Rick Warren - Choosing My Standards—Part Two

Hey, everyone, welcome to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Hope. Now

we're going to continue our series today called Building My

Life on Values that Last, and Rick will press on

and show us how we benefit when we applied the

Biblical principles of trust, self control, balance, respect forgiveness, moral purity, fairness, honesty,

and love to our lives. All right, let's join Rick

as he shares the final part of a message called

Choosing My Standard.

The Bible teaches that as believers, as Christians, we are

to be tolerant. We should never treat people like animals

or less than human. Even the worst criminal are the

worst person that has the most immoral lifestyle. We're to

treat them with love and dignity. Jesus did. Jesus accepted

people without approving of their lifestyle. He didn't say, oh,

do whatever you want, it doesn't matter. It did matter,

but he did treat them with dignity. And so we're

called to be tolerant in that way. But tolerance doesn't

mean that anymore. Tolerance now means that every idea is

equally valid, that every idea is equally true, that every

lifestyle is equally right.

And that is not right.

That is false. It is not true that every lifestyle

is equally valid. It is not true that every idea

or thought or belief is equally true, because truth is narrow.

Now this idea, well, there are all ideas are equally valid,

and they are all the truth, even when they contradict

each other. The ultimate expression of that, the extreme expression

of that, is called political correctness. And I know you're

familiar with that.

One.

God has something to say about this kind of non

since Ephesians chapter four. He says they are hopelessly confused.

Their closed minds are full of darkness. They are far

away from the life of God, and they don't care

anymore about right and wrong. Says they just don't care. See,

some people are so open minded their brains fall out, okay,

and some open minds need to be honestly closed for repair.

They're not even thinking. Moses said to Pharaoh, let my

people go. I think Moses would say today, let my

people think. Use your brain and don't be conned by

these pseudo philosophies that lead to a dead end. Now

that's the cause. That's why there's all of the crime

going up and the illegitimate season. The teen pregnancies and

all that kind of stuff. So what's the cost. What

is the cost of not having any standards, not having

any values, and not even agreeing on what's true, right

and wrong. Well, the answer is on the back that

our cost is our culture is collapsing. Our culture is collapsing.

And it is amazing to me that the people that

are noticing this are not religious people, but the secular press.

Just look at some of these magazine covers. I'm going

to show up hold up here and these cover articles.

They put this stuff on the cover because it sells.

And every one of these are moral issues. Notice the

first one here is on Time magazine lying. Everybody's doing

it honest. Here's one, violence goes mainstream. Here's one on

the business of pornography. America is now by far the

leading world's leading producer of pornography over every enter nation. Suicide,

Why do people kill themselves? Here's one on sexual desires,

the new view of what's normal? Oh, I can't wait

to read that one. Divorce not only divorce now, mom,

I want a divorce. Kids divorcing their parents. We have

children in crisis. The struggle to save America's soul. How

our kids are being robbed of their childhood, growing up scared,

busy bodies and cry berries, crybabies. What's happening to the

American character? Good question, and the answer that is this

magazine cover the generation that forgot God. That's what happened,

and all of a sudden, with no God, there is

no truth. As a result of that, we have a

collapsing culture. Sure, let me read you some statistics. In

the next thirty minutes, two hundred and twenty eight children

will be beaten, molested, and otherwise abused thirty minutes. In

the next thirty minutes, fifty seven kids will run away

from home, and three out of four of those girls

will end up selling sex to survive. In the next

thirty minutes, twenty children will attempt suicide. Two hundred and

nine eighty five children will become victims of a broken

home in the next thirty minutes. Today, in America, adult

bookstores outnumber McDonald's three to one. Every day in America,

fourteen children in youth are murdered. Three hundred and twenty

six children are arrested for alcohol offenses every day. Three

hundred and fifty nine children are arrested for drug offenses

every day. Three thousand, three hundred and fifty six high

school students drop out of school every day. Every day,

three thousand, five hundred and thirty three babies are born

to unwed mothers every day. Six thousand and forty two

children are arrested every day, thirteen thousand and seventy six

public school students are suspended from school. By the way,

every day, one hundred and thirty five thousand children pack

guns or knives to school. America is now not just

the leading producer of pornography, but we lead every other

nation by a far margin of the number of citizens

we have incarcerated. We have more people in jail in

America than any other country. And I could go on

and on about that.

That's the cost.

Look at this verse Proverbs twenty nine eighteen, where there

is ignorance of God, crime runs wild, and we're seeing

that today. Why is there so much crime and break

down and guns and violence and gang warfare and all

of this, and people are afraid to go out of

their homes. Why is that happening because of an ignorance

of God? Now follow me on this. If there is

no God, then there is no standard of truth. And

if there is no standard, anything goes. If I want

to come burn down your house, I can. Because there

is no objective standard. It may be right for me

to burn down your house. May be wrong for you,

but it's right for me. How many of you have

ever played scrabble? Can I see your hands? Okay, let's

say you invite me over for scrabble and we sit

down and we're playing this game, and all of a

sudden I come up with a word and it's snickelfritzer

and you say, that's no word. Come on, Warren, what

are you trying to do? I said, it's a word

to me. That's no word. It's a word to me.

And it gets fifty seven points because it uses the

Z and you say, no, no, that's not a word. Well,

you know what at that point what you have to

do is you have to go to an objective authority

called Webster's on Abridged Dictionary of the English Language, and

that is an objective truth, and you look it up.

And if snickel Fritzer is in that dictionary, I don't

care what you think. I get the points. On the

other hand, if it's not in that dictionary, it doesn't

matter what I think. Even if I don't like it,

it's not true. And I don't get the points. Now,

this book God's Word, the Bible tells the truth. There's

a lot of it in this book that I don't understand.

There's a lot of it in this book that I

don't like to read. There's a lot of it in

this book that doesn't necessarily make sense to me. There's

a lot that is not easy to do. But I

want to tell you one thing. It is the truth

because it came from God. It is the truth. And

if you say something contrary to this, guess who's wrong.

Our culture is collapsing. I actually had a guy tell

me one time. I've heard this many times. You know, Rick,

I have to be unethical at work because I have

to survive, and everybody else is unethical, so I have

to do it too. Now, listen, the moment that attitude

becomes dominant in our society, we're doomed. It's over because

every culture has collapsed when the people move to the

I got to do whatever it takes when survival becomes

more important than truth. And today, folks, what we're seeing

is the witnessing of the flip flopping of values, and

what used to be called right is now being called wrong,

and what used to be called wrong is now being

called right, And what used to be called perverted is

now being called sophisticated. And we're flip flopping all of

the values. What we do is we're turning criminals into celebrities.

We put them in jail and then pay them big

bucks to get movie rights and go watch their perverted

life as entertainment. Hello, what's wrong with this picture? And

today in our society we have pornographers who their own

daughters are calling them incestuous, being nominated for Academy Awards

and Oscars on one hand, while on the other hand,

when a first grade boy kisses a little girl, he's

hauled in for sexual harassment. Honoring one and destroying another.

What's going on here? And while we kill millions of

unborn babies and the elderly every day and don't think

anything about it, we're avidly protesting the protection of insects

and parasites. And on one hand, marriage is called out

of date, confining medieval age servility for women and you

don't need it, And look what God has to say

about it. In Isaiah five point twenty. He says destruction

is certain for those who say evil is good and

good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark.

God is not mocked, and he says, whatever you sew,

you're gonna reap. And today what we're seeing happening in

the decaying of our culture is we are reaping what

we have sowed for the last forty years. Proverbs twenty

nine to eighteen in the Good News translation says, a

nation without God's guidance is a nation without order. It's chaos. Now.

Our nation was founded on the two presuppositions that God

is in heaven, our rights are endowed by our creator,

and that we are to follow basic moral laws that

He has laid out. And that's the cornerstone of our society.

I runs read a study of fifteen thousand documents of

the founding fathers of our nation, letters, articles, documents and

discovered that thirty four percent of the quotes of all

the founding fathers founding fathers of our nation were directly

from the Bible. Thirty four percent. And you probably may

have never even heard of this, but the United States

House of Representatives, in with a Senate passed a resolution

saying it's gone far enough. We believe that the Ten

Commandments should be posted publicly anywhere, including any government building, office,

and courthouse. Now House concurrent Resolution thirty one. Whereas the

Ten Commandments have had a significant impact on the development

of the fundamental legal principles of Western civilization. And whereas

the Ten Commandments set forth a code of moral conduct,

observance of which is universally acknowledged to promote respect for

our system of laws and the good of society. Now,

therefore be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the

Senate concurring that it is the sense of Congress that

won The Ten Commandments are a declaration of fundamental principles

that are the cornerstone of affair and justice society. And two,

the public display, including display in government offices and courthouses,

of the Ten Commandments, should be permitted. Passed by the

House of Representatives. March fifth, nineteen ninety seven, attested by

Robin Carlisle Clerk. Now, now here's what I want to

say about this. Even if the founding fathers of America

had not believed in God, believed in God's word, and

believed in there are moral rights and wrongs. God's truth

will still be true because it's not dependent upon public opinion. Now,

the question is, as we go into this series, not

how can I change society? But how can I live

a life of value in a world that can't even

decide what's right and wrong? And how can I raise

children with basic, lasting values in a world where teachers

can't teach basic right and wrong because of relativity, secularism,

and individualism. And how do I build my business on

values in a world when everybody else is in a

dog eat god, cutthroat world. What do I do? Notice

what the Bible says, provert Psalms eleven three in the

God's Word translation. When the foundations of life are undermined?

What can good people do? And here's the cure. The

cure is rebuild the foundation. Rebuild the foundation of your life,

of your business, of your family. And that means start

at the beginning with God. Why? Because God is truth?

What makes something wrong? Not because we say it's wrong,

but because it's anti God, it's anti his character. God

is honest, so when we're dishonest, it's wrong. God is faithful,

So when we're unfaithful, it's wrong. God is just so.

When we're not fair, it's wrong. When we are different

than the character of the creator who made us, it's wrong.

When we are like the character the creator who made us,

it's right. Does that make sense? That's how you decide

what truth is Proverbs two nine. God. Circle that God

shows us how to distinguish right from wrong, how to

find not some poll or anything else, how to find

the right decision every time. Now, I know that there

are many schools and things that are trying to teach

values without God. Listen, it is morality without God is impossible.

I didn't say that. Abraham Lincoln did. And a moral

government without God is impossible. I didn't say that. George

Washington did. Check it out. Check the quotes out two

Timothy three sixteen. Let's read this together. All scripture is

inspired by God and is useful to teach us what

is true and to make us realize what is wrong

in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us

to do what is right. Now, I want you to

circle the three things the Bible teaches. It says, it

teaches what is true, it teaches what is wrong, and

it teaches what is right. If God says it. It's

absolutely true, whether I understand it, whether I agree with it,

whether I like it or not. It's true because it

came from God. Now you say, Rick, how do I

know when something's truth and when it's just an opinion. Well,

let me give you two characteristics. You write these down.

How do you know when something's truth and not just

an opinion. Number one, truth is universal. It's universal. If

it is true, it applies to everyone everywhere around the world,

in every culture. If it does not apply to everyone everywhere,

it's not truth. It's an opinion. Because truth is universal.

Number two, truth is unchanging. It's always the same. It

doesn't change. It isn't impressed by fads or.

Fashion.

It is unchanging. For instance, if adultery was wrong four

thousand years ago, it was also wrong two thousand years ago,

it is wrong today, and it will be wrong two

thousand years from today, no matter what else, what anybody

else says, because truth is unchanging and it's universal. Now,

facts change, but truth doesn't. For instance, twenty five years ago,

science used to tell us the smallest particle of life

is the atom. That's the truth. Well, the fact is,

since then, we've discovered five layers beneath that quirks and

all these other things, subatomic particles, and so that's not true.

It was a fact, but it wasn't true. And now

we know they're even smaller things. So when something changed,

it was a fact that with more discovery we learned, Well,

that wasn't really correct. Now, what's the benefit of building

my life on absolute, universal, unchanging truth. Look at these benefits.

So I'm one nineteen. God's word is a flashlight to

light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling,

he says. If I build it on unchanging truth, I

won't stumble so much, you won't make so many mistakes.

And then Proverbs sixteen is a promise. I remember last

week I said there were over seven thousand promises in

the Bible. Here's another one of them. Those who listen

to God's instruction will prosper, and those who trust the

Lord will be happy, prosperous and happy and keep from stumbling.

So what's the bottom line, Well, it all comes down

to a choice. Newsweek understood this when it did this

cover Whose justice, Whose morality, Whose community? Whose family?

Whose values?

Whose values?

That's the issue.

Whose values are you going to choose to live by. Now,

when you think about it, what's going to be my

standard by which I make my decisions in life? You

only have three choices, an internal source, an external source,

or an eternal source. I can say my values are

going to be based on me, because I know so much.

I am the ultimate arbiture of truth, and I choose

what's right and what's wrong, and I decide what's true

and what's false, and so I will choose my values

based on me. What I think is works, pragmatic, what

I think is easy and convenient, and I am my

own choice for choosing the stand I am my own

standard for life. Or you could say I choose external standard.

I'm gonna look at what the world does. I'm gonna

go with the crowd, what's most popular, what's the current fad,

And I'm going to choose that whatever the world says

is right and wrong, that will be my standard too,

realizing that in a few years that's going to change

because fads and things change. But I'm going to just

do whatever everybody else does. They're my standard. Or three,

you say my choice is God because his choice, his

truth is absolute, universal and unchanging. So as we start

this series. You got to settle this issue before we

do anything else. I want you to write down there

my standard will be, and I want you to put

one or three things. If you're going to say I

am my own standard for life, have the courage to

put it down me. I'm my own God, and I'm

choosing to make up my own standards on what I

think is right. Or two, I'm going to let the

world determine my standards and what's right and wrong, and

I'm going to listen to the talk shows and whatever

the poll says, that's how I know what's right. Or

I'm going to let God you might stand it right

down g O D. Now, let me just be honest

with you. If you picked me myself as a standard,

you don't need to come back for the next ten

weeks because, frankly, we're not interested in what you think

is right and wrong. We're not even interested in what

this pastor what I think is right and wrong. What

I'm interested in is what does God say is right

and what does God say is wrong? Because that's what counts.

As I said, there's a lot in this book I

don't understand, and it's not easy to follow but it's true,

and if I do it, my life will be blessed.

Now this week in this introduction of the series. Part

one starts next week. Then this week, we've looked at

the problems, and we've looked at the causes of those problems,

and this is all the negative you're going to hear

now for the next ten weeks, because we're going to

look at the solutions next ten weeks, a character value

quality each week. Let's pray Father, I'm so thankful that

you always tell the truth. You don't jive us, you

don't blow smoke, You tell us just exactly as it is,

and it's not always easy to hear, but it's always

the truth and made today we be people who say

my standard for deciding right wrong and truth is God,

not public opinion, and not even what I feel is

right or what I want to be right, or what

I think is right or what's convenient, but what you

say is truth. Help us to build lives on values

and characters that last in your name.

Amen.

Wow, some powerful words from pastor Rick today. And now

this is really one of my favorite parts of the broadcast.

This is letters from our listeners.

And now here's Rick I want to take a minute

and tell you how important your support is to Daily Hope.

Your generosity. When you give to Daily Hope, you're helping

us take the message of Jesus Christ literally all around

the world in the many places where there aren't missionaries

or churches. These are called unreached tribes. Now, I'm sure

you're familiar with the refugee crisis around the world. Literally

millions of people have been displaced from their homes, particularly

in the Middle East and in North Africa because of

civil war and violence. One of those places is South Sudan,

where over two hundred thousand people are living in refugee camps. Now,

when people are under tension and in transition, they are

more open to the Gospel than in any other time.

These people who are living in refugee camps right now

need the hope of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. Now,

when you help Daily Hope Radio and Daily Hope Broadcast,

we're not only broadcasting across America, but in places like

South Sudan where the station airs our program three times

a day, and we are told that many many people

are coming to Christ in this war zone as they

listen to these Daily Hope broadcasts, So thanks, thanks to you.

Now let me just read you one testimony that we've received.

Here's a note from a woman who's living in a

refugee camp. They're in South Sudan. She said, my name

is Joyce and I'm from the Central Equatorial State in

South Sudan. I lost all five of my children and

my beloved husband. This is in the civil war that

was going on there, as well as our family possessions.

During the recent fighting in the capital of Juba. She said,

I had planned to commit suicide. There's somebody who needs hope.

When I listened to Rick Warren's broadcast, the one called

when you feel Like giving Up, I got inspired and

I dropped the idea of taking my life that very night.

And I'll continue to pray God to bless this great

preacher and thank you for giving me hope. Joyce, we're

happy to do that, and I want to say it's

because of the listeners who are giving faithfully every month

to Daily Hope. Do you realize that when you give

to Daily Hope, you're helping reach people like Joyce? She

was going to commit suicide in a refugee camp. Now,

isn't God amazing how when you just give what you

can give, God to it and he multiplies it and

we reach out to people that none of us could

reach on our own. Here's what I want you to do.

I want you to pray for Joyce and today I

want you to pray for all of the people who

are in refugee camps, and pray that we'll be able

to continue to broadcast on these stations, taking the good

news of Jesus Christ and hope to people who need

it the most desperately. It's your sacrificial giving, it's your

prayer support that makes this possible. So thank you for

whatever you can do, and God bless you. My friends.

If you're feeling like yeah, I'd like to help support

Pastor Rick in this ministry with a financial gift, I've

got some great news to share with you today. We

have generous friends of Daily Hope and they've offered a

fifty thousand dollars matching grant. Now that means whatever amount

you give to help share the hope of Jesus worldwide

is going to be matched up to fifty thousand dollars.

But you only have until midnight on June thirtieth to

make your gift go twice as far, so please go

to Pastorick dot com or text the word hope to

seven oh three oh nine. Again, that's pastorick dot com.

Or text the word hope to seven oh three oh nine.

Be sure to join us next time as we look

into God's word for our daily hope. This program is

sponsored by Daily Hope Ministries and your generous financial support