A New Beginning | Classic Crusade Message from New Zealand

Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights in faith, culture, and current events from a biblical perspective. To find out more about our ministry, just go to our website, harvest.org. So thanks for joining me for this podcast.

If you have any questions or comments please let me know. We will see you next time. Bye bye. If there is a toilet in there I might use it but I will never let you know about it.

So we call it a restroom. You are just more straight forward here about it. But so we have a few differences. But I will tell you what. It doesn't matter where you live in the world.

If you live in Wellington or Christchurch or Auckland or Sydney or Melbourne or Kenya or Los Angeles or New York City. No matter where you live in the world certain things are true of every person. Let me tell you something I know is true of everyone in this room right now. Everyone that lives in this city.

Everyone that lives in this nation. Every person without Jesus Christ has a hole in their heart. There is an emptiness deep inside of it. And that is why from the moment you were born you have been on a search. You have been looking for something to fill that hole deep inside of you. The Bible even says that God has made us with this emptiness inside.

The Bible tells us that God has put eternity in the human heart. That is why men and women, boys and girls, search for the meaning of life. I can tell you my dog I don't think he thinks about the meaning of life. I don't think he lays around in the back of the yard and asks questions like, what is the meaning of my life? Why am I here?

You know I have tried all the things this world has to offer. Chasing cats. I mean he doesn't think about stuff like that. He is an animal.

But people do think about things like that. Keith Urban recently got out of rehab with alcohol issues. And he felt it saved his marriage. And he made this statement in an interview. He said, playing stadiums is never going to fill any hole inside of me. And that is true. No matter how much fame or success you have had there is a hole in your heart.

Number two. Everyone is lonely deep down inside. The great physicist Albert Einstein once wrote in a letter to a friend, quote, it is strange to be known so universally yet be so lonely. And you can even be in a crowded room and be lonely. You can be in a nightclub and be lonely.

You can be at a party with so-called friends and be lonely. Not long ago Brad Delp, the lead singer of the band Boston, who recorded the song More Than a Feeling, committed suicide. And he had a note clipped to his shirt with the words, I am a lonely soul. And did you know that New Zealand has one of the highest suicide rates among teenagers of any nation in the world. And maybe you have even contemplated suicide yourself.

There is a loneliness deep inside of you. You have all heard of American actor Owen Wilson who recently attempted suicide. I mean here is a man who is at the top of his game. He is making the big bucks.

He is in the popular films. He has got the gorgeous girlfriends etc. And yet he tries to take his own life. Maybe you thought well if I could just meet the right person I would never be lonely again. But you can even have a good relationship. Even a marriage and still be lonely deep inside. It is not just single people who are lonely. Married people can be lonely too. One psychologist said, quote, because of the intimacy you expect from a person the more lonely you will feel when you don't get it. The reason you feel a loneliness inside is because you are lonely for God.

Everyone is empty. Everyone is lonely. And everyone feels guilt. The head of a mental institution in London made this statement and I quote, I could release half of my patients if I could find a way to rid them of their sense of guilt. And there is a reason we feel guilt. Because well we are guilty. Because we have done wrong things that we are ashamed of. We have committed sins. We have said things we wish we had never said. We have done things we wish we had never done. And the fact of the matter is if you are feeling guilt it can be a good thing because it means that your conscience is actually working the Bible says. This demonstrates that God's laws working inside of them for their own conscience accuses them or tells them that they are not doing right.

And number four. Everyone is afraid to die. We are afraid to die because deep down inside it frightens us. Actor George Clooney made this pessimistic statement about life and I quote, I don't believe in happy endings but I do believe in happy travels because ultimately you die at a very young age. You live long enough to watch your friends die. It is a mean thing. Life. End quote. Steve Jobs the creator of the Apple computer and the iPhone. I have an iPhone. I know you don't have them in New Zealand. I have one.

I will show it to you afterwards. Anyway Steve Jobs made this statement in an interview with a magazine. Quote, life is short and we are all going to die really soon. It is true. You know.

End quote. You know the statistics on death are pretty impressive. One out of every one person will die. We are all afraid to die. We are all empty. We are all lonely. We are all guilty. And we are all afraid to die.

That is true of everyone. Well now I want to tell you a story from the Bible. From the Gospel of John. This is a man that should have been completely satisfied. This man had money. He had fame. He had a great education. He was well known.

He had everything the world offers. He was deeply religious but something was missing in his life that sent him on a search. His name was Nicodemus.

He had tried pretty much everything this world had to offer but it had not satisfied the deepest needs of his life. And he had been hearing about this new rabbi. This teacher known as Jesus. This man who said things that had never been said before. Who was performing miracles and had even been reported that he had raised dead people back to life again and restored sight to the blind. The little children loved him.

The crowds kept growing. Nicodemus even though he was well known, even though he was thought of as a great sage or a great teacher yet he was looking for answers himself so he came to Jesus by night. And there are three movements of the story that we will look at in a moment. First Nicodemus came to Jesus face to face. Then they engaged mind to mind.

And finally they spoke heart to heart. Let me read to you a passage from the Scripture. John chapter 3. In one dark evening a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus and said, Teacher, we know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are proof enough. God is with you. Jesus replied, Unless you are born again you will never see the kingdom of God. What do you mean? replied Nicodemus. How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again? That is a very important statement. Jesus says you must be born again. We love that idea. Starting over again.

Having a new beginning. A lot of people think they can accomplish it through cosmetic surgery. A friend was telling me that they are having Botox parties in Auckland now. You know if I can just get rid of these wrinkles on my face or if I can just nip this or tuck that. And you know I am not against cosmetic surgery.

I think you can overdo it. Ok. Because I have seen some people. They kind of freak me out a little bit.

Alright. They don't look younger. They just look like a kind of exaggerated version of who they used to be. Or maybe someone else altogether. You ask, well can you go too far with plastic surgery? Two word answer.

Michael Jackson. I think yes. The answer is yes. You can't go too far. I read one statement from a man Anthony Elliot, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, talking about this need for change. And he says, and I quote, This demand for instant identity transformation has never been so persuasive. People want change and they want it instantly. From fame to the instant thrills of Botox or liposuction. In a world of short-term contracts, endless downsizings, just-in-time deliveries, and multiple careers, the capacity to reinvent yourself has become fundamental. End quote. We want to reinvent ourselves. We wish we were someone different than we are.

But the problem is it is the same old us. Years ago my son Christopher, who I introduced to you a few moments ago, came home when he was a young teenager with a pet rat. He just found a rat and decided to bring it home. And he had no cage or anything.

And I just got this rat. And he was a cute little rat. And as I recall we named the rat Nicodemus interestingly in light of our story. And so we found a cage for Nicodemus. And then one night Christopher decided that Nicodemus the rat should have his own little house to live in.

You know. It just looked so barren in that cage. And so Christopher, who is very artistic, got some wood out and built a little house for Nicodemus the rat. It had a little roof on it and a little doorway and a little sign over the doorway. Nicodemus.

You know. And it was so cool because we went to bed that night and we were going to our bed and Nicodemus the rat would go into his little house. And so we got up the next morning to see how Nicodemus was doing. And the house was gone. Because Nicodemus the rat had eaten the house. You see.

Because he is a rat. That's why. You see.

And my point is simply this. You can change the way you look in the outside. But it is still the same old you on the inside. But God is telling you He can change you in your heart.

God is telling you you can be born again. Not just a change of wardrobe. Not just a change of friends.

Not just a change of location. But a change of heart. And God can do that for you tonight. Jesus says, you must be born again. Now who was this Nicodemus God? The Bible says He was a Pharisee.

What does that mean? Well that meant that He was a very religious person. See the Pharisees are usually thought of in a negative light because some of the most critical words our Lord had were for this group that called themselves the Pharisees. They were always setting little traps for Him. Always trying to undermine what He was doing because they were jealous of His popularity. But there were some good Pharisees out there too.

Never numbering more than 6,000. This was a select group of individuals that had dedicated their life to the keeping of the Ten Commandments. They were very devout. Very religious. And Nicodemus was a Pharisee. But not only that but Jesus says to him, you are the most respected Jewish teacher. So not only was he a religious man but he was thought of as a guy who was supposed to have all the answers.

But yet he had a lot of questions. Maybe you too are religious. You too are moral.

You too are educated. You have been successful. You have had some fame. You are a legend in your own mind.

I mean your own time. But yet you have come here tonight searching just like Nicodemus was searching. Searching for answers. Searching for meaning. Maybe you thought well if I could just make the big bucks and make a lot of money I know I would be happy.

Listen. If we have seen nothing else from the lives of all of these Hollywood celebrities that seem to be regularly getting pulled over for DUIs and checking in and out of rehab we learn that money is not going to fill a void in your life. Money can buy you a lot of things. Money can buy you a bed but it can't buy you a good night's sleep. It can buy you books but it can't buy you brains. It can buy you a house but it can't buy you a home. It can buy you amusement but it can't buy you happiness. And to quote St. Paul, St. John, St. George, and St. Ringo, money can't buy you love.

You see. Because you think if I just had this I know I would be happy. All I would say to you is careful what you wish for. You might get it.

I heard a story about a couple that were celebrating the husband's 65th birthday and also their 35th wedding anniversary. Suddenly a genie appeared and offered each one a wish. This is a true story.

It is a joke of course. So a genie appeared and says, I will give to each one of you a wish. What do you want? And the husband says, well what happened to three wishes? The genie says, you know times are hard.

We have had to cut back. So what do you want? So the wife says, you know what genie I wish for a second honeymoon. And I wish that this husband of mine and I were on a beautiful South Seas island surrounded by emerald seas. And poof there they were on this gorgeous island surrounded by beauty with their beloved husband of 35 years. But the husband hadn't asked for his wish yet.

Thought about it for a moment. Looked over at his older wife and then said to the genie, OK I just decided what I want. The genie says, all right what do you want? He says, I want a wife that is 30 years younger than me.

And poof he was 95 years old. So be careful what you wish for. You might get it. See I think as long as we feel if I just reach this pinnacle of fame, if I just made this much money, if I just had this boyfriend or that girlfriend or I drove this cool car or lived in this house etcetera etcetera I know I would be happy. But then there are people that get everything you dream of and more and their dream turns into a nightmare.

And they realize the things they are looking for are not found in this life. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. That is probably because he didn't want anyone to see him.

He probably was afraid of what others would say. Hey maybe you were a little embarrassed to tell your friends where you were going tonight. Hey you want to go to a movie? Nah. Want to go to a party?

Nah. I have plans. Where are you going? Oh we are going over to that Harvest thing. Oh isn't that thing religious?

I don't know what it is exactly. But I am going. You are a little bit embarrassed because we are so concerned about the opinions of other people. It is no coincidence that the Bible compares us to sheep. You have a few sheep here in New Zealand don't you? And sheep are known to sort of do what other sheep do.

Right. I read an interesting article about 450 sheep who recently jumped to their deaths in Turkey. As it turns out one sheep walked off of a cliff and 1500 others followed. I mean hello. Wouldn't you think after 50 sheep fell the others would say, hey let's not do this today.

But they are so compliant. The first sheep goes off the cliff. The others are like, ok let's form a single line. We are all going to die today. Let's go. Come on now.

It is not that bad. Let's go you know. Stupid sheep. Are we any more foolish when we chase after the latest fad? Or we do drugs because our friends do it. Or we drink because our friends do it. Or you have sex with that guy or with that girl because the pressure is on because you want to impress others. You want to fit in.

You want to be cool. Nicodemus was afraid of what people thought. Friend you need to be thinking about what God thinks. Because one day we are all going to stand before God. And we are not going to be there with our gang. We are not going to be there with our friends. We are going to be there all by ourselves. Nicodemus came by night.

Yes. But at least he came. And at least you came. You are here. And I am glad you are. He must have been nervous.

I wonder if he had it written in his diary. Appointment with Jesus 10 o'clock p.m. Oh man. What am I going to say to him? How do I break the ice?

How do I start the conversation? And so Nicodemus comes to Jesus and he says very respectfully, teacher no one could do what you do unless he be son of God. That is kind of an amazing thing that Nicodemus a household name most likely a religious leader would call Jesus teacher. Maybe in the same way you feel a respect for Jesus. I always respected Jesus even before I was a Christian.

I had seen all of his movies. He seemed like a nice guy to me. But I never thought of Jesus as someone who was still alive. As someone who could be known. He was distant. To me he was a figure perhaps in stained glass.

But here was Nicodemus. He had a respect. And maybe you came here tonight out of respect for a Christian friend. You know they are a nice person. They have always been there for you. And so they invited you to come. And you came along and you are sitting here and you are kind of checking this thing out. And you say, well I admire Jesus Christ.

But check this out. Jesus did not say admire me. Jesus said follow me. C. S. Lewis the author of the Chronicles of Narnia made this statement about Jesus and I quote, "'A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg. Or else he would be the devil of hell. Lewis says you can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon.

Or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.

He did not intend to." End quote. See it is not enough to just say I admire Jesus or he was a great moral teacher.

No listen. Jesus claimed to be God in human form. Jesus claimed to be the only way to a relationship with a Father in heaven. And you know what else? Nicodemus was probably a pretty old dude at this point. You know why I say that? Because when Jesus says you must be born again Nicodemus says, how can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again. Maybe some of you are getting a little bit older. How do you know when you are getting older? You know you are getting older when you actually look forward to a dull evening at home.

That is one way. You know you are getting older when your mind makes commitments your body can't keep. You know you are getting older when you sink your teeth into a juicy steak and they stay there. You know you are getting older when you have owned clothes so long they have come back into style twice. For some of you three times. And what is that rule?

If you wore it the first time you are not supposed to wear it the second time. You know you are getting older when you sing along with the elevator music. You know that is really a drag. You know when you are in the elevator singing the Stairway to Heaven by Zeppelin you know and you say, oh this is so bad. It has turned into elevator music. You know you are getting old when you stop holding your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

You know there is those telltale signs. Nicodemus was getting older. Jesus cuts to the chase. He says, listen to me Nicodemus.

We don't have time to beat around the bush. Let me just get to the bottom line here for you. You need to be born all over again. Now you say, but Greg what does that mean? Born again. Sadly the term born again has been pirated. Emptied of its meaning.

Dragged to the gutter and given back to us minus its power. When someone says they are born again today we have no idea what they even mean. So Jesus is helping us to understand what it does mean. It means to be born from above. You need to be born from above Nicodemus. Now this great religious leader, this moral man, this wealthy man, this searching man says, how can this be? So they have gone now from face to face to mind to mind to heart to heart. How can it be? Lord break it down for me.

What is the process? I am an old man. I am set on my ways.

I don't know how to change. How can you be born again? And Jesus gives to Nicodemus what we might call the gospel in a nutshell.

Here it is. You have all heard this verse. John 3.16. Jesus says to Nicodemus, For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He continues on, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but that through Him the world might have life. I love that verse.

It just lays it out so clearly. For God so loved the world. God loves you.

Sometimes people have a hard time with that. They think God hates them. They think God is out to ruin their lives. That God is out to rain on their parade.

Nothing can be further from the truth. God loves you. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. And we can talk about love all day long. But God showed His love toward us in a tangible way by sending His own Son Jesus to come to this earth and be born in that little manger in Bethlehem and then to live the perfect life and then to go to a cross and die there in our place and to rise three days later from the dead. That was love. Because not only did God send His Son to the earth but the Son willingly came.

For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. And it is a gift. And you know when you give a gift to someone they need to receive it. This is what drives me nuts about when I give a gift to my wife. I say, I got you a gift.

She goes, thank you. And if we are out at a meal she will say, I will open it after dessert. I am like, open it now.

You know. See guys don't like to wait about for gifts. They just open them immediately. Now I am sure you are much more cultured here in New Zealand. Let me tell you something about American men. It is a complete waste of time to wrap a gift for an American man.

Because wrapping paper for an American guy is a mere obstacle keeping him from what he really wants. You put a card in it. He will open the card and look at it only because he wants to see if there is money in it.

All right. And he will read it. He doesn't care what the card says. And then he will open it up to see what the gift is. And there it is.

He wants to get what you have gotten him. Now you give a gift to an American woman. And I am sure a lady here as well. You know first of all they will read the card and actually be moved by what is written. That is so sweet. Thank you.

I didn't write it. I know but it is sweet. Very good. And then she will undo the ribbon and say, I am going to save this for later. Right. You do that here too. That is the difference. Ok. God is offering you a gift.

You know what I suggest you do. Open the gift. You say, well what is the gift? It is the gift of eternal life. The gift that you can live forever in the presence of God. Take the gift. Don't set it aside. I will get to it later.

You know when I am older say 30 or 40 or 50 or maybe when I am 80. I don't know. Maybe I will never open it. But thank you so much.

No. God is offering you this incredible gift that He has purchased with His own blood to the death of His own Son. This is not something you casually brush aside. It is something you say, oh God thank you so much. You would offer me the hope of life beyond the grave. Whoever believes in Him, Jesus says, should not perish but have everlasting life. Oh pretty much everyone says they believe in God. If you were to pull most kiwis on the street they would say, oh I believe in God or I believe in a supreme being or a higher power out there. But that is not what believe means. The word that Jesus used here for believe means to trust and to cling to and rely on.

To put your complete faith in Christ and Christ alone as Savior and Lord. A story I was told many years ago of a daredevil known as the Great Blondin. He was sort of the Evel Knievel of his day.

Evel Knievel is some psycho American daredevil anyway. He was known for his crazy stunts he had been doing. One day the Great Blondin strung a tightrope across the Niagara Falls and he walked across it.

Well the crowds loved it. And there were crowds on both sides. And after he had walked from one side to the other on a tightrope over the Niagara Falls the Great Blondin turned to the crowd and said, how many of you believe that I the Great Blondin can now push a wheelbarrow to the other side? And they said, we believe.

We believe. And then he pushed a wheelbarrow to the other side. People were amazed. Then he got to the other side and said, how many of you believe that I the Great Blondin could now take this wheelbarrow and push it back to the other side with a man inside of it?

Well they wanted to see that because they wanted to watch them die that day. They said, oh we believe. We believe.

We believe. And one guy was yelling a little bit louder than anyone else. And so the Great Blondin pointed at him and said, then get in the wheelbarrow.

And that man ran so fast they never found him. What does it mean to believe? It means get in the wheelbarrow. Put your faith in Christ.

You don't have a backup plan. You are saying, Lord I believe that You can save me and forgive me of all of my sin and by doing this I know that I will live forever. Whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

Listen. Let me tell you something. Everyone is going to live forever. But you are going to live forever in one of two places.

You are going to live forever in the presence of God in heaven or you are going to live forever separated from Him in a place called hell. I know some of you just choked on that. I liked you until you said hell.

Ok. Sorry but I have got to tell you the whole truth. The gospel truth. And part of the good news of knowing that I can be forgiven is knowing that I don't have to be separated from God in hell. And the last place God wants any man or woman uniquely created in His image to go to is this place called hell. He didn't create it for people.

He created it Jesus said for the devil and his angels, his demon powers that follow him. God wants you to go to heaven but He is not going to force you to go against your will. He is not going to say, get up to heaven right now young man. If you don't want to go to heaven you don't have to. But if you want to you can.

How? By believing in Jesus Christ tonight and following Him. Yes you can have a new beginning. You can have a fresh start. Yes you can be born again. You say, but how Greg?

How do you do it? It just seems impossible. No it is not impossible. God can change you. Because when I was talking to Simon a few moments ago and he asked me about my background. Trust me when I tell you I was the last person who ever planned on becoming a Christian. I was cynical. I was hard.

I was skeptical. I was not looking for God that I really knew of. But when I heard how Jesus could change my life I took a little step of faith and I said, God if you are real make yourself real to me. And I am telling you what He more than answered that prayer and He will do the same thing for you tonight if you will just come take a little step of faith. You come with your questions tonight. You come with your problems tonight.

You can come with your addictions tonight. You can just come as you are and say, God I need Your forgiveness. I need this guilt taken away. I don't want to be afraid to die anymore. I want to go to heaven.

I want to find the meaning and purpose of life. You say, well what do I need to do? How can I know that I am right with God? How can I know I will go to heaven when I die? Listen. Here is what you need to recognize.

Number one. Realize you are a sinner. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

There is not one exception to this rule. Every one of us have sinned. The Bible describes sin as crossing a line. So if I were to step over this line right here that is a sin. It is called a trespass.

You have seen the sign. No trespassing. You step over that line. That is a sin. Have you ever broken one of the Ten Commandments? You shall not have any other gods before Him. You shall not take His name in vain. You shall not lie.

You shall not steal. Have you ever done any of those things? Then you have sinned.

Ok. Well I have only done it once or twice. No. No.

Listen. The Bible says if you have offended in one point of the law you are guilty of all of it. One sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. So you have crossed the line. But then sin also means to fall short of the standard. So I have not only broken His commandments. I have fallen short of His standards. And what are God's standards? Check this out.

Absolute perfection. Well who can live up to that? Answer.

No one. That is where Jesus comes in. Because He lived the perfect life and that He died the perfect death and died in your place. So you must admit you are a sinner. Just stop making excuses for it. Yes Lord I am a sinner. Ok.

Number two. Recognize that Christ died on the cross for you. It has been said you can tell the depth of a well by how much rope you have to lower. And if you want to see how radical your situation was and is look at how much rope so to speak God had to lower from heaven to reach you. He sent His own Son to die in your place. He died for your sin. The apostle Paul said, He loved me and gave Himself for me. You see Jesus came to pay a debt He did not owe because you owed a debt you could not pay. Christ died for your sins.

Number three. You need to repent of your sin. The word repent means to change your direction. The Bible says God has commanded people everywhere to repent. So if you have been going away from God it is time to hang a U-turn in the road of life and start going toward God. Yes turn from your sin.

Turn from those things that you know are wrong. And then fourthly you must receive Christ into your life. Being a Christian is not merely believing in creed or even going to a church.

It is having Jesus Christ the Son of God live inside of you. Jesus says, I stand at the door and I knock and if you will hear My voice and open the door I will come in. And right now friend He is standing at the door of your life and He is knocking. But only you can open that door. Only you can say, God I am sorry for my sin. Only you can say, Jesus come into my life. Will you do that tonight?

And then fifthly you must do it publicly. And that is why in a moment I am going to ask you to make a public stand. And I am going to ask you in a few moments after we pray if you want Christ to come into your life and you want your sin forgiven I am going to ask you to get up out of your seat and come down to this floor and stand here.

You say, now Greg what are you going to ask me to do that for? Because Jesus said, if you will acknowledge Me before people I will acknowledge you before My Father and the angels in heaven. But He added, if you deny Me before people I will deny you before the Father and the angels.

This is a way to acknowledge Him. Before people to say, I am serious about this. I mean it. So I am going to ask you to make a public stand. And then lastly you must do it now. The Bible says, today is the day of salvation. Tonight is your night. Don't put it off. Another moment.

Nicodemus had an appointment with Jesus. And you have one too. And He is going to keep it.

And I hope you keep it. And come to Him tonight. Your life can be changed.

You can walk out if you are a different person on the inside than when you came in. But you must come to Christ. And in a moment we are going to pray and I am going to invite you to come and ask for His forgiveness and come with your questions and come with your problems and come with your addictions and come with any other issues that you have and say, God I am sorry for my sin. I am willing to turn from it. I want to believe in Jesus. I want a new beginning.

I want a fresh start. I want to go to heaven when I die. If you want that tonight God will give to you the gift of eternal life. So we are going to pray.

And I am going to give you that opportunity to respond. Ok. Let's all bow our heads to our prayer if you would. Everyone praying with me. Father I pray now that You will speak to every person in this room. Every person listening to this message. Help them to see the words we have shared tonight are true. Help them to see Your promises are true. And help them to come to You tonight and receive Your forgiveness we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.