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So many people have Max Lucato books already in their library, but this is his brand new book to help you learn how to team your thoughts. Our thoughts really ultimately affect pretty much everything. And folks, we want to offer you this book by Max Lucato. Team Your Thoughts. for a gift of any amount at harvest.org.
We live in a world full of fake things. And those fake things seem to capture our attention. Pastor Greg Laurie points us back to reality. God alone is worthy of our admiration and adoration. God Don't want to share his glory with anyone.
But yet, in our culture today, it seems like we're looking for substitutes for. Jesus, we live in an ABC culture. anything but Christ. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Again, you hear all the angels are singing. This is the day, the day will I begin. It's become more and more difficult. to distinguish the genuine from the counterfeit.
AI has us all scratching our heads and wondering whether we should believe what we see. But the father of fakery is none other than our spiritual adversary. He's referred to as the Great Deceiver. And today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie helps us spot his deceptions and stop his influence in our lives.
It's part of his encouraging series in First John. series called Unshakable.
So I was in a market a while ago and I checked out and I walked by this little section that had flowers for sale. And I noticed they had the most beautiful trees. Tulips. And I love tulips. Aren't tulips amazing?
That may be my favorite flower. They're just, they're so beautiful and perfect, they don't look real. And I looked at this tulip, actually, a little bouquet of tulips, and I thought, I've got to get these for Kathy. And so I bought them. They were a little on the expensive side.
I was a little surprised, but I thought, oh, she's going to love them. And I took them home and I said, Kathy, look at these amazing tulips I bought you. And so we got out a vase and we were cutting the stems. And trying to figure out why the stem wouldn't cut, we kept cutting, and then we realized the reason it seemed like it was fake was. Because it was fake.
All right, so point number one: if you're taking notes, we live in a world. Full of fake things. We live in a world full of fake things. You know when the iPhone came out? I'm old enough to remember that.
It wasn't that long ago, 2008. Steve Jobs appeared with this concept that he presented to the world. And up to this point, we all had Blackberries and Motorola flip phones. And all of a sudden, he pulls out this technology. It has never been seen before.
And it was actually called before it was released the Jesus Phone. which is pretty ironic.
So he pulls that out. And introduces it, and there was a gasp in the audience. I remember I was at a Mac convention. Where they had a display of one of the prototypes, and it was surrounded by plexiglass. And so I took out my camera to take a photograph of it, not my phone.
We didn't have phones and cameras yet.
So I took out a digital camera. And I took a photo, and the guard, there was a guard by this prototype, and he said, Sir, step back. What are you talking about? These are not the crown jewels of England here. But it was so exciting because it was like a whole new world opened up.
Well, it wasn't long until. After the iPhone came out, all the imitators started making their versions of them, and then the market was flooded with them, and now. That's the kind of phone that we all basically have. And then along came social media. And along came apps, and along came all the things that have come from that, which is a lot of truth.
trouble. Along with that came a rise in depression, anxiety, social contagions, even suicide. And it's been said of this generation, the young generation, they're the most stressed. generation in history. And sometimes I wonder if we'd be better off if we just left that iPhone and the plexiglass and went back to the flip phones again.
Where you actually just use your phone to make a phone call. You know what I'm talking about? It's like we opened up the Pandora's box. And I don't know if you know the origin of that statement, Pandora's box. It's from Greek mythology.
And so, Zeus, the king of the gods. was angry at mankind according to the mythology. And so he created a woman.
Now, look, I didn't write this stuff, I'm just telling you. How it is. And so he created this woman and he named her Pandora. And he gave her a box that was sealed, and he told her to not open the box. But curiosity got the best of Pandora, and once she opened the box, all of the bad things that affect us to this very day came out of the box, and she couldn't seal it again.
And I feel like We're living in an anti-Christ culture, and I touched on this last time. As John tells us, not only is there a coming world leader that will emerge on the scene that we call the Antichrist or the beast or the wicked one, but then he talks about anti-Christ. Plural, and remember, anti doesn't just mean against, it also means instead of. And I feel like right now our culture is flooded with Fake things are instead of versions of Jesus. Things that people want to turn their attention to.
I want you to think for a moment about the Ten Commandments. What is the first commandment of ten that God gives us? Is it. You shall not commit adultery. Is it you shall not murder?
Is it you shall not steal or you shall not covet? No, the first commandment. According to God, what should To me, Tend to focus on the priority of it is: you shall have no other gods before me. See, if we have that one right, it will affect us in the keeping of all the other commandments.
So, number one, Have no other gods before me. Commandment number two: don't make any graven images.
So, God. Don't want to share his glory with anyone. But yet, in our culture today, it seems like we're looking for substitutes for Jesus. Jesus. We live in an ABC culture.
anything but Christ. I just read an article the other day that says that 75%. of Gen Zers think AI partners Have the potential to replace human companionship. What? Seventy-five percent.
Of Gen Z kids think that AI partners could Replace human companionship. In other words, they would date AI. How does that even work? When you take your phone out for dinner, I'm not sure exactly. And this is kind of a crazy thing that just shows.
what I'm saying already, instead of Christ. Uh this article pointed out in Google searches There were a huge uptick. For the phrase feelings for AI.
So someone's actually typing in a search engine, I have feelings for AI. And another one is fell in love with AI. Those searches skyrocketed 132%. I think what we're trying to do is to fill a void in our life that can only be filled by God Himself.
So Don't settle for antichrist or instead of Christ thinking. And then there are the fake things that people believe about God. For instance, people will say, well, you know, I believe that all roads lead to God.
Well, that's not true. Of course, there's only one road that leads to heaven. And Jesus made that clear that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through Him or another false view of God as all religions basically teach the same thing. By the way, if someone says that to you, that's another way of them saying, I have no idea what I'm talking about. And I haven't even looked into this briefly as a matter of fact.
All religions teach the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you were to sum up all the religions of the world apart from Christianity, You could sum them up in one word. Two. Do.
Do this, and maybe you'll get to heaven. Do that, and you may find inner peace. Do this other thing, and you might find nirvana. It's all about doing. But Christianity can be summed up in one word, it's done.
done. God has done it for you. He's purchased it for you. And then of course the other crazy things people think the Bible teaches like, well, God helps those who help themselves. I think Ben Franklin said that.
As a matter of fact, he said it to me personally, as I recall. But uh You know, and that's not even true. I mean, the reality is, God helps those who can't help themselves. And on the list goes. But there are certain things that we need to know as Christians, certain things we need to be reminded of again and again.
Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We love hearing from our listeners, whether it's a short word or they take some time to tell us what's going on with them. Pastor Greg, I listen to your podcast every morning and am also thankful to attend Harvest Christian Fellowship. You have a way of transforming the Bible into something even I can understand. You make it relatable and exciting, and you're also hilarious.
There isn't a Sunday that I haven't cracked up at one of your jokes. Thank you, Pastor Greg. Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email and let him know? Send it to Greg at harvest.org.
Do it today while you're thinking about it. Again, that's Greg at harvest.org.
Well, you've joined us for a study in 1 John today. A message Pastor Gregg has titled Overcoming the Great Deceiver: Truth in a World of Fakes. Let's dig in. And see what John has to say to us in chapter 3, starting in verse 7. Little children.
Let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. Remember, we pointed out that in the Greek that could be translated habitually or continually.
So a better way to translate that would be he who continually habitually Practice a sin is of the devil. Not whoever has ever committed a sin is of the devil, because we've all committed sin. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. I would underline that, we'll come back to it. destroy the works of the devil.
For whoever has been born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he's been born of God.
Alright, so that brings me to point number three. Satan is real and always has been. The devil, According to verse 6, has sinned from the beginning. We basically been on demon time since day one. Yeah.
That's literally Satan's whole vibe, if you will. It's lying, twisting truth, and causing chaos. It's not a phrase. That's how he rolls. That's who he is.
That is his nature.
So we wonder. Why would God create someone as horrible and as evil as Satan? And the conventional wisdom is Satan came from hell, but actually Satan didn't come from hell at all. You might be surprised to know that If you want to get technical, Satan came from heaven.
Now, let me explain. He was not always Satan. First, he was Lucifer, the son of the morning, a beautiful, high-ranking angel, possibly an archangel. uh certainly an important one. Who had access to the throne of God, but he rebelled against God.
Why he did that, we don't know. But he rebelled against God. and took one-third of the angels with him. And that's where we get demons from. Demons are fallen angels.
So to this day, the devil, formerly Lucifer, now has a network of demon powers around the planet that do his bidding. The Bible says the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one. He's called the God of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and so forth. And so he wasn't made as Satan, but he became Satan when he rebelled against God. And God's judgment came upon him as a result.
That brings me to point number four. Satan comes to accuse and deceive. He comes to accuse and deceive.
So we have a picture of this. in the Bible. Uh in the book of Job. Where the angels come and present themselves before the Lord. The Bible says Satan was among them.
And the Lord says, lose prayer phrase: hey guys, what's up? What have you been doing? And uh And then Satan speaks up and says, Well, I've been just looking around the planet. Watching what's going on, and then God starts bragging on Job, of course. Have you considered my servant Job a perfect and upright man, one that fears God and shuns evil, and the devil pushes back?
It says, oh, Job just fears you because you bless him. Job fears you because you give him cool stuff. Give me a little time with Job and we'll see what he's made of. And the Lord allowed the devil to bring a series of calamities. upon poor old Job.
And that's a lot of what the book is about. But you see the devil approaching God and accusing Job before God. And that is who Satan is: he is an accuser. The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren. And with this demon network there, The purpose seems to be twofold.
They want to hinder the purposes of God and extend the power of Satan.
So it's kind of scary when you think about it. And you think, how can we overcome the devil? And that brings me to my next point. Jesus has already defeated Satan. Jesus has already defeated Satan.
Look at 1 John 3:8. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested. that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he's been born of God.
So, why was Jesus Christ manifested? Why did he come to our planet?
Well, he came to die for the sin of the world, needless to say. But he also came To Destroy the works of the devil. At the cross Satan was canceled. We hear about people being canceled today. Jesus canceled Satan.
And it's talked about in Colossians 2:14, where it says Christ. canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away, nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities and shamed them publicly by the victory over them on the cross.
So Jesus canceled the record. The word here used for record. is a handwritten certificate of debt.
So imagine this for a moment. Here is a list. And on this list is your name. And there below your name is a list of every sin you've ever committed throughout your life. That would be a long list, would it not?
And they just go through page after page after page, and you're just absolutely horrified by it. But here's what this verse is teaching: when Christ. Died on the cross. He canceled that list. He canceled every sin, canceled every lie, canceled everything you've done wrong.
He paid for it and he defeated it. And I know there are times when some sins seem Undefeatable. There's addictions in your life that you don't feel you can break. There are Weaknesses you have that you don't feel you can overcome, but according to To this verse. In other verses, this has been dealt with.
At the cross. I remember as a young boy. Age seventeen. I Memorize 1 Corinthians 10.13. And I have to tell you that one of the best things I started doing as a young Christian was memorizing scripture.
And I hope that you do that. The psalmist says, Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. I cannot emphasize strongly enough How important it is to have your mind filled with Bible verses. You say, but Craig, I can't memorize things. Of course you can memorize things.
You quote lines from movies. You remember stats from Football games and baseball games from years gone by. You remember lyrics to songs. You even remember. Lyrics to stupid commercials on television, right?
You can and you do memorize, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, but we retain this information. If you will just apply yourself, you will find you can, and I will add, you must memorize the Bible. You must. It's great to carry a Bible in your briefcase. or in your purse?
or in your mercy, or whatever you call those things, when you're a guy with a purse. But the b But the But the man back, I think it's man back, right? But the best place to carry the word of God is in your heart.
So get it in your heart. Memorize. That's why I memorize 1 Corinthians 10.13. And I can't tell you how many times that's come in handy. 1 Corinthians 10:13, and I memorize it in King James.
I don't know what it is, but there's something very memorable about the King James Version. I find it easier to retain verses from that translation than other translations. I think because it's so unusual. In 1 Corinthians 10, 13, King James says, Oh, I forgot it. Um It was good when I knew it.
Let's see if I can remember. Yeah, there is no temptation taking you, but such as is common to man. But God, who is faithful, will not allow you to be tempted above your ability to resist it, but will, with the temptation, make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.
So um Thank you very much. You can do this too. It's nothing special. But uh boy, just to quote that because, oh man, I can't handle this, this is more than I can bear. No.
Whatever temptation comes your way, It's common to man, which means we all get tempted. You're not the only one getting tempted, so don't feel bad about that. And there's always a way of escape that you may be able to bear. There's always a way of escape. Classic example.
Joseph Being tempted. By the wife of Potiphar. I'm sure she was a very attractive woman.
So she's this older woman's preying on this younger guy. She was the original cougar. And Joseph said to her, Mrs. Robinson, I think you're trying to seduce me. That's a line from a very old movie, never mind.
Okay But She would not take no for an answer. And then one day she dismissed all the servants. They're alone in the home. She grabs him and pulls him down on the bed. Says lie with me.
And Joseph did what any clear-thinking, red-blooded young man should do under such circumstances. He ran out of there as fast as he could. And sometimes the solution is as simple as that. Get out of there.
Now you can't always get out of there. But many times you can't. It might be as simple as terminating the conversation, hitting the off button, leaving the place where you're at at that moment. But sometimes we'll put ourselves in a place of temptation and wonder why we're getting tempted, right?
So be practical about this.
Well anyway. Satan has been defeated. Pastor Greg Laurie. With the first part of his message today called Overcoming the Great Deceiver. Truth in a world of fakes.
and there's more to come here on a new beginning. As mentioned, when we stand with the Lord, we stand in victory. But that brings up the question: do we truly stand with the Lord? Have we ever come to the Lord and asked for His forgiveness of sin and ask? Ask Him to be our Savior.
Pastor Gregg, what would you say to the person listening? Who just doesn't know if they've ever done that? They can't think of a time when they made a deliberate decision for the Lord. It's just not a good idea to assume everything's just going to work out okay, is it no? This is one area of your life you want to be sure about.
Where you're going to spend eternity. The Bible says these things we write to you that you may believe on the Son of God and that you may know that you have eternal life. Listen, I know I have eternal life. I know I'll go to heaven one day. And I hope that doesn't sound boastful.
And if it does, I'm boasting in what God has done for me, not in what I've done for God. The reason I know these things is because I've turned from my sin and I've put my faith in Christ, you see. And if you do the same, you can have this same hope. You just need to call out to the Lord, an adventurous sinner, and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and come into your life. The Bible says, Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Will you call upon Him right now? I'm going to pray a simple prayer, and I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer. after me, if you would.
So, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, if you want to know for certain that Christ Is living in your life Then pray this prayer with me. Just pray these words. Lord Jesus. I know I am a sinner, but But I know you are the Saviour. who died on the cross for my sin.
I turn from my sin now. and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. as my Saviour and my Lord. As my God, And my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer.
Thank you for answering this prayer. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer with Pastor Gregg and you've meant those words sincerely, the Lord has forgiven your sin and you're now a brand new Christian.
And we want to help you get started in this new life of faith. Let us send you Pastor Gregg's New Believer's Bible. It's in an easy to understand translation, and there are scores of features to help a new believer build a solid foundation. Also, Pastor Gregg mentioned the importance of Scripture memory a little earlier. The New Believer's Bible highlights over a hundred and thirty of the most important verses to commit to memory.
We'll send it free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. You can call any time, 1-800-821-3300.
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Well, next time, Pastor Greg helps us get a clear view of spiritual warfare. and points us to the battle-tested truth of God's Word. Good information is coming. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Lorry. This is the day, the day when life begins.
