The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Check out Virtue, our website for Christian women.
Go to harvest.org forward slash virtue. Pastor Greg Laurie brings strong encouragement about our responsibility to reach our most important mission field, our families. Understand that they're watching you. They're looking to you as an example. Be a good example.
This is the day, the day when life begins. Why is it that our families are often the most challenging people when it comes to sharing our faith? Could be family dynamics, all the baggage of the past. Could be that they think it's a phase we're going through. But it's too easy to put it off, to procrastinate.
I'll have that conversation later. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out we need to share Christ now. We never know how much time we have.
We never know how much time they have. It's the day, the day when life begins. So let me begin with a question. How many of you believe that Jesus Christ is coming back again? Raise your hand up. All right.
Well that's just pretty much everyone. How many of you believe it's possible that Jesus could come back in your lifetime? Raise your hand. You believe it's possible. How many of you actually believe it's possible that Jesus could even come back tonight? Raise your hand up. Okay. Well I agree with you.
And by the way you're not alone in that. I read a really surprising statistic the other day from the Gallup organization that revealed that 66 percent of the American people believe Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth in the future. That's not 66 percent of Christians. That's 66 percent of Americans. And usually when they poll Americans it's under 50 percent of those that claim to be Christians. And I doubt that number myself.
But just for the sake of a point a lot of people believe Jesus is coming back and many of them not even born again. You know you wonder when this event happens how will it be reported in the press. I think every publication or website would have their own spin. You know the Wall Street Journal would look at it more from a financial perspective and their headline would probably be Dow Jones plummets as world ends. Right. Victoria's Secret would say on their catalog our final sale.
Maybe. I don't know. Sports Illustrated more from a sports viewpoint. Game over. USA Today.
They are very brief in their headlines. We're dead. Yeah.
That's USA. We're dead. Wired magazine more into the latest technology. The last new thing. A Rolling Stone would probably have the headline The Grateful Dead Reunion Tour. I don't know.
Something like that. Ladies Home Journal. You know they always have articles on weight loss right. Lose 10 pounds by judgment day with our new Armageddon diets.
And the Food Network might have something along the lines of cooked goose recipe. Yeah well however it's reported this we know Jesus Christ is coming back again. How do I know that. Because Jesus said I will come again.
And that's all I need to know. But he said it many times. And the prophets foretold it in the Old Testament and it's given to us many many times in Scripture. There are over 1,500 passages in Scripture that deal with the return of Jesus Christ.
And sort of looking at the big picture. There is coming a day when Christ will come back and establish his kingdom on the earth. But I do not believe that is the next event on the prophetic calendar. My opinion is that the next event on the prophetic calendar will be what is sometimes called the rapture of the church.
When all true believers are caught up to meet the Lord in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. We are removed from the earth and then the anti-Christ emerges. And that sort of inaugurates the tribulation period that lasts for seven years. The first three and a half years are going to be a time of prosperity.
A time of global peace. But then at the halfway point of the tribulation period anti-Christ shows his true colors. Shows himself to be the wicked man that he is. If Satan ever had a son it is anti-Christ. And by the way the prefix anti doesn't just mean against Christ.
It also means instead of Christ. And some because of his peaceful solutions that he will bring about may think he is the very Messiah. But then the tribulation period is coming to an end and culminates in the battle of Armageddon which is interrupted by the second coming of Jesus Christ. All true believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and then they will return again with Christ at the second coming.
So what goes up must come down. The rapture he comes for his church and the second coming he returns with his church. And the rapture he comes before judgment. And the second coming he returns with judgment. And so Christ is going to come back again.
That is the good news. The bad news is as Bible students we know it is going to get worse before it gets better. But as I pointed out in my message on world changers the believer knows things the world does not. We know men cannot solve all of his problems.
We certainly know politics cannot solve our problems. And we also know that God is in control because we have read the last page of the Bible and we know that we win in the end. So that is good news. Now today everywhere you look there are what we might call signs of the times. Things that the Bible said would be happening that remind us that the return of Christ is near. And actually one of the signs of the end times is people will say we are not in the end times.
Did you know that? Because over in 2 Peter 3 it says, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come mocking the truth and following their own desires. And they will say, hey what happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? But before the time of our ancestors everything has remained the same. Since the world was first created they deliberately forgot that God made the heavens long ago by the word of His command. And He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. And He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. So this of course is a reference to the flood of Noah. Which brings us to our topic which is the world changer at the end of the world. Noah was a last days believer.
You say, but how is that possible? Well he was living in his last days. He was living in the days before the flood. Now we are not going to have another flood. But we are going to have the fire. The judgment of God. So he in effect was waiting for the flood.
We are waiting for the fire. He was in his last days. We are in our last days.
And here is why I say that. Because Jesus said, As it was in the days of Noah so will it be when I return again. Jesus said in Matthew 24, 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 up to the time that Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing until the flood swept everything away. And the Son of Man's arrival will be just like that. Two men will be working in the field. One will be taken. One left behind.
Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken. One left behind. So stay awake.
Be alert. You have no idea what day your master will show up. So how should we live as last days believers? Well if we take a cue from Noah as we discovered in our World Changer series. Hebrews 11 says, By faith Noah being divinely warned of things not seen moved with godly fear and prepared an ark to the saving of his household by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Remember we learned that Noah had a reverence for God. And when we talk about reverencing God or fearing God it just means a respect for God. An awe of God. I told you a good definition of fearing God is a wholesome dread of displeasing him.
Number two. If you are taking notes Noah walked with God when no one else would. That is what we are told in Genesis 6.9. Noah walked with God. Another thing about Noah is he was a witness for God because 2 Peter 2.5 says Noah was a preacher of righteousness. But here was the problem. He was a preacher without any converts.
At least on the outside. He preached for 120 years and never had a single person believe. Just as people mock Christians today they mocked them back then thinking crazy old Noah building that big old boat. What is wrong with this guy? But he kept on.
And here is the thing you need to know. Our job as I pointed out is to sow the seed of the gospel. God's job is to convert people. I have never converted anyone and I don't think I ever will. And if I do I feel sorry for them because you don't want me to convert you.
Because I can't. I heard this story once when Billy Graham was on an airplane traveling somewhere and some guy was getting drunk. I don't know why they serve alcohol on airplanes by the way.
That to me is a recipe for disaster. But this guy got drunk as a skunk and he heard the famed evangelist was on board his plane. So he said, I want to meet Billy Graham.
He is pushing his way forward and someone is trying to keep him away from Billy. And Billy stood up and said, hello nice to meet you. He said, Billy I am one of your converts. Billy looks at him and said, well you must be one of my converts. I don't know if you are one of the Lord's though. So you know we can't convert anyone.
But here is an interesting story that I read about. A missionary whose name was George Smith. He thought his ministry was a dismal failure. George Smith had been in Africa for only a short time. But when he was driven from the country leaving behind one single convert.
A poor woman. He died not long after that while on his knees praying for Africa. So it looked like he failed big time. Well years later a group of men stumbled into the place where George Smith had prayed. They found a copy of the scriptures he had left behind in Africa. And they met the one convert of his ministry.
But the result of her conversion and those she influenced and then the people that influenced others from that resulted in a study that revealed 13,000 people tracing their conversion to missionary George Smith. See so it ain't over until it is over. Or it is not over until the fat lady sings. As they say, I don't know who the fat lady is. And I would never point her out if I knew.
Because she would be very angry with me. That is just an expression right. But it is not over. You may say well I have never reached anybody. Well maybe you have reached more people than you realize. Hey Noah did reach his family.
Because Hebrews 11 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. He reached his kids. Listen let me say a word to a mother. Or a grandmother. Or a grandfather.
Or a father. If the only person you ever reached was your own son or daughter. Or your own grandkids and you made an impact on them. You don't know how that is going to play out in years to come.
Long after you are gone. In their life and in their children's lives. Abraham Lincoln who is regarded as the greatest president of all time by many. Once said and I quote, All I am or ever can be I owe to my angel mother. So we don't know a lot about Abraham Lincoln's mother. But we know about the man who saved the union.
And preserved the union. So the impact you can have on your family. In just a moment Pastor Greg contrasts Noah's integrity with that of Lot. Well see one saw success in their family.
The other saw great failure and despair. More on that in just a moment. Hey everybody Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service. It's a worship service.
It's a Bible study. And it's wherever you want it to be. In your home. In your car. Sitting on a beach. Walking down the street.
Watching it on your phone. Wherever you are you can take it with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Today we're considering the times in which we live. And the critical importance of sharing our faith.
Especially with our families. Pastor Greg continues his message The World Changer at the End of the World Part 2. It's interesting to contrast Noah with another Old Testament character named Lot. Both lived before a cataclysmic judgment. Noah was waiting for the flood. Lot was waiting for the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah where he lived. Lot did not reach his family like Noah did. And Lot's problem was he compromised. He lowered his standards in order to extend his reach. And one day when the angels of the Lord came and said.
Loose paraphrase buddy. Got to get out of here with your family. Judgment is coming down fast. He went to his sons-in-law and told them and they laughed in his face. They thought it was some kind of a joke.
And he basically had to be drug out of the city. And that is why Jesus said remember Lot's wife. Why should I remember Lot's wife? Well she was leaving Sodom and Gomorrah and she was told not to look back and she looked back. And by the way the phrase that describes her looking back doesn't just mean like. No it is more like she looked with longing. She looked with longing. Have you ever looked at something with longing?
Let me restate the question. Have you ever been at Krispy Kreme when the sign is lit up? And the glazed donuts are coming down the conveyor belt.
Oh yes. That is looking with longing. That is how she looked at Sodom and Gomorrah. So she turned to a pillar of salt.
And then Lot of course left the city. He got drunk. He had incestuous relations with his daughters.
It is just a horrible thing. Noah spoke and his family moved. Lot spoke and his family laughed. What kind of impact are you having on your family? How effective is your word as a parent, as a mother, a father? Well world changers draw their families to Christ. But those that are changed by the world drive their families from Christ. Let me say that again. World changers draw their families to Christ.
Those who are changed by the world. Let me put it another way. Those who love the world drive their families from Christ.
I will tell you what. One of the worst things you can do is raise your kids in a Christian home and be a full on hypocrite. Look we all have moments of inconsistency and even hypocrisy.
Everyone must admit that. But when you are playing a game and you are putting on a show and you are saying you love Jesus and then you are contradicting it by pretty much everything you say and do. That is a great way to drive your children from Christ. Don't do that to your kids. Understand that they are watching you. They are looking to you as an example.
Be a good example. Noah was that man. Now God gives him a very unique command in Genesis 6 verse 14. God says to Noah to build an ark. And Genesis 6 14 says, God speaking, Build a large boat from gopher wood and waterproof it with tar inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 70 feet wide, 45 feet high, leaving an 18 inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side and build three decks inside the boat.
Lower, middle, and upper. Now this would require a supreme act of faith because there was no body of water nearby. In fact to the point it had never rained on the face of the earth. The earth at this point in the book of Genesis was sort of like a big giant greenhouse.
There was sort of this water canopy over the earth creating this greenhouse effect. But God said a flood is coming. And so he told Noah to do something that had never been done before. To build this ark. And one of the greatest practical acts of faith in all of history was when Noah cut down the first gopher wood tree to build this ark.
Or as the kids song about it says, build it out of gopher barky barky. And that is exactly what he did. How many of you dismissed the idea of the ark by saying, well do you know how many species of animals there are?
There is no way this could happen. This is a child story. It is a fable. It is a fairy tale. Millions and millions of species. There is no way that even a small portion of them could be put into this one boat no matter how big it is. But that is not true.
Let's think about this for a moment. The ark is 450 feet long, 70 feet wide, and 45 feet high. So the thing is massive. In fact weighing in at about 13,000 tons it would be within the category of large metal ocean going vessels today. And it wasn't until the 1800s that there was a ship built that exceeded the capacity of the ark of Noah. Now granted the ark was no titanic in beauty. But it was certainly more seaworthy.
It was a gigantic sealed floating box that was very stable in the water and virtually impossible to capsize. So the very large animals were surely represented by the young. In other words when they brought two elephants in they didn't have to be adult elephants. They were probably baby elephants from the answers in Genesis ministry.
Ken Ham points out the following. 16,000 animals were all that would be needed to preserve the created kinds that God brought into the ark. You didn't need to bring every kind of animal nor did God command it. Only air-breathing land dwelling animals and creeping things and winged animals like birds. You don't have to bring a whale on board. You don't have to bring a fish on board.
They can swim alongside in the water their natural habitat. You don't need all these species of dogs like we have today. Just parent dogs. Because now we have all these crazy breeds out there like Labradoodles you know. I have nothing against Labradoodles.
But I was looking up some other breeds. They have Jackapoodles. Spoodles. I don't even know what a spoodle is. That's a dog and a spoon I suppose. And then this is.
I'm not making this up. A German Woodle. A German Woodle is a German wire hair and a standard poodle. And then there is all those little dogs like the Chihuahuas you know. I would put them in the rat category by the way.
I don't really think they are dogs. And especially if you push a dog in a stroller I'm just. I don't know what to say to you. I do know what to say to you. If you push a dog. How many of you push dogs in strollers? Just.
Nobody is admitting it but I know there are some of you. Okay if you do I just have one word. In love. Stop. Please.
Please stop. Okay. So this is doable.
And not only is it doable. It was done. Pastor Greg Laurie pointing out the great task of preparing the Ark for its voyage during the great flood.
We are studying the life of Noah as a part of Pastor Greg's series World Changers. And Pastor Greg comes back in just a moment with an announcement. It's good news.
Stay with us. But for a copy of the message called The World Changer at the End of the World Part 2. Get in touch by calling 1-800-821-3300. We're here to take your call 24-7. That's 1-800-821-3300.
Or just go online to harvest.org. You know Pastor Greg it's not hard to see that our current culture lacks for real heroes. It's amazing the people that are looked up to today.
Amazing and disturbing all at the same time. But you have a new resource full of heroes that we should look up to. And in fact we should pattern our very lives after.
Yeah absolutely. And their lives have been recorded in the pages of Scripture to inspire us. Hebrews chapter 11 has been called the Hall of Faith. And I like to call it just the Hall of World Changers. Because these are people that change their world. Enoch and Noah and David and Samson and many others.
Daniel who took bold steps of faith and stood their ground and made all the difference in the world. I use this analogy in the book and I ask the question are you a thermostat or are you a thermometer? You know a thermostat simply tells us what the temperature is. And if you're like my home we're always disagreeing about the temperature.
Kathy always thinks it's too cold and I always think it's too warm. So we're constantly messing with that thermostat. And we have one of those thermostats called a nest because it has a mind of its own which really bugs me. So now I have me, I have Kathy and the stupid nest itself saying this is what I think the temperature should be.
Because you said it at this temperature three years ago. I don't know how the brain of a nest works. But anyway the idea of a thermometer is it changes the temperature of a room. Thermostat just tells you what the temperature is. So here's the question.
Are you a thermostat or are you a thermometer? Are you merely being affected by your surroundings or are you affecting your surroundings? Let me say it another way. Are you changing your world or is your world changing you? You know the Bible says don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So when we open up God's word it changes the way that we think and it changes the way that we live. And then we can go change our culture. The Bible describes the church of the first century as churning the world upside down.
And I'll tell you what this world needs to be turned upside down right now. And so many people are so excited and passionate about politics and I think politics have their place. But politics will not change the heart of people.
Only the gospel will. And so I think first of all we want to be following Christ and then we want to let our light shine and be a world changer. Instead of having the world change us and shine as a bright light in a dark light.
So I've written about this quite extensively in this brand new book called World Changers. And I'd love to send you a copy for your gift of any size. And when I say that I mean it. I mean if you send only a little you'll get a copy. Some of you can send a little bit more. We appreciate you giving and we only offer resources that we feel will really help you spiritually. But if you feel prompted by the Lord I hope that you'll be generous as you order your own copy of World Changers. And I pray that it will bless you and encourage you to change your world. Yeah that's right and your donation helps us change the world as well.
So thank you for that investment and we hope you'll ask for this brand new book World Changers by Pastor Greg Laurie. You can write us at A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us any time 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300.
Or go online to harvest.org. Well next time Pastor Greg has more insight into the life of Noah. What we can learn from Noah the World Changer next time.
But Pastor Greg speaking of changing the world. We've just tallied up the numbers and we have something really exciting to announce. It's a genuine milestone. Just this year, just since January we've now seen 100,000 professions of faith through Harvest Ministries. 100,000 which is absolutely incredible.
Yes David it is incredible and the way it came about is even more incredible. Because at the beginning of 2020 we went before everybody in our church and our ministry and said we have a goal this year. Some of you may remember this. I've seen 100,000 people make a profession of faith. I'll be honest with you. Even as I was telling people about it I had some doubts. Like are we going to really hit this number?
Well why not shoot for it. We'll see what the Lord does. Our plan was to reach this number through our crusades. We had a crusade scheduled at Angel Stadium. We had another one scheduled at the new stadium they're building in Los Angeles. And we had the Jesus Revolution movie that was going into production.
And so we were hoping through all of these means we would reach that number. Well COVID-19 hit and our crusaded Angel Stadium was shut down. First time in 31 years we're not having it there. Our LA crusade, same thing, shut down.
Jesus Revolution film postponed until they can start filming again. So we went exclusively online with our weekend program that we call Harvest at Home. It's basically a church service that you watch in your home. But each week I've been inviting people to come to Christ. And on one particular Sunday we had 7,000 people make a profession of faith.
So now as we tally the numbers we've reached the 100,000 mark. Not through any of the ways we thought we would reach it. We've reached it in an unexpected way. So what that says to me is well we had the right idea but the Lord had a different way of bringing it about. So we just say hey to God be the glory because God willing in the future we still want to do those crusades. God willing we still want to do that Jesus Revolution film.
And I believe it will be shot probably next year. So what we're saying is let's just keep going because we're passing that number now. We're going to have a higher number of response.
And listen to this. The Bible says there is joy in heaven over one sinner that comes to repentance. And we have seen 100,000 people in just months make this profession of faith to follow Christ. So we join the angels in rejoicing.
Yeah absolutely. And we want to thank our partners who helped to make this possible through their generous giving. To God be the glory. 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
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