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. Coming up today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the true believer experiences transformation, regeneration.
If any man be in Christ, he is an altogether different kind of person. Old things have passed away. Behold, everything becomes fresh and new. You know, you can't change half a pair of pants. You can't almost cross a river.
Well, you can, but they call that swimming. You can't be partially pregnant, sort of turn on a light, or have most of your seatbelt buckle. In the same way, we can't be almost saved. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the importance of being fully transformed, especially given the soon return of the Lord.
An important study from Pastor Greg's series called Essentials. There is a new world coming, not just up in heaven, but when heaven comes to earth. God still has a plan for planet earth. Sometimes we'll say as Christians, we're going to just die and go to heaven or be raptured into heaven and we'll be there with the Lord forever. Actually, that's not theologically correct. One day, yes, we are going to heaven, but one day God's going to restore this planet. According to Ephesians 1 10, God's perfect plan is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. And by the way, this will be the fulfillment of that part of the Lord's Prayer where we say to the Father, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Look at Revelation 21. We're reading verses one to six. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There'll be no more pain for the former things that passed away. And he who sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, write, for these words are true and faithful.
And he said to me, it is done. I'm the Alpha and the Omega. I am the beginning and the end. And I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to he who thirsts.
So we'll stop there. Look at verse five again. Behold, I make all things new. And the new world that is coming, it's out with the old and in with the new. There'll be no more terminal diseases, no more hospitals, no more wheelchairs, no more funerals, no suffering, no separations, no accidents, no courts or prisons or divorces or breakdowns or breakups, no suicide, no rape, no missing children, no drug problems, no more heart attacks, no strokes, no Alzheimer's, no cancer, no more famines, no disasters. God makes all things new. Here now is one of the most beautiful promises in all of scripture.
Look at verse four. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There'll be no more pain for the former things have passed away. There's great pain in life, isn't there?
And what can you say? You know, I talk to people all the time who are hurting. I just talked to a young man recently whose brother died. And to make things even worse, he died by suicide. You know, what do you say at a time like that?
What are the right words? The one thing I've learned from mourning myself and suffering myself is a lot of times less is more. You know, when I was 21 and I was young in the ministry, I knew everything. You should have known me then. I was so awesome. I had hair, I was skinny, and I had the answer to every Bible question you had. I knew everything. I had the answer before you finished your question.
Now here I am at 40. And I realized I never really did have those answers. And guess what? I don't have to have all the answers. I don't always have to have the words, but I always send people to the word, to Him.
Not here's the manual, but rather, no, here's Emmanuel, it's God. Because that's where I find my strength. And I know that's where others will find their strength. It's not that I won't offer biblical answers, but I realize that sometimes just being with a person and loving them is the best thing you can do when they're suffering and they're in pain. But listen, one day all pain will be gone. There'll be no more physical or emotional pain, no more pain from a broken body or from a broken heart or broken bones or broken marriages or broken lives. And not only does God do this for our bodies and the earth, but He does it for us today. See, the good news is we don't have to wait for this moment to have that newness in our life.
Because 2 Corinthians 5, 17, one of the great verses of Scripture says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is an altogether different kind of person. Old things have passed away. Behold, everything becomes fresh and new. So what old things pass away when you become a follower of Jesus? Well, old sins. Certainly God forgives our sins and He forgets them.
Psalm 103, 12 says, as far as the east is from the west, is as far as God has removed our transgressions from us. And if a person is a true Christian, their focus and their values will change. Old values, ideas, plans, loves, desires, and beliefs vanish and are replaced by new things.
Let me turn that around. If your desires have not changed, if you are not longing to be more like Christ, are you really a new person? You see, because when you've come to this newness of life, everything changes and you desire to know God and learn more from Him. A new desire to be led by the Spirit and to be used by God. Things you had no interest in are suddenly the most fascinating things of life to you.
And things that you used to be obsessed with now hold no allure to you or for you whatsoever. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Like this book? Who cared about this book before you were a Christian?
Well, what do I want to read that for? And now as a follower of Jesus, you open this book and God Himself speaks to you through it. And when you go into the house of God and you worship the Lord and you connect with the Lord through your worship and through prayer and hearing His word, this is something you long for.
You desire. You want to grow spiritually. If you don't have that desire, my question to you is, are you really a new person in Christ? We have a new desire to bring glory to God in our life and a new desire to see God in heaven. But of course, heaven is not the default destination of every person. Look at verse 8.
Outside. Now here's a little reality check. We're talking about the glories of heaven and the new earth and it's so amazing and awesome. Yes.
But check this out. Verse 8. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars will have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
This is the second death. So people have not made it in here. Everyone doesn't go to heaven. Maybe all dogs go to heaven but all people don't.
And actually dogs don't either but I just thought you may have heard of that movie. Who's outside? Well first it's the cowardly. It takes courage to follow Jesus Christ. These are people who are too afraid of what others think so they don't follow Jesus. You know it's been said you wouldn't think so much about what people think of you if you realized how little they do.
And we're so worried about what they think. Does it really matter to you that much? Enough to keep you away from God? Enough to keep you away from heaven?
So the cowardly and the unbelieving are outside because they couldn't make that stand for Christ. And also it mentions the abominable. You think abominable. The only one I know that would fit that category is a snowman. Isn't it?
And he's at Disneyland if I'm not mistaken. Actually this word abominable is an interesting word. It means to be wholly caught up in wickedness and evil. And there are people like this. They're wholly caught up in it. They're just going whole hog into sin. They have no restraints. Do whatever they want. Say whatever they want.
These people are outside. Also the sexually immoral. And this comes from the Greek word porneia. Guess what English word we get from that? What English word we get from that? Pornographic. Pornography. But actually it's a word that means more than just looking at sexual images.
In the original language it's a word that encompasses a lot of things. It speaks of fornication. That's premarital sex. Or adultery. That's extramarital sex. The only place where God will bless sex is in a marriage between a man and a woman. There are no exceptions to that. And if you're in love with someone, God didn't say it's okay for you to have sex with your boyfriend.
You wouldn't believe what people say to me. You know are you guys having sex? Yeah but the Lord told us it was okay. Oh did he?
Yeah. He said go for it my child. No he didn't. You said that to yourself. God won't bless that. And certainly extramarital sex. You're married.
You saved that for that one that you've committed your life to. Pastor Greg Laurie 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's the good news. Church is coming to you.
It's 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's 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. Well in a moment we'll talk with author Sally Lloyd-Jones about a brand new children's book of hers or get details now at harvest.org.
Pastor Greg continues now with his message, When Heaven Comes to Earth. Then the word sorcerer is mentioned. Now this is interesting. It comes from the Greek word pharmakeia. We get our English word pharmacy from it. Now in the first century and even today drugs were used in the worship of false gods. Thus it's connected to idolatry. So there is a connection between the world of drugs and the world of darkness.
It can open the door. By the way you want my opinion I'll give it to you even if you don't want it. I am fully against the legalization of marijuana. But now the genie is out of the bottle and it is a gateway drug.
Don't let anyone tell you differently. It is that stepping stone to other drugs and people can go deeply into the drug culture and start opening their mind and their heart to spiritual wickedness and occultism and all kinds of crazy stuff. You think it's a mistake that so many people that were in this 60s counterculture got into eastern religions and occultism.
There's just a natural progression. So that's what this is talking about. It's not saying it's a sin for you to take Tylenol or Advil or drugs in a proper way. And there can be drugs used in an appropriate way. This is talking about mind altering drugs that can lead you in this direction. Now I want you to notice it doesn't say if you've done these things you'll not go to heaven. It says if you do these things you'll not go to heaven. There's a big difference you know because as we listen and say oh I've done some of these things. Okay but if you've repented of it and ask God to forgive you then you're forgiven and you're that new person in Christ.
But what the Bible is warning is if you do these things you won't enter the kingdom of heaven. So that's something to think about isn't it? Now some people don't like that of course. They say well I don't agree with that.
Okay so that's interesting. Well my God would never say that. No. Who is your God? My God.
Take a hard look friend. Your God is you. I mean you can't just make up God as you go.
God's a package deal. That's not the right way to say it. But you take him as he is. You don't edit parts out you don't like. You don't take parts of the scripture you don't agree with and simply discard them.
The Lord tells you who he is and he tells you to worship him. So outside are these people. Okay so let's wrap this up and close it. So what do we learn for our own lives as we think about this hope of heaven and the new earth?
Number one. It helps us keep perspective during times of trial. Knowing there's heaven.
Knowing there's a new earth. It helps you keep perspective during times of trial. Life on earth is full of trial, hardship, sadness, disappointment. But God's going to make it up to us. No pain is wasted by God. Romans 8 18 says I consider the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. God's ultimate goal is to make us like Christ. Number two.
It helps us to be truly heavenly minded and we will thus live godly lives. See what I believe that this is all real. How many of you believe what we've read is real? You believe it.
Okay. If you really believe this stuff is real. All these things I've said to you from the Bible. If you believe this is real it'll affect you in the way that you live. When someone says oh you're so heavenly minded you're no earthly good.
That's absurd. The fact is there are far too many people that are so earthly minded they're no heavenly good. When I know there's a future judgment that deters me from doing evil. When I know there are future rewards it motivates me to do what is right. So my belief about the afterlife has maximum effect on me in this life.
You see. So it's very important what I think about life beyond the grave. And that's why Paul said in Colossians 3 since you've been raised with Christ set your minds and things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And that phrase set your minds can be translated think about these things or just simply think heaven. Seek heaven. Be heavenly minded. Number three it motivates us to want to take as many people as possible with us.
It motivates us to want to take as many people as possible with us. Quick poll. How many of you believe that the Bible is true? Raise your hand. You believe the Bible is true. Okay good.
How many of you believe that everything we have just read is true? Raise your hand. Okay.
How many of you believe what God says here about the afterlife? Raise your hand. Okay. How many of you have gone out of your way in light of this to share the gospel with someone in the last two weeks? Raise your hand. Okay. Now I'm not going to put you down but you all didn't raise your hand that time did you? See all the other times yeah me yeah me yeah I'm not gonna lie in church. It's good. Let's be truthful. Yeah I haven't done that.
Why? Well I don't know. See but if I really believe these things shouldn't it affect me in the way I see people? People that cross my path or I cross their path to want to engage them with the message of the gospel? I hope so. And so bringing this message to a close I want to just say that everything we've talked about this is the hope of the follower of Jesus Christ. I believe these words are true. I believe one day I'll be in heaven. I believe one day heaven will come to earth and I believe God is in control of my life and I believe he's forgiven my sins.
Do you have that hope? Maybe you've joined us here tonight and you've maybe been brought by a friend you didn't really know what you were coming to exactly and now that you've heard this you're thinking wow I've never heard these things before. So here's my question. Do you have the assurance right now that if you were to die you would go to heaven? Because if you don't have it you need to get it. See maybe I talked about some of these things here you know the immoral or or the people involved in drugs or sorcery or cult or whatever it is.
Maybe you're doing some of that stuff. Well listen here's the good news. God will forgive you of any sin you've committed. I don't care how bad it is if you'll turn from that sin and ask for his forgiveness because 2,000 years ago God loved you so much he sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sin and to rise again from the dead and that same Jesus who died and rose again is with us right now standing at the door of your life and knocking and he is saying if you'll hear his voice and open the door he will come in. Would you like to ask Jesus to forgive you?
Do you need a second chance in life? Have you done something you're ashamed of? Well listen God will forgive you. He already knows about it so it's not like he's going to freak out when you tell him.
What? He knew you were going to do it before you did it. He saw you do it and he paid for that sin at the cross of Calvary and will forgive you if you'll ask him but he will not stuff forgiveness down your throat. If you don't want it you don't have to have it but if you want his pardon if you want the hope of heaven if you want to be ready for his return I'll give you that opportunity to take that next step right now. Let's all bow our heads our prayer if you would. Father I pray now for everyone here everyone listening everyone watching Lord I pray that your Holy Spirit will convince them of their need for Jesus and help them to come to you right now and believe in Jesus name I pray.
Amen. Pastor Greg Laurie with an important invitation today. And if you'd like to make a change in your relationship with the Lord Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment before today's edition of A New Beginning concludes. Now to hear today's study again you can go online to harvest.org. Just look for the title When Heaven Comes to Earth.
Again our web address is harvest.org. Well we're so happy to have author Sally Lloyd-Jones with us today, a good friend of the ministry, and a friend of Mary. And we're making available two excellent children's books of hers right now Near and Babies Carry Along Bible.
Sally I remember my wife and I dropping off our kids with a babysitter or at Sunday school when they were small and it was a bit traumatic for them at first. You know they're they're used to having the people who love them close by. But your book Near explains to young children that the God who loves them most is always close by.
Isn't that right? Yes I think well I know you can we can all remember being children and you know one of the fears of childhood one of the biggest fears is abandonment. So part of why it's so stressful going to a school I imagine at least I remember as a child children don't always know that you're coming back.
They don't you know they don't know that this isn't you dropping them off forever because they're so in it. And so there's a lot of fears in childhood and I think we address those fears by telling the child the truth that yes things can be scary but we are never ever by ourselves and we have a father in heaven who is with us and close to us and we can always talk to him and he takes care of us and makes us strong and brave and you know I think that's important for a little one to know. Yeah and you do such a great job of explaining that in relatable language in your new book called Near and we'd like to send a copy of that your way along with Sally's resource Babies Carry Along Bible. It's a wonderful board book with 10 favorite Bible stories told in rhyme and the book has its own easy to use carrying handle.
That's why it's called the Carry Along Bible. We'll send both of these great resources from Sally Lloyd-Jones to thank you for partnering with us so we can keep reaching out and impacting lives. Like the listener who recently wrote us and said I listen to your program here in Pompeii a mere 5,629 miles away from us as the crow flies. My church has a radio station called the Cross Radio.
They play your programs and sermons. It really helps me a lot. You make the Bible so simple and easy to understand. Well you know your partnership helps us reach people around the world so why not write 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. Well Pastor Greg you talked today about eternity. Yeah. How can someone listening know 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. Yeah, 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.
That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to Harvest.org and click the words Know God. Well next time Pastor Greg presents another look at end times issues as he addresses the so what question. The Lord is returning, so what?
What does that mean for how we live today? Good insight from his essential series next time on A New Beginning. The preceding podcast was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Learn how to become a Harvest Partner, sign up for daily devotions, and find resources to help you grow in your faith at Harvest.org.
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