From Hopelessness to Happiness

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org everybody Pastor Greg Laurie here and welcome to Harvest at Home.

In case you just joined us the title by messages from hopelessness to happiness.

My talking to somebody right now it is feeling hopeless my talking to somebody right now that is just terrified of the future. If you don't think you can ever be happy again than you want to hear what I'm about to save you from the word of God. When we start with the word of prayer. Father I pray for every person in every place where they are watching this around our globe and I pray that you will speak to their hearts because your word is alive and it's powerful and it's sharper than any two-edged sword, so use your word in our life to comfort us to encourage us to correct this if necessary.

And the point is toward you. Because the Bible is your autobiography speak to us through it. We pray in Jesus name we ask it. Amen.

All right, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 20 Exodus chapter 20, and again the title of this message is from hopelessness to happiness.

Hope that is something that seems to be in short supply in this day and age. I read a headline from a news site the other day that says quote Americans are the unhappy as they have been in 50 years. 14% of Americans say they are very unhappy, down from 31% said they were happy in 2018.

This is because of the impact of the coronavirus and the stay-at-home orders and all the other problems that have come as a result of better people are feeling isolated, lonely, uncertain about their future and in some cases hopeless some of even given into them tragically so I want to speak to you right now. Anyone who has ever felt as though your life does not matter.

Nobody cares about you, no one would miss you if you're gone me say this to you. You could not be more wrong. You are loved by God. You are loved by so many people more than you realize in your life as meaning your life has purpose. You have a place and we need you so I want you to hang on. You know sometimes when you're young life can seem so unfair and like can seem so hard and you wonder how many again I'm I going to get through it and look this is one of the few advantages of age of I could trade.

I'd rather be young again. But sometimes I feel like I'm a young person trapped in an old person's body.

But let me just say this if you're young and you're facing some crisis right now.

No matter how bad it is you're going to get through it whatever you're going through. It's going to pass out. Ultimately, this too shall pass. No, honestly, it may pass like a kidney stone through your system, but it is going to pass and you are getting get through it and listen to this God can take all of the occurred and the pain that you've experienced in life and ultimately use it to touch other people and make you the man or the woman that he wants you to be. I'm not speaking from a vacuum. I was not raised in a Christian home.

I didn't have a Christian mom and dad that took me in the bed at night and read the Bible stories and live the opposite of that life. I think most of you know my story, raised by an alcoholic mother married and divorced seven times been drug all around the country. A very crazy tumultuous childhood and it was hard and it was difficult. But when I came to faith in Christ did change the course of my life and I feel like I can take the pain and the hardship I've been through and help other people. It's been said if you preach to hurting people. You will never lack for an audience. I know I'm talking to some hurting people out there right now we all could use some help of famous cardiologist wrote in his autobiography, and I quote hope is the medicine I use more than any other. Hope can cure nearly anything."

Could you use some of that medicine right now, could you use some hope. I like to sum it up in an acronym HOPER Jim Crow.

Think of all H for hold all for on P4 patient Ivor endurance holding on with patient endurance. Hold on, you're going to get through what you're going through now you want to talk about having the debt stacked against you. You want about how you want to talk about have enough hopeless future I can think of anyone who faced a more bleak scenario. The little baby Moses.

Moses was chosen by God to save a nation, but before that was going to happen. Moses was the baby whose life was in danger. You remember the story that the Pharaoh of Egypt had given a decree that all the Jewish baby boy should be put to death and Moses was included in that number, but his parents did not obey that ruling of the Pharaoh.

Obviously, and they put them in a a little basket and send them cruising down the Nile River and he was discovered by none other than the daughter of the Pharaoh and he was taken into the home of the Pharaoh as a son, and some believe he was being groomed to be the next Pharaoh of Egypt was so God saved his life in before we get further in the story and what God used him to do. Just keep this in mind it was a hopeless situation that was turned around by God. Moses is an interesting character for sure. He was both a lawgiver and he was a law breaker. He was born in poverty, but he was raised in a palace in the wilderness became his home. At times he could be impulsive, impatient and explosive and at other times he can be unbelievably patient and persistent and faithful to what the Lord called on to do. Moses was both idolized and criticized.

Yet he remained humble and forgiving. How did this man do what he did. Can we tap into some secrets of this great man of God and learn how to face our own difficulties and I believe the answer is yes okay so were in this series that were simply calling water Firestone. For those of you that attend our church in Riverside, California or Orange County California or in Hawaii. This was a series we were in when the coronavirus so we pivoted quickly. I did a new series of messages. Now I'm returning to this series. Now for those of you that have only been a part of our extended family through Harvest at Home.

This is a brand-new series for you.

Okay, so still be a bit of recap in my message as we work our way through the life of Moses again. It's called water Firestone is called water because God seemed baby Moses from the Nile River and preserved his life as I already pointed out, he was taken into the home of Pharaoh had he played his cards right, he could become a very powerful man, but the reality is, is Moses was Jewish and he saw and how his fellow Jews were being mistreated by the Egyptians and does so one day he took matters into his own hands in the sauna Egyptian taskmaster truly treating a Jewish slave beating him some Moses. The Bible says look to the right and he looked to the left and he killed the Egyptian shall adopt the Lord and said don't do that. Then he buried them in the sand. By the way, if you're going to kill someone. Don't bury them in the sand because the sand moves a lot and it was quickly discovered and the Pharaoh said Moses is going to die. That brings us a section number two of this series, fire, water, Firestone fire because it was at a burning bush that God recommissioned Moses, so the life of Moses can be divided into three forty-year sections. He spent 40 years in the court of the Pharaoh.

Finding out he was a somebody he spent 40 years in the backside of the desert finding out he was a nobody. Then he spent 40 years finding out what God can do with a somebody who realizes there is nobody God use Moses to bring the Israelites out of the bondage of Pharaoh into a land of promise. So that brings us to the third section stone so it's water fire stone stone represents that section that were in now or God gave to Moses the 10 Commandments written on a tablet of stone. You know it's a funny thing. We run around with our tablets today we read our emails on them and we follow social media on them.

We watch movies on them there so much a part of our life. Well God had the original tablets and they were made by Apple or android. They were given by God, and they were engraved with his words by his very finger. We call it the 10 Commandments and I want to look at those together with you, barely 300 words long. In English the 10 Commandments, form the foundation of the legal system and there are at the heart of Western civilization. Someone wrote this about the 10 Commandments and I quote the reason we have 17,000 pages in our law books in America is because were unable to follow 10 sentences written in tablets of stone. If we follow the 10 Commandments we would not be in the mess were in politics will not solve our problem. Our problems until God changes our heart." Well said in my interview last time was Sen. Tim Scott. I love how he summed it up. He said it's not a black solution. It's not a white solution. It's not a blue solution. It's a God solution and that's true in God's given us the solution to all of our problems right here in the Scripture and their broken out for us in the 10 Commandments now, most people acknowledge that the 10 Commandments are important that their true very few people know the 10 Commandments.

A recent survey revealed that only 14% of Americans could name the 10 Commandments of me ask you, can you name the 10 Commandments.

Maybe I'll do that a little bit later with the folks that you know but on the note read them for you in just a moment.

We know so many other things.

For instance, by comparison, a court of Americans can name the seven ingredients in a big Mac. Nearly 1/4. Know the names of all three stooges and one in three could name all the kids from the Brady Bunch really. It's amazing so we know that the big Mac as to all beef patties, but we don't know that also not stealer that also not bear false witness, illegible Dragon. It's hard to memorize them. What we know other things. One of the names of the Beatles will John poor George Ringel. Of course we would you Memorize one commandment or two or three.

I suggest you can memorize all of these commitments but we need to do more than memorize a commitment. We need to internalize the commandments because they're not obsolete. Their absolute me say that again. The commandments are not obsolete. Their absolute and if you keep these commandments, you will be a happy person because someone says blessed or happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in it, does he meditate day and night, so if I keep these commandments I'll be a happy person. The commandments are not like the bars of a prison to keep you inside there like walls of protection to keep evil out of your life are given for your own good. So you can go from hopelessness to happiness. So let's look at what the commandments have the say to us.

Exodus chapter 20, read quite a few verses with you so I hope you'll read along here we are.

Commandment number one Exodus 20 verse two. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me commandment number two Exodus 20 verse four you shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything is in heaven above or the earth beneath or in the water under the earth, nor shall you bow down to them or serve them.

For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity on the fathers on the children of the third and fourth generations of those who hate me and showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments commandment number three I Exodus 20 verse seven you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.

The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Commandment number four Exodus 20 verse eight and nine. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Commandment number five Exodus 2012 honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land of the Lord is giving you commandment number six you shall not murder. Commandment number seven you shall not commit adultery commandment number eight Exodus 20 verse 15 you shall not steal commandment number nine Exodus 20 verse 16 you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor or don't lie and then one final commandment, Exodus 20 verse 17 you shall not covet your neighbor's house or covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant or female servant, or thoughts, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor so that they are those of the 10 Commandments start working on memorizing them then start working on internalizing them know the order of the commandments is very important if you are I were to write the 10 Commandments we might prioritize some over others. For instance, we might say, will the most important commandment.

Or maybe we should start with this one is. You shall not murder. Are you shall not commit adultery. I mean, no matter how culture is going. It seems like we all can agree on the fact that murder and adultery are wrong right so we might put those at the top of the list, but it's interesting how the Lord starts the 10 Commandments he is saying that to him. The first thing that we need to start with is not having another God before Jim because that deals with everything here's another. We look at Jesus, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. So if you get this down. You will have the 10 Commandments working in your life. If I love God with all of my heart, soul and mind. I'm not going to have another God before I'm not gonna bow down before a false image of God. I'm not going to take his name in vain, and acidity aside to worship him if I love my neighbor as myself. I'm not going to steal from him. I'm not going to lie to him.

I'm not going to kill him, etc. so as Augustine once said love God and do as you please. But I think the reality of that is is up.

I love God will do the right thing. I want to honor him in the right way. So let's start with commandment number one you shall have no other gods before me, a written survey that revealed that 76% of Americans consider themselves completely faithful to the first commandment.

While 76%.

Is that true is it true that most Americans have never had another God in the place of the true God. Or maybe we need to understand what the Bible is saying here. It all starts with the place of God in your life. Reason being, you will serve what you worship.

Remember, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness and Satan said to Jesus, why don't you bow down and worship me in Christ responded, you shall worship the Lord God and him only shall you serve.

Interesting. The devil didn't see anything about serving. He just said to be the momentary pleasure of worshiping me, and I'll give you what you've come for because Scripture says Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time effectively. The devil was saying Jesus a make you a deal. You cannot refuse an imitation of the Godfather.

I'll give you what you come for I know you've come to die on a cross for the sins of the world. I know you come to purchase backup which was lost in the Garden of Eden.

I'll give it to you on a silver platter.

If you'll just worship me. Jesus says you shall worry choosing.

He says it is written, you shall worship the Lord God only, and him only shall you serve. The devil said nothing about service but Jesus did. Why, because Jesus knows that we will end up serving whatever we worship. If God is number one in your life. Everything else will find its proper balance. If God is not number one in your life. Everything else will be in chaos. Notice here that God gives them and us the motive for keeping these commandments were soon. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

The Lord does not begin by threatening or scaring them.

He starts by reminding them of what kind of God. He was a loving, caring God delivered them from their misery is something people say all the God of the Old Testament is harsh and mean and the God of the New Testament is loving and kind.

That's nonsense. There's one God of both the old and the New Testament and he is a God of love. He is a God who is gracious.

He is a God who is full of mercy, but he's a holy God and he's a righteous God, and he gives us absolutes to live by. Basically, the Lord is saying is paraphrase. Hey, I took care of you guys. I delivered you from your bondage in Egypt you were a slave there. Now we hear that was a well that's nice but I'm not an Israelite was delivered from bondage in Egypt yes, but you were a sinner who was delivered from the bondage of your sin, were you not if you put your faith in Christ. So the idea here is think about all that God has done for you and then as a result you should want to honor him in the way that you live you should want to reciprocate. The Bible says we love him because he first loved us. So the Lord is saying hey I took care of you.

Now I want you to keep these commandments he has certain expectations of us. My love for God should be a response to his love for me not been married to my wife Kathy for 46 years you met her a little bit earlier. She doesn't even look like she's 46 years old, but we've been married 46 years and I am certain expectations of her. I expect Kathy to be faithful to me. I expect her to stand by my side.

I expect her to tell me the truth.

I expect her to be with me through thick and thin, for better or for worse than sickness and the help for richer or for poorer, and she expects the same of me and so she should. So here's what the Lord is saying I don't want to share you with somebody else. Imagine a white scene, your husband, honey, I love you so much about the women going on a date tonight with Chad and her know why Chad Chad and I don't know what I'll be back. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow bye love you no clear thinking husband would go along with their game plan for this, a mobile cell Lord I love you so much, but effectively we have another God in our life. I will say Lord I love you so much Bud will be breaking his commandments left and right but listen, here's what the Lord says look at Exodus 20 verse six I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me, keep my commandments on the throne. Some people would he mean he's a jealous God's got that insecure that he has to be jealous and we tend to think of jealousy always in negative sense.

I believe it was Shakespeare who referred to jealousy is that green eyed monster. We think a jealous person is someone who may fly into a rage for the slightest reason but when the Lord uses this word. I am a jealous God. He needs it in a different way. He showing to the people of Israel that he cares about them of father who sees the potential of his children of father who was broken hearted when these things are not realized or worse when their lives are wasted. He's a father who loves his children and wants the very best for them.

That's what it means in the Bible says he's a jealous God.

That means he is in charge of your life. You are not in charge of your life. God cares about you so you know we can be a jealous parent and by being a jealous parent means we understand it's our responsibility to take care of our kids today. As mentioned is Father's Day. So we think about the fact that our children are our responsibility.

So will say, sit up straight, clean up your room show better manners when you're talking to an adult do this don't do that. That is the role of a parent appeared that once the best for their child. It's not our position to go to somebody else's child and tell them what to do, but we have a responsibility to tell our own children what to do because we belong to God because we put our faith in Christ we become children of God. He says I have certain expectations of you. I have a future for you.

I have a wonderful plan for you and I don't want to share you with anyone or anything else having another God is easier than you may think it is. The Bible says little children, keep yourself from idols. A lot of things can become an idol in your life you know a vehicle could become an idol house can become an idol, a career can become an idol, a ministry can even become an idol. A person can be an idol in your life or we take our eyes of the Lord of more more passionate about that thing work and might be something you do for fun or for a hobby or some other thing you can put other gods in the place of the true God, the Lord is effect of the state.

I don't want to share you with anyone or anything else bringing this to the Second Amendment don't have graven images now that's is making some false image of God, and that's are easy to deal keep this is even more absurd to talk about the wife telling her husband.

She's going on a date with some guy named Chad Hubbard of the husband said no problem on them and spend the night with my favorite girl.

I called her Mary Manny and why do you call her that she's a Manichaean yeah you say I fronted out of the department store. She does whatever I told her to do. She's always smiling. She's dependable and she never talks back all this is even crazier. Your wife is leaving you for some dude named Chad and you're leaving your wife or some stupid Manichaean is it any more ridiculous when we allow some object to take the place of the Lord and our life. So have no other gods before him, don't have any graven images commandment number three.

Don't take his name in vain. Don't take the Lord's name in vain.

Verse seven of Exodus 20 you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.

Now what is it mean mother's obvious ways is the people who use the Lord's name in profanity and to me that's where those I don't believe in Jesus Christ but I use the name of Jesus Christ to punctuate appointments and that is obviously one way you can take his name in vain.

But the phrase in being means to use in a frivolous or insincere manner. So sometimes we can say something to the Lord and have no part of the Lord whatsoever, as were saying it or sometimes we use it when we text each other. OMG AND will does the oh God oh God oh God all the time way, what, why are you taking the Lord's name to make your point. Don't take his name in vain. But perhaps the easiest way to take his name in vain is by being a hypocrite. The person who says Lord, Lord, but does not keep his commandments, Jesus is. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say listen to me. The hypocrisy of the church is far worse than the profanity on the street. Let's not take his name in vain brings of the commandment for which is remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20 verse eight. Now let's get real. Sabbath day always was and always will be the day of Saturday given to the Jewish people and the special covenant between them and God. But for the Christian we worship often on Sunday which is the first day of the week.

That's the day Christ rose from the dead, that is the day that the early church worship and that is the day that should fully as close it in a connected way actually, but the fact of this is is is we want to remember to take a day aside and set it apart for the glory of God. A day set apart to rest from our labors a day set apart to be recharged spiritually. Okay so knowledge of care.

We just left the first tablet.

Remember, there's four commands in the first tablet.

You shall not have any other gods before him know graven images don't take his name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day. Now we come to tablet number two. So the first tablet has to do with our relationship with God. The second tablet has to do with our relationship with other people, and it begins with these words. Honor your father and mother deleting Father's Day today will we honor dads out there acknowledging your contribution saying thank you, remembering the great sacrifices so many of you make to provide for your family and the work hardened and be all that God has called you to be in. As I said earlier, I think fathers are the unsung heroes of our culture and I think you can trace so many societal ills to the absence of fathers. So for those dads that are standing by their commitment. I think you and I pray you continue to do that. Let me just offer a word of encouragement to you fathers to be a good father. You need to take time with your kids. Did you know the most of the formative years of a child's life are ages birth to three and Moses, who were talking about had some very good advice for fathers out there when it comes to raising our kids. He says in Deuteronomy 6.

Write these commandments that I given you today on your hearts get them inside of you, and then get them inside of your children.

Talk about them wherever you are sitting in Homer walking in the street talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night and how practical is that so it's great to have maybe a little devotional time with your kids. By the way, if you're trying to do devotions at home. I don't make them too long. Don't make them boring involve the kids in the conversation of the greatest compliment a child can pay a parent, a mom or a dad is I want another story.

Tell me more, rather than them rolling their eyes or falling asleep, or you're trying to be some great expositor for an hour and 1/2 with them enter into their world. I considered telling they can do all these things do those things with them.

You know, watch television with them and help them to interpret what's going on around them, talk to them about conversations they have with their friends because they need your input in the knee-jerk counsel did you know that the age most kids start to turn away from their faith is the age of 13.

You might've thought it was 16 or 17 or 18 at age 13 my talking to a parent with a 13-year-old.

You've just entered the teen years and you're wondering what happened to my sweet kids, well they're going through a transitional time and they need you more than ever listen to my talking to a 13-year-old right now. Talk to your parents get their input because you needed more then ever in the best example of a good father is our father in heaven as he will yell but he's in heaven I I I can't relate to him a really what you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus what is Jesus is God. Jesus was God walking among us. Jesus was God with skin on, God had a face.

He reads our air. He walked our earth. He lives our life. And then he died our death and Jesus told us a story that shows us what God the father is like it's a story that we often referred to as the parable of the prodigal son and it's a father who had two sons. I relate to this because I have two sons, one of them is in heaven.

One is on earth of father had two sons and one of those sons run away from home. One of those sons took his portion of the inheritance and squandered it on foolish choices and horrible living in the face the consequences of it and that son decided one day to return to his father and in this picture that Jesus gives us of God in this Sophie of God. If you will, God is presented to us as a loving father who misses his child when they're gone, God is presented as a loving father. The longs for his child to return as shown by the story that Jesus told when he said, when a boy came to his senses and returned home.

When the father saw him a great way off, he ran to him and threw his arms around him and kissed him and welcomed him home and said let's rejoice.

My son who is dead is alive again. He was lost is found. That's how God feels about you the 10 Commandments.

Some people say well I live by the 10 Commandments that's all the religion I need. Like I don't even know you and I want to see something really blunt you to live by the 10 Commandments because you broken them. Some of you may have broken every single one of them in some way shape or form. The Commandments were not given to me because holy.

The Commandments are given the show itself unholy. We are there given to open our eyes and shut arm that helps because I realize amen I fall short of those commandments who among us right now is not broken.

One of these commandments rose on me really that he must know them have ever had another God before him. Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vain. Have you ever stolen anything.

Have you ever lied in your life know I haven't your line right now. Everyone of us have broken these commandments in the Bible says that we have been in one point of the law were guilty of all of it a while back I was driving the NII ran through a red light. I did do it intentionally, but I wasn't paying attention was my fault and I broke the law technically and bought tell you what I did it right in front of a cop and I immediately saw that like my rearview mirror and I pulled over and and I rolled down my window and I put my hands on the steering wheel and the officer comes approaching me on my left and Yossi Rickman for me for my drivers license and insurance and so forth and NII just said officer. I'm really sorry I was wrong.

I wasn't paying attention. It's my fault that's all I said I was fully prepared to be ticketed and I deserve to be.

But then the officer said to me listen and let you off with a warning because most people don't admit it when they're wrong. And since you did, let you go with a warning.

I would like thank you Jesus and thank you, officer, I deserve to be ticketed and I think this is the thing is, we don't want to admit to God were wrong we don't want to admit to God that we send the broken, his commandments, but that's what we need to do in the 10 Commandments are given to show you that you need Jesus. They drive me into the open arms of Jesus because I can't live by the standards of my own. But Jesus can come in me and forgive me of all of my sin. Remember the title of my messages from hopelessness to happiness. My talking to a hopeless person right now. Listen, that can change. Hope has a name and it's Jesus, Christ, and he can send a rush of hope in your life right now and change your life now. Maybe your circumstances will not change.

Maybe they will. But I know this much. Your heart will change and when your heart changes everything changes you need. Jesus he's the one you're searching for.

He's the one who died on the cross for you. 2000 years ago and spilled his blood to pay for every sin you have committed. And then he rose from the dead three days later he stands at the door of your life in the Knox and he says if you'll hear his voice and open the door he will come in if you ever done that I mentioned the story of the prodigal son a few moments ago.

Maybe I'm talking to somebody here who was raised in the church who knows what's right but you ignored it you disobeyed it is that I don't care what the Bible says II know it's true, but I don't care him and live the way I want to live and you have face the consequences of an average like the prodigal son. The Bible says he came to himself, which is simply means he is keen to reality like one of my doing this is insane. Why have I made these choices but he went back to us. Father that's what you need to do. You need to come to your senses and you need to come back to Jesus come to him for the first time. The moment I mentally join a prayer to ask you never prayed this prayer to do with some 60,000 people of done watching Harvest at Home in the past months. I would ask you to pray this prayer with me. This is a prayer where you will be saying the God Lord, I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you sent the son to be my Savior and I turned from my sin and I asked Jesus to come in the my life and I choose to follow him. From this moment forward, solicit if you want your sins forgiven. If you want to know that you go to heaven when you die if you want to go from hopelessness to happiness. If you want to be ready for the Lord's return, or if you fallen away from the Lord, and you want to come back to him right now is a prodigal son or daughter want you to pray this prayer with me.

That's right, you can pray it after me. It's a simple prayer we are seeing the God I'm turning for my sin and I'm putting my faith in you.

Now if you want Jesus to come into your life. Pray this prayer with me right here right now. Just pray these words Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you are the Savior who died in the cross for my sin.

I turned from the sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward, I choose to make you my friend like God and my Lord, thank you for hearing this prayer in answering Jesus name I pray