There’s a New Kid in Town | Properly Presenting the Gospel

Hey, everybody, you're listening to A New Beginning, which is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners.

If this program has impacted you, I'd love to hear from you. So just send an email to me at greg.harvest.org. Again, it's greg.harvest.org.

You can learn more about becoming a Harvest Partner by going to harvest.org. We cannot promise the forgiveness of God without speaking of repentance. We cannot offer the hope of heaven without warning about hell. But there should be grace and love in that message we give to people so we don't drive them away. We want to reach them and help them have their spiritual eyes open. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Again, you hear all the angels are singing. This is the day, the day where life begins.

If we preach a watered-down gospel and people respond to that half of a gospel message, are they really responding to the truth, the whole truth, the truth presented clearly in Scripture? Well, that's an important question, and Pastor Greg Laurie tackles that today here on A New Beginning. We're studying the life of the prophet Elijah, a man who stepped out in courageous boldness and made a difference in his time. Let's find out today how we can do the same in our time. It's the day, the day when life begins. Elijah the prophet, he came at a very dark time in the history of Israel.

But this single man changed history and caused Israel to turn back to God, and it shows how one man or one woman can make all the difference. And we too live in very dark times in our country right now. We have all of the turmoil.

We have the crime. We have the divisions racially and politically, and then we have the family that's under attack right now. Many not only want to redefine the family, they want to redefine what a man and a woman actually is. And now we hear about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. This is very good news.

This is an answer to prayer, but not everyone's excited about it, are they? So it's just more turmoil, more division in the country today, and it reminds us of that passage that says in the last days, things would go from bad to worse. And this stage of the history of Israel closely parallels America today. Basically, the people had abandoned God. It's not that they didn't believe in God anymore, they had just put other gods in his place.

A little historical background here before we dive in. Israel had had years under the leadership of Saul, David, and finally Solomon. So Saul wasn't the worst king of all time, but he wasn't a great king, and he was replaced by David, who was probably the greatest king in the history of Israel, and he had his flaws and setbacks and sins. And then finally, his son Solomon, who ruled well for a time and was known as the wisest man in all of the world, even the queen of Sheba came to sit at his feet, but of course he had his backslide, but he returned to the Lord. But then there was a division after King Solomon died, and Israel was divided into two sections.

It was the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom, and idolatry exploded, and now there's a new king in town, and his name is Ahab, and he was the most sinful king up to that point. And if that wasn't bad enough, he married an extremely wicked woman named Jezebel, who effectively was the power behind the throne. Jezebel was an overt worshiper of the god Baal, and she introduced Baal worship to Israel. By the way, Baal means master or lord, and Baal is the god of the elements, the god of the weather, the god of the sun, the stars, and that's why it's so significant that when Elijah faced off with the prophets of Baal up on Mount Carmel, really asking the god who was real to answer by fire, this should have been a walk in the park for Baal. But nothing happened because Baal wasn't real. He was a false god, and that's why Elijah was seeking to show. Another thing about Baal is Baal required the sacrifice of children. The firstborn son had to be sacrificed to Baal. You can see images of this false god made out of metal with its hands outstretched, and the idea was to get him burning very hot and to place the little baby in the arms of the outstretched idol. That was your sacrifice to this false god. So things were getting really horrible in Israel at this point. Now, Ammon and Jezebel planted what was known as a sacred grove, a group of trees that were used for the worship of Ashtoreth. Now, in contrast to Baal, Ashtoreth was the goddess of sex and violence, and the people thought that they could just worship these false gods with impunity.

Then nothing would ever really happen, and I wonder, are there not current versions of these gods today? Do we not bow at the altar of sex and violence? Have you listened to music lately? Have you seen a movie lately? Have you watched television lately? You see these things constantly being brought upon us, and then you talk about sacrificing our children. In the name of reproductive rights, people sacrifice the lives of unborn children. It's modern idolatry. Ahab and Jezebel were so bad that the Bible says of them in 1 Kings 16, Ahab did more to provoke the god of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

So they thought, hey, this is great. The true god doesn't really care. We can have all this fun. We can break God's laws.

We can live immorally and do all of these things. But, of course, God warns in scripture, don't be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap.

So let's start the story. 1 Kings 17, verse 1. Just a simple verse. And Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab, as the lord god of Israel lives, before whom I stand, I'd underline that, as the lord god of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except in my word.

Stop there. Elijah flung down the gauntlet of his challenge at the very nerve center of Israel. There was a new kid in town. His very name said it all. His name means my god is Jehovah. It was a rebuke to the king and queen. Your god may be pale, but my god is the lord and my god is alive and your god is not.

Where did he get that courage? Go back to verse 1. As the lord god of Israel lives, before whom I stand.

Point number 1. Elijah stood continually in the presence of God. Elijah stood continually in the presence of God.

Though he was technically in the presence of Ahab and Jezebel, he was always conscious of God's presence. Wherever he went, he was aware, God is with me. God is hearing this. God is watching this. Also, God is leading me and God is guiding me. He always walked closely to the lord.

Listen to this. When you stand in the presence of God, you will not bow before any man. It will give you a courage that you never thought you could have before. It's a supernatural courage. Proverbs 28 says the righteous are as bold as a lion. This awareness of God's presence gave Elijah to stand his ground. And it's a good reminder for us to keep in mind the simple fact that to whoever we speak, wherever it is and wherever we go, God is with us. And one person can make all the difference in the world.

You're an army of one. But one with God is a majority. Number 2, Elijah was a man of prayer. He was a man of prayer.

James 5 17 says Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again, he prayed and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops.

It was Elijah's prayer in private that was the source of his power in public. And it's worth noting that James points out he prayed earnestly. You know, you can pray and then you can really pray, right? An earnest prayer. Earnest like he prayed with passion. It wasn't a laid back kind of prayer but it was a forceful prayer even. The word earnestly is a Hebrew idiom that means he prayed with prayer. There was an intensity in the prayer that he prayed. It reminds me of the story in Acts 12 of when Peter was arrested by King Herod and he was in prison.

It was going to be executed the next day. And we read in Acts 12 constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. That same phrase constant prayer means passionate, earnest prayer. And I think how often do we pray about things? We're so quick to complain about things.

We're so quick to be in despair over things. Pray about them. Remember the Bible says you have not because you ask not. Bring it to prayer. Don't worry about anything the Bible reminds us. But pray about everything.

And that's what Elijah did. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. You know there's nothing like hearing the word of God and worshiping the Lord together. I want to encourage you to join us for something we call Harvest at Home. It happens every Saturday and Sunday at Harvest.org. You can join Christians literally from around the world as we worship and we study the word of God together.

So join us for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well Pastor Greg is offering up principles drawn from the life of Elijah. Principles that will help us be men and women who make a difference just as Elijah did.

Let's continue. Here's the third principle. He knew the scripture and he acted on it. Elijah knew the scripture and he acted on it.

It appears. He bases this bold proclamation he makes to Abraham and Jezebel on scripture because Deuteronomy 11 16 gives us warning. Be careful or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow to them.

Then the Lord's anger will burn against you and he will shut the heavens so it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you. So Elijah read that and said well there's a warning. So I don't know if he was acting on this passage in particular but he went into the court of the king and he made this bold statement.

And then number four. Elijah faithfully delivered the message. He faithfully delivered the message.

You know sometimes we have a good news message and sometimes we have to give a bad news message and it's hard to do the latter more than the former. And we too have a message to deliver and it's wonderful to tell people that God loves them and it's true isn't it. It's wonderful to tell people Christ can forgive us of all of our sins. It's fantastic to tell people that he can give them the peace that passes all human understanding and that they can have the hope of heaven and this is all true.

But it's not as easy to say Jesus Christ is the only way to the father and there is no other way to him because he himself said I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the father but by me. But we need to be faithful to God and deliver this message having said that we want to do it with as much grace and compassion as we can. You do it with grace as I've said before if you want to win some be winsome. Let me put it another way be a nice person okay.

Just in general be a nice person be a kind person be a friendly person in general be an affirming person be a helpful person. But when the moment comes for you to deliver the gospel you must do so with clarity and accuracy. But Colossians 4 says be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.

The great evangelist D.L. Moody once said that whenever you talk about hell you should always do so with a tear in your eye. And I think sometimes people when they deliver the message about hell may take a little perverse pleasure in saying it. You're going to hell.

Excuse me. No this should break your heart to deliver that message. But it is part of the whole council of God. Listen we cannot promise the forgiveness of God without speaking of repentance. We cannot offer the hope of heaven without warning about hell. But there should be grace and love in that message we give to people so we don't drive them away. Because we want to reach the person who is living immorally. We want to reach the person that is making bad decisions and is getting into drugs or alcohol or whatever it might be.

We want to share it with compassion. Listen non-believers are not the enemy. They're under the control of the enemy. Don't treat a non-believer like they're the enemy. Because the Bible says they've been taken captive by Satan to do his will. And don't forget you used to be one of those people. But sometimes it can become very intolerant.

I'm against that. And we want to yell at them and we want to argue with them. You want to reach them and help them have their spiritual eyes opened.

And have them come to Christ. I've mentioned abortion in this message. And I want to close with two communications I received. One was a letter and one was actually a voicemail. So the first one was from a young lady named Crystal. And she writes, I listened to Greg every day on the radio while I was working at Planned Parenthood.

I worked there for over a year. It was a certain sermon, writes Crystal, that scared me. And it hit harder than it had hit before. And one day while I was counting the pieces of a dismembered baby I thought about Greg's sermon. Where he said if Jesus came back right then would I be left behind. Now I was preaching on the imminent return of Christ.

And I asked the question is there anything that you're doing right now you would be ashamed to be doing if Christ came back. And here is Crystal assisting a doctor in an abortion procedure. And it dawns on her that this is the most horrible thing ever.

She repents of this. She quits her job at Planned Parenthood. And now she's an advocate for the lives of unborn children. See that's the power of the gospel. But what about the woman who's had the abortion.

Is there any hope for her? So a lady left a voice mail for our radio program. And she says I have a 45 minute commute to and from work and I was listening to one of Greg Laurie's podcasts. And I finished listening to one of his sermons titled Let's Talk About Heaven. She writes I had an abortion back in 2010 and it's been a long journey of healing. And when I finally came to the realization that the safest place is to be at the foot of the cross. I was able to fully experience God's grace and mercy that he has for me. I'm getting emotional because I know one day I'll be reunited with my baby as well as with Jesus Christ. And I want to say thank you.

See this is important. Because you could look at some young woman and she got an abortion. You begin to lash out at her way. She needs God's healing.

She needs God's forgiveness. We need to have compassion on people. And see them as God sees them.

Not as the enemy. But as sheep without a shepherd. This is why Jesus came and died on the cross for our sins. So this compassion is so important.

Here's the takeaway truth. God gives second chances. Isn't that great to know? Regardless of what bad decisions you have made in your life. The Bible promises that God can bring beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning.

So I just want you to know that. And God can forgive. And God can give you a second chance. And you can start over again. And this is the good news of the gospel.

We must never lose sight of it. And let me close by just saying. If you have never asked God to forgive you of your sin. Or if you have failed as a believer and need to make a recommitment.

You can do it right now. Let's pray. Father thank you for the hope of scripture. Thank you for what Jesus did for us on the cross. Dying for our sins. And as that lady wrote she was experiencing mercy and grace.

Because she found it at the foot of the cross. That's the only place where we can find forgiveness. That's the only place where we can be reconciled with you. This is how we come to know you. And I pray for any that have joined us.

If they don't have this relationship with you. Let this be the moment they believe in Jesus. Or recommit their life to Jesus. We commit each one to you now. And now while our heads are bowed. And we're praying together. Maybe there's somebody here that needs Christ to come into their life.

And be their Savior and Lord. You don't have this relationship with Him. Or maybe there's somebody here that is messed up as a follower of Christ. But you've stumbled. You've fallen. But you want to make a recommitment to Him.

This is your moment when you can do it. And you can just pray this prayer after me. Lord Jesus, I'm sorry for my sin.

And I churn from it now. And I choose to follow You. It's not just my Savior. But also as my Lord and my God.

And I want to do what You want me to do. So I commit myself to You. And I thank You for the forgiveness You give now. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Such an important prayer. Pastor Greg Laurie, praying with those asking the Lord to forgive their sins. And if you've just prayed that prayer and meant those words, then your sins have been forgiven. And we want to welcome you into God's family.

Or back into God's family. Let us send you some resources to help you as you walk that pathway of faith. We call this resource collection our New Believers Growth Packet. We'll send it free of charge when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime. That's 1-800-821-3300.

Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, Pastor Greg, we're excited to make available your book on Revelation. Yes. Now, many Bible students know that Revelation promises a blessing to those who read, hear, and keep the words of this book. That's right. So it seems even the Bible acknowledges that Revelation is no ordinary Bible study.

That's right. It stands out from every other book of the Bible. Of course, it's the final book at the end of your Bible. And the word Revelation means unveiling.

Because it's not God's desire to conceal, but to reveal. And Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but to prepare us. And there is a special blessing attached to this book in particular.

And it's in the first chapter of Revelation. And that promise is, blessed is the person that reads, hears, and keeps the words of this book. So, David, it's interesting because that phrase, read, means to read out loud. So there's a blessing on you if you will simply read this book. But then it says you must hear it. You know, Jesus would often say, he that has ears to hear, let him hear.

Our amount of vernacular would be, listen up, pay attention. So I have to read it, I have to hear it, and then finally I need to keep it. Meaning, I need to take these truths in this book and apply them in their own life.

When we study Bible prophecy, it's not just to know more about the future, but it's for us to know how we should live in the present. And I've written a book simply called Revelation, subtitled A Book of Promises. This is a thick book. This is a hardcover book that will be a resource that you can go to again and again.

Here's what I've had a lot of people say to me. For the first time, I understood how this book applied to me. I think this is a very understandable book, a very relevant book, especially for the times in which we are living. So for your gift of any size, we're offering you this book, Revelation, A Book of Promises. So whatever you can send to help our ministry is greatly appreciated. This helps us to get the gospel out, get the teaching of the word of God out. So order your copy of this book available from Harvest Ministries right now.

Yeah, that's right. And we'll rush a copy back to you to thank you for your investment in these daily teaching opportunities. It's only through listener support that we can continue to come your way. So get in touch today for Pastor Greg's book, Revelation, A Book of Promises. And by the way, we're including a custom bookmark along with the book. It shows the timeline of God's end times events graphically.

It helps you see the order of events very clearly. It comes automatically with the book. So send your donation today to A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to Harvest.org. Well, next time, Pastor Greg has important insights drawn from the challenges Elijah faced, insights that will help us face the trials of our lives. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins. Thanks for listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a Harvest Partner at harvest.org.