How to Never Stumble or Fall - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry.

Pastor Greg? I wanted to say a special word of thanks to the Harvest Partners who make this ministry possible. Next time you're online, check out Pastor Greg's personal blog at blog.GregLaurie.com.

And you know there's so much in your life that needs to still change as you're transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Hopefully you joined us over the weekend for Pastor Greg Laurie's cinematic presentation called A Rush of Hope. It's an online harvest crusade and so many have been brought face to face with their need for the Lord. Today's the last day for A Rush of Hope.

Get details at Harvest.org. But to help those who make commitments to Christ, today on A New Beginning we focus on the next step, how to walk each day in fellowship with the Lord. Good insight is coming your way today. Not that long ago I have a friend. He said, let's go for a walk. His name is Paul. He's much more fit than I am.

I try to get on a walk every day for maybe 30 minutes or so. But Paul likes to take longer walks. I said, where are we going?

He said, I'm going to take you to a really amazing lake. Okay. So we started our walk and I noticed a lot of it is going up. I'm on the incline. And you know I hit the 30 minute mark. I said, I'm getting pretty tired here Paul.

Maybe we should head back. He goes, no it's just a little further. Now we're at an hour. And my little Apple Watch is moving away and the little app is going. I'm going, well I'm making progress here.

Okay. Now I'm getting a bit fatigued because we're at an hour and 20 minutes. And I said, how much further is it? He said, just right up here. The lake.

We're almost there. So I see someone coming in the opposite direction. I said, excuse me. Is there a lake up there? They said, oh yeah.

Way up there. I'm like, oh no. He said, I'm going back.

He's great. Come on. You're going to love this lake. So I finally made it to the top. And I came to the lake. Honestly it was more of a pond than a lake.

I was a little disappointed. Then we began the journey back. So when it was all said and done I walked six miles. Now that's not a lot for some of you freaks.

No. For some of you who are more fit. But for me that was a long walk.

But you know what? We all need a guy like Paul in our life that pushes us forward. Because we get discouraged. We think I can't go on another step. I'm worn out. I'm done. And it's good to have a Christian friend that's saying you can go further. You can do more. Let me help you. Let me encourage you. So I hope you have that person in your life.

And I hope you are that person in someone else's life. Because sometimes we find ourself going the wrong direction fast. Because if you're not moving forward in your relationship with Christ you're naturally going backwards.

You're either going this way or you're going that way. But there is no standing still in the Christian life. And I bring this up because there has been a few stories in the news. I have even been asked about these things in interviews of some notable people who basically said we are no longer Christians. And we get asked about what would happen. How can a person be a Christian and even a leader and then one day say they are not a Christian.

Well it's an interesting question. Because I don't know if they were Christians to start with. Just because someone makes a profession of faith doesn't mean they are necessarily a Christian. But maybe when we hear a story like that it concerns us because we think am I next? Am I going to abandon my faith?

Well really the answer is that's entirely up to you. But here is one thing I would bring to your attention. One of the signs of the last days is some would fall from the faith. Because we are told over in 2 Timothy chapter 4 the Holy Spirit speaks clearly that in the last days some would fall from the faith. Giving heed to seducing spirits and the doctrines that demons teach. I think one way you know you are going in the wrong direction is when you question Scripture.

Let me put it another way. You know you are going the wrong way if you are challenging Scripture. It is not bad to question Scripture. You are going to come across passages that don't make sense to you. And you can find someone that has been reading the Bible for a while or talked to a pastor and they can give you clarification. But there is a difference between that and challenging Scripture where you come to a verse and you say, Well I don't like what that verse says because I have chosen to live this way and I don't want to do what the Bible says. Now that is a different matter altogether. Someone once asked me a few years ago, If you come to a passage in the Bible you don't agree with what do you do? My answer was change your opinion. You are wrong.

Right? I mean is the Bible the Word of God or not? So we don't adapt the Bible to our lifestyle. We adapt our lifestyle to the Bible. And understand that this is God's inspired Word that He has given to us. But this goes back to the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden. The devil came to them and what did he really say?

He said, Did God really say what you thought He said? You can eat of any tree including this one right here. Because on the day you eat you will become like a god knowing good and evil. Eve check it out. You will be a goddess girl.

Adam listen. You are going to be a deity. Forget what God said.

God doesn't know what He is talking about. Listen to me. I am telling you the truth. I am completely sincere. You know what I am saying. You can trust me. That is a snake reference if you are missing it. And they did trust Him. And we are all paying the price because of it.

Point number two. A true believer may stumble but they will ultimately return to God. And if they do not return to God then they never were really a true believer. Again a true believer may stumble but they will ultimately return to God.

If they do not return to God then they were never really a true believer. Now you are probably aware that I have written a book called Johnny Cash The Redemption of an American Icon. You are thinking, Greg why did you write a book about him? Well I have always been fascinated with Johnny Cash. I have always liked his music. To me he is kind of a sound all his own.

No one has really liked him and he is not really like anybody else. But I grew up thinking I was related to Johnny Cash. Because I lived for a few years with my grandparents while my mom was out living her crazy life. And so Charles and Stella McDaniel. And so whenever Johnny Cash got in trouble and he was arrested multiple times my grandfather would say to my grandmother, Stella your cousin is in trouble again.

And I thought, what? I am related to Johnny Cash? And as it turns out my grandmother's maiden name was Fowler Cash and she was from a city in Arkansas not far from where Johnny Cash was born.

So maybe I am a distant, distant cousin you know. But I was aware of him way, way back. And then when I became a Christian I realized that Johnny Cash was a Christian as well. And of course he sang at many Billy Graham crusades. But he was the man in black. He was called by some the godfather of cool.

Another called him the voice of America. Kris Kristofferson who knew Cash well said he was like Abraham Lincoln with a wild side. But Johnny got himself into a lot of trouble. And Johnny struggled with drug use and drinking and other things throughout his life. And there were a lot of up and downs.

But he had a deep faith in Christ. Johnny once said quote, sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. And Cash causes all my trouble. They fight. Well isn't that like a lot of us.

Don't we have the dual natures that are constantly fighting. Certainly Simon Peter had it. Because his name was Simon and Jesus gave him a new name which was Peter which means rock. He didn't have a new name for all the disciples. But he had a new one for Simon. Here is your new name buddy. You are the rock.

That is pretty cool. Now Simon didn't always act like a rock. He got himself into trouble.

But Simon caused him all the trouble. And Peter was the good one if you will. In fact it was Simon Peter that told us that if we do certain things we will never stumble or fall. In his second epistle he writes, 2 Peter 1-3, God has given us through His divine power everything we need for godly living. And then he tells us we must have faith into our faith. We must add moral excellence into our moral excellence. We must add knowledge into our knowledge.

We must add endurance and love for others. And then he says if we do these things we will never stumble or fall. He goes on to say if you do these things you will never fall away. And God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So here is what Peter is saying.

The Christian life is one of constant growth. Listen you don't reach some plateau where you know it all. The moment you think you know it all you probably know a lot less than you think you know. A wise Christian, a smart Christian, a growing Christian realizes there is always so much to learn.

Right? And you know there is so much in your life that needs to still change as you are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And who better to tell us about this than Simon Peter. And we learn what Peter has to say when Pastor Greg continues our message in just a moment. Many listeners write or call us to share how Pastor Greg's lessons are helping them minister to people in their own lives. Dear Greg, thank you for all your wonderful teachings. I listened to you on the radio in northern New York and have passed on your messages to all my friends and family. God has put me in an arena of influence because he knows that I'm not ashamed of the gospel or of the name of Jesus Christ. Your messages have given me great insight on how to speak the truth in such an interesting way that people begin to ask me questions. How fun and how wonderful is our Savior. I've ordered 20 of your books to place in my healthcare professionals libraries and also as an encouragement for folks who are scared in this season.

God bless you. It really is a privilege to bring these studies your way. Do you have a story that you'd like to share with Pastor Greg?

If so, would you take a moment to write us? Email him at Greg at Harvest dot org. That's Greg at Harvest dot org. Well, Pastor Greg is offering some important counsel today from Simon Peter. Counsel on avoiding backsliding and staying on track in our walk with God.

Thanks to our Harvest partners and others who support this outreach for helping to make today's study available. Simon Peter, he's famous for his legendary faux pas where he said things he shouldn't have said. And he's also very well known for the fact that he openly denied the Lord not once, not twice, but three times. So I want to look for a few moments in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John at the steps that led to Peter's fall and how he got back up again.

And I think in these steps we'll learn about things we want to try to avoid. And before we come to our first passage, let me sort of set the scene here in Luke 22. Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples. He's headed to the cross. He's told them he's headed to the cross. He's going to break bread with them and tell them to do this in remembrance of him.

But before that he has a fascinating conversation with Simon Peter. Luke 22 verse 31. Jesus says, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. And when you have repented and turned to me again, you'll strengthen your brothers. Peter said, Lord, I'm ready to go to prison with you and even to die with you. Jesus said, Let me tell you something.

Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even knew me. Put yourself in Peter's sandals for a moment. You're just hanging out with Jesus. He's not his normal jubilant self.

He seems very serious, very intense. And then he turns to you and uses your name twice. Paul, Paul. Kathy, Kathy. Greg, Greg.

Cindy, Cindy. Satan has been asking that you be taken out of the care and protection of God. Would that freak you out if Jesus said that to you?

It freaked me out. And it's interesting that he says Satan has been asking for you. Sometimes he'll say, you know, the devil's been really hassling me lately. The devil's been tempting me. I seriously doubt most of us listening to this message have been tempted by Satan himself. Now understand, you were tempted by one of his minions. Not those minions. Not the cute ones.

No. By one of his demons. Because demons are fallen angels. Satan is a network of fallen angels or demons that do his dirty work, etc.

So you were attempted by Satan in effect but probably not by him directly. You see, the devil is not the equal of God. God is omnipotent, which means all powerful. Satan, though powerful, has limitations. God is omniscient, which means all knowing. Satan is knowledge but not equal to that of God. God is omnipresent, which means present everywhere. The devil can only be in one place at one time.

But here's my point. The devil himself came looking for Peter. But Jesus then says, I have prayed for you. And I want you to know that the Bible says Christ lives to make intercession for you at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is in effect praying for you. So the next time the devil comes knocking at your door, send Jesus to answer it.

That's what happened here. I prayed for you, Peter. That your faith would not fail, for when you have returned, you'll strengthen your brothers.

Returned? Lord, Peter says, I'll go to prison for you. I'll die for you.

Well, since you brought it up, Rock, you're going to deny that you knew me three times. So he warned Peter. That brings us to Peter's first step down. And I would say that this particular attitude is at the root of any and every person who has ever fallen away from the faith or any person who has ever stumbled or fallen. I don't care what the particular sin is they're involved in. It always starts here. And it's self-confidence.

Self-confidence. Verse 33. He said, Lord, I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death. Jesus said, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you knew me. According to Matthew's gospel, Peter added this detail. Even if all are made to stumble, I will never be made to stumble.

How did this come up? Jesus said, one of you is going to betray me. And the one who is dipping with me right now is the one. And they would take their little pieces of bread and dip it into the sauces like we might have chips and salsa. Who likes chips and salsa here? I love chips and salsa.

I go into a feeding frenzy with chips and salsa. Anyway, so think of yourself with your friends, you know, you're dipping your chip. Please don't double dip, okay?

Because some of you do that and I'm going to point you out today because this has to stop. No. Just one dip, then you eat the chip. New chip, next. Okay, anyway.

Because I don't like to see residue in the, you know, anyway. So here they are, you know, they're having chips and salsa, so to speak. Jesus says the guy who's dipping his chip in the salsa is the one who's going to betray me. At that moment Judas has a chip in the salsa. Everyone looks at Judas, he's like, you know. Whatever you do, do it quickly, says Jesus. Now he says these other things that Peter says, though I'll deny you, I'm not a lightweight like Judas. And even if these others betray you, I rock. The guy you gave the new name to will never betray you.

Careful now. You look at someone who falls into a sin, you'd say, I'd never do that. I'd never be unfaithful to my wife. I'd never become an alcoholic. I'd never become a drug addict. I'd never do that thing.

Hold on now, buckaroo. You have the capacity to do that and much worse. And it's when we think I'll never do that that you're trusting in yourself instead of trusting in God. The Bible says pride goes before a fall and an arrogant spirit before destruction. So this simply means that I go through life aware of the fact of my weakness and my vulnerability and my propensity to do the wrong thing. As the old song says, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the one I love, self-confidence. And that leads to the next step down, prayerlessness. Now I don't even know if prayerlessness is a word. How many of you think it could be a word? Raise your hand. Okay, we have a quorum.

It's a word. Prayerlessness, just not praying about things. Look at Luke 22 verse 39. Coming out, he went to the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed and his disciples followed him to the place and he said to them, Pray that you enter not into temptation.

Now this place being referred to by Luke is the Garden of Gethsemane. As he was withdrawn from them, about a stone's throw, he knelt down and prayed, saying, Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. When he rose from prayer, he came to his disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow.

And he said, why did you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation. So this second sin of prayerlessness was a direct result of the first sin of self-confidence. Jesus said specifically, you guys, you need to pray.

And they decided to sleep instead. And so they're sleeping when they should have been praying. And you know, understand this, not praying about something can actually be a sin. It's a sin of omission. A sin of commission is doing what you should not do. A sin of omission is not doing what you should do.

Because the Bible says to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. So what do we do instead of pray a lot of the time? We worry.

Like that's going to really help. Worrying. But yet we're told in Philippians, don't worry about anything. Pray about everything. And the peace of God that passes all human understanding will guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

So we don't pray. Oh I can handle this God. I'll fix that Lord.

Wait a second. Pray about it. Lord, I need your help right now. I need your provision right now. I need your healing right now. I've tried to fix my marriage Lord.

And it's only gotten worse. And I'm at the point now where I'm tired of trusting in myself. And I'm calling out to you Lord. Heal my marriage. By the way this is not a personal statement I'm making right now. I'm just sort of putting myself in someone else's shoes. But every marriage could always use some help including mine.

Right? And yours. But maybe your marriage is hanging by a thread and the thread is on fire. Or I thought I could overcome this addiction and I've tried on my own strength. And I keep falling back into it. Lord, help me.

See that's the idea. You're calling out to God in prayer. Pastor Greg Laurie with important counsel to help us seek the Lord in those times of desperation. And Pastor Greg has more insight to come as this study continues here on A New Beginning. And to get an instant replay of today's study just go to harvest.org. Or to get a permanent copy on CD call us anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. The title of the message is How to Never Stumble or Fall. And then we're so happy to make available Pastor Greg's new book called World Changers.

It picks up where this series leaves off. You know Pastor Greg, I read something the other day that said, When's the last time you did something for the first time? And I thought, you know that talks about comfort zones. We all like to stay in our comfort zones.

Sure. It's comfortable. But then I've also heard it said that comfort zones are where dreams go to die.

Wow. And you have a new book that shows us how God can do something great through us if we step outside of the comfortable. Isn't that right?

Yeah, that's very true. You know and I think that when you're younger you're more willing to try new things. You know when you get older you go to the same restaurant. You sit in the same booth if possible.

You order the same thing off the menu. There's routine. And time seems to pass very quickly. I read something, an article that pointed out the reason that time seems to go so quickly is because you don't change your routine. Go back to your childhood. It seemed like you were in the fifth grade forever.

Why? You were having constant new experiences. So it's very important for us as believers to not live in the past or rest on our laurels but to press on. You know Hebrews 11 is a record of great men and women of faith that changed their world. And then immediately following Hebrews 11 is Hebrews 12.

Brilliant insight that I have to say. And it tells us what in Hebrews 12 to lay aside the weight that so easily besets us and run the race that is set before us. But what does it say before that? It says seen were surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. So the idea is in light of the fact that these great men and women of God who are very ordinary did extraordinary things. In light of the fact that they ran their race well and changed their world. Now you should do the same as you're running your race following Jesus Christ. So I take these characters from the Bible.

I explore their lives and I show how they applied faith and how it made such a dramatic difference. And look the Bible says God has given to every one of us a measure of faith. It's up to us what we do with that faith. Are we going to develop it? Are we going to cultivate it?

Or are we going to neglect it? I liken it to the popularity of SUVs and 4x4s right now. You know people will get a car, they'll jack it up, put massive wheels and tires on it. It's just ready to go four wheeling. And they basically drive it from car wash to car wash. You know that vehicle was made to do great four wheeling but they never used it for what it was designed for. And that's how a lot of people are with faith.

It's something they talk about but it's not something they use. So my word of encouragement in this book is step out as an act of faith. Do something that you've never done before. Be willing to take a risk for the kingdom of God. These great men and women recorded in Hebrews 11 did that and you can do that too.

So instead of being changed by the world, why don't you go and change your world? And we hope you'll take advantage of Pastor Greg's help in that regard by way of his brand new book called World Changers. We're eager to put a copy of this into your hands.

It's our thank you gift for those who can help these daily studies continue with a generous donation. So send your contribution today to A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us anytime around the clock at that number 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to Harvest.org. Well next time more insights drawn from Peter's denial of Christ. We're looking at the steps to spiritual decline and how to avoid them next time on A New Beginning. And to find out more about A Rush of Hope go to Harvest.org. The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at Harvest.org.