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Don't Make Deals with the Devil | How Jesus Defines Our Value

A New Beginning / Greg Laurie
The Truth Network Radio
November 26, 2024 3:00 am

Don't Make Deals with the Devil | How Jesus Defines Our Value

A New Beginning / Greg Laurie

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November 26, 2024 3:00 am

How is a value determined? Whose opinion matters? Let’s say someone says their car is worth... $15,000. Is it worth that much? It’s only really worth that much if some PAYS $15,000. What’s our worth? There might be different opinions. But Jesus gave His life for us – that’s the price He paid. That’s what we’re worth. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see ourselves through God’s eyes . . . we’ll see our worth.

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A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

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Pastor Greg Laurie recommends a great film about the 40th President of the United States. We have a movie that's going to tell you the story of this man who changed the world. Ronald Reagan was a man who believed in Jesus Christ. You're going to be inspired by it in this brand-new film starring Dennis Quaid. It's called Reagan, and it's our gift to you for your gift of any size.

Available on DVD and digital download at Harvest.org. God sees us not just for what we are. He sees us for what we will be.

Have you had some failings, some setbacks, some embarrassing moments? Well, coming up today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie says God doesn't see us through that lens. We see a blank canvas. God sees a finished painting. We see a failure. God sees potential. We see the past. God sees the future. We see a zero.

God sees a potential hero. How is value determined? Whose opinion matters? Let's say someone says their car is worth $15,000. Is it worth that much? It's really only worth that much if someone pays $15,000. What's our worth? There might be different opinions, but Jesus gave His life for us.

That's the price He paid. That's what we're worth. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see ourselves through God's eyes.

We'll see our worth. We're in our series that we're calling The House of David, and we're in two passages for our message, and they are 1 Samuel 22 and Romans 12. 1 Samuel 22 and Romans 12. The title of my message is Don't Make Deals with the Devil. So Satan, Lucifer, is cunning. He's clever. He's wicked.

He's evil, and he's been honing his craft for a long time. He knows that he generally cannot bring a Christian down in one fell swoop. Therefore, he tries to dismantle them one bite at a time, and this is often done through the subtle and very effective trap of compromise. Show me a Christian that's starting to compromise, and I will show you a Christian who is headed towards spiritual ruin.

Let me say that again. Show me a Christian who's starting to compromise. Lower their guard here. Lower it there. Going back to old vices, old sins. Just a little bit. Not all the way.

Just a little. You see that happen, and I can tell you they're headed towards spiritual ruin. Okay, so where are we in our series in The House of David at this point? David is running from the very jealous King Saul. Saul has been rejected from ruling over Israel because of his disobedience to God. David has been chosen to be the next king, and he's even been anointed by the prophet Samuel. Saul is going to do everything in his power to stop David from ascending to the throne. Saul reminds us in many ways of Satan.

He's relentless. He wants to murder David, and David is on the run. Now, here's David who has had such a great victory. He defeated the giant Goliath. He's defeated Philistines in battle. He is a warrior. He is a worshiper.

He is a man of integrity. But then the Lord begins to take away every little crutch David could potentially lean on. His family has effectively abandoned him. His wife has betrayed him.

His best friend really can't help him, and his father-in-law wants to kill him. So David has a temporary lapse of faith, and in desperation he goes to a place called Gath for some comfort. Now Gath doesn't mean a lot to us, but actually it was Philistine central. Gath is where Goliath came from. So here is David who's a legend in his own time walking through town.

Everyone recognizes him immediately including the king, and now David realizes he's in trouble. So he pretends to be insane. Now he runs from Gath and goes to a cave, and he's all by himself. He's tried to fix things.

He's only made them worse. He doesn't know what to do. Alone in this cave, no one's with him, not his friends, not his family, but he is there with the Lord. He was alone with God, and he would emerge from this cave a different man than when he went in.

I'm sure he was feeling sorry for himself. Maybe I'm talking to somebody in a similar situation right now. You're not in a literal cave, but you're in a place where you're feeling isolated, hurt, alone, unappreciated, unloved. You've thought no one cares about me. You've even thought someone listening to me somewhere. If I wasn't here, people would probably be happier. I want you to know that is the devil talking to you. You are loved. You are needed.

You are wanted more than you would ever know. But David was probably feeling pretty down at this point, but look what happens next. Let's go to 1 Samuel 22. One, David escaped to the cave of Adullam, and when his brothers and his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.

Wait, what? His family. His family that effectively wanted nothing to do with him. His father, who wouldn't even acknowledge the existence of his son David when the prophet Samuel came calling, looking for the next king of Israel.

His brothers, including Eliab, who mocked David when he showed up on the front lines as Goliath was bellowing from the valley of Elah, looking for someone to take him on. This family who had not stood with him were now back, and they go to the cave to comfort David. Isn't it great to be reconciled to people? Maybe there's a family member you've been estranged from for weeks and months, maybe even years, maybe even decades, and something happened. Maybe it was a death of a loved one.

Maybe it was something else, but you were brought back together, and you mended those fences, and you restored communication. That's a wonderful thing. That just happened for David.

That must have been very reassuring. I think his family was finally starting to get David. They took him for granted.

Now they're saying, you know what? He has done incredibly well. He's handled his success so well. Listen, the greatest test of character is not failure. It's success. I've seen success churn more than one head, and a person completely changes. You give them a little power and authority, and they become a different person. Start with those four.

Start with those four. Start with those mall cops, right? First of all, it's hard to take a mall cop seriously when they drive around on those little things, even as a light going, right? They pull over. You're under arrest. I'm going to take you back to the station. Get on my little vehicle and hold on to me.

Let's go. They act like they're law enforcement. They are. They're mall cops, right? Some people, that position, they get a little more authority, and all of a sudden, they become a different person.

They don't handle power well. David did. He remained humble. He remained considerate of others, and the family could finally see that, but that's not the only ones that supported him. Look who else showed up. 1 Samuel 22, 2. Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, everyone who was discontented gathered to David, and he became captain over them, and there were about 400 men with him.

I love this twist in the story. What a motley crew this was. This ragtag army. They could be classified 3D, distressed, in debt, and discontented. First, everyone who was distressed. This means people who are under pressure. So David is now suddenly surrounded by stressed out people. Okay, but that's not all. Now everyone who is in debt, literally people who owed money to a lot of creditors, so he's surrounded by stressed out people who are saying, hey man, can I borrow some money?

That's not all. Everyone who is discontented. This means to be bitter of soul. People who have been wronged and mistreated. Oh man. You ever hang around with bitter people?

They complain about everything and everyone, nothing ever meets their expectations. So these people were surrounding David. All of his rowdy friends were coming over tonight, and God was going to transform this group of discontented, distressed people in debt and turn them into David's mighty men of valor.

Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey everyone, I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a harvest version of Netflix.

We have all of our resources in one place. We have our movies like Steve McQueen, The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash, The Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope, and much more. Then we have our television program, daily devotions, and much more.

So go and download the Harvest Plus app. Well we're tracking the life of David today and gleaning some important spiritual principles about our worth before God. Pastor Greg continues. Listen to this. God specializes in taking the outcasts of the culture and making them people of God.

Let me say that again. God specializes in taking the outcasts of our culture and turning them in to men and women of God. I mean think about the apostles.

We put them on pedestals, but these guys were not the cream of the crop. Peter, the impulse of hot-headed fishermen. James and John, the sons of thunder who wanted to call fire down on people who were not hospitable to them. Matthew the tax collector who was working for the occupying force of Rome and in effect was betraying his own nation. And then there's Simon the terrorist.

We call him Simon the zealot, but he's more like Simon the terrorist dedicated to the violent overthrow of Rome. Jesus handpicks these disciples and he says these are the men I'm going to turn the world upside down with. Throw in some others and these become the leaders of the early church.

Here's how the apostle Paul summed it up in 1 Corinthians 1 26. Take a good look friends at who you were when God called you into this life. I don't see many of the brightest and the best. Not many influential.

Not many from high society families. Isn't it obvious Paul says that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses. God chose these nobodies to expose the hollow pretensions of the somebodies.

How true that is. So here is David now with his reject army. David has suddenly become Robin Hood with his band of merry men.

His Sherwood Forest is a Judean wilderness. He's the outlaw king now. The outlaw king waiting for Saul to be dethroned. He's like William Wallace from the Braveheart movie. He's like Maximus, Meridius, Decimus taking on Caesar. He's Luke Skywalker taking on Darth Vader.

Whatever picture you like this is what we're seeing. This is David with a small little force taking on the powerful king and his massive force. And at this moment David wrote Psalm 57.

He's looking around at all these people stressed out, agitated, bitter, angry, in debt. And he writes this Psalm 57, my soul is among lions. I must lie down among those who breathe forth fire. Even the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows.

Wait David what? No he's seeing their potential. Yeah these guys I know what they are but these are lions.

I'm hanging around lions with great strength that breathe forth fire. Reminding us that God sees us not just for what we are. He sees us for what we will be. We see a blank canvas. God sees the finished painting.

We see a failure. God sees potential. We see the past. God sees the God sees the future. We see a mess. God sees a message.

We see a zero. God sees a potential hero. He sees you for what you can become. So the old David is back now.

He's rejoicing. Again Psalm 57 written at this time he says my heart is steadfast oh Lord. My heart is steadfast. I will sing. I'll sing praises.

Be exalted above the heavens oh God. So David's come through a test. He's passed the test with flying colors. Now here comes another test.

This is a big one. Saul is pursuing David at this time with 3,000 armed men. David and his mighty men are on the run. Now what appears to be an opportunity for David opens up.

Let's read about it. First Samuel 24 looking at verse 3. Again first Samuel 24 verse 3. I'm reading from the New Living Translation. At the place where the road passes some Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. Do we all understand what that means? Okay he's going to the bathroom.

Before there were bathrooms. And as it happened David and his men were hiding further back in that very cave. Now's your opportunity David's men whispered to him.

The Lord is telling you I put your enemy into your power do with them as you please. So David crept forward and cut out a piece of the hem of Saul's robe. But then David's conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul's robe. He said to his men the Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn't attack the Lord's anointed one for the Lord himself has chosen him. So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

Wow. So here's the test for David. Would he be merciful or would he be angry and bitter like King Saul? David had every justification to take the life of Saul. Saul had thrown javelins at him. Saul wanted him dead. But yet David could have taken revenge at this point and he chose not to do it. David chooses to forgive Saul instead of taking vengeance on him. Vengeance is not ours to deal out.

It's God's. I told you to turn to Romans 12. Here's what I wanted to read to you. Romans 12 14 bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them. Pray that God will bless them. Never pay back evil with more evil.

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God for this scripture says I will take revenge.

I will pay them back says the Lord. There it is. Oh I know that's a tall order. I know that isn't easy. I know that doesn't come naturally because we live in a world today of conflict. Now we've always had conflict but I think it's worse today than any time in my life where people are attacking each other where people are always in conflict with someone else and and violence is escalating and and then you have social media that amplifies everything and then you go to a movie and it's about exalting vengeance. The whole plot of the film is waiting for the bad guy to get it from the good guy right and it makes you feel like payback is the answer not forgiveness.

Let's wrap this message up now. Who are these people that came to David? They were distressed. They were in debt and they were discontented.

This sounds like you and me. Why did we come to Jesus? Let's think of David as representing Christ. We came to Jesus because we're distressed. Rarely will a person turn to Christ when everything's going well. You know when all the bills are paid and the sky is blue and the birds are singing and the phone is charged and everything's great and then crisis hits or they have a problem with an addiction or they have a problem in their marriage or they have a problem with their family or they have an issue with their health. Something happens and they're distressed and they come to the Lord. Oh that means they're weak. No that means they're smart. Stupid people are the ones that don't come to Jesus. Oh that's not very nice.

Wait. Every one of us is weak. Every one of us is in need. If we saw our true spiritual state before God it would shock us because we stand as sinners separated from a holy God who wants to forgive us so much that he sent his own son to die in our place and if we reject that offer of forgiveness that's insanity. So sure when we're distressed we come to Jesus. Most people do.

Not all but most. The prodigal son came to the end of himself and he found the beginning of God and he returned to his father. Those who were in debt were all in debt spiritually. The Bible says the wages of sin is death and we pay for it. As I've often said in our crusades especially Christ came to pay a debt he did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

So we're in debt so we come to Jesus and those who are discontented. You know you can have everything the world offers and be empty. In fact I think you find yourself more empty when you've been there and done that and bought the t-shirt.

As long as you think if I just get to this place I'll be happy that might keep you going. But when you get to that place and go beyond that place and go beyond it even more and see how empty it all is this is why these people end up so messed up. Amy Winehouse a very talented singer made this statement and I quote, famous like a terminal cancer. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

And tragically she died of alcohol poisoning. So we're just like these people. We're distressed. We're in debt.

We're discontented. So the people had a choice. Who did they want their king to be? Do you want to follow Saul or do you want to follow David? We have the same choice. Who do we want our king to be?

Are we going to follow Satan or are we going to follow Jesus? You say boy I wouldn't put it quite that way. I'm kind of kind of the master of my own destiny the captain of my own ship.

Oh give me a break. You are not. Do you think you're in control of your life?

You aren't. The reality is the god of this world also known as the devil has you under his control. The only one who can free you from that power is Christ himself. So you make that choice. You choose who your king will be. You choose who you're going to follow. Every day you get up you make that choice and you make more choices to affirm that choice.

You make right choices or wrong choices and then you make your choices and your choices make you. Follow Jesus. He is the king worth following. He is the one that will truly set you free.

He is the one that will take you one day to his kingdom. Remember what he said to the thief on the cross. That man said Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. He said verily verily I say to you today you will be with me in paradise.

That's the hope of the Christian. And so if you would like to know that when you die you will go to heaven. If you want your sin forgiven wherever you are I want you to pray this prayer after me right where you are. I can't just pray this prayer.

You can even pray it out loud. Pray Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I choose to follow you now from this moment forward as my savior and Lord and as my God and my friend. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Today on A New Beginning, an important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie with those making a change in their relationship with the Lord. And if you've just prayed those words and meant them sincerely, well we want to be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And then we want to help you get started in living each day with the Lord.

Let us send you something special. It's Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. It has scores of helps along with the Bible text. It'll help answer your questions and help you build a solid foundation for spiritual growth. We'll send you the New Believers Bible without charge when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. Call anytime 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click the words, Know God. And then let us take a moment to thank you for praying for this ministry and for supporting it through your generous donation.

It's an investment in kingdom business. Isn't that right Pastor Greg? Yeah, it's really true Dave and I believe it's so important because you know the gospel saves lives. It saves eternal lives because when a person believes in Jesus according to scripture they pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God. And then of course that changes the course of their future.

That impacts their children and their children's children. The gospel changes everything and thousands and thousands of people respond every single year. Thanks to the Lord. Also thanks to you for your investment in this ministry enabling us to reach people wherever they are. So if this is something you care about I encourage you to make a financial investment in A New Beginning and Harvest Ministries. Yeah that's right and we really do appreciate your support. Thanks for partnering with us today.

It can make a real difference not just for today or this week but for eternity. So get in touch with your support today by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside, California 92514 or go online to harvest.org. Well next time Pastor Greg continues our study series called The House of David as David encounters a young man named Mephibosheth. Good encouragement coming our way. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Lord.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-11-26 05:56:23 / 2024-11-26 06:05:24 / 9

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