No Forwarding Address - II

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. To find out how to know God personally, go to knowgod.org. K-N-O-W, knowgod.org.

Hey, would you do me a favor? Share this message with someone who needs to hear it. You know, the majority is not always right.

I'm sorry to tell you that. The majority wanted Christ crucified, okay? It's often the one man, the one woman that will stand up for what is true, the world changer, the one who isn't so concerned about the opinions of others and far more concerned about the opinion of God. Are you a world changer?

Pastor Greg Laurie wants to know if you're the man or woman God can use to impact the world around you, what kind of influence are you having on others? This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing?

This is the day, the day when life begins. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie spends our time talking about climate change. No, not the kind of politicians they're fighting about, spiritual climate change. The question is not whether the spiritual climate is changing.

It is. The question is, what are we doing to change it in the right direction? Pastor Greg continues his challenging series, exploring the lives of those in the Bible who had a marked effect on their culture. We're learning to follow their examples. This is the day, the day when life begins. Alright, let's grab our Bibles and we're going to get back into our world changer series. And I'm going to ask you to turn to two passages today.

Hebrews 11 and Genesis 12. And the title of my message is, No Forwarding Address. Let's pray together. Father, we look at our country right now and it just needs help.

It needs world changers because we know our ultimate solution is not a political one. We need men of God. We need women of God. We need children of God to step up to the plate and do what You've called us to do. And change our world instead of our world changing us. So as we look now at the life of a man who did just that, help us to be inspired. Help us to learn from these passages we're about to look at. And help us to change our world we would pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Well I want to look now at a world changer named Abraham. And he had an eternal perspective. He was called by God to leave his homeland, to leave his family, and go to an unknown destination.

He packed up his bags and left no forwarding address. Hence the title of the message. And he changed his world. He's named 74 times in the New Testament. And there's only 11 chapters of Genesis devoted to the first 2,000 years of human history.

That's 19 earlier generations. But then there's 14 chapters dedicated to the life of one man who is Abraham. In fact one third of the verses here in Hebrews 11, which is really the hero's hall of faith, is devoted to Abraham and Sarah.

Man that's a lot of ink. And so God must have wanted us to know about this man. This great patriarch of the faith. So let's read some of what Hebrews 11 says about him. Let's start in verse 8. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.

And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, his heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for the city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah also herself received strength to conceive seed.

And she bore a child when she was well past the age. Because he judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man and him as good as dead were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them afar off. They were assured of them and they embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out they would have opportunity to return. But now they desire a better country that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared a city for them.

We will stop there. Ok. Why was Abraham a world changer? What did he do? Number one, Abraham listened to God. World changers listened to God verse 8. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.

He went out not knowing where he was going. He listened to God. Now understand that Abraham lived in a super pagan culture. His family all worshipped false gods. They worshipped idols and he probably was an idol worshiper himself. Despite this God handpicked Abraham and came to him in Genesis 12 one and said, Get out of your country and from your family and from your father's house and go to a land that I will show you.

I find that interesting. God says, Go to a land that I will show you. God doesn't tell him what that land is. He doesn't tell him where that land is. He doesn't tell him where he is going to live. Ultimately Abraham was headed to a heavenly destination.

But here is my point. God leads us one step at a time. And you need to take that next step before He will reveal the following step to you. World changers are always listening to hear the voice of God.

Number two. World changers obey God. See it is not just enough to hear from God.

I have to then respond. I either obey or disobey. World changers obey God to His credit without argument. Right there on the spot Abraham obeyed God.

This was faith in action. You know as you grow in your faith you are going to discover this. There are certain things God tells you as a Christian to not do.

And you are going to realize in time that the reason He says that is to protect you. In fact the Bible says, No good thing will He withhold from those that walk uprightly. If God says, Don't do it, that is because it is a bad thing. If God says, Do it, that is because it is a good thing. So if the Lord says, Stay away from that thing that is for your own benefit, obey the Lord and do what He tells you to do. So God told Abraham to make a clean break with his past and his family. God was commanding him to leave his people, his family, everyone that he knew, just leave them all together. Why? Because they were detrimental to his spiritual growth.

His environment was not conducive to him growing spiritually so the Lord said, You need to walk away. Let me ask you a question. What kind of influence is your family having on you? What kind of influence are your friends having on you? Now let's turn it around.

What kind of influence are you having on them? Remember I told you before a world changer is a thermostat not a thermometer. I have been having some problems with my thermostat lately. It is one of these fancy high tech thermostats.

I am not going to say what brand it is. Nest. But I liked it because it is this cool little digital thing and you set it and it is very easy to figure out and there it is. But what I have discovered is the Nest has its own little brain and it quote learns things.

And that means that it starts making decisions for you. So Nest decided the other night, you know Greg doesn't need it at 70 degrees at night. He would be happier if it was 74 degrees. So I woke up in the middle of the night.

What is going on? I did not set this to 74. I set it to 70. I turn it back. Then the next day Nest decides it should be 64 in the house.

And said, what are you doing Nest? I have conversations with it. And it is like you are talking to the GPS's that are trying to kill us aren't you? The robots are taking us over.

Ok. But theoretically a thermostat sets the temperature. A thermometer just tells you how warm or cold it is. A world changer sets the temperature. A person who is being changed by the world.

They just respond. World changers influence their surroundings. Those who are changed by the world are influenced by what is happening around them.

They are far more concerned about the opinions of other people. What kind of influence are you having on others? You know sometimes our circumstances change. But if we are a man or a woman of God it won't change us. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Three young teenage boys plucked from their homeland.

Taken from their home. Sent to a pagan country known as Babylon. Everybody was worshipping false gods there. And ultimately would bow down before the image of the king Nebuchadnezzar. Except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Because they had faith in God. Their names were even changed. For instance those were not their given names by their parents. Hananiah beloved of the Lord. That is what his name means.

Had his name changed to Shadrach which means illuminated by the sun god. Same thing for the others. But they did not compromise. And when push came to shove they stood their ground. They were thermostats.

Not thermometers. Their names were changed. But it didn't change their character. Reminding us that world changers are almost always a minority. Rarely if ever a majority. You know the majority is not always right.

I am sorry to tell you that. The majority wanted Christ crucified. Okay? It is often the one man, the one woman that will stand up for what is true. The world changer.

The one who isn't so concerned about the opinions of others. And far more concerned about the opinion of God that stands up and says what is right. In just a moment Pastor Greg explains how world changers in reality have their hearts set on the next world.

More on that in just a moment. Well Pastor Greg we have something exciting to mention. We just tallied up the numbers and this year, just since January. We have now seen 100,000 professions of faith through Harvest Ministries. 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 have seen 100,000 people make a profession of faith. I will be honest with you. I had some doubts like are we going to really hit this number.

But I thought well why not shoot for it. We will see what the Lord does. Well COVID-19 hit. So we went exclusively online with our weekend program that we call Harvest at Home. It is basically a church service that you watch in your home. But each week I have 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 have reached the 100,000 mark. We have 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. Let's just keep going because we are passing that number now.

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. Well Pastor Greg is leading our study of the life of Abraham today.

We are learning that world changers such as Abraham hear the voice of God and obey the voice of God. Let's continue. You want to be a happy person. Don't hang around ungodly people.

Now look. You can't control your entire environment. You may have a family that has ungodly people in it. You may be in a workplace with people that don't believe. You may be in a classroom around people that don't share your faith and so forth.

I am not saying you can change that. But there is a difference between who I am around and who I choose to spend time with. Spend time with godly people. Find godly friends that will build you up in your faith and increase your appetite for spiritual things. Not people who drag you down and decrease your appetite for spiritual things.

God said cut them loose. But then happy people are also known for what they do because someone continues, that his delight is in the word of the Lord and in it does he meditate day and night. So don't do these things and hang around godless people.

But do this thing. Study the word of God and spend time with godly people. Point number three. World changers are heavenly minded because they are heavenly citizens. Again world changers are heavenly minded because they are heavenly citizens. Look at verse 16. They desire a better that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared a city for them. Old Hank Williams had it right when he is saying this world is not my home. I am just a passing through.

And that is true. We are just passing through. The Bible says of our lives on earth in 1 Chronicles 29 and 15. We are only here for a moment. As leaders and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow gone so soon without a trace. Christians have a longing for something the earth can never deliver. We know ultimately only heaven can. We know earth at its best are just a pale imitation of greater things to come. If we were created for something more.

Much more. It was Augustine who said quote of God. You have made us and drawn us to yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you. End quote. And because of this homesickness for heaven we see the world for what it is.

You know. Speaking of the world. I don't mean the earth. I don't mean the beauty we are surrounded by. As flawed as this planet is.

And it will be better one day when the new earth comes. But when I talk about the world I am talking about a mentality. I am talking about a culture. I am talking about a way of thinking that is influenced by the God of this world. Satan who manipulates us and tries to get us to just live for ourselves and our selfish desires. In fact the Bible says of this world system in 1 John 2 16 from a modern translation. The world offers only a craving for physical pleasure.

A craving for everything we see. And a pride in our accomplishments and possessions. This is not from the Father.

This is from the world. But as citizens of heaven we know we are built for another place. Verse 16. They desire a better that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared a city for them. Did you hear that?

Listen. Heaven is a real place for real people to do real things. Jesus said I have gone to prepare a place for you. Heaven is a city. What is a city? It is a place where people live. It is a place where commerce is done.

It is a place where you can eat in a restaurant or go watch a concert or do the work you are there to do. Heaven is a city. It is not like a city. It is a city. Heaven is a country. It is not like the country.

It is a country. Heaven is a paradise. These are words the Bible uses and we need to remember we are going to a real place. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.

Are you prepared? I heard about a little boy that was out flying his kite and it went up so high you couldn't even see it. And a man walked by and saw the string going up and said, What are you doing boy? And he said, Fly my kite mister. And the guy said, Well I can't even see your kite.

How do you know it is still there? The little guy said, I can feel its tug. And in the same way as Christians we can feel the tug of heaven. And that helps us to start thinking about eternal things more.

I want you to notice something else. Abraham lived in a tent. Which meant he was always on the move.

He never built a permanent home. I don't know if you have noticed but you live in a tent too. Literally. But your body in the Bible is described as a tent. 2 Corinthians 5 says, We know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, that is when we die and leave this body, we have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. This body will eventually wear out. This comes as a revelation to some people. Yeah we are all getting old. But that is ok. Because we know time passes but we are getting closer to the Lord and closer to seeing the Lord.

Bring me to point number four. World changers live by faith. They live by faith. The word promise is repeated twice in Hebrews 11.9. For by faith we dwell in the land of promise, as in a foreign country dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

Listen to this. World changers live on promises, not explanations. They live by faith, not by sight.

They live on fact, not on feelings. Because we recognize that our citizenship is in heaven. Philippians 3.20 says, Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see when God called Abraham He gave him a promise.

Now it was up to Abraham to take hold of that promise which he could not yet see. That is what faith does. Faith sees what could be.

Not just what is. Faith sees invisible things. Hebrews 11.1 says, Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It is the evidence of things not seen. Oswald Chambers best known for his book My Utmost for His Highest made this statement about faith and I quote, Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen. End quote.

I like that. Faith is like a muscle. You have got to use it. If you neglect it, it will atrophy.

If you use it, it will get stronger. You have to apply your faith. And you know what that means? It means you take risks. And some people are afraid to take risks in faith. They want to play it safe. They don't want to leave their comfort zone. They don't want to do anything that makes them feel a bit awkward.

Hey I am saying leave your comfort zone. Take bold steps of faith. That is what world changers do. And faith grows stronger when you do. We read in Romans 4.20, Abraham grew strong in faith.

Listen. The great heroes of Hebrews 11, the Heroes Hall of Faith, were not perfect people. But they were maturing people.

They were works in progress. And maybe you have had a lapse of faith lately. One of the first things you lose is your peace and your joy.

I think we are so used to that peace. You wake up every morning just this calm sense that God is with you and He is in control of your life and you have this joy. It is gone man. Sin throws the joy out. So you say Lord I don't have the joy anymore. Restore into me the joy of your salvation. Hey have you lost your joy? Then admit your sin.

Turn from it and ask God to restore it again. He will do that for you right now. Good encouragement from Pastor Greg Laurie today here on A New Beginning. We are learning a lot from the example of Abraham as a part of the series called World Changers. Pastor Greg has more to come from this presentation but if you would like to preserve all the insight you can get a permanent copy of the full study.

It is called No Forwarding Address. Just mention that title when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. We are here to take your call 24 hours a day. Again 1-800-821-3300.

Or just go online to harvest.org. Well Pastor Greg we are making available your brand new book called World Changers. It is a great complement to our current studies. Yes. Getting down to basics let me ask you what do you mean by World Changers?

Well Dave I guess it comes down to this. Are we changing the world or is the world changing us? You know the Bible says don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Or as another translation puts it, don't let this world squeeze you into its mold. So the idea of being a World Changer is asking the question are you making an impact in your world, in your sphere of influence? Because after all Christ said go into all the world and preach the gospel. But let's personalize that and say go into all of your world and preach the gospel. Do your friends know that you are a follower of Jesus? Do your neighbors know?

Does your family know? So the idea is instead of the world molding me into its image I want to impact the culture with the gospel. You know Jesus said that we are to be both salt and light in the culture. He says you're the salt of the earth, you're the light of the world.

And salt in the first century was used as a preservative to stop the rotting process. So a Christian living as they should as a World Changer, as a follower of Christ will stop the spread of corruption, they'll hold back evil. And then he also said you're the light of the world. And so the idea is that we let our light shine before other people and they see there's something unique about us and it attracts them to Jesus Christ. So this is all based on Hebrews chapter 11 which is sort of like the hero's hall of faith. You know Dave, years ago I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cincinnati.

It's kind of a cool place and they have all kinds of guitars and various artifacts from rock and roll history. And this is sort of like God's hall of faith, of the great heroes of faith that we can look to and learn from. So in this book, World Changers, I talk about many of the people featured in Hebrews chapter 11 and how we can be a World Changer wherever we are.

Yes, full of practical insight to take us to the next level in our walk with God and our service to God. And we'd like to send it your way to say thank you for your investment so we can continue to change the world through Pastor Greg's teaching from God's Word. You can write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call any time 24 hours a day 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to Harvest.org. Well, next time Pastor Greg brings the conclusion to this enlightening look at the example of Abraham. Join us for more from the series World Changers here on A New Beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie. In the day, the day when life begins The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners. Helping people everywhere know God. Visit us for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at harvest.org.