For America's 250th birthday, Greg Laurie recommends a great film about the man behind the spiritual awakening of our nation. Just as surely as George Washington is our founding father, George Whitfield is our spiritual founding father. Two Georges played a role in founding the United States.
So find out more about George Whitfield in this film that's called A Great Awakening, and we'll send it to you for your gift of any size. Available on DVD at harvest.org. The Word of God is perfect.
So many people have Bibles sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Pastor Greg Laurie says, the Bible belongs in our lap. Or better yet, in our heart. Everything you need to know about life is found in the Bible, and it never goes out of date.
So many things go out of date, but the word of God is always relevant to what you're facing in the moment. You can trust the word of God. This is the day we. The lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning.
Amazing grace has squeezed us down. But can you give all the ancients of singing? This is the day, the day when I begin. According to one survey, only 5% of people read owners' manuals. Maybe that's why one lady called KitchenAid to ask which was the best spin cycle and her clothes washer for drying her lettuce.
and then wanted to know why her clothes were turning green.
Well, we have an owner's manual for life, the Bible.
So many leave it on the shelf. Today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us recognize the Bible for what it is. It's a book that gives the prescription for life. This is my last message in our series that we're simply calling Refresh. And I want to talk to you about the refreshing power of the Word of God.
Because the reality is, as believers, we all have those moments when we stumble. When we trip up, When we make that wrong decision, we think that wrong thought, and we need to repent, we need to reboot, we need to be revived and refreshed. And that's what we're gonna be focusing on together. Listen, a growing believer. will delight in and love the Word of God.
You'll love it. It's not like you'll dread reading it. You'll look forward to reading it. Psalm 1 describing the happy man says, happy is the man. That doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight.
Is in the word of the Lord, and in it does he meditate day and night. The psalmist said in Psalm 119, How I love your commandments, Lord, they give my life back to me because your unfailing love and your words are true.
So this is something we need to understand. You have to open up this book. Heard about a woman that wasn't feeling well, so her husband took her to see her doctor. And she went into his office. A little time passed, and the doctor comes rushing out.
And he says, Is there anybody here that is a screwdriver?
Someone happened to come and they gave it to the doctor. He goes back in the office where this man's wife is. Another moment passes. The doctor comes out again and says, Does anyone have a pair of pliers?
Someone gives the doctor a pair of pliers. He goes back in the office. He returns again. Does anyone here have a hammer?
So the husband grows alarmed and he goes into the doctor's office and says, Doctor, what are you doing with my wife? The doctor says, I haven't even gotten to your wife yet. I'm just trying to get my medical bag open. See, that's how a lot of us are. Wondering why is life going so poorly?
Why am I making so many bad decisions? Open up the book. The doctor needs to open his medical bag. You need to open up the word of God. One of the ways a doctor, speaking of doctors, Knows that a person is healthy is if they have an appetite.
He'll ask you, how's your appetite? A healthy appetite is an indication of good health. A loss of appetite is an indication of something possibly wrong. Healthy Christians are hungry Christians, and they're hungry for the Word of God. 1 Peter 2:2 says, like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk that you may grow up spiritually.
Because you know the feeling that. You have when you haven't eaten. I mean, look, you can set a clock by my stomach. I get up in the morning, I'm hungry. I'm hungry for lunch at 11 o'clock.
I'm ready to eat. I'm hungry for dinner at 5 o'clock. And when I don't eat, I get a little bit. Cranky. I think the phrase is hangry, right?
You're angry, but it's. really you're just hungry. You just need to eat something and in the same way you might find yourself kind of irritable and uptight and anxious and maybe angry and you wonder what's wrong. Have you read scripture? Did you open the day with the word of God?
Jeremiah 15, 16 says, When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.
Now, I want to tell you nine things about the Bible you need to know. Nine things about the Bible. And I'm going to go now to Psalm 19 to bring them to your attention. Read along with me if you can. I'm reading from the King James Version.
Uh Psalm 19 verse 7. The law of the Lord.
Now again, let me remind you. This could just as easily be translated the word of the Lord. or simply the Bible.
So I'll say the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord. is perfect. converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.
And they're sweeter than the honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned. and in keeping of them there is great reward. Beautiful.
Now, let's start identifying the nine things we need to know about the Bible. If you're taking notes, point number one: the Word of God is perfect. The word of God is perfect. The phrase the law of the Lord or the word of the Lord is simply saying it is perfect. There's no flaws in it.
Everything you need to know about God is found in the Bible. Everything you need to know about life is found in the Bible, and it never goes out of date.
So many things go out of date. Have you ever noticed how Strange most people's photos are in the yearbook. It seems like we all collectively decide, let's take a really bad picture for our yearbook and have the weirdest hairstyle of all time.
So, and by the way, the mullet's making a comeback. I would highly recommend against that. Please don't do a yearbook picture in a mullet, even if it's popular. Anyway, these things come and go. Hairstyles come and go.
Musical styles come and go. But the Word of God is always current and it's always relevant. I love what lamentations. 3.23 says it says, His mercies are new every morning. Can't you think of a time when you've read a scripture you've read before?
But suddenly that passage that you're familiar with jumps off the page because it's completely relevant to what you're facing in the moment. You can trust the word of God. Here's another point, the word of God transforms us. The word of God transforms us. Psalm 19, verse 7.
The law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise. This simple. See, when I read God's word, it transforms the way I think. It transforms me in the way that I live.
It changes me. But here's the thing we must remember: it's not enough to just read the Bible, I must do what the Bible says. James 1.22 says, remember, It's a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you're only fooling yourself. You're like a person who sees their face in a mirror.
and does nothing to improve their appearance. You see yourself walk away. And you forget what you even look like. But if you keep looking steadfastly into God's perfect law or into His Word, the law that sets you free and do what it says, and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. It's amazing.
You know, when you go and look in a mirror, it shows you something.
Sometimes you see something that others were seeing, but you were not aware of. Like there's a string of cheese hanging from your lip from the omelette you had that morning. No wonder everyone was kind of smiling at you and looking away. Oh, they must think I look good. Did they know you have cheese hanging from your face?
And the mirror showed you that.
So you see something in the mirror, make the necessary correction.
So I opened the Word of God. Oh yes, I read the Bible today. Great. Did you do what the Bible said? The Bible says, don't just be hearers of the word, but be doers of the word.
Listen. The Bible is God's word to us. and it should be treasure. As we read in Psalm 19, More to be desired are these things than gold, yes, than much fine gold. Psalm 119:11, the psalmist says, Your word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against you.
What does that mean? To treasure in your heart means to hide or store something.
So obviously this verse and others. are advocating and encouraging Bible memorization. Do you have any Bible verses memorized? If not, why not? You say, Oh, Greg, it's, I just can't memorize scripture.
Oh, yes, you can. You have lines from movies that you quote all the time. You have lyrics from songs you've memorized. You have so much information and data in your brain that you've committed to memory. Certainly, you can make some room for the Word of God because none of those things are going to help you in a time of trouble.
Lyrics of songs or lines from movies are not going to sustain you when you're facing adversity in life, but the word of God will, so commit it to memory. Uh 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.org. Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land April 6th through 15, 2027. Get details at Israel.harvest.org.
Well, we're in Psalm 19 today as Pastor Greg presents his final message of the Refresh series. It's a study called The Refreshing Power of the Word of God. Here's another point, verse 7. The Word of God gives us incredible wisdom. The Word of God gives us incredible wisdom.
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. This word that is translated simple comes from a root word that speaks of an open door. It's describing a person who has a mind like an open door. Everything comes in and everything goes out. This person doesn't know what to take in.
They don't know what to keep out. And so they're naive. They're open to everything and close to nothing. These are the kind of people that read weird conspiracy theories online. And they attach as much credibility to the weird conspiracy theory as they attach to scripture.
The Bible says they need to immerse themselves with scripture.
So a simple-minded person will become a biblically grounded person and develop a biblical worldview. This comes from the study of the Word of God. There's going to be times in life where You're going to read passages of scripture you don't fully understand. I would encourage you to talk to your pastor. or talk to someone who has been a Christian longer and they can probably help you.
But I've been asked the question: well, what do you do when you come to a verse in the Bible that you don't agree with? You probably won't like my answer. and change your opinion. You're wrong because the Bible is right. You don't adapt the Bible to the way you think.
You'll hear sometimes people say, well, you know, My God would never judge a person, or I believe in a God, and you start describing your own God. You can make up your God as you go. There's only one God. And he's revealed in the Bible. And we don't conform that God to us.
We conform ourselves to Him. I'm almost done. Point number eight, the word of God is right. The word of God is right. Psalm 19, verse 8: The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.
In Hebrew, this means the Bible has set out for us the right path for us to follow. You don't have to lose your bearings in the fog of human opinion. As you read scripture, you know it's reliable.
So as you read the Bible, it's good to ask yourself a few questions. You read a verse, you can ask yourself the question, is there any sin mentioned here that I should avoid? Is there any promise stated here that I ought to claim? Is there any victory for me to gain? Is there any blessing mentioned here that I could enjoy?
And now, number nine, my last point. Keeping the Word of God makes you happy. Keeping the word of God makes you happy. Psalm 19, verse 8: The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Jesus said in Luke 11:28, Happy are those that hear the word of God and keep it.
You want to be a happy person. Be a person who studies the Bible. You wanna be a happy person, be a person that memorizes the Bible. You wanna be a happy person, be a person who obeys the Bible. Listen, you can have a happy life without sin.
You can have a happy life without drugs or alcohol. You can have a happy life without sex outside of marriage. God is not out to ruin your life, He wants you to be fulfilled. The happiness he gives doesn't stop when the party is over. It's a whole different approach to life.
It's a change of everything. I mentioned earlier that The Bible promises that if I believe in Jesus, I'll become a different person on the inside. Because all things are passed away. and everything becomes fresh and new. The Bible promises that God will lift that weight off of my shoulders of sin.
The Bible tells me what the meaning of life is. You say, well, Greg, what is the meaning of life? The meaning of life is to know the God who created you. The Bible says God has said eternity in our hearts. And what that means is, deep down inside, we know there's something more.
Deep down inside, we know we're made for something more. And what we're really longing for is not some new possession. It's not some new experience. Even a relationship can't fill this void. What we're longing for deep down inside is a relationship with God Himself.
Revelation 4.11 says God created all things for his own pleasure. You know, some people spend their whole life chasing happiness. They spend their whole life trying to find the ultimate pleasure, the ultimate experience. No, you were created to give God pleasure. When you give God pleasure, Which means you come into a relationship with Him and a friendship with Him.
And you begin to communicate with him and hear from him, you will find the pleasure you've been looking for, not from seeking it, but from seeking God himself. The purpose and meaning of life is to know God and discover his plan for you. And the Bible also tells me how to get to heaven. Is there any more important question? How do I get to heaven?
I was talking with someone the other day, and I asked them if they believed they would go to heaven. And their answer was: well, yes, I'm a good person. I had to break the bad news to them that they're maybe a good person relatively speaking. but they're not good enough to get to heaven. Because the Bible also tells me I'm separated from God by my sin.
I've crossed the line. I've broken his commandments. I've fallen short of his standards. But then scripture reminds me that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me on the cross. He had nails driven through his hands and feet and blood and died in my place on the cross of Calvary.
And then he rose again from the dead three days later. And if I will turn from my sin, the Bible says, repent and be converted, and times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. You want to be refreshed. Then repent. You say repent, what does that even mean?
I don't know if I've even pented yet. Why should I repent? To repent means to change your direction. You've been walking away from God. It's time to do a U-turn.
It's actually a military turn. That means U-turn, turn around, about face, and walk toward God. Repent, turn from your sin, and turn to Jesus Christ. You want to go to heaven when you die? Here's what Jesus says.
For God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten son. Yet whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Let me leave you with this. God loves you.
He loved you so much that he sent his own beloved son to die on the cross in your place. And then Jesus rose from the dead and now stands at the door of your life, and he knocks. If you'll hear his voice and open the door, he'll come in. As Jesus said, whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Do you want everlasting life?
Do you want to go to heaven when you die? Do you want the burden of your guilt and shame and sin lifted from you? Do you want a fresh start in life? It can all happen if you'll ask God to forgive you. And if you will ask Jesus Christ to come into your life in a moment, We're going to pray.
And I'm going to extend an invitation in this prayer for you. To believe in Jesus, for you to be forgiven of your sin, for you to have from this moment forward the certainty that you'll go to heaven when you die. If you've not asked Jesus to come into your life yet. Do it now. If you need to recommit your life to the Lord.
Do it now. And pray this simple prayer. After me. Just pray this simple prayer. If you want Christ to come into your life, if you want to go to heaven when you die, pray these words: Lord Jesus.
I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Savior. who died on the cross for my sin. and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now, Lord.
And I choose to follow you. From this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In answering this prayer, In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Pastor Greg Laurie. Closing with an important prayer with those making a decision for the Lord today. And if you've just prayed with Pastor Gregg and you've meant those words sincerely, your sins have been forgiven. Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we want to help you get started living the Christian life.
Let us send you Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. It's been read by millions of people, and they enjoy scores of helps for new believers and the easy-to-understand translation.
So get in touch for your free copy of the New Believers Bible. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call any time. That's 1-800-821-3300. or go online to harvest.org and click Know God.
And then let us take a moment to thank you for praying for this ministry. and for supporting it through your generous donation. It's an investment in kingdom business. Isn't that right, Pastor Gregg? Yeah, it's really true, Dave.
And I believe it's so important because, you know, the gospel saves lives. It saves eternal lives. Because when a person believes in Jesus, according to Scripture, they pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God. And then of course that changes the course of their future. That impacts their children and their children's children.
The gospel changes everything. and thousands and thousands of people respond every single year. Thanks to the Lord. Also, thanks to you for your investment in this ministry, enabling us to reach people. wherever they are.
So if this is something you care about, I encourage you to make a financial investment. And a new beginning in harvest ministries. Yeah, that's right. And we really do appreciate your support. Thanks for partnering with us today.
It can make a real difference, not just for today or this week, but for eternity.
So get in touch with your support today by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org.
Well, next time, Pastor Greg launches an eye-opening study in the book of Acts. We learn we can't influence our community if we're isolated from our community. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.
