God's Call . . . Man's Excuse - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God check out virtue our website for Christian women go to harvest.org/virtue mortgage virtual learning is always able to use me today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie is really kind of believer, the Lord can count on. We are all in whatever God has in mind.

The world is through a man or woman was totally committed to him so when you say here I am Lord, send me what you say they are Lord) contact with you have a word for that is called your circle of influence you question is what kind of influence you have. You draw them to Christ. They wonder what kind of Christian, are you surprised you are today on the new beginning for Greg Laurie helped us put ourselves out on the line. He advisors to put our faith on this way everyone we meet next chapter in the title of my message is God's call man's excuses. So let me ask you a question.

Have you ever wondered if God could use someone like you.

You know what I first became a Christian. It was just overwhelming for me to think that God would allow someone like me to come into a relationship with him. That's more than enough of.

That's all it was just you coming to our relationship with God.

That's enough for a lifetime.

But then I heard that God wanted to use me that he wanted to use me to serve him that he had given me certain spiritual gifts that there's no way God could use someone like me. I was the guy who was always getting in trouble in school. How could I ever about anything, but I was told no, you should God and humans share your faith that I got.

I would surely fail if I tried to do such a thing and got a lot of grace on me because the first time I engaged a person in an evangelistic conversation.

It was a middle-aged lady that I would probably think of as younger now as a matter fact which he was middle-aged, then as I was 17, but I share the gospel with her and she accepted Christ so course immediately thought I was some kind of a super preacher. I was just blessed as all it was.

If you'd asked me one slightly difficult question I would've collapsed like a house of cards but thankfully she did not. But I got a taste of how the Lord could use me in and I went out. Insured might think more and I was talking to people about Christ and other people were accepting the Lord and I thought this is wonderful. But I had this prayer. My fear was one of these days I'm afraid God is going to call me to preach and that's the last thing I want to do. I never want to have to preach publicly the thought terrified me. And I'm not the only one am I because whenever a survey is taken and people are asked what their primary fears are. It seems like number one on the list is often the fear of public speaking. How many of you have the fear of public speaking region came on them a call in a couple of the major heart jump right there. Then they got mono no not me that that's how all that. So Moses to Moses had a fear of public speaking Moses out of fear of being used by God but I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but you see here's what I want to get to that is a simple fact that God want you to leave your comfort zone and God wants to use you and I wonder if you've ever said to the Lord, use me, Lord, how many of you ever prayed a prayer like that usually Lord raising NW that's good, that's quite a few of you I want you to know that if you pray a prayer like that and sincerity God will hear you.

He'll answer that prayer is open up opportunities for you. The Bible is clear and pointing out that were all called to glorify God with our lives and get the gospel out Romans 1246 as just as our bodies that many parts need smart is a special function so it is with the body of Christ we are all parts of one body and each of us has a different work to do and since were all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs the other you know in my body just like in your body I need every part of it working properly and you really become aware of this when something is not working properly. When you sprain an ankle, or you stop up so that can be a major thing right or you hurt a finger or break a finger or you have an ear infection earlier tonight I write something in my eye and I was using some saline solution.

My eye was very irritated that you and the same is true in the church one of us is affected were all affected one asserting were all hurting. If one is lifted up were all being lifted up with a sense and we all need to work together.

I think the mark of spiritual maturity is only say Lord use me a mark of spiritual maturity is only come to church and we say how can I use my gifts to serve others. A mark of spiritual immaturity is when I am irregular in my church attendance and its when I do show up. I say, or at least think something along the lines of how can you minister to me more. What more can you do for me. By the way, there's something wrong with wanting to be ministered to a church, but when you begin the maturity realized I need to get in the game here and help out a little bit. You know sometimes people go up to our Sunday school and their impatient with some of our folks are helping out in they have a lot of the man's excuse me, these people are paid to do what they do. These are volunteers you should be thinking that and you know it's very easy to critique what the question is are you doing anything. Are you involved in.

We all should recognize there's a place for us in the church and that's when the big church will become a small church is what we discover our gifts and start using them together. Well, God's looking for people like this in Ezekiel 2230. The Lord says I look for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness and guard the land I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't destroy the land but I found none that you were God just said I'm searching I'm looking he's looking in this room right now for a man, a woman, a boy, a girl that he can use.

It was a great evangelist from days gone by, named Dwight Lyman Moody.

We often call in DL Moody and one man came up to Moody once and made this statement in a change Moody's life. He said Moody, the world is yet to see what God can do with an in and through the man who is wholly dedicated to him and hit Moody hard and Moody said of the Lord. I want to be that man, Lord. In the many ways he wasn't done for his generation.

The world has yet to see what God can do in and through a man or a woman who was totally committed to him so when you say here I am Lord, send me what you say there they are, Lord, send them, you know wheel of a pulpit to speak from.

You might say well I don't have a pulpit. Greg and yours actually lights up. I mean you have a fancy pulpit. Yes, it is kind of fancy. I know, but you know you have a pulpit to in your pulpit is whatever platform God has given you in your life, your sphere of influence your neighbors or friends.

I just received a letter not that long ago, a schoolteacher wrote a radio program and he said dear Pastor Greg, high school teacher and a pretty tough area is a public school teacher have to bring creative ways of witnessing the students ensuring the love of Jesus with them because Jesus is a very foreign concept to many of the students here listen to what this teacher did. So I decided to give the student some extra credit assignment over the weekend. They had to watch the harvest Crusade online or go to the Crusade in person and then do a one page right up about what they saw and experienced. I like this guy goes on to say, because on this am very happy to report that a few of the students give their lives. Jesus and several were asking me questions which is an awesome opportunity to plant more seeds because they got many of the students thinking about things they never hear about in their homes and my prayer is for those that saw the Crusade and had made their decision for Jesus will make that decision no matter what. I'll keep in contact with those kids and continue to be a witness for him see that the guy who found this pulpit. You have a pulpit, believe me you have influence more than you think you have your to say Lord, how can I leverage a conversation about relationship for the gospel. But when we think of the Lord using us. We come up with excuses will sale God Cawdor would never use someone like me.

I don't have the gift of gab and would what is the gift of gab.

I guess it's just people that talk too much. I don't have the gift of gab. I'm not comfortable talking to strangers.I've made too many mistakes. Those are all excuses what is an excuse. One definition of an excuses quote the skin of a reason.

Stop with the law." There's another definition of an excuse. I like this one in excuse is a lie, all dressed up for dinner.

So what is it mean that excuse is effectively a lot. I say oh I don't want. I can't do it, but the reality is I don't want to do it.

Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and its wherever you wanted to be in your home in your car sitting on a beach walking down the street watching it on your phone wherever you are taken with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us Harvest at Home@harvest.org will be glad your long for today's message titled God's call man's excuse, and I think store harvest partners for their support, which help to make today study possible now were going to look at Moses, I will get a look at some of the excuses that he offered up to the Lord as a part of our series that were doing on his life that were calling water fire and stone know when we last left Moses he was running for his life. Why, what, he was the Prince of Egypt. He was being groomed to be the next Pharaoh, but he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy this pleasures of sin for a season and he decided to take matters into his own hands. So he went out and he saw an Egyptian taskmaster cruelly treating a Hebrew slave and he thought I've had enough of this in the Bible says he looked this way in the look that way, and he killed the Egyptian well the next day he went out a couple of Jewish guys were having an argument he interrupts and says why you guys are doing, they say, in effect, who died and made you king.

What's it to you. You're not our Prince you're not our ruler. Are you going to kill us, as you did the Egyptian yesterday. Moses realized that everyone knew, and indeed muse had gotten back to the palace. The Pharaoh was outraged. He put a contract out on Moses live so now Moses is running for his life. Part of the problem Moses he killed this guy that was horrible but then he hid his body in the sand. Not a good place to hide a body. By the way, especially with the shifting sands of Egypt blowing about.

I read a story about some guy who robbed the church he stole some money. He was trying to climb through the window, but he was a pretty good size guy and he was over six brief, tall and quite heavy.

He got stuck in the bathroom window while trying to make off with the loot that took four cops to get them out to pushing it to pulling caught in the act. Hi everybody, yeah, that sort it would happen. The Moses he got caught in the act and now he's running and Moses himself later said in Numbers 32, 23, your sin will find you well in his sin did find him out.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 2813 if you try to hide your sin, you will not prosper. I wonder if there's somebody listening to me right now that's been trying to hide their sin may be some secret sin, you think no one knows about. Trust me God knows about it is Alan Redpath used to say secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven. The only way to get rid of your sin is to confess it.

The Bible promises about confess our sin.

These people and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Well, Moses was running because of the consequences of his sin he once was the Prince of Egypt, now is a fugitive from Egypt, he lost his home, his position is people's power and his reputation, but fortunately he had not lost his God. He made a mess out of his life.

Wonder if somebody listening to me right now is made a mess out of their life may be like Moses took matters into your own hands is sometimes people who are single growing patient.

You know the girl says I never meet any Christian guys at church the guises I never meet any Christian girls in and I'm just tired of waiting and so they sands going to get married. I found someone they say they love me there a nonbeliever, and despite the fact that the Bible says don't be an equal yoke together with nonbelievers.

I met a marionette.

I'm going to lead them to the Lord well that does occasionally happen. I can't rule that out but unfortunately many times it does not say no you're in a marriage.

It's filled with friction. Trust me, marriage is hard enough. Okay between two Christians don't make it even harder by marrying a non-Christian Lisa Christians have the spiritual resources in the Lord to lean on. But now when you're not a believer and then you add other elements to the problem so you can get really awful but anyway so maybe you are having friction in your marriage and your same while that was a bad decision and then at church, I met this really good-looking godly nice Christian guy and so you're thinking and I think the Lord just spoke to me and said my child dump your he then husband and married acute Christian church.

God isn't saying that to you. Here's what he's saying. First Corinthians 713 of a believing woman as a husband is not a believer and is willing to stay with her she should not leave him. So now here's your new mission seek to win them to the Lord, by the way that you live.

The same is true course about a Christian man with a non-Christian woman you made the wrong decision. Don't make it even worse. Listen to this God is good at cleaning up our messes. Let me say it again. God is good at cleaning up our messes and we have our messes don't wake up.

I mean, think of the last miracle of Jesus. What was the last miracle that Christ performed before he went to the cross, the raising of Lazarus from the dead know that happen much earlier. The healing of the leper, no well is it. It was putting a guys ear back on his head that was cut off by Simon Peter, kind of an unnoticed miracle maybe an unappreciated miracle, but you remember the guard because 70 here comes the temple guard and the Roman soldiers to arrest Christ being led by this Malka's character and Simon Peter was so frustrated he pulled out his sword and took a wild swing and outcomes a guys ear was probably aiming for his head. Honestly. But he was a fisherman not a swordsman soft comes a guys ear amount because then go many people don't know that was his last night I made that up. If you don't know what I mean Google been going you'll find the answer with the ear anyway.

He picks a guys ear up he puts it back on, man. I would apartment Jesus to be like buddy, you deserve what you got no but that was the last miracle of Jesus to cover up the blunder of a disciple.

The Lord can turn your mess into a message and he can turn your test into a testimony. So what you need to do is say all right.

Lord, I blew it here, I messed up. I'm sorry I don't know how to fix it but I'm asking you lording intervenor my life and turn this around some help for your glory because even this mistake that I made Lord to be used to bring honor to your name. You just watch what the Lord will do old Moses. He runs off of the wilderness member I said to you before he spent 40 years in the Pharaoh's court finding out he was a somebody 40 years in the wilderness finding out he was a nobody now is about to find out what God can do with the somebody who realizes there is nobody he's been in exile in the desert. He married a lady from a family that he met there. He spent all the grid. No social media. He shut down his Instagram account, Facebook no treats for Moses know nothing from Moses. Moses probably.I'm done. I have nothing left to say.

I ruined my life. I ruined my testimony that said what I was because God was going to turn his mess to the message. Great insight life of Moses from Pastor Greg Laurie's new series called water fire stone glad you're joining us here on a new beginning. As we learn from both Moses successes and failures.

If you missed any part of today's program.

You can get an instant replay@harvest.org just look for the title of today's message God's call man's excuse. If you'd like a copy on CD.

Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 Pastor Greg personal evangelism is one of our focuses here, a new beginning. Yeah, we realize God has called us all to share the good news true, but one of the hardest things to do in sharing our faith is just breaking the ice, it is a challenge to go from headbutting nice weather to are you sure you're going to heaven when you die you know we have a great resource to recommend that just might help with that. It's an outstanding movie on DVD. It's a love story a moving love story that is a powerful message built right in right and really does Dave and then that's a really good way to put it that this is a great way to build a bridge you know everybody loves a good story.

This is a powerful story in this film, I still believe it was a huge success out there for a short time in the theaters until the coronavirus kitted shut all the theaters down but I'm telling you, I would not offer you this film.

It was not done in a beautiful way you know I love to offer you the best spiritual resources that we can find and what we offer a movie. It's going to be a first rate movie it's going to be a movie that's well-crafted a movie that has artistic integrity, but at the same time it's going to be a movie that has a biblical message. Everything we offer.

We offer with a reason behind it in this film is no exception. It's called I still believe a powerful love story. A powerful God story.

It's a story of hope that you're going to love and meditate. What a great way to start a conversation invited neighbor over invite a friend over and say let's watch this film together and afterwards have a discussion about what happens beyond the grave. Because this is a story of a young woman named Melissa Kim who had great faith in Christ and went to be with them in our faith sustained during the darkest hours of her life, including current thinking for me to simply settle reasons many things changed when I got to spend with it's a true story and it will move the people who watch it, including you, so we want to send you a copy of the I still believe film that is now out on DVD and will rusted your way for your gift of any size whatever you can send a large gift that's appreciated a small gift that's appreciated to will take those resources and use them to continue to bring this radio broadcast a new beginning to people around the world to order your copy right away of.

I still believe you're gonna love it. You really well and you'll be glad you own a copy of the DVD so you can watch it again and again and it would be our privilege to send this right to your door to thank you for your investment and touching lives each day through a new beginning. So write us today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org we heard from a listener in New York who really enjoys Pastor Greg's online ministry called Harvest at Home. He wrote I've been listening to and watching harvest ministries via radio and Internet for many years and I want to let you know how wonderful harvest ministries is especially Harvest at Home. It couldn't be better and more inviting for seekers new believers and longtime believers. Thanks so much to you and the staff keep up the excellent work. He went on to say that he has a background in broadcasting information technology and audiovisual presentation and he said the teaching music set, lighting and camera work for Harvest at Home are all absolutely fantastic. Well, it's a blessing to get that kind of feedback and we hope you'll check out Harvest at Home not only every Sunday for Pastor Greg's messages, but throughout the week as well with Q&A from Pastor Greg women's ministry with Kathy Lori and motion pictures to find Harvest at Home@harvest.for flextime. Pastor Greg has good encouragement for the times of challenge in your life will explain how everything we go through his preparation for something bigger sure to join us for more from our series on the life of Moses. Next time you beginning and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor great free daily email, devotions@harvest.org