Graduation 2024 | Commencement Address: Rick Warren (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:01) Now ladies and gentlemen would you get (00:00:02) on your feet and welcome to this Podium (00:00:04) Dr Rick (00:00:06) [Applause] (00:00:11) Warden those of you who are (00:00:14) seated uh in the stadium seating I wish (00:00:20) I wish you could have seen what I just (00:00:23) saw in that moment of (00:00:25) worship as I watched the faces of this (00:00:30) year's graduating class the class of (00:00:33) 2024 sing from their hearts to the Lord (00:00:37) all my life you have been (00:00:40) faithful all my life you have been so so (00:00:43) good with every breath that I am able I (00:00:46) will sing of the goodness of God and I (00:00:48) was watching their face they meant (00:00:51) it they meant (00:00:55) it it's an honor to be here to the Board (00:00:58) of Trustees the board of directors (00:01:01) President (00:01:03) Wilson the Deans The Faculty (00:01:07) administrators donors those of you (00:01:09) graduating today your family your (00:01:11) friends and those of you uh who are (00:01:14) paying for their (00:01:16) education (00:01:19) congratulations now to you you guys the (00:01:23) class of 2024 graduates I say Well (00:01:27) done well done (00:01:32) everybody everybody in this room is so (00:01:35) proud of you because in spite of many (00:01:41) impediments uh sometimes that other (00:01:43) classes didn't have to deal with like a (00:01:46) covid (00:01:48) pandemic and threats of you know (00:01:54) tornadoes and a lot of other things you (00:01:57) made it you finished the task you came (00:02:00) to the Finish Line so (00:02:03) congratulations (00:02:06) now since this is May the (00:02:11) 4th I am Duty bound to say May the (00:02:14) fourth be with (00:02:21) you may the fourth be with (00:02:28) you you know as I was sitting here (00:02:31) I I was thinking of a (00:02:35) experience that I had with Oral (00:02:38) Roberts personally I've never shared (00:02:42) this publicly I've shared it with your (00:02:43) president but I've never ever told this (00:02:46) publicly to anybody else but when oral (00:02:49) and Evelyn retired they moved to Newport (00:02:52) Beach California which is my (00:02:54) area and uh oral would often sneak out (00:02:58) and come over to worship at Saddleback (00:03:01) and he would sit on the front row over (00:03:04) to my right I know exactly the chair he (00:03:06) would sit in one of the times we were (00:03:09) Kay and I my wife and I were having a (00:03:12) dinner at oral and Evelyn's (00:03:15) home oral was facing some major health (00:03:19) issues at that point and he asked Kay (00:03:22) and me to lay hands on him and and pray (00:03:25) for his (00:03:28) healing and I said well I'll do that if (00:03:30) you'll pray for me right after (00:03:33) that and so he said okay (00:03:37) deal and so Kay and I laid hands on oral (00:03:40) and we prayed for a healing of his (00:03:43) health and then he laid hands on me and (00:03:47) an and prayed a blessing on our (00:03:51) ministry after that was (00:03:53) over um I had a chance to ask oral a (00:03:57) question that I had asked another dear (00:03:59) friend of mine (00:04:01) John (00:04:02) Wimber I once asked John when you pray (00:04:06) for people being (00:04:08) healed what is the most important thing (00:04:11) going through your mind as you're (00:04:13) praying for the healing of someone's (00:04:17) body I asked that question of oral and (00:04:20) interestingly enough he said the exact (00:04:23) same four words that John wiber had told (00:04:26) me probably five years earlier he said (00:04:29) this (00:04:31) that people feel (00:04:32) [Music] (00:04:34) loved that people (00:04:37) feel (00:04:41) loved I had another message planned for (00:04:45) you (00:04:46) today and there's no such thing as a (00:04:49) short bad commencement (00:04:54) speech but I just decided sitting up (00:04:57) here that I'd kind of toss my notes out (00:05:00) and talk to you for just a second about (00:05:03) why love is the most important (00:05:06) thing life is all about love Galatians (00:05:10) 56 says (00:05:13) this the only thing that counts listen (00:05:17) to this Galatians 5:6 the only thing (00:05:20) that counts is Faith expressing itself (00:05:23) through (00:05:25) love now if you get that graduates (00:05:28) you'll make it (00:05:31) the only thing that counts is Faith (00:05:34) expressing itself through (00:05:37) love as a pastor this is my 54th year in (00:05:40) Ministry 43 years at Saddleback Church I (00:05:44) have stood at the bedside of maybe (00:05:47) thousands of people as they took their (00:05:49) last (00:05:50) breath what people say in their final (00:05:53) moments (00:05:54) um is pretty important they don't mess (00:05:57) around when people are dying in their (00:05:59) last words nobody has ever said uh (00:06:03) Pastor Rick bring me my trophies I want (00:06:05) to look at them one more (00:06:07) time or even bring me my college (00:06:09) graduation certificate I want to look at (00:06:11) it one more time when people are dying (00:06:15) and they know their time is short what (00:06:18) they want in the room is not things or (00:06:20) trophies or achievement what they want (00:06:21) are the people they (00:06:25) love eventually we all eventually figure (00:06:29) out that it's all about love it's all (00:06:32) about relationships I just pray you'll (00:06:35) figure it out a whole lot (00:06:37) sooner that it's not about (00:06:40) achievement that it's not about Fame (00:06:42) that it's not about (00:06:44) fortune that it's not about all the (00:06:46) things that you dream of accomplishing (00:06:47) in life those are great (00:06:50) goals but Paul says without love I am (00:06:53) nothing I am sounding brass and tinkling (00:06:55) symbol if I have not love I'm nothing (00:07:01) one (00:07:02) day Jesus is walking down the street and (00:07:05) a guy walks up to me and said uh Lord (00:07:07) can you tell me what is the most (00:07:09) important (00:07:12) commandment Jesus says oh that's really (00:07:15) easy I can summarize the whole Bible in (00:07:18) two sentences all the law and all the (00:07:21) prophets I can summarize it all in two (00:07:23) sentences I'm going to give you Cliff (00:07:25) Notes on The Bible here it (00:07:28) is love God (00:07:31) with all your (00:07:32) heart and all your (00:07:35) soul and all your (00:07:37) mind and all your (00:07:40) strength oh and by the way love your (00:07:43) neighbor as (00:07:44) yourself that's it that's it a great (00:07:49) commitment to the great commandment and (00:07:51) the Great Commission will grow a great (00:07:54) Christian we'll grow a great church (00:07:57) we'll grow a great company if you get (00:07:59) the five verbs of the great commandment (00:08:01) and the Great Commission you got it (00:08:04) made you (00:08:06) see you were made by God and you were (00:08:09) made for God and until you figure that (00:08:11) out life's never going to make (00:08:14) sense now the Bible (00:08:16) says God is love doesn't say he has love (00:08:22) it says he is love love is the essence (00:08:26) of God it is the nature of God it's who (00:08:29) God is God is love the only reason (00:08:33) there's any love in the universe is (00:08:35) because our creator is a loving (00:08:38) God if God was not a god of love there (00:08:41) would be no love in the (00:08:43) universe the only reason you have the (00:08:46) ability to give love and to receive love (00:08:50) is because you are made in God's (00:08:53) image unlike (00:08:55) animals birds don't (00:08:57) love worms don't love fish don't love (00:09:01) horses don't love you were made in the (00:09:04) image of God God is love and he gave you (00:09:06) the ability to love him and to be loved (00:09:10) back he gave you the ability to love (00:09:12) others now your first purpose in life is (00:09:16) not to love God listen to me it is to (00:09:20) let God love (00:09:24) you to let God love you the Bible says (00:09:27) we love because he first loved us we (00:09:30) respond to the love of God I can't tell (00:09:34) you in my lifetime how many people have (00:09:36) come up to me and said something like (00:09:37) you know Rick I think my problem is I (00:09:41) just don't love God (00:09:45) enough and I say that's not your problem (00:09:49) that's not your problem your problem is (00:09:52) you don't understand how much he loves (00:09:55) you because if you understood how much (00:10:00) God loves you you can't help but love (00:10:03) him when you understand and you feel now (00:10:06) you've heard God loves you all your life (00:10:08) but when you finally feel loved by God (00:10:12) unconditionally loved by (00:10:15) God it changes (00:10:18) you now God loves you on your good days (00:10:23) as much as he loves you on your bad (00:10:26) days God loves you when you feel it God (00:10:30) loves you when you don't feel it God (00:10:33) loves you when you do the right (00:10:35) thing God loves you when you don't do (00:10:38) the right thing because his love is not (00:10:41) based on who you are it's based on who (00:10:43) he is it's not based on what you do it's (00:10:47) based on what Christ did for you on the (00:10:50) cross with arms outstretched and nail (00:10:53) pierced hands and blood flowing down (00:10:56) Jesus is saying to the people I love you (00:10:59) this (00:11:00) much I love you so much it (00:11:03) hurts I'd rather die than live without (00:11:06) you that's how much Christ loves (00:11:08) you you can't make God stop loving (00:11:13) you you can try but you will (00:11:16) fail because your love is not based on (00:11:20) any condition it's based on God's (00:11:23) character when you get that it will set (00:11:26) you (00:11:28) free so I'm throwing out the other (00:11:30) message and I just want to say (00:11:33) this it's all about (00:11:36) love it's all about (00:11:38) love nothing can transform your (00:11:42) life if you marry your marriage can be (00:11:45) transformed by it your company your (00:11:48) business your ministry the more you (00:11:50) dwell in the love of God the more God's (00:11:54) anointing and power will be on your life (00:11:56) now if you want God's blessing on your (00:11:59) life and you want his power in your life (00:12:02) and you want his anointing on your life (00:12:04) then you have to care about what God (00:12:06) cares about most he wants his lost (00:12:08) children found so no matter what you do (00:12:12) you're going to be a (00:12:13) witness you're going to be a witness in (00:12:16) life the question is a good one or a bad (00:12:20) one but it's all about (00:12:24) love I'll tell you a story and I'll (00:12:26) close (00:12:30) many years ago I sent a couple from our (00:12:32) church Denny and Betsy Cohen uh to speak (00:12:36) and teach in ping University ping (00:12:40) University is um the only thing in (00:12:43) Beijing still called ping it's the (00:12:46) Harvard of China it's 50,000 students (00:12:50) and uh every communist leader in China (00:12:53) if you're going to be a leader you go to (00:12:54) Ping University so Denny and Betsy were (00:12:57) there and I said while you're there make (00:12:59) contact with the highest levels of (00:13:00) government because I want to have (00:13:02) Ministry in (00:13:03) China they happen to meet Mr Deng who is (00:13:07) the director of religious Affairs code (00:13:09) word that's the guy in charge of (00:13:12) persecution and they asked him one day (00:13:14) he said would you like to go visit (00:13:16) Saddleback Church he goes yeah (00:13:20) sure so we sent an (00:13:22) invitation 18 members of the Communist (00:13:25) pit Bureau came to (00:13:27) California I served them a barbecue in (00:13:29) my backyard I cooked them (00:13:32) ribs we didn't tell the government we (00:13:34) didn't I didn't tell our church I didn't (00:13:36) certainly didn't tell the media but 18 (00:13:39) members came and sat through a (00:13:40) Saddleback service and after it was over (00:13:42) I wasn't even preaching that week uh my (00:13:45) youth pastor uh Doug Fields was at the (00:13:48) time was preaching he was doing a (00:13:50) message on Christian (00:13:51) parenting and after it over I asked uh (00:13:54) Mr Deng uh what' you think of the sermon (00:13:57) he goes wow I actually got something out (00:14:00) of this he said I'm a dad I've got two (00:14:03) kids he said' I actually learned (00:14:04) something he said if this is your brand (00:14:06) of Christianity he said you'll be (00:14:07) welcome in (00:14:09) China about two months later uh I got a (00:14:13) letter and uh it said we're going to (00:14:16) give you what we've only given to one (00:14:18) other person to Billy Graham who was my (00:14:20) mentor for 42 years I met him when I was (00:14:23) 18 He mentored me for 42 years he said (00:14:26) uh we're giving you cart blanch in China (00:14:28) you can come in you can bring your books (00:14:30) in they can be sold above ground (00:14:31) whatever so that started a long (00:14:34) relationship uh in (00:14:36) China One of I had two State dinners in (00:14:39) my honor in people's Hall in tenman (00:14:41) square debating the Communist leaders on (00:14:44) one of those (00:14:45) trips uh they actually have a they have (00:14:49) a study for the center center for the (00:14:51) study of Christianity in uh ping (00:14:54) University now none of the professors (00:14:56) are Christians but they study us like (00:14:57) Lab Rats you know why are there so many (00:15:00) Christians in the world and they said (00:15:03) hey Warren's in town would you come over (00:15:06) and dialogue with us I said sure So I (00:15:08) take my team over and we met with four (00:15:11) professors from paking University and we (00:15:14) had a nice conversation for two three (00:15:16) hours sitting over here in the corner (00:15:18) was an older gentleman a professor Joe (00:15:21) who is the (00:15:23) Provost of of uh ping (00:15:27) University at the end of that mess (00:15:29) message uh our time together I said look (00:15:32) you guys I love Chinese food and you (00:15:35) probably know the best place in ping a (00:15:37) Beijing so uh you take us there and I'm (00:15:41) buying so we did so we all go out to (00:15:43) dinner very nice restaurant sitting next (00:15:46) to me at the table is the Provost of the (00:15:49) Harvard of China and as we're talking I (00:15:52) discover that he's dying of a brain (00:15:56) tumor I'm thinking this is an opport (00:15:59) Unity to show (00:16:02) love and so I just start pouring on the (00:16:04) love of (00:16:06) God I told him you know uh Professor Joe (00:16:09) I'm not uh my father is actually dying (00:16:11) right now of cancer but he's not afraid (00:16:13) to die he's known the Lord all of his (00:16:15) life he's been a friend of Jesus Christ (00:16:17) he's been in Ministry for over 50 years (00:16:20) he's not afraid to die he's made his (00:16:22) peace with his (00:16:23) maker and I just start talking about (00:16:26) Professor Joe about how much God loved (00:16:28) him (00:16:30) before he even knew who God was that God (00:16:32) had never there had never been a moment (00:16:34) in his life when God didn't love (00:16:38) him and I began to tell him a story (00:16:41) about a friend of mine Pastor in Texas (00:16:43) who took his son to the carnival and he (00:16:46) bought a roll of tickets so that he (00:16:48) could ride the free rides and he let his (00:16:51) son bring his three best (00:16:52) friends so at every ride he'd give his (00:16:55) son a ticket he'd give his three best (00:16:56) friends a ticket he'd go to the next (00:16:58) ride give his son a ticket give three (00:16:59) best friends a ticket next Ride three to (00:17:02) his best friends and one to the son on (00:17:04) the fourth ride he looks down and (00:17:07) there's a fourth little hand sticking (00:17:08) out for a ticket and my friend said who (00:17:12) are (00:17:13) you and the little boy said I'm your (00:17:16) son's new (00:17:19) friend and your son told me that if I (00:17:22) was his friend his father would give me (00:17:26) a (00:17:26) ticket he said you think I gave that kid (00:17:29) of course I did he was with us the rest (00:17:30) of the day he got to ride everything for (00:17:33) free in the (00:17:35) carnival I said Professor (00:17:37) Joe your heavenly father has a ticket (00:17:40) for you because he loves you and he sent (00:17:43) his son to die for you and Christ's love (00:17:46) on the cross shows how much he loves you (00:17:49) and it's a ticket to (00:17:50) heaven now you can't buy this (00:17:53) ticket you can't earn this (00:17:56) ticket you can't be good enough to get (00:17:58) this ticket the only only way you get (00:18:00) this ticket to Heaven Is by being a (00:18:02) friend of his (00:18:04) son and I looked over and tears are (00:18:06) coming down both of his cheeks the (00:18:08) Provost of the Harvard of (00:18:10) China and he says to me in broken (00:18:15) English I would I would like one of (00:18:18) those (00:18:20) tickets now the Chinese people as a (00:18:23) culture are incredibly (00:18:25) polite I didn't want to push him at this (00:18:28) moment but I wasn't let off the break (00:18:30) either put on the break either so I said (00:18:32) let's do this why don't we just finish (00:18:35) our meal together and if at the end of (00:18:39) this meal you still want a (00:18:42) ticket that your heavenly father has for (00:18:45) you I would be happy to introduce you to (00:18:47) Jesus Christ I've walked with him almost (00:18:49) all my life I know him as my best friend (00:18:52) I would be happy to introduce you to (00:18:54) Christ so we finished the meal and as we (00:18:58) fin we talked about all kinds of other (00:18:59) things during the meal and as we finish (00:19:01) the meal he looks at me and again (00:19:04) says I I would like one of those (00:19:07) tickets so right there in front of his (00:19:11) four (00:19:12) atheist faculty (00:19:14) members we all joined hands (00:19:17) together and I led him in a simple (00:19:20) Sinners salvation (00:19:24) prayer and (00:19:29) when we finished I looked up he was (00:19:32) sobbing and I go yeah he got it he got (00:19:36) it now the next morning I was speaking (00:19:39) in the most famous Church in China it's (00:19:41) called the changin men church it's a big (00:19:43) church about 6,000 people attend every (00:19:45) week and uh the pastor was actually here (00:19:49) in America attending Seminary the (00:19:51) associate pastor was a young woman (00:19:55) Slender Woman hair down to about her (00:19:57) waist associate pastor maybe was in her (00:19:59) early 20s the front row were all these (00:20:02) Elders who were literally Elders they (00:20:04) were all looked like they were (00:20:05) 80 and they're cheering on this young (00:20:08) woman pastoring the church while the (00:20:10) other pastor's gone so she introduces me (00:20:13) and as I get up to (00:20:15) speak the back doors of the church (00:20:19) open and in walks Professor (00:20:23) Joe and he walks to the front of the (00:20:26) church and he turns around and says and (00:20:29) of course everybody knew he was the (00:20:30) Provost of the Harvard (00:20:32) ofagina and he turns around and said (00:20:34) today I am publicly proclaiming my faith (00:20:37) in Jesus Christ and the place went (00:20:40) crazy they're shouting they're cheering (00:20:42) they're dancing they're weeping they're (00:20:44) doing flips and all kinds of stuff (00:20:47) friends that is the power of (00:20:51) love and so the only thing I want you to (00:20:54) remember as you leave this graduation CU (00:20:56) you won't remember anything else is this (00:21:01) the only thing that matters is Faith (00:21:04) expressing itself through love so go (00:21:07) into the world and love the least loved (00:21:11) people God bless you (00:21:14) [Applause]