Pastor Rick's Daily Hope

Guest (Male): Hello, and thank you for joining us today on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren, and today we are continuing in a series called The Miracle of Mercy. Rick will show us how God's mercy can lift your guilt, heal your wounds, and transform the way you live. And now let's jump right in with Rick with part two of a message called Being an Agent of Mercy in the World.

Pastor Rick Warren: Here's the third principle. Choose my words carefully. If you're going to be an agent of mercy in the world this week, you're God's secret agent of mercy and you're going out and you're showing mercy in the workplace and in the neighborhood and in the grocery store and at the post office, you have to choose your words carefully. Mercy puts a monitor on my mouth. If I'm going to be an agent of mercy, there are some things I just can't say. Does that make sense?

I can't be mean to people. I can't be rude to people. I can't be sarcastic to people, and I can't put them down. I have to choose my words carefully. Colossians 4:6 says, "When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should." Circle the words pleasant and kind. You are never persuasive when you're abrasive.

If you can't get what you want in a grocery store, or at a department store, or at a restaurant, and you're being offensive and you're being rude to the clerk or the waitress, you are never persuasive when you're abrasive. He says when you talk, you should always be kind, always be pleasant, so you'll be able to answer everyone in the way you should. That's what agents of mercy do.

Let me show you another verse, Ephesians 4:29. "Do not say harmful things which tear people down, but say what people need, words that will help others become stronger." In other words, words that build them up, not tear them down. Do your words tear down people or they build them up? Words that will help others become stronger, then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. That's the Bible. That's God telling you how you are to speak if you're an agent of mercy. You do not say harmful things, but you say what people need, words that will help them become stronger.

Now, how in the world do I do that? If I've had this pattern, maybe you grew up learning you were in a family where it's common to put each other down, how do I break that habit in my life? You ask God for wisdom. Wisdom makes you patient. The more wise you are, the more patient you'll become. The more wise you are, the more merciful you'll be. The more you understand the hurts of other people, the more you cut them slack, the more gracious and merciful you are.

James chapter 3, verse 17 says, "The wisdom that comes from heaven is pure and it's peace-loving." In other words, if I'm wise, I love peace, not conflict. There are people on the internet who are not wise. They don't love peace. They love conflict. They love arguing. They love trolling. They love getting into a fight. They're not wise. They're unwise.

The wisdom that comes from heaven is peace-loving. It's gentle at all times. When I'm not gentle, I'm not being wise. And it's willing to yield to others. Wisdom is full of mercy. The more your life is filled with mercy, the wiser you're going to be. And the wiser you become, the more merciful you're going to be to people around you. Even people who totally disagree with you, even people who don't like you, even people who consider themselves to be your enemy, you still show them mercy because you're wise.

Let me give you a fourth principle. Start looking and listening for people's needs. Don't be offended by people's sins. Choose your words carefully. And here's the fourth principle of mercy. Value saving people over keeping rules. In God's book, saving people is a whole lot more important than keeping rules. Rules are not nearly as important as relationships in God's book.

Rules are not as important as relationships. You value saving people over keeping rules. Now Jesus modeled this over and over and over. I gave you one example there in Matthew chapter 12. It was against the law, a religious law, for you to pick grain in a field on the Sabbath and eat it. That was considered work in the traditions of that day.

And yet Jesus' disciples were hungry, so he said, "Just get some grain there and eat some of that." And the religious Pharisees, the legalists, they were indignant. They go, "Hey, why are you guys breaking all this rule?" He says, "They're just hungry." He cared more about his disciples' empty stomachs than he did care about their traditions. And over and over again, Jesus often broke rules to heal people because healing people was more important than keeping rules in God's book. That is the God of mercy.

Here's a good example, Matthew chapter 23, verse 23. Jesus says this to the legalist, to the judgmental Pharisees. He said, "You Pharisees, you're careful to tithe 10 percent of every part of your income." But he said, "Then you ignore the other important matters of God's law. Justice, being fair to people, showing mercy, treating people with mercy, and faith, having faith."

Yes, you should tithe. But he says you also shouldn't neglect the more important things. I always think this verse is kind of funny to me because Jesus did not get along with the Pharisees. They did not like him. He was full of grace and mercy, and they were full of legalism and judgmentalism. The only thing that Jesus ever complimented in the Pharisees was this. He said, "You guys tithe."

He goes, "You got that right. Okay, you got that one right. You tithe 10 percent of everything you make, goes back to the Lord to say it really all belongs to you, and this is to prove it. I'm just honoring you with the first 10 percent." He said that's a good thing. You got that one right. But he says you can't use that as an excuse to not do the other stuff like treating people fairly, showing mercy, and having faith.

By the way, sometimes you'll hear people say Jesus never spoke about tithing. Of course, he did. There's one example. He says you should tithe. But he says that's minor comparison to treating people with mercy and being fair and just with people and not ripping them off. He goes, "That's the more important stuff. Yeah, keep tithing. You need to do that. But this does not give you an excuse to overlook the other important stuff."

So you need to value saving people over keeping rules. So those are four principles of mercy. Now what I want to do is talk for just a couple of minutes on six places to be an agent of mercy. I could have given you a bunch of them, but I just want to give you six examples. And rather than having me teach on it, you're going to hear a very short little story from normal people who actually modeled this point.

Let me give you six ways that you can be an agent of God's mercy this next week. You might write these down. Number one, here's the first way to be an agent of mercy this week. Look for people in a crisis and listen to them. They need to be listened to. When people are in a crisis, your ear is a healing tool. You can heal people just by listening to them. That's why people pay big money to have counselors listen to them. There's healing in listening. Look for people in a crisis and listen to them. Galatians 6:2 says this, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

First, what's a burden? Well, a burden could be a lot of things. It could be a physical burden, could be a financial burden, it could be a relational burden. But most of the time burdens are emotional stress. And when people are under emotional stress, they're burdened down. They're going through a crisis and it dampens their emotion. He says carry each other's burdens.

How do you do that? By listening. When you listen to somebody who's going through a crisis, you're carrying their burden. And he says in this way you fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? The Great Commandment. Love God with all your heart, love your neighbor as yourself. Anytime you listen to somebody in a crisis, you are loving your neighbor as yourself. Anytime you listen to somebody and they unload their burden, emotional, physical, or whatever, on you, you're sharing it. You are showing love for God and love for each other. I want you to hear Rob's story. Would you give him a warm welcome?

Rob: Good to see you, Saddleback. When I was a 21-year-old working for a major construction and land development company, I was a part of a three-man crew that did all the excavating work necessary for the new subdivisions. I was a brand-new Christian, and I wanted to share my faith in Jesus with others.

My boss, his name was Mitch, he called me a lot of names, most of which I can't mention here today because I carried a Bible on the dashboard of my truck, I spent my lunches reading it, and I would pray before I ate. I invited my boss many, many times to church and I tried to witness to him about how Jesus had saved me from both my addictions and even from ending my own life. But my boss showed no interest whatsoever. I just couldn't get through to him.

I'll never forget the day that my boss came to work and he was obviously distraught. It was clear that he was in a crisis. I asked him what was the matter and he said that his wife had abandoned him and their small son over the weekend. He was devastated. Wanting to show mercy, I just listened to him. Then I asked him if I could pray for him and to my surprise he said yes.

God was using this crisis to get Mitch's attention. And over the next couple of months our relationship changed completely as I listened to him pour out his pain. He'd begin to ask me questions and I would listen and he would listen to me. Sharing his pain with me made it easier for him to handle. As I said, I was a brand-new Christian, so I listened a lot.

Thanksgiving Day that year was my and Dana's first Thanksgiving as a married couple. We knew it would be a tough day for Mitch, so we invited him and his son to our studio apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. It was an act of mercy, and I was surprised that Mitch accepted and showed up with his young son. Spending that day together made a huge impact on him. And just a few weeks later, in my work truck with my Bible on the dashboard, Mitch prayed with me and he opened his life to Christ. The mercy of God has broken through this guy's defense and we've remained friends and brothers in Christ. God bless.

Pastor Rick Warren: Okay, so there's a good example of looking for people in a crisis and listening to them. That's what Rob did. Here's a second way to be an agent of mercy. Look for people with unmet needs and help them. Practical needs. You need a car? You need me to drive you somewhere? You need somebody to do an errand for you? Can I help you paint your house? Whatever. Look for people with unmet needs and help them. That is being an agent of mercy. The Bible says this in Romans 15, verses 2 and 3. "Each of us needs to look after the good of the people around us."

There's that word look. You've got to see it. Look for the good of people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?" That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but he weighed right in and he helped out. This is what mercy does. We look for people with unmet needs and help them. I want you to hear an example from Ashley. Give her a warm welcome.

Ashley: Pastor Rick asked me to share an example of someone who came to know Christ through the acts of mercy of our HIV and AIDS ministry team. So I'd like to share the story of Jacob. While participating in an AIDS walk at Irvine Park, Jacob saw Saddleback's HIV and AIDS ministry booth. At first he was angry because he thought we were there to protest those living with HIV. But soon he realized we were there to support, love, and care for those living with HIV and AIDS.

Jacob said he never imagined that any church would do that and he wondered if Saddleback church would help him. Jacob quickly learned that the answer was yes. Our HIV/AIDS ministry began to show Jacob mercy in many, many ways. Saddleback members brought him several weeks' worth of meals when he was too sick to shop, and what meant even more to him was that people didn't just drop off the meals, they stayed and ate with him like a friend.

A Saddleback small group came over and cleaned his apartment, his garage, and even his refrigerator. Other Saddleback members walked his dog when he had a foot surgery. And one small group hearing that he couldn't afford a medical scooter to keep his leg elevated, went out and found one so that he could get around more comfortably.

Another small group took Jacob to the movies because he hated going to the movies alone. Most recently, when Jacob was hospitalized, it was not his close friends or family that came to visit him. Instead, it was people from Saddleback's HIV support group and even members he didn't know who stopped by and encouraged him.

Because his critical condition required extra protection from germs, Jacob's hospital stay was in a room surrounded by glass. Jacob explained, "But when I awoke after surgery, people from Saddleback's HIV/AIDS group were there to support me. They hung out, they prayed for me, and I no longer felt alone. It meant so much to me, especially when others seemed scared of me."

As a result of all these agents of mercy, Jacob eventually opened his life to Jesus. He said, "I accepted Christ and got baptized at Saddleback because of their kindness and extreme helpfulness. The fact that my HIV status was not considered a hindrance for me becoming a Christian and being a part of this church, well, I just don't have the words for that kind of love. There's no stigma or judgment here, no one questions me. Instead, I found open arms embracing me and big hugs from everyone." God continues to show mercy and kindness through Saddleback members and it is transforming one life after another through our AIDS ministry. I invite you to join us. AIDS changed Jacob's life, but God's love through merciful Christians changed it even more.

Pastor Rick Warren: A third way God wants you to be an agent of mercy this week. Look for people who are grieving and comfort them. Every day of your life, somebody around you has a loss. They lose a job, they lose a loved one, they lose finances, they lose their dream. Loss is the universal problem in life. You're going to have many losses in your life, and everybody around you is going to have many losses in theirs.

There is no loss without grief and pain. And when that happens, God wants you to be an agent of mercy. Are you too busy to notice the people who are grieving where you work? Do you even know those who are grieving? Do you even know enough about them on what's happening in the losses in their life? The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 3 and 4, "God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others who are in trouble with the same comfort that we ourselves received from God." I want you to hear an example from Vicky. Give her a warm welcome right now.

Vicky: Hi. Look for people who are grieving and comfort them. Well, when I was teaching aerobics, I had an elderly couple in my low-impact class. They were there every Wednesday morning in the front row smiling through the entire class. Suddenly, they were not there for a few weeks, and I was concerned that they may have fallen ill. So I tried to find out their condition but I couldn't find any information on them.

When they returned, I could see that something was heavy on their heart. They were there, but their smiles were missing. So I talked to them after class and they told me that their adopted daughter and only child had been killed in an automobile accident. They were devastated and they were in deep grief. And they were worried because they were the only relatives left to raise their young granddaughter.

This elderly couple asked me how I got through the loss of my dad, and I told them about my faith in Jesus and the comfort he gives us in our grief. Of course, I invited them to Saddleback Church and they loved it. They loved it. They started to serve. It was wonderful. Surrounded by all the love and mercy we all feel here, they both accepted the Lord very soon after.

Over the years they were constantly thanking me for showing them mercy and telling them about Jesus. A few years later, their granddaughter's long-lost father suddenly showed up to take their granddaughter from them. This was another huge loss that they would have to grieve, but this time they were grateful that they had Jesus and our church family to comfort them through that loss.

So years later, the elderly wife grew quite ill and she asked me to come to her hospital room to talk to her visiting granddaughter about the Lord. I felt totally unequipped for such a big responsibility, and I went anyway, asking God to show me mercy. As I walked through the hospital parking lot, my mind was just scrambling with what I would say.

For some reason I looked down at the ground and on the wet parking lot was a familiar piece of paper that I'd see hundreds of times. It was one of Pastor Rick's sermon outlines that someone had evidently dropped from a Saddleback message that was just that weekend. So I picked it up. And guess what? I found just the words that the Lord had for me.

It included the same verse, the same verse that is on our message notes today. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others who are in trouble with the same comfort that we ourselves received from God." When I read that verse, I started crying. It was God reminding me that when we feel unworthy or unequipped to show mercy to others, we're just not alone.

God is with us and he will help us as we show that mercy. I now walked into the hospital room with his words, not mine. I still have the ink-stained outline as a reminder to me. About a month later, Ann passed away and went to heaven, and I had the privilege of helping Pastor Glen with her memorial service. I thank God for the privilege of showing mercy to that elderly couple knowing that we will now be friends forever in heaven and I encourage you to show mercy to people that you can. And by the way, here are my notes. Thank you.

Pastor Rick Warren: You know, those sermon outlines are indestructible. We make them out of titanium and only kryptonite can actually cause them to do to do that. Okay, number four. Fourth way God wants you to be an agent of mercy this week. Look for people needing friends and show hospitality.

Now, I'm talking about people who are shy, people who are reticent, people who are retiring, people who aren't the life of the party. They might be socially awkward. They might feel uncomfortable in social settings. They might be unpopular. Everybody needs friends in their life. God hates loneliness. And one of the ways you can be an agent of mercy is look for people who are lonely and love them and just show them hospitality. Romans 12, verse 13 says this, "Look for opportunities to be hospitable."

Guest (Male): Wow, what a great message from Rick today. A lot of you already know that one of our deepest needs is to feel peace in a world that rarely slows down. But true, lasting, unshakable peace isn't found in circumstances. It's found in Jesus, the Prince of Peace. The Bible says his peace exceeds anything we can understand.

And one of the surest ways to draw close to Jesus is by spending time in God's word. And that's why Pastor Rick created a 52-card scripture collection called Experiencing God's Peace. As you read these verses, you'll steady your heart on God's truth, let his peace wash over you, and begin memorizing scripture so that you can recall it right when you need it most.

And these cards aren't just for you. You can use them to encourage others. Give one to a friend and write a personal note on the back. If a scripture speaks to you, frame it. Place these cards where you can see them throughout the day and be reminded that God is with us. Request your set of Experiencing God's Peace scripture cards when you give a gift to support Daily Hope and help share the hope of Jesus with a world in need. It's our way of saying thanks. Just go to pastorrick.com to get your copy of this great resource. That's pastorrick.com, or you can just text the word hope to 70309. Again, that's the word hope to 70309. 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.