A New Beginning for a World Changer: Leaving Sin and Guilt

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. Let's say that you've committed a sin, and it haunts you now. It wakes you up at night.

It troubles you. You walk around with a guilty conscience, and you don't know how to get rid of that sin. Okay, you need to apply the blood. Pastor Greg Laurie says the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sins. At Calvary, he paid the price we should have paid.

Christ said in Matthew 26, this is my blood given in the new covenant for the forgiveness of sin. 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 when the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when life begins. The colorful stories we read in the Old Testament point us to the truth we find in the New Testament.

In effect, they paint pictures that are completed under the new covenant. And today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how the story of Passover actually points us to the sacrifice made by Jesus once and for all at Calvary. As Pastor Greg continues his series called World Changers, we will consider Moses and how God was on His side in an epic confrontation with Pharaoh.

This is the day, the day when life begins. Moses, the world changer, was about to change the world for the captives of Egypt, the nation Israel. He was going to lead them to a new beginning and a new land. Now God gives instruction for the celebration of the first Passover. The Lord said, go three days journey into the land and you are going to have Passover and here is what it is all about. Exodus 12 starting in verse 1. While the Israelites are still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron.

From now on, the Lord says, this month will be the first month of the year for you. Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb, a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family and the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. The animal you select must be a one year old male, either a sheep or a goat, and no defects.

We will stop there. So they were to offer to the Lord a healthy young lamb or goat and then they were to sacrifice that animal and they were to take the blood of the animal and put it on their doorpoles. So imagine a doorway right here. They were to take the blood from the lamb or the goat and put the blood on the left side, put the blood on the right side, and put the blood on the top of the door.

Now what does that remind you of? Jesus hanging there on the cross. The crown of thorns pressed on His brow.

Nails driven through His right hand and His left. And this is what Passover was pointing to. It was pointing to Jesus Christ. And really the Old Testament is pointing to the New Testament. It is one revelation from Genesis to Revelation. There is not an Old Testament God and a New Testament God.

It is one God. And all of those Old Testament types and sacrifices all pointed to Jesus who would be the fulfillment of them as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So what does Passover mean to us? Number one the Passover is a new beginning if you are taking notes. The Passover was for them and for us a new beginning. God starts by making this a new beginning for the nation of Israel.

Verse 2. This month will be the first month of the year for you. That would be like us saying today we are starting the year over again because it hasn't gone so well. Have you ever wished you could start all over again? Maybe in your marriage. Maybe in your relationship with your children or with friends.

Someone you have fallen out with. Well in a way you can. Because 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things become new. You don't have to be crippled by your past anymore.

You can put it behind you. Number two. The lamb they were to kill was to be the very best. It was a lamb that was to be chosen and carefully examined according to verse 3 with no defects. In other words don't bring a sickly animal. Bring the finest.

The strongest. Why? Because we should give our very best to God.

Right? And they are bringing an animal that they have developed an affection for. He says, Bring your lamb.

Your lamb. So maybe it was even like a pet to them. You know people are very attached to their pets. Everybody is walking around with animals everywhere now. You know take them on planes and take them into restaurants. And I know there are service animals that have been approved and people that need them. But I question some of the people carrying animals now. Really is this a service animal? And you know they are at the table eating. They give the food to the dog.

And it is just really is that sanitary? And then there is like people will spend so much money on animals. Dogs and cats. I heard about something that has just opened up. It is a cat hotel.

I am not making this up. It is an article. It got my attention. Because you know how much I love cats. I saw this headline. The world's first five star cat hotel.

I had to click the link. I didn't even know there were three star hotels for cats. This is a five star hotel. It is called Catzonia. It has a spa and grooming services and temperature controlled rooms. It even has a dating service for female cats. Really? That is weird.

You can book the VVIC. The very very important cat room. It includes a king size bed and a separate toilet. I thought cats used boxes.

They use toilets now? A rep for the hotel said, we think cats need holidays too. Hey can I book this place? Because that sounds like a pretty nice place. Then there is another luxury cat hotel.

It has a state of the art sound system. Fine dining. The menu it says, developed by feline nutritionists. It has white fish. Ethically fished yellowfin tuna.

I like that it is ethically fished. And chicken liver balls. That is gross. But they are cats.

Right? They like fur balls. So chicken liver balls. And it also has Wi-Fi. Why would a cat need Wi-Fi? And TV screens. I love this.

Featuring birds in flight and fish swimming. So basically it is like food TV for cats. What a crazy thing. But imagine taking your beloved pet, your dog, your cat and offering it as a sacrifice. That is what God was asking Israel to do. That is so cruel.

But wait. Why did God want them to do that? He wanted them to see the enormity of their sin and the blackness of it. And by offering something they loved that they had affection for it showed sin has a cost. Sin is painful. Sin is deadly.

So He said, you bring this and offer it to Me now. And so is that not what Christ was? He was the perfect sacrifice for each of us. He knew no sin. He never sinned in any way, shape, or form.

In fact we know that 2 Corinthians 5 21 says that He never sinned but He was the offering for our sin so we could be made right with God through Christ. It was the sinless for the sinful. The perfect for the imperfect. The flawless for the flawed. So we could all have a new beginning. Absolutely amazing.

Number three if you are taking notes. The Lamb had to be slain. Don't miss this. The Lamb had to be slain. It wasn't the life of the Lamb that saved the people from judgment.

It was the death of it. Hebrews 9 22 says, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. So you have to have the cross. It is not the life of Jesus. It is the death of Jesus.

It is the resurrection of Jesus that gives us access to the Father. That is why Christ said in Matthew 26, this is My blood given in the new covenant for the forgiveness of sin. We talk a lot about the blood. We sing about the blood.

And so we should. We sing, would you be free from the burden of sin? There is power in the blood. Power in the blood.

I also love that song. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

And another song. The blood will never lose its power. You know if you are new to the church you are thinking, man this is like one real bloody religion. Talking about blood all the time?

Yeah. We are talking about the blood of Christ that was shed for us and gives us access to the Father. In a moment Pastor Greg gets very practical and shows how to apply the blood of Christ to the sin in our lives. Good information for sinners. That is all of us.

Next. Hey everybody. Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It is a church service. It is a worship service. It is a Bible study. And it is 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. Well we are considering Passover today.

Commemorating God's provision for sparing His people from the judgment that came upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Let's continue. The next point. The blood had to be applied. This is a big one.

Don't miss it. The blood had to be applied. So yes the lamb had to be slain but you had to apply the blood. If that lamb was killed and you did not take that blood and put it on your doorway. The judgment of God.

The angel of death. That judgment would come upon you. Even if you slew the lamb. Even if you spilled the blood. You still had to apply the blood.

Otherwise you would not have your home passed over. And in the same way we too need to apply the blood. You say well what does that mean to apply the blood? Ok let's get specific now. Let's say that you have committed a sin.

Quick poll. How many of you have ever committed a sin? Ok good.

I am talking to you. You have committed a sin. Let's say it was years ago. And it is possible that that sin is haunting you today. It may have been a decade ago. Two decades ago.

Even longer. In fact the enormity of that sin has come on you like a ton of bricks and you have realized how bad it was even more than you realized right after you had committed it. And it haunts you now. It wakes you up at night. It troubles you. You walk around with a guilty conscience and you don't know how to get rid of that sin. Ok you need to apply the blood. You say well Greg I am trying to forgive myself.

What are you talking about? The Bible never tells you to forgive yourself. You can't forgive yourself. No you don't need to forgive yourself. You need to understand the power of the blood and what God has done when He through Christ forgave you.

You need to apply the blood. You say but what does that mean? First John 1.7 says, If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another in the blood of Jesus Christ. His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Did you hear that? It cleanses you from all sin. Not just some sin. Not just the big giant gnarly sins. All sins. He will forgive you. But what do you need to do if you will confess your sin?

What does that mean? The word confess literally means to agree with God. So when God says that we will confess our sin He is saying I want you to see sin the way I see sin.

And I don't want you to marginalize it or minimize it or rationalize it. I want you to call it what it is because we have new words for sins so we don't feel as bad. Instead of even saying we sin we will say well I am not perfect so I made a mistake. Are you perfect?

Oh wait. There is a difference between a mistake and a sin. A dictionary definition of mistake is an error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge or carelessness, a misconception or a misunderstanding.

I was supposed to turn right on that street and I turned left. It was a mistake. I wasn't paying attention. It wasn't deliberate. But it happened. It was a mistake. A sin is deliberate.

It is something I do at will. And so I need to call it what it is. If I have been guilty of sexual sin call it that. Where did this phrase moral failure come from? Well there has been a moral failure. What is that like?

What is that? You know if you committed adultery say I committed the sin of adultery or it was the sin of fornication. Or nowadays when we lie we don't say I lie. We say well I misspoke. Really.

That is it. I misspoke. Well actually I offered you alternative facts. Alternative facts? Now maybe you didn't understand something and you said something but then you found out that what you said was not accurate so you say excuse me I said something yesterday but I researched it and found out I wasn't accurate at all my facts. Let me restate it.

Ok that is one thing. But a lie is another thing. I know it is true but I am going to tell you this lie instead. Call a lie a lie. Call a sin a sin. And then listen.

Apply the blood. So you come and say Lord I have committed this sin. I am sorry for this sin. I confess this sin.

I repent of this sin and I accept your forgiveness because of the blood of Jesus that was shed. And then you drop it. You drop it. Stop dredging it up. Stop bringing it up.

We should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. Now that doesn't mean there still may not be some ramifications. I mean if you go out and rob a bank and you are arrested you can say to the officer, woman it is under the blood. And they will say well you are under arrest.

And you are going to jail. But you can pray on the way over. So God will forgive you. There may be some ramifications depending on the sin. But it is under the blood and it is forgiven. And it is interesting because in Revelation we read about these tribulation saints that were martyred for their faith. And they are in heaven rejoicing. And they are rejoicing because the accuser of the brothers is cast down. And that is the devil. They are rejoicing because he is cast down. And it says, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

And they loved not their lives until the death. You want to overcome the devil. You do it through the blood of the Lamb. Applying that blood in your life.

Because here is how the devil works. He whispers in your ear and he says, Why don't you go ahead and commit this sin. It is going to be fun. You are going to have a great time.

You can trust me. So we take the bait. And we do the sin. Then the devil comes back and says, You miserable hypocrite. You call yourself a Christian. Don't even think about reading the Bible or praying or showing your ugly face in church again. God will never hear your prayer. That is where I apply the blood. I say, devil you are wrong.

I can approach Jesus because of the blood of the Lamb. And it drives him crazy. You see.

It drives him crazy. Also they were to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Ready to move at a moment's notice.

Look at verse 11. Here is your instructions for eating this meal. Be fully dressed. Wear your sandals. Carry your walking stick in your hand and eat the meal with urgency.

For this is the Lord's Passover. Hey I eat all of my meals with urgency. This isn't a problem for me. My wife tells me all the time, You eat too fast. And I am a lot like a dog when I eat. You know when a dog eats they don't come up for air. They just go. And every now and then they go. Then they go back to eating again.

Just looking around. Making sure no cats are coming. And then get back to their food again. Then you try to take their food and you know.

They don't like that. That is how I am. My wife she takes so long to eat. She will cut out the bite so perfectly.

Just the right size. I take big giant bites. Wolf. You know.

Horrible. Cute little bite. And sometimes she will be talking and hold it on her fork while she is talking. Here is a little cute bite I cut.

So much better than your big obnoxious bite. And then she will go. Yeah well then. And then she eats. So now I know. You got to eat fast. Because this is the Passover.

See here is the message God was giving. You guys need to be ready to move. Eat your meal. But be ready to go. Have your walking stick.

Which is what a staff was effectively. If we updated it today you would say have comfortable shoes on. Have your running shoes on even better. Have your phone charged. Have gas in your car. Be ready to go.

Have your suitcase packed and have it right by the door. So when it is time to go you will go. Because we are moving through this wilderness. They had one big obstacle to face first.

The Red Sea which we will talk about later. But here is the idea that is being conveyed. We are just passing through this place called planet earth. I am an American. I am happy to be an American. But my greater citizenship is in heaven.

I am just passing through this place. And I am going to have my sandals on. Now for all of you Birkenstock wearers this is good news. But really the point of it is have the proper footwear on. And remember that we are told in Ephesians 6 to have your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. So I think the idea is look for opportunities to share your faith. Look for opportunities to tell others about Jesus. Be ready to go because Jesus is coming and He can come back at any moment. Clearly this Passover is an event so full of meaning for them and for us today. Now we close with the final Passover celebrated on earth by the Lord Jesus Christ.

He gathered His disciples together in the upper room. And He says this is My body. Take and eat it. Then He took the cup and He gave thanks and said drink from this all of you. This is My blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sin.

And I say to you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now until the day I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom. And they sang a hymn and they went out to the Mount of Olives. Those disciples would be thinking about the first Passover. They would be thinking about the lamb that was to be slain.

They would think about applying the blood. And now here is the very lamb of God before them. And the bread now is a symbol of His broken body. And the fruit of the vine is a symbol of His shed blood.

And He says to them do this in remembrance of Me. One last thought from Exodus. God said to them in Exodus 12 and verse 3 that first they were to bring a lamb.

Bring a lamb. Then in verse 4 He said it is the lamb. Then finally in verse 5 He said it is your lamb.

That sums it up beautifully. We first hear about God. We know He is out there somewhere. A lamb. Jesus is one of many choices we think. But then one day we realize He is the Lamb. The Lamb of God. The Son of God. The only way to God. And then He becomes our Lamb. See it is not enough to just know God exists.

It is not even enough to know that Christ is the way to God. He has to be your Savior and your Lord or your Lamb if you will. Where you embrace Him and say forgive me.

If you don't know Him in a personal way. If you are wracked with guilt today. If you need a new beginning or a fresh start. This is an opportunity to receive it and say God forgive me of my sin. I am sorry for it. I take responsibility for it.

I own it. And I ask Jesus to come into my life. And if you are a Christian who has sinned. Maybe you have done something recently that is a horrible thing. But God would forgive you if you will confess your sin.

And not rationalize it. And ask God to pardon you. To forgive you.

To cleanse you. And then turn from or repent of that sin. You can have a fresh start today. And you can mark this day and time. That is the day I had a fresh start.

That is the day I had a new beginning. Let's all bow our heads. Everybody praying please. Father thank You for sending Jesus to this planet of ours to die on that cross. Lord Jesus thank You for coming and laying Your life down. And we pray now that Your Holy Spirit will convict and convince any person here or watching that does not yet know You. Help them to see their need for Jesus and help them to believe in Jesus and be forgiven. I ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen. If you'd like a permanent copy of the message Pastor Greg brought us today, get in touch with a study called, A New Beginning for a World Changer. We'll give you the details when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can call anytime 24-7, again at 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online for an instant replay at harvest.org. And then we're so happy to make available a new resource from Sally Lloyd-Jones called, The Jesus Storybook Bible, A Christmas Collection. And you know Pastor Greg, I'm looking at Sally's thoughts for each day of Advent.

And on December 4th, I see the title for that day is, A New Beginning. Where have I heard that before? I don't know. It sounds like it could be the name of a radio show.

It's a good program, as far as I can tell. Don't you think that's a little self-serving to me? Probably so. I love that. Well, we're glad that Sally Lloyd-Jones, the author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, and this new wonderful resource we're offering called, The Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Collection, is with us in studio. So Sally, in this time of year when everything's changed because of the coronavirus, I think it's more important than ever to return to the real essential message of Christmas, which there's many things we could say, but a very important part of that message is that we're not alone in this world, and that God is with us.

You should call His name, Emmanuel, which means God is with us. How could this resource, how could this book, reading this to our children, help them to understand that maybe in a new way, or maybe in a way they've never understood before? Well, I think tracing God's beautiful redemptive rescue plan from the very beginning, which is what you basically do throughout Advent, starting with creation, the fall, all the way through to the rescue of being born, I think it will help them, my prayer is that it will help them know in this time when they feel alone. And who knows how children are really processing this?

Children tend to think it's their fault, everything. So who knows on what level, but the Lord knows, and He can speak to them. So my prayer is, we provide the resources, we tell them the story, and that God would use whatever He can to reach their little hearts to let them know He visited this planet for them. He would have come if it was just them. He says He's so delighted in them that He would move heaven and earth just to be near them.

I think if they know that, that God loves them that much, that He would do everything to be close to them, and I think it will give them strength and a rock to get through this time. Absolutely. So if you want to have a copy of this to read to your children, to your grandchildren, and bring them that assurance and comfort in this Christmas season, then order your copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas collection of stories, songs, and reflections for the Advent season written by our guest Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago, narrated by the outstanding actor David Suchet. You're going to love this.

Yeah, that's right. And we'll be happy to send this your way to thank you for your investment in making these daily studies possible. It's such an important time to bring God's Word into the homes and hearts of listeners all across the country and even around the world, and your investment helps us do that.

One listener commented, Well, thanks for helping us bring the peace that passes understanding in these difficult times. And when you send your investment today, we'll be glad to thank you with the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas collection upon request. Just write a new beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24-7. Again, dial 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to harvest.org. Pastor Greg, today you wrapped up your message by talking about eternity. Yeah. How can somebody listening know that they're going to heaven? Well, that's a great question, and I guess let me take it a step further.

I know that is the most important question you can ask. How can a person know they're going to heaven? Let me say at the outset, I believe I'm going to heaven. In fact, I'll take it a step further. I know I'm going to heaven. You say, Greg, isn't that kind of arrogant?

Not really. Because I know this because God has made a promise to me, and I've believed that promise. The Bible says we write these things to you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. I've believed on the name of the Son of God. Thus I know I'll go to heaven when I die. Here's my question to you. Do you believe on the name of the Son of God? Is there any more important issue than that?

I can't think of one. So I'd like to lead you in a simple prayer. And this is a prayer where you will be asking Jesus to forgive you of your sin, and you'll be asking him to be your own savior, friend, Lord. It's a prayer only you can pray.

Pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, but I know that you are the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead. Jesus, come into my life. I want to believe in you. I want to follow you.

I want this relationship with you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and rising again from the dead. And I thank you that you've heard this prayer. And I believe you've come into my life.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen. I want to help you grow in your faith. I want to help you grow spiritually. So I have a free gift for you. It's called the New Believers Growth Packet. What's in it?

No, not a bag of seeds to plant in your backyard. I guess it's sort of a form of a bag of seeds because I want to sow some spiritual seed in your life to help you develop as a follower of Christ. So I'm going to send you a copy of the New Testament in the New Living Translation, but it's a special edition. It's called the New Believers Bible. And it's filled with notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this new commitment or recommitment you've made to Christ. And there's some other materials in the New Believers Packet as well. So order your copy today. And I'm so glad I had this privilege today to lead you in that prayer. God bless you.

You've made the right decision, the decision to follow Jesus Christ. And here's how to get that New Believers Packet. Just write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. You can dial that number anytime, 24-7.

Again, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words, Know God. By the way, we're able to make resources like our New Believers Packet available because of the generosity of those who support us, especially those who give regularly, our harvest partners. If you'd like to become a harvest partner and put some of the Lord's money to work for His Kingdom, I hope you'll contact us today.

Just go to harvest.org and look for the words, Harvest Partners. Next time, Pastor Greg continues his World Changers series as we learn more life lessons from the world changer named Moses. But before we go, Pastor Greg has an important word to close today's program. Hey everybody, a few thoughts about this election that's coming up. As you all know, on November 3rd, we're going to elect the President of the United States. Your vote matters. Listen, every Christian should register and vote.

I cannot emphasize that enough. It's our responsibility, it is our duty, but it is also our privilege. And we really have no right to criticize what's going on in our nation if we don't even take the time to vote for a candidate. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but I'll give you some ideas. When I cast my vote, I can tell you there's some things that factor into it.

I can talk about a lot of things, but let me just pick two out in particular. The candidate that will receive my vote will be one that is pro-life. I would never vote for a candidate that would support the aborting of unborn children. Number two, I'm going to vote for a candidate that stands with and supports the nation Israel. God promises a blessing to the people that bless God's people. So those are a couple of things to think about as you go to the voting booth. You vote your conscience, but vote biblically and do vote. This is the day, the day when life begins. 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.