Today's episode of A New Beginning is brought to you by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.
Learn more at harvest.org. And while you're there, browse our library of free e-books designed to help you grow in your faith. All of these things are a wake up call and God is saying, turn to me, look to me. Many of us know someone who can sleep through anything, a storm, an earthquake, a siren, an alarm.
Sometimes you have to go give them a shake to pry them loose from their slumber. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that it seems the Church will sometimes sleep through anything. We may be aware of the pandemic, the unrest, and all the rest, but God wants us to stand up and speak out with God's antidote for the ills our country is facing. Do we have any hope in America? Is there anything we can do as followers of Jesus to help our nation turn in the right direction?
I think the answer is a resounding yes. And it's found in the words of Jesus right here in Matthew chapter 5, starting in verse 13. He says, You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
It's good for nothing but to be thrown down and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do you light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house.
So let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father which is in heaven. So we want to be salt. Salt effectively earns us the right to be light.
Let me explain. You see salt back in its day was something of great value. And in fact Roman soldiers would sometimes be paid in salt.
Hence the term oh he's not worth his salt. Salt was valuable. Salt was something that stopped the spread of rotting in meat. They would cut the meat up in strips and they would embed salt in it so it could be preserved.
This was before refrigeration. And in the same way that's what we should be doing as followers of Jesus Christ. You know it's Christians that stopped the spread of evil in our culture today. It's Christians that are out there doing good works.
Helping people who are in need. If they believe as we believe or not. That's what it means to be salt out in our culture today. And another thing that salt does is it stimulates thirst. And if you are really living for Jesus as you ought to and being the salt of the earth you will stimulate in others a desire to know God.
Now let's contrast the two. Salt and light. Salt is hidden. Light is obvious.
Have you ever been in a theatre and someone pulls out their phone and they check their messages or they are looking at social media. I mean you can be really far from them but it lights up. So light really makes a difference in a dark place. So salt is hidden and more subtle. Light is obvious. Salt works secretly. Light works openly. Salt works from within. Light from without. Salt more the indirect influence of the gospel while light is its more direct communication.
So what I am saying is if I am salting. If I am living as they ought to live as a follower of Jesus it effectively earns the right for me to let my light shine before others. And one thing that light does is it exposes the darkness. Have you ever lost something in the dark. Maybe it was in your car at night. You lost a burrito and you didn't know where it went. So you looked the next morning and you found it. There it was. A little light helped you locate it.
It actually had become a life form and crawled up into one of your child seats and buckled itself in. But light helps you find something. And in the same way when the light shines in our life we see things we had not seen before.
In John 3 19 Jesus says this is the condemnation. Light is coming to the world. And men love darkness rather than light. Why? Because their deeds are evil.
Everyone who is evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest their deeds be exposed. So have you ever wondered why it is that you will say to someone why don't you come with me to church. I don't want to do that. Hey why don't you come over to our house and watch Harvest at Home.
What is Harvest at Home? Well it is a church service. No I don't want to do that. Well let me read to you a verse. Put that thing away. No I just want to read you a verse. I don't even want to hear it.
Why? Because you just shined a spotlight into a dark place. And the reason people don't want to come to the light.
The reason people don't want to have this conversation about Jesus is they don't want to change their lifestyle. So the light does expose the darkness but at the same time the light also shows the way out of the darkness. You know when I travel and I am in a hotel room I will leave a light on.
Usually in the bathroom in case I need to go there in the middle of the night because it is unfamiliar territory that you are navigating and you don't want to trip and fall. So the light helps you find your way through the darkness. If you are in a dark hallway the exit signs are always lit up.
Even in movie theaters they are lit up. So you can find your way out. And so the Lord will shed light so we can find our way out of the darkness and find our way to Him.
And so I ask you right now are you being salt and light in the world that God has called you into? The title of my message is America This Is Your Wake Up Call. And I think all the things that are happening in our culture right now are a wake up call. I would include the coronavirus. I would include what has happened in our economy.
I would include the social upheaval that we are seeing right now. All of these things are a wake up call. And God is saying turn to me. Look to me.
America this is your wake up call. I was in Alaska some years ago with a friend of mine. And so I decided to play a little prank on him. I noticed the little food trays in front of different rooms. You know from room service.
The food that had been eaten already. So I took two or three of these trays and put them in front of my friend's door and then knocked on the door and he came out and saw the trays. That was my prank. So what he does he takes an entire picture off the wall and puts it in front of my door.
It was so big I couldn't even get out of my door. I said ok. Game on. So I was leaving that night and he was staying one more night. So I called down to the front desk and I said hi. And I did say I was in his room. This is Mr. his name is Richie Furet. I said Mr. Furet in room 204. And I need two wake up calls tomorrow morning.
I need one at four o'clock and I need one at five o'clock. And so I caught my plane the next day. Forgot all about it. He calls me later on and he says do you know what happened. I said no. He said first of all my phone rang at four in the morning. I knew it was you doing a prank so I didn't answer the phone. Suddenly there is a pounding on my door and some guy actually comes in my room and is shaking me. Waking me up. Because he is afraid I will miss my wake up call.
I said some things just go perfectly don't they. Listen. Are we getting shaken right now by God. And the Lord is saying this is your wake up call. Pay attention to what I am saying to you.
How many more calamities do we need where we will just turn to the Lord. And I might be talking to somebody who is having their personal wake up call. Maybe you have had a close brush with death recently. Maybe you just met with your doctor and he gave you some bad news. Maybe your spouse came to you and said they are done with the marriage. Maybe one of your kids is rebelling or they are on drugs or they are having problems. Maybe there is some other conflict in your life.
You have been terminated from your employment. Whatever it is. It is something that has just gotten your attention. Well when the rug is pulled out from under you and you are laying on your back look up. Look up and call on God. America needs to do that. And listen you need to do that.
We all need to do that. The Bible says call on the Lord while He may be found. And the Lord is here right now ready to come into your life.
And if you want to know more about that right now let us encourage you to go to harvest.org and click the words know God. Well Pastor Greg will have the second half of his message in just a moment. You know sometimes we can't always make it to church but here is the good news. Church is coming to you.
It is coming to you on your TV screen or on your tablet or your computer or even your phone. We do it every weekend and it is called Harvest at Home. We have worship. We have a message from the word of God.
If you want to find out more just go to harvest.org and join us this weekend for Harvest at Home. And now Pastor Greg continues his message called America This Is Your Wake Up Call. I believe the Lord could turn our nation around.
There is a precedent for this in the Bible. It's a story of the spiritual awakening that took place in the city of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria which was the superpower of its day.
It was so big it took three days to circle metropolitan Nineveh. Had around a million people living there. Powerful gigantic city. Powerful military.
Flourishing economy. But God was about to judge him. But he sent a man to warn them. And the man's name was Jonah. Of course Jonah didn't want to go. And you know why Jonah didn't want to go? Because he was a racist. He hated the Ninevites. See as a patriotic Israelite he didn't want to go preach the gospel to the Ninevites because they were the enemies of Israel. So he reasoned well if I don't preach to them they won't be spared by God and God will judge them and that will be one less enemy we have to deal with. But God wanted him to overcome his prejudice and overcome his racist thinking and go to these people. And he actually got in a boat going the opposite direction.
You know the story. And the Lord sent a great storm and he was sown overboard and he was swallowed by a great fish. And the gut of that sea creature he came to his senses and got right with God and was regurgitated on the shores of Nineveh.
And it wasn't a very hopeful message. Jonah reluctantly he didn't even want to do it walked to the streets of Nineveh and simply said 40 days in Nineveh will be overthrown. But much to the shock of Jonah the city repented. Even the king repented. And so the Lord spared them from the judgment that was coming upon them. So what did he have to do?
He had to do what God called him to do. So listen to this thought. If God could bring a mighty revival in Nineveh with no better representative than Jonah and no more gospel than he preached surely he could do the same for America. Is there any hope for our nation?
I think there is. I think there are three practical steps we can take as followers of Jesus. Number one we need to infiltrate not isolate. We need to be both salt and light because God has indeed dropped us behind enemy lines. We are not to evade as I said earlier but invade living the Christian life and looking for opportunities to share our faith. Number two we need to pray. We need to pray for our nation. I've quoted this verse to you many times but it's still relevant.
Second Chronicles 7 14 where the Lord gives his prescription for revival. Contextually it was given to the nation Israel. But in principle it applies to any nation.
And I know people are watching me from other nations around the world right now. And I've talked a lot about America. But what I am saying now applies to Australia. And it applies to New Zealand. And it applies to China. And it applies to Germany. And it applies to whatever nation you are living in.
And we have heard from people from all of those nations. But God says if My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways then the Lord promises I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. Yes we would like to see our land healed. We would like to see America return to her Christian roots.
Her Judeo roots. We would like to see America turn to the Lord. And that can happen. But we need to pray. But isn't it interesting that we are told there in Scripture that we as His people need to pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.
Are there any wicked ways you need to be turning from right now even as a follower of Jesus Christ? So number one we need to go out into our culture and we need to be salt and light. Number two we need to pray. And third and lastly we need to preach the gospel. America needs to hear the gospel. America needs to see the gospel. It's interesting going back to what Jesus said there in Matthew 5 when He says you are the light of the world it could better be translated you and you alone are the light of the world. There's actually an emphasis on the fact that we are His representative. We are the one that others are looking to.
Let me ask you a question. What if every Christian lived as you live? What if you were the sole representative of Jesus Christ on this earth? Would there be enough gospel in your life for people to believe?
Enough saltiness to stimulate in them a thirst? Enough light for them to find their way out of the darkness and put their faith in Jesus Christ? I hope so. Because this is the message we need to give to others. And this is the message I want to close with because I keep saying gospel gospel gospel. And you're thinking what does that even mean? It means good news right. So we live in a day of fake news. Everywhere you turn it's fake news. And by fake news I mean it's news with a spin.
News with an agenda. It's rare to just hear some pure good news. Well I have some very good news in a bad world.
And here it is. God loves you. God loves you so much He sent His Son to die on a cross for you.
You say well why did He have to do that? Because you're a sinner. I'm a sinner.
As I said earlier everything goes down not up. We're sinful by nature. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and there is not one righteous.
No not one. We could compare it to a game of archery. Because one of the definitions of sin is to miss the mark. So God has set a mark for all of humanity and the mark is perfection. So you fire your 10 arrows. And let's say that all 10 of your arrows come close to the bull's eye but one goes off. Okay so you miss the mark. Now let's say that I fire my 10 arrows and all of my arrows don't even hit the mark at all.
Well maybe you hit it more than I hit it but the point is we all miss it. And the Bible says if you offend in one point of the law you're guilty of all of it. We've all sinned.
That's the bad news. The good news is God has sent a solution. While we were yet sinners Christ died for our sin the Bible says. And then He rose again from the dead. And if I'll turn from that sin I can be forgiven. That's the good news I have for you right now. You can be forgiven of all of your sin.
And you know what? When God forgives sin He also forgets it. Now I don't mean that the Lord has a lapse in memory. But what I'm saying is the Lord chooses to not hold your sin against you any longer.
The Bible says God speaking their sins and iniquities while I remember no more. As Corrie Ten Boom once said God takes our sin throws it into the sea of forgetfulness and posts a sign that says no fishing allowed. Your sin can be behind you. Your sin can be a part of your past not a part of your present. I'm not implying you won't sin. But I'm saying the guilt and penalty of that sin can be removed. And then you can know you'll go to heaven when you die.
Do you have that hope right now? What if you were to die today or tonight? Where would you spend eternity? You might say well no one can know these things.
Yeah actually you can't. I know when I die I will go to heaven. How do I know that? Because God has made a promise. Jesus said, For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
If I believe in Jesus and I do I can know that I have everlasting life. Not hope to have it. I know I have it and you can have it as well. It's a gift. And if you want a gift you reach out and accept the gift. And God is offering you the gift of eternal life right now if you will believe in Him.
Would you like to receive it? Listen this may be your wake up call right here right now. The moment where you can pass from darkness to light. The moment where you can change your eternal address from hell to heaven. You say oh hell you believe in that?
Oh yes I do. Jesus spoke more about hell than all the other preachers in the Bible put together. And the last thing God in heaven wants is for any man or woman made in His image to spend eternity separated from Him in hell. Hell wasn't made for people.
It was made for the devil and his angels. God wants you to go to heaven. But He is not going to force you. He's not going to say get up to heaven right now young man. No it's a gift.
You have to accept the gift and then you can receive the wonderful blessing that comes with it. So in a moment I'm going to pray and I'm going to extend an invitation for any of you right now wherever you are to put your faith in Jesus. Some of you are sitting in a house. Some of you are sitting in a park or on a beach.
Some of you are driving in a car. Wherever you are I want you to know this. Jesus Christ is right there with you ready to come into your life and forgive you of all of your sin. All you have to do is open that door and ask Him to come in and be your Savior and your Lord. Jesus says behold I stand at the door knock and if you'll hear my voice and open the door I will come in. And I'm going to ask you if you want Jesus to come into your life.
If you want Him to forgive you of your sin. If you want to go to heaven when you die I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer after me. You can even pray it out loud if you want.
A simple prayer. So again as I pray if you want Jesus in your life now pray this prayer with me. Pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner but I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Now Jesus I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my Savior and my Lord. Be my God and friend. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer with those making a change in their relationship with God. And if you've just prayed that prayer, Pastor Greg would like to follow up with you by sending something called our New Believers Growth Packet. It's free of charge if you prayed with Pastor Greg for the first time today. Get it by writing A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. And we can take your call anytime around the clock. Again dial 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to Harvest.org. The title of today's message is America, This is Your Wake-Up Call. And you can hear what you missed online at Harvest.org. Pastor Greg, we're making available two resources from the renowned children's author Sally Lloyd Jones, a book called Near, and also something called Babies Carry Along Bible.
Let me ask you something. As the grandfather of five grandchildren who has spent a lot of time with grandkids sitting on his lap reading books to them, speak to the person who wants to spend more quality time with his or her grandkids. Give them some tips on how they can make the most of that time reading something that teaches them about God.
A lot of things come into my mind. I would start with this. Put away the electronic devices and sit down and open a book. There's nothing like a book. I read some things in a digital format like Kindle or Apple Books, but I still prefer a book. I love to turn pages. I love to earmark pages. I love to underline key things.
And there's something very special about a book that you open up, especially a book similar to the one that we're offering, and I'll tell you about it in a moment. But here's what I would say to a parent or a grandparent on teaching the Word of God to your children. Number one, don't be boring. I think too often, you know, we feel like we have to give them a lecture. And it's almost like you're talking down to them. Don't talk down to them. Talk to them and engage them and involve them in the conversation. Number two, don't go too long. You know, I think sometimes they'll say, we're going to do devotions with the children, so everybody gather around the table.
And the way it's presented is almost negative. Maybe do it outside. Maybe do it in a park. Maybe do it at an unexpected time and just introduce it. And it's great if you can have a great way to introduce it. And I have a resource for you, especially if your children are very young, up to around age four or five.
One is a book written by my friend Sally Lloyd-Jones that is simply titled Near. And it's based on Psalm 139. And it is telling the child about how they're never alone.
God is with them wherever they go. It's written in a way a child can understand. All you have to do is read it to them. Or if they're old enough, let them read it for themselves.
And we also have another book that we're including. And it's called Babies Carry Along Bible. It's beautifully illustrated, high quality, hardcover book that will, I think, survive even a toddler. And they can carry it around and read it and open and close it as much as they want. And even if they don't understand all the words, they see the pictures of Daniel in the lion's den and Jesus calming the storm and David and Goliath and other great stories of the Bible.
And it's a great way to get them started with their own personal Bible. So we encourage you to order a copy of Near and also Babies Carry Along Bible by our good friend Sally Lloyd-Jones, who I would describe as an expert in writing to children. She understands how a child thinks. She knows how to speak in a language a child can understand. Her writing is fun, but it's also deep. And she has a great biblical knowledge and conveys scriptural truth in a very effective way to people of all ages, especially children. So you can order your copy of Near and Babies Carry Along Bible and we'll send them to you immediately for your gift of any size.
Yeah, that's right. They're such great resources. They capture a child's imagination with the wonderful pictures and text. And then while they're engaged, it points them back to their heavenly Father.
What better way to spend quality time with your kids or grandkids? Let us send you Near and Babies Carry Along Bible. We'll mail them your way to say thank you for your investment in these daily studies.
It's only through listener investments that we can bring Pastor Greg's insights your way each day. So write us today at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300.
Or go online to harvest.org. What are the essential truths every believer should know? Well, Pastor Greg has a good answer to that. In fact, he has a new series called Essentials, which begins next time. Be sure to tune in for A New Beginning. Hey, everybody, thanks for listening to A New Beginning. This is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. So for more content that can help you know God and equip you to make Him known to others, or to learn more about how you can become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org.
