How to Never Stumble or Fall - II

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If you would like to know how you can become a harvest partner, just go to harvest.org that's harvest.org someone will assume you will help buckaroo you have the capacity much worse. It's so easy to underestimate temptation. Pastor Greg Laurie has important counsel. The Bible says I go all American spirit for instruction only thing I'll never do that you're trusting in yourself instead of trust God and made right. We have scores of people joining us for our rush of hope.

Pastor Greg Laurie cinematic harvest details about that outreach of harvest.org but we will follow up with and provide solid insight for the rest of Pastor Greg helps us walk with the Lord and avoid the temptations that would make us all wander along for a new beginning practical insight. All believers turn in your Bible to two passages today. John 818 Luke chapter 22. Again, John 18 and Luke 22 and the title of my message again this how to never stumble or fall. Let me sort of set the scene here in Luke 22 Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.

He's headed to the cross. He's told the he's headed to the cross. He's going to break bread with them and tell them to do this in remembrance of him, but before that he is a fascinating conversation with Simon Peter. Luke 22 verse 31 Jesus says Simon, Simon, Satan is asked to sift you as wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not bail when you have repented and turned to me again you'll strengthen your brothers.

Peter said Lord I'm ready to go to prison with you and even the die with you, Jesus said, let me tell you something before the rooster crows tomorrow morning you will deny three times that you even knew me. Put yourself in Peter symbols for a moment or just hanging out with Jesus is not his normal jubilant self. He seems very serious, really intense.

Then he turns to you and uses your name twice. Paul Paul Kathy Kathy Greg Greg Cindy Cindy Satan is been asking that you be taken out of the care and protection of God without freak you out of Jesus said that to you freak me out.

But Jesus then says I have prayed for you and I want you to know that the Bible says Christ lives to make intercession for you at the right hand of the father. Jesus is in effect praying for you. So the next time the devil comes knocking at your door.

Send Jesus to answer it.

That's what happened here. I prayed for you Peter, that your faith would not fail for when you have returned, you'll strengthen your brothers returned to Florida. Peter says I'll go to prison for you all die for you will since you brought it up rock you get a deny that you knew me three times. So he warned Peter that brings us to Peter's first step down and I would say that this particular attitude is at the root of any and every person who's ever fallen away from the faith, or any person was ever stumbled or fallen.

I don't care what the particular sin is there involved in this always starts here in its self confidence, self confidence, verse 33.

He said Lord I'm ready to go with you to prison in the death.

Jesus said Peter the rooster will not grow this day, until you deny three times that you knew me according to Matthew's gospel Peter added this detail. Even if all are made to stumble, I will never be made to stumble careful, you look at someone who falls Lewis and you to never do that. I'd never be unfaithful to my wife. Haydn never become an alcoholic I'd never become a drug addict. Haydn never do that. Think now buckaroo you have the capacity to do that and much worse. And that's what we think. I'll never do that you're trusting in yourself instead of trusting in God, the Bible says pride goes before a fall and an arrogant spirit before destruction, so this simply means that I go through life aware of the fact of my weakness, my vulnerability and my propensity to do the wrong thing. As the old song says prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the one I love self-confidence that leads to the next step down prayer list.

Miss look at Luke 22 verse 39 coming out. He went to the Mount of olives as he was a custom in his disciples followed him to the place and he said to them, pray that you enter not into temptation know this place been referred to by Luke as the garden of Gethsemane because he was withdrawn from them about a stone so he knelt down and prayed saying father if it is your will take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done. When he rose from prayer he came to his disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow and he said why did you sleep rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

So this second sin apprentice.

This was a direct result of the first sin of self-confidence. Jesus said, specifically you guys you need to pray and they decided to sleep instead.

And so there sleeping when they should have been praying and you know understand this, not praying about something can actually be a sin to sin of omission ascendant commission is doing what you should not do a sin of omission is not doing what you should do because the Bible says to him, the nose to do good and does not do it to him it is sin. While let's see what happens next, so that there in the garden of Gethsemane. There, sleeping when they should have been praying, here comes the temple guard and along with the Roman soldiers.

They got swords and spears and shields and torches and their coming to arrest Jesus, but Jesus did not necessarily stand out in a crowd. Judah said it's a guy that I kiss Dot's Jesus, so he has the low-key Jesus for them, which points out the fact that Jesus didn't look like he looks in religious paintings know if you look at religious art you always know who Jesus is everybody else's robe was sort of dusty and dirty. He is a very white grow just picked it up at the cleaners and he is a blue sash that boosted nobody gets the blue sash but Jesus sometimes is carrying a lamb around his neck why he would do that.

I have no idea that he has a lamb Oreos the staff from everybody here I am the good Shepherd get you missed the memo. Now, you soon. Are you making fun of Jesus. Of course not. But I am kind of making fun of religious artistic depictions of him. Jesus blended into a crowd. He didn't glow-in-the-dark. He was not 10 feet tall. He had to be identify it. So what I kiss. So their approach. Even Jesus says who do you seek. This is in John's Gospel, they said, Jesus of Nazareth, he said I am he know if you have an English Bible. You might notice the words he is italicized, which means it's not in the original language, so a better translation would be Jesus saying who do you think this a Jesus a better I am I am this power that statement. It's a claim of deity. It's what God said to Moses at the burning bush will be looking at this together. Moses says who shall I say 70 God says I am that I am Jonah's statement of deity.

I am in the Bible says they all fell backwards and landing on top of each other like dominoes, torches flying in the air that shows he could've gotten out of that situation very easily.

He could is that while yeah and you were by end of story. But he submitted to this may take him away.

He's arrested. These taken to the house of Caiaphas to be tried before that happens.

As the guards come in to grab Jesus. One guy named Marcus probably is first and Simon Peter, and that an attempt to defend Jesus pulls out his sword.

It slices off the ear of Malka's Jesus is like a naïve thing you know.

Yes, the picnic gear up, he put it back in the guy in the heels of so the last earthly miracle of Jesus was covering the blunder of the site, your great glory will have the second half of his message just a moment so encouraging when we hear from listeners who been impacted by the ministry of beginning including this man who was listening to Pastor Greg while driving-year-old man who drank terribly yesterday had a horrible amount yesterday and by people yesterday, but today I woke up with a genuinely great regard for people. I like people. I don't have any desire to drink. I don't have an elf anymore and I'm just real hope for the first time in as long as I can recall. I'm just calling to say thank you and if you had any idea the person I was yesterday to who you like today. I wish common line over able to take an hour worth of knowing how much difference there is and what a life out of but more than anything, I just wanted to thank you and I can't thank you enough. God bless you and everybody on staff. You have no idea what impact you made in this man changes lives. If you've had your life changed because of the Ministry of harvest. Pastor Greg no just brought them an email at greg@harvest.org again that's great harvest orange thanks to our harvest part, and others who support this ministry for helping to make today study available.

Pastor Greg is offering biblical insight today in his message how to never stumble or fall know we shift over to John 18 I'm reading from the new living translation starting in verse 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus says that another of the disciples that would be the apostle John, the writer of this gospel. The other disciple was a corner with a high priest, and he was allowed to enter the high priest courtyard with Jesus, Peter had to stay outside the gate and the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching that the gate she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter one of that man's disciples, are you know that I am not because it was cold, the household servants in the guard to meet a charcoal fire.

They stood around and warming themselves and Peter stood with them, warming himself. Third step down for Simon Peter number one was self-confidence number two prayerless nest number three. He was keeping his distance from Jesus. Yes, he was following Jesus, but he was following at a distance. In this distance from the Lord.

Enclosed is some fellowship will always be at the foundation of all spiritual regression.

Listen to this a true believer is never happy when they're out of fellowship with God. So if you're out of fellowship with God. If you sin against the Lord. You're an unhappy person. If you can't be happy in your sin. That's a good sign. David the matter for God's own heart. Sin big time. We all knew that he described the way he felt and some 32, when he said when I kept it all inside my words became the long groans the pressure never let up all the juices of my life dried up.

Then I let it all out and I said, I'll make a clean break and I'll confess my failures to God is following at a distance you seen those TV shows were those so you may be a lien going in for a kill and liens. You know, I have to say are very, very cool cats.

Okay, I don't just like I like big cats and so liens you know they don't waste energy is certainly there in the tall grass and wait for lunch to come and so maybe they'll see a herd of antelope hundred of its a herd of antelope everything as a title. Now it's a flock of seagulls. They were a band wants to. Then there's a murder of crows in the back of dogs and so forth. I don't know bits of what you call a group of antelopes look that up later, but some of their moving together.

You want to get a pretty good room broke they'll do the jump rope, you know, there they are in life and that's a lot of work to get one of those. Then there's the one stray envelope falling about 20 feet behind the room to do what you think the lines going to go in for the kill on Sony looks at a person, the dig down here. We are the people of God worshiping together serving together learning together but Umbra will broker a boom in here. You 20 feet via Google Google. You know, yeah the person. This is all unit we have to go to church again. Did we do that last week really.

The Bible really again.

Yes, again, the child of God hungers for these things. The compromiser only does it out of duty or obligation. Know what is encouraging to do it. They don't do it. You're the person following at a distance you wind up in that miserable no man's land of compromise where you have too much of the Lord to be happy in the world and too much of the world to be happy in the Lord, don't be that person. Peter's following at a distance and point number four.

He's warming himself of the enemy's fire verse 18. They stood around as far warming themselves. He hoped to go unnoticed in the larger crowd he was with the wrong people at the wrong place about to do the wrong thing. Why does it come as a revelation to people that if you hang around ungodly people.

They will pull you down and so you're hanging around the wrong people of the wrong places. The next thing you know you're doing the wrong thing, why what you want to fit in.

I want to be cool. I don't think I'm some you know Jesus freak her self-righteous person. Okay so you get to do what now and you find yourself saying and doing things you can't believe you're saying and doing so here he is at the fire and now a woman asks him this is this verse the Nile you're not one of that man's disciples, are you he said no I am not well he just did the first thing I would have said if I was Peter was 30 roosters around here Jesus said something about a rooster yeah what did Jesus specifically say you will deny me three times. This is denial.

Number one. Now you would've thought to be with us at: II just I did the thing I said I would never do I get to get outta here.

No one was holding him here. He could've escaped to be wanted to but he did not do it.

That leads me to his his next step down verse 25 as he was standing by the fire warming himself.

He asked him again, you're not one of his disciples are usually denied and say no I'm not one of the household slaves of a high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off as did Nye see you in the olive grove with Jesus. Your sin will find you out. Oh yeah, right.

You were there. I knew I should not of posted that on Instagram have the word spread. Everybody knew about what happened there in the garden of Gethsemane, but here he is still hanging around this fire. Why was he doing it simple answer.

Write this down. Sin makes you stupid doesn't it.

Sin makes you stupid. You do things you never thought you would do your caught in the vortex of it and here's Peter. Now it's his second denial.

Why didn't he get out of there, good question.

That brings us to the third denial and here's something you may have missed between the second and third denial. There was a one hour interval of the long time. That's plenty of time to get out of there, but he stayed there. He's he's compromise now is not thinking rationally and finally someone says to him.

Yes, you were with Jesus and I know you're one of his disciples because your accent betrays you see, Peter was a Galilean and the people in Jerusalem thought of themselves as more sophisticated, so we had a sort of Galilean accent just like we have accents or different areas of the United States you know people in Texas that there is a little different than say to me you have an accent. I so Californians don't have accents were like devoid of act know you have the California accent.

Why because I don't say hey how y'all doing, or some like that know what you know we there's all you must be from Boston because you just told me you going to park your car right. I was signing books the other day and some lady mincing she's in New York I said say the word coffee. She said coffee soon.

Exactly right. So different ways we speak from different parts of the country. He had the Galilean accent, a man we know where you're from and then we read that Peter began to curse and swear and he took a note saying I never knew the man and guess what happened at the moment.

He said that Jesus was let off of the courtyard archivists and he made eye contact with Peter. What kind of look did Jesus give to Peter. I think it was a look of love and I'll tell you. I think it was a look of love, because Jesus predicted this ride. He said you're going to deny me, but don't forget the resident when you overturned, you'll strengthen your brothers. Peter you going to mess up. Trust me, it's going to happen. Roosters are involved.

But when you of return, you'll strengthen your brothers, Peter, you're coming back. I don't think Peter heard you're coming back part because the Bible says he went out of web showing us the downward spiral in Peter's life that led to his denial of Christ three times were seeing the steps that lead to backsliding and how to avoid them. And there's more to come as this message continues here on a new beginning. But if you missed any portion of this important study today. I hope you get a replay online@harvest.org there are often several more minutes of insight on line is we don't have the same tight time requirements as we do on radio. If you like a permanent copy of the study on CD. Call us at 1-800-821-3300 call us anytime 24 seven at 1-800-821-3300.

The title of today's message is how to never stumble or fall. Yesterday gets it's not hard to see that our current culture lacks for real heroes and it's amazing the people that are looked up to today amazing and disturbing at the same time, but you have in a resource full of heroes that we should look up to. In fact, we should pattern our lives after yeah absolutely and their lives have been recorded in the pages of Scripture to inspire us Hebrews chapter 11 has been called the hall of faith and I like to call it just the hall of world changes because these are people. They changed their world. Teaneck and Nola and David and Samson and many others. Daniel, who took bold steps of faith and stood their ground and made all the difference in the world.

I use this analogy in the book and I asked the question, are you a thermostat or are you a thermometer you know thermostat simply tells us what the temperature is and if you're like my home were always disagreeing about the temperature. He always thinks it's too cold and I was think it's too warm so were constantly messing with that thermostat.

We have one of the sermons that's called a nest because it has a mind of its own which really bugs me so knowing of me. I have Kathy in the stupid nest itself. Think this is what I think the picture should be because you said it at this temperature. Three years ago.

I don't know how the brain of an escort but anyway the idea of the thermometer.

Is it changes the temperature of a room thermostat just tells you what the temperature is. So here's a question are you thermostat or are you a thermometer.

Are you merely being affected by your surroundings or are you affecting your surroundings. Let me say it another way, are you changing your world. Or is your world changing you. You know the Bible says don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So when we open up God's word, it changes the way that we think and it changes the way that we live in. Then we can go change our culture. The Bible describes the church of the first century is turning the world upside down.

I'll tell you what this world needs to be turned upside down right now and so many people are so excited and passionate about politics and I think politics have their place, but politics will not change the heart of people. Only the gospel will and so I think first of all we want to be following Christ that we want to let our light shine and be a world changer instead of having the world change us and shines a bright light in a dark place, so I've written about this quite extensively in this brand-new book called world changers and have them to send you a copy for your gift of any size when I say that I mean it. I mean if you send only a little, you'll get a copy. Some of you consent a little bit more. We appreciate you giving and we only offer resources that we feel will really help you spiritually, but if you feel prompted by the Lord. I hope that you will be generous as you order your own copy of world changers and I pray that it will bless you and encourage you to change your world and it's right in your donation helps us change the world as well. So thanks for your investment and we hope you will ask for this brand-new book by Pastor Greg world changers you can write a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call anytime 24 hours a day, 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org everybody Greg Laurie here and finding you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home.

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Join us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org when Einstein Pastor Greg brings us more insight on how we can avoid the danger of backsliding continues his message how to never stumble or fall.

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