Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries present the book that kicked off the hip movie, Jesus Revolution. The author of the book is Ellen Vaughan, but it was written with me because I told her the stories. She does a deep dive into the history of the time. She tells the story of Chuck Smith, Lonnie Frisbee, and so much more that you will want to know. And we want to send you this book, Jesus Revolution, for your gift of any size.
Get your copy at harvest.org. The psalmist David wrote, How precious are your thoughts about me, O God, they cannot be numbered. Pastor Greg Laurie says we should return the favor. It's so important to remember the Lord. You know, one way is just to say grace over a meal.
I like that, don't you? When you get up in the morning and you start the day with scripture and prayer, that's a way to remember the Lord. When you set Sunday aside and say, this is the Lord's day, there might be things we can do, but we're going to go worship the Lord in church. That's a way to remember the Lord.
So many of us spend so little time thinking about the Lord during the day, and yet we want to live with Him forever. God's Word has a bottomless supply of insights for life. But social media captures so much more of most people's attention.
Well, today on a new beginning, As Pastor Greg Laurie continues our Genesis series, we'll see how Noah remembered the Lord. It was his priority after reaching dry land following the flood. We'll learn a number of principles from following the life of this great patriarch. Yeah. Genesis chapter 6, the title of my message is God Keeps His Promises.
Let's pray, Father. We're so glad you keep your promises to us. We don't always keep our promises to you. But even though sometimes we are faithless, you are always faithful.
Now we ask you to speak to us from your word. I pray for anybody here who doesn't know you that This would be eye-opening for them, and they would wanna get right with you. Or maybe someone who has stumbled and fallen in some way, shape, or form, that they could be restored. After hearing this message from your word, we commit this Bible study to you now. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
So we've all had promises made to us. Maybe some were broken. Maybe we made a promise to someone else. that we broke But the good news is, is when God makes a promise to us, he's good for it. You can take it to the bank.
He always keeps his promises. And in fact, every time you see a rainbow, it's a reminder that God keeps his promises. Because the rainbow is a symbol of this covenant that he made with humanity after Noah and his family got out of the ark and landed safely.
Now the Lord was promising something very special to them. And God keeps his promises to us.
Someone said that there are at least 3,000 promises from God to us in the Bible.
Well, what are they? Here's just a few. You might want to write down these references. God promises to forgive you of all of your sins. 1 John 1, 9 says, if we will confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God promises to give us a new life in Christ. Because over in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, it says, if any man be in Christ, He is an altogether different kind of person. The old things have passed away, and behold, everything becomes fresh and new. I love that. One of the reasons I like it when it rains is everything gets cleaned.
All the dirty cars are cleaned, right? And you might even see a rainbow afterwards. God makes all things new when we believe in Him. He promises to be with us in our hard times. Maybe I'm talking to somebody right now going through a very difficult time.
You feel as though you've been abandoned and you're alone.
Well, here's what God says. When you go through deep waters, I'll be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you'll not be burned up and the flames will not consume you. God also promises to complete the work he has begun in your life.
Philippians 1, 6 says, I'm sure of this, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. God also promises to give us peace. In our hearts. when we're tempted to worry. Because we're told in Philippians 4:6, don't worry about anything, pray about everything, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
God. also promises to provide for your needs. Jesus says, don't be like the non-believers. All they think about is what they're going to eat, what they're going to wear, what they're going to drink. But rather seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
One other promise I would like to focus on. Jesus promises that he will come again to our world. That's right. Jesus said in John 14, 3, I will come again. And he means what he says and he says what he means.
It's interesting. I read a Gallup poll that revealed that 66% of the American people believe Jesus Christ is coming back. To the earth in the future. 66%. That's more than.
the amount of Americans that claim to be born again.
So, even non-believers are believing Jesus is coming. I think even people who aren't Christians are alarmed at the state of our world right now. the turmoil, the upheaval, the unraveling before our eyes, it appears, of our own culture. And they're saying, is this like what the Bible was talking about? They're wondering, is Armageddon coming?
Jesus is coming again. And there's a series of events that are going to happen in the end times. And they're a lot like dominoes closely stacked together. And when the first one falls, the others will fall in rapid succession. And those events in chronological order are the rapture.
The revealing of the Antichrist, the tribulation period. the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming, and then the Millennium.
So it starts with the rapture. That's the next event on the prophetic calendar. 1 Thessalonians 4, 17 says, The dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remaining shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. The word caught up is from the Greek word harpazo. It means to be taken by force.
It's been translated into the word rapture. That is commonly used to describe this event. We're caught up to meet the Lord. And I bring this up because Jesus actually said it would be like it was in the days of Noah before the Lord's return. Matthew 24, 37, Jesus said, The arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's.
Before the great flood, everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time. right until the day that Noah entered the ark. They knew nothing. Until the flood came and swept everything away. The Son of Man's arrival will be like that.
Two men will be working in the field. One will be taken, the other left behind. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and another left behind.
So stay awake, be alert. You have no idea when your master will show up.
So we're talking a little bit about Noah last. time and how evil things were and how Noah managed to walk with God when no one else did. But what does it mean to walk with God? It's really quite simple. If you take a walk with someone, the idea is to Getting cadence with each other so you can have a conversation.
And there's actually a verse in the book of Amos that gives an insight. It says, Shall two walk together. Unless they have agreed. Unless they have agreed. So to walk with God is to be in agreement with Him.
In fact, this can be translated: can two walk together? unless they've made an appointment.
So you have an appointment with God. And I suggest you keep it. You remember that Adam had an appointment with God or he would meet with the Lord in the cool of the day and one day the Lord showed up in the Garden of Eden and Adam was hiding. Why? Because he had sinned against the Lord.
And God wants you to keep your appointment. You know, some people are always late for everything. Are you one of those people? Who are the late people? Raise your hand.
See, well, you're raising your hand. You're owning that. You're the late people. Always late, always 15 minutes late, right? Why is that?
You don't want to be late for your appointment with God. How many of you are punctual and always on time? Raise your hand. Oh, a few more of those people.
Okay, now let me ask another question. How many of you who are punctual are married to a late person? Raise your hand. Interesting. Welcome to my world.
I won't say who's who. But you might be able to figure it out. But anyway. And speaking of marriage, The word, unless they have agreed, also speaks of a betrothal. Can two walk together unless they've been joined as if in marriage.
The picture of us being married to Christ is used many times in Scripture. He's the groom, we're the bride, right? And my wife and I, you know, being married so many years, know each other very well. We'll go into a restaurant and we'll sit down, a restaurant we've been to before. And before Kathy even picks up the menu, I'll say, you're going to order this.
And she'll ignore me, and she'll go through this whole process of asking many questions about: can I substitute that for this and this for that? And what about this other thing? And she goes around and around, and she always orders what I say, she'll order, because I know what she's gonna do. And she often knows the same about me. I'll forget something, she'll remember it.
Between us, we have one complete brain, right? But here's the idea. I'm getting in sync with God. I know what God thinks about this. How do I know what God thinks about it?
Because I read the Bible. And the Bible reveals God to me. And I know his thoughts. When we get into the Sermon on the Mount, effectively you're reading the manifesto. the worldview of Jesus himself.
That's why if you have a red-letter Bible, the Sermon on the Mount is all red. All right, because it's just the words of our Lord. You want to know what Jesus thinks about these things?
Well, of course, read the whole Bible. But in particular, in the Sermon on the Mount, you will see.
So, can two walk together unless they have agreed?
So, to walk with God means to get in sync with God, to be in rhythm with God. Um Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie. And I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours, and I have to say that's absolutely true.
Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, well, that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience. It actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way, it's a vacation with a purpose. And we're gonna be taking a tour of Israel April 6th to 15, 2027.
You can find out more at Israel.harvest. Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at Israel.harvest.org.
Well, we're learning some lessons from the life of Noah today. As Pastor Greg brings a message from the book of Genesis, let's continue. Number two, Noah was a witness for God. He was a witness for God in 2 Peter. He's described as a preacher of righteousness.
You know, though He didn't have a lot of converts. In fact, he didn't have any. He lived 950 years and effectively, outside of his family, did not have a single convert. But he stands as an example to all of those faithful seed sowers out there. You know, it's not my job to convert anybody.
It is my job to faithfully Communicate the gospel.
So, maybe you've shared the gospel with many people, and no one has ever responded. Maybe you might want to think of breath mints. I'm not sure. Stop eating raw garlic before you engage people. There might be some extenuating circumstances here we could look at.
But apart from that, your job is to deliver the message and leave the results in the hands of God.
Well, Noah did that, but he did reach his family. Because Hebrews 11:7 says, By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear. prepared an ark for the saving of his household. Number three, Noah worked for God. He worked for God.
He said, I want you to effectively build a giant boat.
Now there was no body of water nearby. It had never rained before. And Noah's building a giant boat, effectively like a big box that was unsinkable. And one of the greatest practical acts of faith in all of history. Noah cut down that first gopher wood tree to build this ark.
You know, the Bible doesn't tell us he was a carpenter. He certainly wasn't a shipbuilder. But God called an unqualified man to do something. God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Consider this fact.
The Ark was built by amateurs, but the Titanic was built by professionals, okay?
Sometimes it works out just fine.
Now, when we think of the ark, we think this is impossible. You could get all of those animals inside of that ark. It's not impossible at all. And they didn't have to get every animal in there. They were only to carry air-breathing, land-dwelling animals and creeping things and winged animals like birds.
Aquatic life like fish and whales and other amphibious creatures obviously could be in the ocean around. They didn't have to have every breed of dog, for instance, out today. They just had to have the original two dogs. Uh before we started coming up with all of these weird oodles.
Someone decided a poodle should be bred with every other breed of dog. We have labradoodles and all kinds of other variations, jack-apoodles, spoodles. I looked this up. There's even a German woodle.
Well, just a German wire hair standard poodle. Look, how many of you Ona lobberdoodle. Raise your hand up. Jade, let me just. Insult your dog for a moment if you don't mind.
This is my opinion. I've thought of getting one. They're very cute. And they're hyperallergenic, right?
Okay, we know that.
So they don't shed.
Okay, it's nice. But everyone I know that has one of these dogs, these dogs all seem to be collectively. Stupid. And I've tried to figure it out. They run around like they're insane.
Like, what is wrong with this dog? Other dogs will sit quietly. You can pet them. The Labrador's, you know, just. I don't know what it is, and so I Googled it.
Why are Labradoodles so stupid? Said something interesting happens because labs are not stupid and poodles are not stupid, but when you get the oodles gone, something happens. But I also read that it's because they're very hyperactive and they need to be attention given to them.
Okay, whatever, but I shouldn't have said any of these things. I know I've offended someone. I'm sorry. I feel I've gone after the cat people long enough.
Now it's time to... Just offend everybody out there I could possibly offend. Let's think for a few moments about the spiritual life of Noah. I mean this man You know, really, without any support to speak of. Follow the will of God.
And he sent him this boat. for all of this time and he waited. On the Lord. And then when they finally reached dry land, bringing me to point number four, he remembered God. And I'm really impressed by Genesis 8:20 that says, Noah built an altar to the Lord.
I mean, hey, if you'd been cooped up in a boat, For that long, wouldn't you want to just run around for a while? Noah said, no, I'm going to bring a sacrifice to God. I'm going to remember that God did all of this. for us. And I think it's so important to remember the Lord.
There's so many ways that we can do it. You know, one way is just to say grace over a meal. I like that, don't you? I love when I see a family just bow for a moment of prayer. And ask God to bless our food.
By the way, if you're asked to say grace, Don't go too long. You know, it's just thank you, Lord. You provided this food. Don't wait for the food to get cold. Just don't be that person.
You probably have a Labradoodle, too. I don't know, Isaac. Probably in the restaurant with you, right? It's your emotional support dog. Right.
Um But giving thanks, that's a simple way. When you take a portion of your income, the tithe, an offering, and say, we're gonna give faithfully to the Lord, that's a way to remember the Lord. When you get up in the morning and you start the day with scripture and prayer, that's a way to remember the Lord. When you set Sunday aside and say, this is the Lord's day, there might be things we can do, but we're going to go worship the Lord in church. That's a way to remember the Lord.
Um Good encouragement today on a new beginning from Pastor Greg Laurie by way of his message called God Keeps His Promises. You know, one of the first promises Pastor Greg mentioned earlier in the message is that the Lord promises to forgive our sin. If we will confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's a promise there for the taking. Have you received that promise?
That promise is for everyone, isn't it, Pastor Greg? That's right. The Bible says, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
So think of it this way. Maybe you're out in a riptide in the ocean and you can't get your footing and you're in trouble and you see a lifeguard. Call out for help and the lifeguard will rescue you. The same is true spiritually. You're drowning in your sin.
You need help. Jesus will save you. He will rescue you, but you must call out to him. And you know how you do that? You do it in prayer.
So let me just lead you in a simple prayer. And you can pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you'd like. And this is where you are calling out to Jesus to save you. Just pray this, Lord Jesus.
I know I'm a sinner. and I know you are the Saviour. Who died on the cross for my sin? and rose again from the dead.
Now, Lord, I turn from my sin and I put my faith in you. Be my Savior, my Lord, be my God and my friend. I choose to follow you. From this moment forward, In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know that Christ himself has come to live inside of you. And I have a resource I want to send you. It's called the New Believer's Bible.
So the New Believer's Bible is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ. There's some other materials included as well in what we call the New Believer's Growth Pact. But let me get this New Believer's Bible into your hands as quickly as possible. Here's Dave to tell you more. Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way free of any charge if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today.
Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us any time, 24-7, at 1-800-821-3300. or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. Yeah. And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue.
Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online, you'll find us at harvest.org. And there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now.
That's harvest.org. Or write us at a new beginning box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call, again at 1-800-821-4. Yeah.
Well, next time, we'll see that after the flood and after Noah's family began to rebuild their lives, Noah had a spiritual failure. what we can learn from it next time. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Craig Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.
