male announcer: The following program
is paid for by the ministry partners of the Hour of Power
and viewers like you.
♪♪♪
Bobby Schuller: This is the day the Lord has made!
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Hannah Schuller: And welcome, welcome,
brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are spiritual family, and I love it.
There is strength and there is power in us being unified.
Would you turn around and shake the hand of the person next
to you and say, "God loves you and so do I"?
Bobby: Hi, friends.
Every week since 1993 we have opened our service
by singing the hymn, "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee."
Based on a poem written in 1907 by Henry van Dyke.
He believed this is a hymn of trust, joy, and hope.
Each week we sing this hymn to align our minds with the love
and the dignity that we receive from God.
As a thank you for your continued support, we've created
this special "Joyful, Joyful" bookmark just for you.
Hannah: We, as a church family, are striving towards
becoming happy and whole students of Jesus.
After all, he is our greatest teacher and friend.
And we believe that a life with Jesus
is the best life we can have.
Bobby: Yeah, that's right.
As we follow him, we'll see the heavens open over our lives,
showering us in hope, light, and joy.
Tuck this bookmark into your Bible or your favorite book and
be reminded of the joyful life you have available with Jesus.
Please call, write, or go online today and, as a thank you,
we'll send you our "Joyful, Joyful" bookmark.
Remember as always, God loves you and so do we.
Bobby: All right, it's gonna be a good today.
I'm feeling good. How about you?
You know, we are starting the week off right by lifting our
souls to heaven, by worshiping God, and recognizing the love
and presence of Jesus Christ and that's a good way to start,
don't you think?
I think it is too.
Hey, if you're here for the first time,
would you raise your hand?
We just want to welcome you and thank you for being here.
Welcome to Shepherd's Grove!
All right, and let's begin with a time of prayer.
Father, in Jesus' name, we thank you that you've
called us here to your house.
It's a celebration. We're celebrating Easter.
We're celebrating your Spirit.
We're celebrating your joy, and your wisdom, and your Word.
Father, we pray that you'd continue to build us up
into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
For everyone that's here this morning, that's watching on
television, we pray that you'd begin to break chains and you'd
encourage everyone, and help us realize that you're proud of us,
and that we are going the direction
that you want us to go.
Lord, we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.
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Hannah: You may be seated.
In preparation for Bobby's message this morning,
the words of our Lord found in Daniel.
"At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.
Then I praised the Most High; I honored
and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures
from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand or say to him:
'What have you done?'
At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and
splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom.
My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored
to my throne and became even greater than before."
May we work hard but abandon all outcomes to our loving God,
for his power has always and will always be the final word.
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[congregation applauding]
Bobby: Well, it's always such a privilege to welcome back our
good friends to the show, especially somebody
as talented as Alex Boye.
Hey, Alex.
You know, since his last visit, I mean Alex was already
successful when he came here, but since his last visit, Alex
continues to make amazing music.
He's covered pop artists from Adele to Pharrell Williams,
as well as sharing his positive original songs
with his own signature style.
And just been incredibly successful online
and doing some great things.
We're just so glad to see God blessing your career.
So, please welcome Alex Boye!
[congregation applauding]
So, first, we just want to congratulate you
on your success.
What's it been like, what's your life been like
the last year or two?
I mean--
Alex Boye: Oh, I tell you it's been great.
I think when I came last, you fed me so good spiritually
and I was just out there and just, yeah, you know?
Bobby: Yeah, good!
Alex: A lot of really good things have been happening.
I went on "America's Got Talent."
I just decided to do it for a joke and actually
ended up being pretty amazing.
Bobby: I know!
And the funniest thing is you're a British born African--
Alex: Yeah!
Bobby: National on "America's Got Talent."
Alex: That's right!
Bobby: It's a new world! It's a new world.
And so, you've been particularly really successful with your
films that you put online and there are, I mean,
these are amazing.
Everybody needs sort of a niche, right?
And like your thing is you cover some of these big songs but you
give it sort of this African twist, and you always pick
really positive, kind of family-friendly songs.
And but you almost didn't do that, right?
You almost didn't use the African piece.
Alex: Yeah, that's right.
It was my mom kept bugging me all the time.
She said, "Tunde," that's my African name.
"Tunde, you put some of that African influence in your music.
That is you. That is you."
'Cause I've done punk, I've done rap, I've done reggae, I've done
emo, all styles, you know, just trying to experiment.
Anyway, couple of gentlemen asked me if I'd do a song with
them, and they said, "But we want you to sing in Swahili."
And I'm like--
Bobby: Yeah. Do you speak Swahili?
Alex: I'm from England.
So, I went to a library and I've got those Rosetta Stone tapes,
learned some Swahili but it didn't work.
So, I called up my mother back in London.
She's from Nigeria. She speaks Yoruba.
So, I had her teach me some Yoruba
'cause they wouldn't know the difference.
Bobby: Yeah. Are you ever making it up?
Sometimes I swear--
Alex: You know, it's like you know when you do jazz,
like Ella, you know when she does the scat--
Bobby: Yeah.
Alex: That's kind of what it is, you know,
but mixed with a little bit of speaking in tongues.
Bobby: Nice! Nice!
Shoulda bought a Honda. Re-tie my bow tie.
Alex: Did you just say shoulda bought a Honda?
Bobby: I shoulda bought a Honda.
We totally digress. Let's get back on track.
So, I mean life wasn't easy for you though, I mean you have
these deep roots in Africa, but you grew up in London.
But you were like, when you were a teenager,
you were homeless, right?
Your mom was gonna go back to Africa but and she
was only supposed to be gone a bit, but then--
Alex: Yeah, yeah, I was homeless for a while,
on the streets, and it was tough, you know,
I had a lot of despair and depression.
Just I felt like the people that I loved.
I felt like they'd all rejected me in some way, you know?
It wasn't till years later I realized why my mom actually
left and then I cried, you know, but that was
a whole 'nother story, but...
Bobby: Why did she leave?
Alex: Because we were all broke.
We had absolutely nothing.
And she was dating a gentleman in Nigeria,
and he wanted to have her stay out there.
And she said, "Well, I need to come back to my son."
He said, "Well, you make a choice,
either you go with me or with your son."
So, she put me in a boarding school in England, which at the
time I really hated, and then, you know, she lived in Nigeria
and she was sending money back, you know, and helping me.
It wasn't till years later that I realized that, you know,
she was working three jobs before she moved out to Nigeria.
She was working on the railroad in London on the underground.
And her job was at 9:00 at night till 3:00 in the morning, she'd
walk the tracks with all the rats and everything just picking
up debris so that the trains could be, you know, free.
They won't derail with something on it.
That was her job for 7-8 years to put me through the school.
See, when you're younger, you just think me, me, me,
and you're selfish and like, "Why did you leave?
Why did you leave me? Why'd you leave me?"
And I look back now,
she sacrificed everything for me, you know?
So, I wouldn't be here otherwise, so.
Bobby: Yeah, you felt abandoned
and, of course, you felt that way, like,
"Why did my mom leave me?"
But every day she was thinking about you and working hard
to get you where you are today.
Do you feel like the trials you went through made you stronger?
Alex: Absolutely.
You don't want them but when you look back, you know that you
absolutely needed them to where you are right now and you
just think, oh my gosh, you know?
It's just one of those things where I look
at our Savior Jesus Christ, the trials that he went through,
here I'm complaining about mine.
And first of all, he had to go through what he went through to
get the glory that he has now, so what am I complaining about?
Don't I want the glory?
I'm praying for the glory every single day, right?
But then but what we realize is the way God's version
of good is different from ours.
But you have to go through it! You know what I mean?
Bobby: Yeah!
Alex: We're just like, "No, just give me ice cream.
That's good."
You know what I mean?
Often the good is--you know, but I tell you it's just
I am grateful for those trials.
I'm grateful for the times when I was walking the streets
of London, age of 16, eating food from trash.
I am grateful.
I'm grateful for all those experiences because sometimes
when I meet friends, I meet people who are about to give up,
and I'm like, "Let me tell you, man, it's like all this that
you're going through right now is gonna--you're gonna
use it to bless other people."
And sometimes it's not for you.
It's for the idea of you to bless other people with
what you've been through with your experiences.
Bobby: Yeah. And you're doing it.
You're doing it for me and you're doing it for so many
people as we watch your videos.
You have such a way of singing that lifts people's hearts.
I mean, you listen to somebody with all the things you went
through, you can't help but listen to Alex Boye sing
and not feel encouraged and lifted up and--
Alex: That means a lot coming from you.
Bobby: No, it means the world.
And speaking of that, you know, you covered, "Let It Go,"
And 78 million views on YouTube.
You know, why do you think, and we're gonna--
I'm gonna be talking about this today.
Why do you think that message of like letting it go
resonates so much with people?
Alex: It's just a lot of us are struggling.
We go through so much.
And I think really a lot of us, we walk around here
when we're really actually here.
But Satan makes us just believe that this is where we are.
Lucifer just gives us that feeling of this is who we are.
And sometimes even, you know, how many times when people say,
"Oh, I'm just a teacher, I'm just a scout,
I'm just a mother."
We always put that word "just" in front.
Why?
'Cause that just is saying, "I'm nobody really.
I'm just average."
But we're put on here to be gold!
Bobby: Yeah!
Alex: You know what I mean?
And so it's like there's no "just."
Take the word "just" out of your conversation
and it's like, "I am Bobby Schuller!
I'm not just! I'm Alex Boye!"
You know what I mean? That's your beautiful wife!
That is not just, she's not just a mom or, you know?
And so, that's kind of my whole thing with music is really that,
is just helping people to see, to take away the "just"
from their language.
Bobby: And you're gonna be singing the song,
"Gold" to us today, and that's really what song's about, right?
Alex: Absolutely.
Bobby: I am Gold, yeah.
Alex: 'Cause, you know, you have bronze, silver, and gold.
You know, it was inspired from the Olympics, you know?
And then all of a sudden it just hit me that, you know, everybody
wants the gold in terms of we want a great life,
we want a great marriage, we want great experiences.
We all want the gold, but sometimes we think
that we only deserve bronze.
We're all gold, every single one of us.
We were put on this earth and we were born gold.
And whether we like it or not, we are gold.
We had nothing to do with that.
We were put here to be gold but then along the way we start
getting bruises, and scratches, and then we're like, "No, maybe
I'm bronze, maybe I'm silver, maybe I'm copper."
And you just don't think there's a purpose to it,
you know what I mean?
But I'm starting to realize and look, I'm not perfect.
I've got a long way to go, but I'm starting to realize that
when you go through that stuff, it's not because you're
bad people, it's because we-- the Lord wants to refine us.
That's how gold is made.
Bobby: Amen. Yeah, it gets refined.
That's right.
Well Alex, you're a living testimony for so many people
that are here this morning and watching on TV, that no matter
what you're going through, God has a future for you.
Don't give up. And he will make you into gold.
And you're gonna sing that for us in a bit, but Alex, thank you
so much for being here and blessing us with your music.
We can't wait! God bless you.
Alex: Thank you.
[congregation applauding]
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[singing in foreign language]
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[congregation applauding]
Bobby: Hi, friends.
This Easter season Hannah and I want you to know
that you belong, that you have a family.
So come home.
God has a word for you today that you're loved
and you're chosen.
Hannah: That's right, Easter means victorious.
Jesus is victorious over death.
When I look at the struggles in my past I can see
that God reigned victorious.
When I look at my current struggles I know that God
is and will forever be victorious.
He has the final say.
Bobby: Amen.
Friends, whatever struggle you may be facing, God's arms
are strong enough to hold it.
The Resurrection matters because Jesus is alive today
and he's sitting at the right hand of God.
You have a godly destiny and your best days are ahead.
Remember as always, God loves you and so do we.
announcer: Call, write, or go online today and request
Bobby's new booklet "Be Reborn."
Based on Bobby's Easter message, this booklet will guide you to
believe that heaven is available to you right now.
In this message, Bobby includes three parables from the Bible
found in Luke 15: the 100 sheep, ten coins,
and finally the prodigal son.
Filled with promises from the Bible, this message will
encourage you to experience Easter every single day.
Call, write, or go online today and request "Be Reborn."
We're asking for your most generous gift.
We'll also include a DVD of Bobby's "Be Reborn" Easter
message and our "Joyful, Joyful" bookmark.
Your generous support allows us to share the message
of God's love with the world.
We ask you to prayerfully consider partnering
with us as we do ministry together.
Thank you and remember always, God loves you and so do we.
Thank you for watching the "Hour of Power" and for your ongoing
generous support to help keep this program touching lives in
your community and impacting people around the world.
Now, let's return to the service.
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♪ The snow glows white on the mountain tonight ♪
♪ Not a footprint to be seen ♪
♪ A kingdom of isolation ♪
♪ And it looks like I'm the queen ♪
♪ The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside ♪
♪ Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried ♪
♪ Don't let them in, don't let them see ♪
♪ Be the good girl you always have to be ♪
♪ Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know ♪
♪ Well, now they know ♪
♪ Let it go, let it go ♪
♪ Can't hold it back anymore ♪
♪ Let it go, let it go ♪
♪ Turn away and slam the door ♪
♪ I don't care what they're going to say ♪
♪ Let the storm rage on ♪
♪ The cold never bothered me anyway ♪
♪♪♪
♪ It's funny how some distance ♪
♪ makes everything seem small ♪
♪ And the fears that once controlled me ♪
♪ can't get to me at all ♪
♪ It's time to see what I can do ♪
♪ To test the limits and break through ♪
♪ No right, no wrong, no rules for me ♪
♪ I'm free ♪
♪ Let it go, let it go ♪
♪ And I'll rise like the break of dawn ♪
♪ Let it go, let it go ♪
♪ That perfect girl is gone ♪
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♪ Here I stand in the light of day ♪
♪ Let the storm rage on ♪
♪ The cold never bothered me anyway ♪♪
♪♪♪
[congregation applauding]
Bobby: That was too awesome.
Friends, would you hold your hands out like this as a sign
of receiving as we say this confession together?
"I'm not what I do. I'm not what I have.
I'm not what people say about me.
I am the beloved of God. It's who I am.
No one can take it from me. I don't have to worry.
I don't have to hurry.
I can trust my friend Jesus and share his love with the world."
Thanks, you can be seated.
So, some of you came today and you're like,
"Why did they play 'Let It Go' in church with Alex Boye?"
By the way, Natalie, our very own Natalie Leonard
sang that song.
Natalie, it's so great to have you in the house.
Wonderful.
And the reason I asked Alex and Natalie to do this for us
was because today's sermon, believe it or not,
is called Letting It Go in the Kingdom of God.
And I wanted to begin with the movie "Frozen"
and the success of this song.
How many of you have seen "Frozen," just raise your hands?
So, everybody.
And if you have a 4-year-old daughter,
you've seen it 100 times.
You know, the story "Frozen" was a huge success
because it was a story about a princess, a queen,
who has this gift that she thinks is a curse,
and it's, you know, this magical power is to--
it's a fairytale.
It's to control snow and et cetera.
And because she thinks it's a curse, she locks herself away in
a castle and she's always afraid, always trying to control
what people see, so she finds herself more separated
and isolated from people.
Finally, when the truth about who she is comes out, she runs
away and then there's amazing moment where she's like walking
through the mountains and she's, you know, she builds a castle
with ice, and she makes a little snowman who is adorable.
And she's doing all of this stuff, you know,
with her magical powers or whatever.
And she's, it's Idina Menzel, who's, you know,
famous performer from "Rent" and "Wicked."
And she's singing this song and, of course, this princess,
you know, her hair comes down and she makes this new dress.
And she's just like this big--and everybody loves it
because she's singing "Let It Go" in the sense
of I'm letting go of all of my worries,
of always trying to control how people see me.
It's like this freedom song.
And I guess what I want to ask is,
why was that song resonating so much with so many people?
Why do you think?
I think it's because the opposite is true, that instead
of letting it go, all of us are like constantly trying to hold
on to so much and many of us feel so tired.
If we were to actually let it go, our fingers would creak as
we sort of, you know, our spiritual fingers would creak as
we sort of unfolded our hands and released whatever
the worries it is--we're so used to worrying
that we feel awkward to let it go.
And the big question I have for everyone is,
why haven't you let it go?
And I think the answer is for most people that don't have
a faith, "How can I let it go if I don't have someone
to let it go to?"
And that is the crux of today's message.
I want you to know that when you release the burdens in your life
to God, he is strong enough to hold them and sustain them.
All the things that you're worried about, your kids,
your job, all the outcomes that you're trying to control,
let me tell you work hard, do your best, dream big,
but in the end abandon those outcomes to God.
He has your best in mind and your best future is ahead
as long as you don't give up.
So, just let go and enjoy today.
You can smile and stop worrying about tomorrow,
and stop worrying about yesterday.
And you are.
You are the kind of person who is building into you a trust,
a deep trust in the goodness of God.
And you're slowing learning to let go of these things and
because of it, you are becoming a happier person,
and that's very good news.
You see, all of the Christian journey, most of it is
about simply letting go.
To become a Christian, you let go of your self-righteousness,
and you let go of your past, and you let go so that the hands
of a loving Father can save you.
You let go of your sin so that you can inherit something new.
And most of the Christian journey is letting go of the
things we thought were so important to us so that
we can inherit the things of heaven today.
You are letting go and that's great.
There is this story I never forgot that was always
so sad to me.
It was a story of how Indians used to catch monkeys.
And basically what they do, my dad told me this story,
basically what they do is they take a coconut and they would
cut a hole just big enough so that a monkey
could put his hand in.
And they'd put a little jewel or a piece of glass in there.
And then they would tie the coconut down
to a tree or something.
And so what would happen is the monkey would look inside
the coconut and it would see this little piece of glass,
or a little piece of jewel, and it could make
its hand go like this.
And it would take its hand and stick it
through that little hole.
And then when it grabs the piece of jewel, the hand makes
a fist making the fist too wide to pull out of the coconut,
but still refuses to let go of this piece of jewelry
to save its own soul.
I think the world is a lot like this.
Many of us are like this monkey where we could escape easily,
but we have to let go of this thing that's holding us back
but we just can't bring ourselves to let go
and pull our hand out.
But you're doing it.
You are not like that monkey and you are not like the world.
You are the kind of person that values the things of heaven, and
you know that there is no piece of jewelry or anything else
that is worth giving up God's best for your life.
You're forming into your soul the kind of character that
doesn't always have to be tied down to these types of things.
God is freeing you.
In fact, today, I'm proclaiming over you that no longer will you
be chained down to these things.
Today, you're gonna release your worry, your burdens, these big,
heavy, metal weights that you've been carrying, you're gonna give
them to God and they're gonna become balloons.
It's gonna be just like taking this back pack full of weights
and opening it and balloons come out.
You're gonna be free today, in Jesus' name.
Daniel 4 is the story from today in our series, and
in the story of Daniel 4, it's a great passage.
It's actually about King Nebuchadnezzar,
a real historic figure, a mammoth of a man,
incredible power.
In his day, by far, the wealthiest
and most powerful human being alive.
The prophet Daniel is in his retinue as a like
a wisdom counselor.
And the weird thing about this passage in Daniel chapter 4 is
that now Nebuchadnezzar sort of speaks to the audience.
So, imagine that this were a play, and you'd see the play
of Daniel unfolding, which Daniel's the main character.
Then all of a sudden Nebuchadnezzar, whose doing
this, all of a sudden, in theater they call it breaking
the fourth wall, all of a sudden he turns and faces the audience,
and he tells his testimony.
So, when you read Daniel 4, it's Daniel telling about
what happened in his life.
And he said, "At the end of my reign, I had this dream and this
dream was about a huge tree.
And this tree was huge.
And animals would come and find shade under the tree.
But then the tree was cut down, and chains
were put along the stump."
And he said, "And I woke up and I went to my prophet Daniel
and I asked him, what is the meaning of this dream?"
And Daniel said, "O King, I wish this dream
were about someone else.
This dream is about you, That although your branches are wide,
and although you protect and care for so many in your
kingdom, you will be cut down and you will be put in chains.
You will lose your mind and you'll become like an animal."
And Daniel says, "Until you acknowledge that heaven rules,
you will not regain your sanity."
Sure enough, weeks go by and the King says, "And I was standing
on the walls and I was looking at all of Babylonia.
And I said to myself, did I not create this kingdom
for my glory and my majesty?
And that day the Lord Yahweh struck me down and I became mad.
And like an animal, I ravaged in the woods."
And he carries on with the story about how he completely lost his
mind until finally he turned back to the Lord and he said
this poem that Hannah read today when he gives glory to God.
Very reminiscent of Job's prayer, the Lord giveth
and the Lord taketh away, that, "Lord, all I have is yours."
And he says, "And when I confess that Yahweh was king,
he restored my whole kingdom."
It's a powerful story, and it's an ongoing theme, especially
in the Jewish Bible, in the Old Testament,
this theme that all power is ultimately God's
and that power only remains in the hands of the powerful
as long as they are just.
And so, it's the promise that God will undo unjust power.
And it also is the promise, and it's the lesson, power,
all earthly power is temporary.
And if you hear anything, hear that.
Power is control. Power is influence.
And all power that you have in this world
you will someday lose.
All power that we have is temporary, huh?
God, though, loves to give power to the wise, to the humble,
and to those who trust in him and not in their own power.
So, the power that God has given you is temporary and it lasts
as long as you remain humble, and meek, and wise,
and trust in God.
And you are humble, and you are meek, and you are wise.
And as you look to build your character instead of power,
God will give you more power.
If you look for power, you will not get power from God.
As you seek character, wisdom, and humility, God will bless you
with more power, the power to make a good difference in the
world, and that's a promise.
So, when we talk today about letting go--and by the way
that song will be stuck in your head for days.
When we talk today about letting go, letting go in the kingdom
of God, I'm not saying quit or give up.
Very often it's easy to think, "Oh, letting go, that means,
that means we're supposed to quit."
That's not what I'm saying.
What I'm saying is do your best, work hard, dream big
but in the end, abandon the outcomes to God.
The outcomes are God.
Or as Tony Horton from P90X would say,
"Do your best and forget the rest."
You know, you do your best in your relationships,
you do your best in your job, you do your best
if you're in ministry, but in the end,
stop trying to control and manipulate people,
and stop trying to control and manipulate outcomes.
When you abandon outcomes, you're able to trust that,
"if I did my best but didn't get what I wanted, that God
has something better in store for me," and he does.
You see, so much of letting go is the posture, as we teach
often, the posture of the open hand.
When you let go of something in the kingdom of God, you're
actually opening your hands to receive something new.
In Christianity, we call this the Pasqual mystery, or the
Easter mystery, that in order to receive life, I have to first
experience some sort of death in my life.
We're so afraid of death and loss that we can't let go
of the old things in order that we can inherit the new things
God has for us.
So, for some of us, we're holding on so tight God is
saying, "Unclench your fists, let go, let go so that I can
give you something new and awesome.
I know it hurts.
I know it's been hard, but you can trust me.
I'm gonna take care of you."
Friends, you don't have to worry.
You don't have to be afraid.
Your best days are ahead if you simply let go of the outcomes,
abandon those outcomes to God and know
that he will come through for you.
When you abandon outcomes, you learn to stop being controlling
and you learn to be empowering to others.
You are not a controlling person,
you are an empowering person.
You are the kind of person that sees the best in other people.
You're the kind of person that even when you feel afraid about
what they might do when you give them freedom,
you empower them to be their very best.
And because of that, people look to you
for leadership and encouragement.
And you continue, God bless you, to be the kind of person who
lets go of people so that you can empower them
and strengthen them.
You don't push, you don't control,
and you don't manipulate.
You're the kind of person who empowers people and doesn't
control them, and that makes you a better leader.
Some of the worst leaders in the world are those who always try
and micromanage everything.
If you've worked for someone like this, you know how horrible
it can be when somebody comes in and says the smallest little
thing is wrong, and this is right, and those types
of leaders are holding onto everything tight.
But that's not you.
You're a good leader because you believe in people
and you're not afraid of them messing up
because you know that when other people mess up,
that you'll be there to encourage them
to help them be better.
People that are not controlling but are empowering
are also better friends, and you're a terrific friend
because you don't try and control your friends.
You don't freak out when they don't call you back
or text you back.
You're letting them go.
You want them, you desire a friendship, but you're no longer
your worst enemy by constantly being afraid that everybody is
abandoning you or leaving you.
This is also true in parenting.
When you empower your kids and your grandkids instead of trying
to control them, you're able to help them become adults
and grow into the person God has called them to do.
Now, I've never been a parent of a teenager.
I've heard it's easy, but I was a teenager once,
and I know that there's this tricky time in parenting,
and it probably depends on whether it's a boy or a girl.
I think there's this time for teenagers around 15, 16, 17
where, you know, as a child, you do have to, you know,
you do have to control your kids.
You have to discipline your kids.
You have to say, "Do this, don't do that,"
but there comes a point when a teenager is becoming an adult
that the parent has to take this very scary move
of not controlling and manipulating anymore
and moving to a posture of essentially coaching,
listening, but also really empowering.
You have to trust that this person who's becoming an adult
can become an adult and can be responsible, and I think that's
one of the hardest things that parents sometimes face.
So, if you're going through that with your teenager, my
suggestion is for everyone, and I know I digress here, for every
1 minute you tell your teenager to do something, supplement it
with 10 minutes of listening and start with those 10 minutes.
And this is a good rule for leadership in general.
I think it was John Maxwell who said the famous cliche,
people don't care how much you know until they know
how much you care,
and that is true through the posture of listening.
How many teenagers can't stand their parents
because their parents don't listen to them?
Somebody on Twitter to me said something like,
"How do I get my teenager to X, Y and Z?"
And I was like you probably just need to start listening
to your teenager.
Because if you get to the point where you're saying,
"How do I get somebody to do this?"
You're asking, "How do I manipulate them
into doing something they don't want to do?"
Leaders want to inspire people and form them to desire good
things, and you're doing that.
You're a good leader, you're a good friend, you're a good
parent, you're a good spouse if you're a spouse,
and you're good because you've learned that controlling
and manipulating is not helping anyone, that empowering
and inspiring is the way to live your life with people,
and you do that, and that's great.
I think so much of the worry, burdens, and sin that we carry
in life is based on the deepest psychological need,
which is fear of abandonment.
All of humanity carries within itself this fear that,
"I'm going to be left alone.
I'm gonna be outside of the circle.
No one's gonna care for me."
And the reason this fear is so great is because bonding
with a loving person is the greatest human need.
That's why at Shepherd's Grove, every single Sunday we begin
with bonding with the person of Jesus Christ.
And we remember that grace abounds, that in spite of all
the, you know, "What I do, what I have, what people say about
me," that those things for God don't matter as much.
What matters is that I simply trust in him.
So, I want to say this to everyone, God is your shepherd,
and he won't let you go.
So, we're afraid of letting go, but God won't let you go.
This is one of the most famous passages in the Bible, Psalm 23.
"The Lord is my shepherd. I want nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures."
You know, the green pastures is the idea that green pastures are
where the sheep go to eat, and if a sheep lies down
in green pastures is because it's so full,
it can't fit any more pasture in its belly.
So, it takes like a nap on this really soft--so God is--
it's like saying, "God has made me full,
and he's giving me rest."
And it finishes with this wonderful line,
"Surely goodness and everlasting love will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever."
That is for you.
One hundred percent, God loves you.
He's never abandoned you. He will not let you go.
Jesus takes on this symbol of being the good shepherd.
He says a good shepherd lays his life down for his sheep,
and Jesus did lay his life down for you.
And you know what?
He continues to lay his life down for you even today.
What I mean by that is that he teaches a story about
a lost sheep, 1 sheep that goes and there's 99
that are in the fold.
And he says, that shepherd will not stop until he gets that one
sheep back into the safety of the fold.
No matter where you are in life, you may be in addiction, you
maybe have completely lost your faith, maybe you lost
all your money, maybe you lost your whole family,
God has not given up on you.
He's not let go of you.
And you can let go of your past, and you can soar,
and receive the shepherding of Jesus Christ.
You can trust in him. He will not let you go!
He won't.
He's your good shepherd.
Henri Nouwen tells this wonderful story about the
trapeze swingers at the circus.
When he said he once met with these trapeze swingers,
these guys that swing back and forth.
And the two most important people are the flyer
and the catcher.
And the flyer is always the most famous one.
He's the guy that goes through the air, you know, 10,15 feet,
maybe he does a flip in the air.
He does this amazing stuff, and he talked to the flyer and the
catcher and he says, "You know, the flyer gets all the credit,
but the real hero up there is the catcher."
He said, "You know, for the flyer, you simply have
to extend your arms and trust and just close your eyes
that this catcher's gonna catch you."
And Henri said to him, he said, "So you never want
to catch the catcher, right?"
He said, "Oh, no!
If you try and catch the catcher, you could break
his arm, you could mess up the timing.
Simply the flyer needs to let go and extend its arms out,
and receive the gift of being caught."
And that is the message of the gospel.
We're trying to force these things to happen.
Today, it's time for you let go so that you can soar
through the air.
And there is a moment when you fly that is exhilarating
when you don't know if someone's gonna catch you.
The catcher will catch you. You'll be safe.
Don't try and catch him, don't force anything.
Just extend those loving arms, and our Father in heaven
will catch you.
You're gonna be okay.
You don't have to worry, you don't have to be afraid,
and you're not afraid.
You're brave, you have courage.
You're not afraid, that's not who you are.
You're brave.
You know, you know God has been there for you.
You know he's caught you every time,
and he will catch you again.
It will be okay. Let it go.
So for those of us that are worried, it ends today.
You're not worried anymore.
You're at peace and you're relaxed.
And you're not relaxed because you're dumb,
you're relaxed because you're strong and you're smart.
You know what other people don't know,
the power of God in your life.
You're no longer worried about your past.
Your past does not define you.
Your future is whatever it is you want it to be.
You can let go of the sin. You can let go of the mistakes.
You can let go of the regret and form a new tomorrow
in Jesus' name.
So, let go of the past.
You're not worried about the past anymore
and you're not worried about tomorrow.
You're not worried about physical needs,
you're not worried about whatever sickness
is ailing you, you're not even worried about death.
You know that God is faithful even in death to save us.
Hey, you're not worried about tomorrow, you're not worried
about the past, and you're not worried about your reputation.
So many of us are up late at night
because of something somebody said about us.
We need to stop worrying about what other people think about us
and only think about what God thinks about us.
And he thinks the best of you.
You don't have to manage your reputation.
You're loved by God, you're loved by this church,
and you're loved by me.
You're gonna be okay.
Great things are in store for you.
Don't be afraid. Don't worry.
Smile today and enjoy every breath and every moment
God has given you, because it is a gift.
And I know you do, and I know you will.
You'll continue to empower people.
You don't need to control people.
You'll continue to abandon outcomes and receive
the great gift from Jesus Christ.
New life every day that you trust in him, in Jesus' name.
And so, I want to just pray for everyone this morning.
And if you're here today and maybe you're watching
on television and you say, "I don't have any idea
what you're talking about.
I don't know God. I don't know Jesus."
I want to offer to you the forgiveness of sins
and new eternal life.
Maybe you say, "I kind of grew up in church,
but I've never made a decision."
You know, when I make a decision to follow Jesus,
I didn't stand up, I didn't go down,
I just made a rational decision in my seat,
I'm gonna follow Jesus Christ.
And so, I'm gonna ask you who are watching at home and you
who are here in the church, let's bow our heads and close
our eyes, maybe hold your hands out like this a sign
of letting go of all the stuff that's bogging you down.
Everything you're angry about, everything you're worried about,
everything you're frustrated about, we're gonna just
release that and give it to God.
I ask that the church and everyone watching on television,
that everyone pray this pray with me.
"In Jesus' name, I come before you, God.
Forgive me of my sin. Make me a new creation.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Equip me for my destiny.
Help me to do the next right thing.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
♪♪♪
Bobby: Hi, friends.
This Easter season Hannah and I want you to know
that you belong, that you have a family.
So come home.
God has a word for you today that you're loved
and you're chosen.
Hannah: That's right, Easter means victorious.
Jesus is victorious over death.
When I look at the struggles in my past I can see
that God reigned victorious.
When I look at my current struggles I know that God
is and will forever be victorious.
He has the final say.
Bobby: Amen.
Friends, whatever struggle you may be facing,
God's arms are strong enough to hold it.
The Resurrection matters because Jesus is alive today
and he's sitting at the right hand of God.
You have a godly destiny and your best days are ahead.
Remember as always, God loves you and so do we.
announcer: Call, write, or go online today and request
Bobby's new booklet "Be Reborn."
Based on Bobby's Easter message, this booklet will guide you to
believe that heaven is available to you right now.
In this message, Bobby includes three parables from the Bible
found in Luke 15: the 100 sheep, ten coins,
and finally the prodigal son.
Filled with promises from the Bible, this message will
encourage you to experience Easter every single day.
Call, write, or go online today and request "Be Reborn."
We're asking for your most generous gift.
We'll also include a DVD of Bobby's "Be Reborn" Easter
message and our "Joyful, Joyful" bookmark.
Your generous support allows us to share the message
of God's love with the world.
We ask you to prayerfully consider partnering
with us as we do ministry together.
Thank you and remember always, God loves you and so do we.
Bobby: I have a quick announcement to make.
Many of you know over a year ago we talked about our burden,
our financial burden here at this building.
We rent this property from the Catholic Church,
and unfortunately, they'd already sold this place
to become apartments.
And so we began looking, and that's when we got a call
from the pastor of Irvine Presbyterian, our friend,
Scott Bullock, who is planning to take a break from ministry,
and it began a conversation: what if we merged with this
smaller congregation with a larger building in Irvine.
And we've been down that path and negotiated a lease
with the hopes of a merger, and we've been working
on that since late last summer.
Anyway, we've been anticipating yesterday when
the Presbyterian Church would meet to decide whether
or not to allow us to do this.
And we're moving to Irvine!
[congregation applauding]
Bobby: So, we're going to be moving quickly.
Today will, then, be our last taping Sunday here.
So if you're watching on television,
next week you're going to see us at Irvine Pres.
♪♪♪
CC BY ABERDEEN CAPTIONING 1-800-688-6621 WWW.ABERCAP.COM
announcer: The preceding program
was paid for by the ministry partners of the Hour of Power
and viewers like you and is accredited by
the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
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