Greg Laurie on How to Stand for What’s Right

Hey there. Thanks for listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast, a ministry supported by Harvest Partners.

I'm Greg Laurie, encouraging you. If you want to find out more about Harvest Ministries and learn more about how to become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org. A lifetime of service comes from a moment of worship.

Careful what altar you bow down to. A moment at the altar of drugs can lead to a lifetime of addiction. And for many, it starts with marijuana. I think we should legalize marijuana. It's very good for the economy. And it has medicinal purposes.

Oh, is that what it's all about? Medicinal purposes? Now maybe there are some situations where it could be of help to certain people, but by and large, this has opened the floodgates up to people having access to pot like never before. And I can tell you from personal experience, as a stupid pot smoking kid for about three years of my life, it's going to lead to things that are far worse. You don't want to go down that road. But it starts, oh it's okay, it's innocent. Or a lifetime, or a moment at the altar of drinking. I'll just have a little drink, a small drink. The drink's only this big, you see. Just like that. It's okay. Then a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more. I wake up one day, how did I become an alcoholic?

When did this happen? See my point is, it starts small and it always gets big. So draw the line right now and say, I'm going to make a stand in the small things, then I'll have the strength to make the stand in the big things that will come later. That's what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did. They took their stand for what was right.

And here's how they probably reasoned. They figured better to burn on earth and bow in heaven than to bow on earth and burn in hell. Let me say that again. Better to burn on earth and bow in heaven than to bow on earth and burn in hell.

Well the king sort of had a soft spot for him. Okay, because I'm going to give you another chance, you know. I know you'll reconsider. Come on, just bow down. I like you guys. I like having you around the palace. So we're going to crank up the theme song. Just get down on your knees with everybody else.

Everything will be great. Here's our response, Daniel 3.17. If we're thrown into the blazing furnace, he will rescue us from your power, your majesty. But even if he doesn't, you can be sure we'll never serve your gods. Okay, now he's really ticked off.

Look at what happens. Daniel 3.19. Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, his face became distorted with rage.

You ever see that happen? Just when you get someone so mad they're just... That was Nebuchadnezzar. How dare you defy me, the most powerful man on earth. He commanded the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual, and he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up, threw them into the furnace fully clothed, and because the king in his anger had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames leaped out and killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell down into the roaring flames. Then suddenly, as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisors, Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?

Yes, your majesty, that's what we did. Look, says Nebuchadnezzar, I see four men unbound walking around on the fire, and they aren't even hurt by the flames, and the fourth is like the Son of God. Wow, I love that passage.

So what's going on here? Well, in fairness, this phrase, the Son of God, could also be translated a son of the gods. I don't know that Nebuchadnezzar thought this was Jesus or had any concept of Jesus, but I think that he just knew whoever that dude was, he was powerful, and he didn't want to mess with them. But they were in this large furnace walking around like it's a stroll in the park, and there's not three, there's four. And I believe it was Christ himself walking with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.

And he might have even brought some sunscreen, I don't know. But listen, I told this story to my grandkids the other night, and they said, But Papa, Jesus isn't in the Old Testament. He was born in Bethlehem. He's in the New Testament, which is a pretty good insight for little kids, right? I said, you guys are actually right, but don't forget, Jesus has always existed. He's part of the Trinity, and he pops up in the Old Testament, too. And when he does, we call it a Christophany. And I believe this is a Christophany, where Jesus makes an appearance walking with them.

And you know what? When you're going through your fiery trial, he's with you as well. Jesus said, Lo, I am with you even to the end of the age. And Jesus said in Hebrews 13, I will never, no never, no never leave you or forsake you.

Back to my pyromania. Unlike my situation where I put my army men on my grandparents' floor furnace, Jesus is not looking away. He's watching you.

He's engaged with you. He's helping you, and he is there with you. In fact, we're told in James 1, I told you to turn there as well, James 1 from a modern translation says, When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't treat them as intruders but friends. Realize they come to test your faith and to produce in you a quality of endurance. And let that process go on until you are fully developed and find that you become men of mature character, men and women of integrity with no weak spots, staying cool when things get hot.

How do we do that? Let's just address one simple question as we bring this to a close. Why does God allow trials? Why does God have us go through hardships? Here's a simple answer.

God allows trials in our lives so we will grow up spiritually. It's sort of like going to the gym. You know, you go to the gym to work out. You effectively break down muscle to build up muscle. One problem people have sometimes is they try to do too much weight, too many reps, and they get themselves in trouble.

You need to build up to it, be careful, and then as you get stronger, you can handle more weight, you can handle more reps, et cetera. But that is how you get stronger. And I go to the gym. I don't go that often.

I don't like to go to the gym. I'm always happy when I leave it. I like to be done with it. I don't understand people that say, just had a good workout.

I'm like, what? Good workout? I just like, I endure it. I put up with it because, and in my case, as you get older, it's about maintaining mobility now, you see. It's not just doing weights, it's mobility. Get up from seat, sit down on seat, you know.

Be able to move, bend over, things like that. And sometimes people as they're getting older say, oh, I'm so old, old, old. Yeah, you're kind of fat too. There's that.

I know I've just offended a bunch of people, but just remember when I have one finger pointing out, I have three pointing back at me. See that right there, okay. Look, you can't stop the aging process, but you have something to say about the shape you're in.

And so in the same way, spiritually, we'll say, oh, it's so hard to be a Christian. I don't have any strength. Well, maybe you need a good workout.

And you know where you're gonna get that workout? You're gonna get it in fiery trials and difficult situations. Trials are like God's gym where we're broken down in order to be built up.

You need to go through them. It'll make you stronger as a result. Trials produce something easy times will not produce, and that is spiritual toughness. James 1-3 says, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Patience is an unfortunate translation, I would say.

It comes from a Greek word that means toughness, heroic endurance, or perseverance. So the way you get stronger is by going through difficult situations that bolster and build up your faith. And if you don't go through these times, your faith is gonna remain weak and ineffective. If you wanna grow spiritually, you have to get through these things. So don't run from them.

As we already read in that one translation, don't treat these things as intruders, but as friends. So you might pray, Lord, use me for your glory. Just bless me today, and a trial comes.

You're saying, excuse me, Lord, there must be a problem with our connection. I prayed for a blessing and a trial came. I didn't ask for a trial, I asked for a blessing. Did you know that trials can be blessings in disguise? Because they're preparing you.

You wanna be that blessing, you must be prepared and be whipped into shape by God himself. That's why James says, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. And that can be translated multi-colored trials.

Each one is a little different than the one that preceded it. So look, they're gonna come. There's no getting around these things. You will be tested.

The question is, will you pass or fail? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego passed the test with flying colors. The king had to back up and change his tune.

How did they do it? They did it by making a stand earlier in life when the foundation of life is laid. And then they were able to make the stand later in life when they were more set in their ways. Listen, we're all gonna be pressured to bow before some kind of idol in our life. John reminds us in his epistle, little children keep yourself from idols.

An idol is anyone or anything that takes the place of God. Does a 90 foot golden image qualify? Absolutely. Does a super cool car that you're obsessed with qualify? Possibly.

Does your cell phone that you can't go two inches without qualify? Maybe. Could a relationship be an idol? Could be. Especially if it was more important than your relationship with God. Could a career be an idol?

I think it could be. Where if you're so obsessed with being successful that it brings problems in your spiritual life, is that thing more important to you than God himself? Lots of things can become idols. Lots of things can take the place of God in our life. So let's be careful to not bow before any of them because all of us will have our faith tested. Some of you are having it tested right now.

Some situation you've recently gone through and it was hard for you to stand up and say I'm a Christian. I believe this. But do that thing and as you stand up for him, he will stand up for you. It'll be worth it. You'll see.