:25:37.400 --> 0:25:40.800 tells us clean yourself up, then God will love you. 0:25:40.840 --> 0:25:44.480 Do right, perform correctly. If not, God won't have anything 0:25:44.480 --> 0:25:48.440 to do with you. That's not real love. That's conditional love. 0:25:49.200 --> 0:25:51.800 If you do good enough, if you measure up, then 0:25:51.880 --> 0:25:56.040 God will help you. Real love is not about your performance, 0:25:56.480 --> 0:25:59.640 what you do or don't do. It's about what God 0:25:59.640 --> 0:26:03.160 has all already done. It's not based on how much 0:26:03.200 --> 0:26:06.840 you love God. It's based on how much God loves you. 0:26:07.760 --> 0:26:10.720 When my brother Paul was a little boy, before any 0:26:10.760 --> 0:26:13.679 of us siblings were born, my parents would put him 0:26:13.680 --> 0:26:15.879 in his bed at night, and then they would go 0:26:15.920 --> 0:26:18.399 get in their own bed. Their rooms were just a 0:26:18.400 --> 0:26:21.600 few feet apart down a short hallway. My father would 0:26:21.600 --> 0:26:24.280 always say good night Paul, and Paul would answer back, 0:26:24.320 --> 0:26:28.159 good night Daddy, good night mother. One night, for some reason, 0:26:28.200 --> 0:26:31.240 Paul was a little afraid. A couple of minutes after 0:26:31.280 --> 0:26:34.280 they had said their good nights, Paul said, Daddy, are 0:26:34.280 --> 0:26:37.200 you still in there? My father said yes, Paul, I'm 0:26:37.240 --> 0:26:41.679 still here. Was quiet for a few seconds. Then Paul asked, Daddy, 0:26:42.400 --> 0:26:46.520 is your face turned toward me. My father said, yes, Paul, 0:26:46.800 --> 0:26:51.119 my face is turned toward you. Somehow, it made Paul 0:26:51.200 --> 0:26:55.320 feel better just knowing that his father's face was turned 0:26:55.320 --> 0:26:59.560 toward him. Can I tell you today, your heavenly Father's 0:26:59.600 --> 0:27:03.600 face is turned towards you. You're the one that he loves. 0:27:04.080 --> 0:27:08.919 You're his favorite child. He's not counting your mistakes against you. 0:27:09.359 --> 0:27:13.760 He's calling you pure one. My challenge is received this 0:27:13.960 --> 0:27:17.200 love all through the day. Lord, Thank you that I'm 0:27:17.200 --> 0:27:19.879 the one you love. Thank you that your face is 0:27:19.960 --> 0:27:23.440 turned toward me. Remember real love. It's not about your 0:27:23.480 --> 0:27:27.520 love for God. It's recognizing the great love God has 0:27:27.600 --> 0:27:31.160 for you. If you'll do this, I believe and declare 0:27:31.480 --> 0:27:36.920 you're going to live confident, secure, overcoming obstacles, rising higher, 0:27:37.160 --> 0:27:41.320 and becoming everything He's created you to be in Jesus' name, 0:27:41.680 --> 0:27:44.000 and if you receive it, can you say amen? Today, 0:27:46.080 --> 0:27:48.680 I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:27:48.760 --> 0:27:51.000 the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:27:51.840 --> 0:27:57.400 Just say Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:27:57.440 --> 0:28:02.800 into my heart. I make you Lord and Savior. If 0:28:02.800 --> 0:28:05.840 you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. 0:28:06.280 --> 0:28:08.960 Get in a good Bible based church, and keep God 0:28:09.200 --> 0:28:12.439 first place. Victorian, I'll be right back to speak a 0:28:12.480 --> 0:28:15.600 blessing over you. 0:28:14.960 --> 0:28:19.600 As a thank you for your support of our ministry 0:28:19.640 --> 0:28:22.159 this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you 0:28:22.200 --> 0:28:25.600 a copy of Joel's new series, Expect the Unexpected. 0:28:25.960 --> 0:28:29.000 God can surprise you in ways you've never dreamed. He 0:28:29.160 --> 0:28:32.280 likes to do unusual things, things you don't see coming. 0:28:32.720 --> 0:28:36.000 Raise your expectations and get ready to see God's favor 0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:36.800 in new ways. 0:28:37.080 --> 0:28:39.720 You may have reached your limits, but God has no limits. 0:28:39.880 --> 0:28:42.840 Request this resource. It will help build your faith so 0:28:42.920 --> 0:28:45.720 you can see the fullness of what God has in stored. 0:28:46.160 --> 0:28:49.920 Request your copy of Expect the Unexpected today at Joeloasting 0:28:49.960 --> 0:28:53.440 dot com or call eight eight eight five six seven Joel. 0:28:54.880 --> 0:28:57.240 When we got our son's diagnosis with autism. 0:28:57.520 --> 0:28:59.000 Our whole world changed. 0:28:59.160 --> 0:29:01.440 We weren't sure what to do, but it was Joel's 0:29:01.480 --> 0:29:04.680 message of hope that really carried us over our obstacles. 0:29:04.960 --> 0:29:08.480 We thank God for the ministry of Joelosteine and everything 0:29:08.760 --> 0:29:09.760 that it meant to our. 0:29:09.600 --> 0:29:13.560 Found Your support is making a difference. Thanks for partnering 0:29:13.600 --> 0:29:17.719 with us, your prayers, your generosity is touching lives around 0:29:17.760 --> 0:29:20.600 the world. And a special thank you to our champion 0:29:20.600 --> 0:29:23.160 of hope partners for all you do to make the 0:29:23.240 --> 0:29:26.640 ministry possible. Victoria and I pray for you and your 0:29:26.680 --> 0:29:30.320 family every day. We're believing for God's very very best 0:29:30.560 --> 0:29:34.040 that you're going to see a bountiful, fruitful, prosperous year 0:29:34.560 --> 0:29:37.000 until we meet again. Made the Lord bless you and 0:29:37.080 --> 0:29:40.640 keep you. Remember you're not average, You're not mediocre. You're 0:29:40.640 --> 0:29:43.000 a child of the most High God. 0:29:43.040 --> 0:29:46.960 To partner with Joel Lostein ministries, visit Joelostein dot com 0:29:47.000 --> 0:29:52.640 slash partner today. 0:29:53.640 --> 0:29:58.680 Nice funs, soft, fluffy and ultralow neck carbs. 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