The World Changer Who was Out of This World, Part 1 - II

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 we all try to get along with. We like to be like today. Pastor Greg Laurie points out, we need to choose whom we dream people you deliver please please are so miserable to please others and I will be very frustrating. Everyone lived with the Lord, are you living a life pleasing to God and rapper look great. You live people's except God who is it that you today on a new beginning for you to reevaluate will walk with unit walk with God. The Bible says walk with God not imagine that I will bruise chapter 11 were in a brand-new series. As you recall recalling world changers and today the title of my message is the world changer was out of this world. Talk about a man now. He was world changer and his name was in any walk all the way to have you walk with God will see in a moment, and he was not because God took him. It's sort of like they would take walks every day and one day the Lord in effect said hey buddy were closer to my golf today that we are yours whether to just come home with me.

But he's an amazing character that made it into what we call the hall of faith Hebrews chapter 11. So if someone makes it into that place. We want to be careful attention because it was a world changer and there's a couple of things I want to point out about unit in this message and will do our part to next time and wrap it up with two things in a bring to your attention about what unit did number one, we've already alluded to it unit walk with God. There's a verse that I think really opens the subject up beautifully. It's Amos 33. The verse says akin to walk together unless they are agreed.

Simple verse shirt first but actually it's loaded with meaning in the original language. Three very important thing sort of bubble up from the birds that we need to know that explained was when walking with God is number one when it says akin to walk together, unless they be agreed. It means walking together as a single unit to the ideal walking with God is getting in sync with God. When you do this your Christian life is going to start firing on all cylinders.

You know, Jesus told us are actually Scripture tells us I should say that he that says he abides in him ought to walk as he walked really abiding in walking are interchangeable metaphors and other different ones. Movement one is staying put. Abiding this sort of like planting the tree but the concept is a safe staying in fellowship Jesus as if you're walking with me. You should abide in me, and then Jesus said in John 15. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask whatever you want and it will be done on the you see when I'm in sync with God I'll start praying according to his will all be in harmony with him will start seeing a lot more of my prayers answered in the affirmative.

Number two camel to walk together, unless they be agreed. Amos 33 again to be translated unless they made an appointment to you of an appointment with God.

Can two walk together, unless they have agreed harmlessly have an appointment. God's made an appointment with you.

You say I didn't see that on my calendar. What's there every day you need to make time for the Lord. For me personally I find mornings the best time and I get up. I'll admit I have coffee first okay because I would be in my right mind unjustly. I have coffee I do that before, and don't hold it against me. Then I will read my devotions and you don't commit the deed to the Lord to make time for what's important. Don't tell me you don't have time, you need to make time it will Adam used to have an appointment with God every day there in the garden. I mean imagine this, the Lord would show up every day when the sun was setting and take a walk with his friend Adam.

I don't know God took on human form of the Lord just spoke audibly how that work but what a great time. That must've been one day God showed up and Adam was late for his appointment wife because out of incident and the Lord said item or are you and I wonder if the Lord says that the sum of us sometime or are you come I don't hear from you. How come you're not reading my word how come you're not showing up at church of my people to worship me. How come you're not praying what's going on where are you, keep your appointment with God. One last thing to walk with God is the pool your resources can two walk together, unless they pooled their resources ever seen the TV show called shark tank.

Entrepreneurs will try to convince successful business people to invest in their product and kind of entertaining because people come up with really weird things that they want these folks to invest their money in one guy came up with something he called a man candle now. First of all let me just say ladies in general, men don't get candles okay you gave a candle to a guy we do like all great. What we do with this is you give me a candle.

Girls like candles. I don't know what but does so this guy got. I want to resolve this. It's a man candle. I'm not making this up. Never fragrant scent to it.

Rather, it smelled like things men like release what he thought men like one smelled like barbecue really candle disposing barbecue. Another one smelled like football. What is that smell. Exactly. I guess leather another smelled like golf course, whatever that would be finally popcorn.

I get that one. By the way it was rejected. Another person came to the chart to consider Got this birdfeeder and but to keep the squirrels away because us girls come and steal the birdseed problem is it was electrified and so would zap the squirrels but the promises zapped birds to so this is come get food.

Stupid bird that they could find one does zap For That One Can Only Just a Word of Explanation You Wanting to Hear This but I Miss It Actually like Cats I Bet. I Enjoy Them. I Don't Have One, but I like Them. I Mock Them Because of the Reaction I Get People There. They Get so Mad at Me so I Keep Mocking J and I Want to Continue on with the Cat so If Your Account Are You Can Leverage Your I Don't Understand You. How Many Dog Lovers Do We Have a Key to Understand You All Stop There. Okay so Let's but They Do Accept Some of These Ideas, These Folks in the Short Take One Lady Came with Something Called the Scrub Daddy Ever Heard of That Excess Funds with a Smiley Face Other Turned Soft and Warm Water in Furman Called since Its Introduction Sold More Than $50 Million in Sales.

So Here's How It Works. We Come to God with Our Broken Life We Come to God with Our Problems and We Say Lord I Want to Go into Business with You Really. More to the Point He Invites Us into This Relationship Because It Looks Form Partnership for Some That's the Only Not the Only Analogy. This Is One Aspect of What You to Bring All of Your Resources and I'll Bring All of My It's Sort of like Going into Business with Bill Gates, We Are Equal Partners so Bill Gates Okay Says Woody and Woody Have Their Well I Have 100 101 10.

Okay You Have a Dollar Yes I Do Put It on the Table. What Is the Health of You, That's Okay. Let Me Know What Those Are Wealthy Have Some Problems Okay. What Else. Well, Not Much, but Here It Is Okay with You and Mr. Gates Billions.

In Fact I Was so Much Money I May Be Worth a Billion More Than I Was an Hour Ago. I'm Not Sure I Haven't Checked, but I Would Bring Back to the Table.

So Here We Are with God, We Come with Our Problems Would Come with Our Weaknesses. We Come with Our Talents. We Come with Their Abilities. We Come with Our Dreams Are Aspirations We Come with That All Then God Comes the Table with All Power That's Given to Him in Heaven and Earth, and He Says No I Want to Change You and Transform You Want to Deal What Is It Mean to Walk with God. It Means That I'm in Harmony with Him. I Keep Pace with Him and It Also Means That I Go into Business with Unit Walk with God from His Onward. Interestingly, No Pastor Greg Shed Some Light on That Just a Moment, Everybody Greg Laurie Here in Finding 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 Taking with You and Be Ministered to Every Weekend. Join Us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org we're learning from the example of Phoenix today as Pastor Greg shows us how to walk properly with God and for a copy of this insight go to harvest.org when the they start walking with God. Genesis 521 gives the answer.

It says enough lives 65 years and begot Methuselah.

It appears that the birth of Methuselah brought about the conversion of V-neck and by the way he was a late bloomer just told me that was when he started walking with God. 6565 years old so ascend Methuselah was born. Because even walk with God, it was revealed to him that when his son died. The judgment was going to come because the name Methuselah means when he is dead. It shall be set to play with the kids. They Methuselah and what your name is as low as any judgments come and I don't play with you but that's what as they met say wow. Well how long did Methuselah live wait for this. This is amazing 969 years, so what is that say says eight people live longer back them before the boy means you live superlong because God takes no delight in bringing judgment. Sometimes we wonder Lord why would you come back to bring justice to this planet.

Why would you return for as yet here's the answer is found over in the book of Peter second Peter three says no in the last days scoffers will come walking after their own desires and saying, where is the promise of his coming for since all things begin. Nothing has really changed. But then God gives the answer. Listen one day with God is like a thousand years a thousand years are like one day God is not late as some men count lateness, but he is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, so God's waiting by the way God always keeps his appointment is never late, so sorry.

My alarm didn't go by what was working there was very no God always shows up on time is an appointed time that he will return to this earth, so this is a man who walked with God and there's one more point I want to bring up about him world changers live lives that please God world changers which unit was live lives of please God. Go to Hebrews 11 verse five in account of this testimony that he pleased God.

He had this testimony listen. Every Christian has a testimony.

What is that that your reputation that people say about you. What kind of a guy as he or she all their this are there that that your reputation will kind of a testimony be have listen. Every Christian has a testimony.

Some are good, some are amazing summer bad, but here was a testimony and he that he had this testimony that he please God all listen that is an awesome testimony may that be said of you and me that we live to please God. There are three people you can live to please in life you can live to please yourself. If you do that you're going to be miserable or you can look to please others and I will be very frustrating because you can't please everyone always where you can live to please God and that's what unit did he live to please the Lord Jesus said I always do the things that please the father.

What a statement I can't say that.

Can you. You always do the things that please the father is a but I don't know what is it mean to please God, let me give you three quick points about the Bible specifically says about pleasing God. Three specific things.

How many of you want to please God razor in your please go to Melissa and here's what you do number one.

One thing that pleases God's will and were treated unfairly. We hang in there like it. Watch I just put two first Peter 219 says God is pleased with you over the sake of your conscience you patiently endure unfair treatment. Of course you get no credit for being patient. If you're beaten for doing wrong. Listen if you supper for doing right in our patient beneath the blows. God is pleased with you.

Have you ever been mistreated have ever been missed understood I've ever been on appreciated as anyone ever told a lie about you and you wanted to get them back and you wanted to defend yourself.

And it's just not right. Listen, it pleases God. When you just kind the letter rolloff you.

Here's what DL Moody said, and I live by this. If I take care of my character, God will take care of my reputation right you can spend the rest of your life chasing down everything that everyone says about you trusting people say things about me that are complete fiction and I read and when am I going to do. You know I mean I can't control the universe.

I just want to make sure, to the best of my ability that I walking with God and seeking to honor the Lord would you put it in God's hands.

Vengeance and says he will repay number two.

Another thing that pleases God's will, we worship and help others.

But we worship and help others. Hebrews 1315 says, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.

That is the fruit of our lives, giving thanks to his name, but don't forget to do good and is share for such sacrifices God is well. Please when you came this morning and saying out loud lifting your hands up please God. Even if your outfits it's okay with the Lord.

He's not as concerned about pitch like I am. He looks on the heart. When people worship and sometimes we don't feel like praising the Lord doing we come to church.

We fold our arms want to praise God I'm cold. I want to praise God. I just had a disagreement with my spouse.

I want to praise God.

The kids are driving me crazy. I don't want to praise God that I this other problem yeah that's for you over the sacrifice of praise. You don't offer praise to God because you feel good. You offer praise to God because he is good. The Bible says give thanks in the Lord for he is good and his mercies endure forever. And then when you do good for other is he someone in the let me help you simpleton might be opening the door holding the door open. Let me help you. Can I pray for you is using trouble and we pray for you today.

You need let me get that meal for you.

Let me do this for you. You don't think a lot about you just do it that pleases God.

God likable me do those things of your doing those things are pleasing God there, and lastly giving of your finances is pleasing to God. Philippians 417, Paul says not that I'm looking for a gift I'm looking for what may be credited to your account.

I received full payment and even more. I am amply supplied. Now that I've received from a proper diet is a gift you gave there are fragrant offering and acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God.

So when you give up your finances to the Lord that pleases God.

And it's interesting how Paul says look I don't want this for me.

I wanted for you. I'm not looking for a gift.

I wanted to be credited to your account what you even think it means when the Bible says live for yourself treasure and have you think it means that you have stuff waiting for you know this is every time you give to the Lord its duly noted by God, and it will be a heavenly reward when you invest in the lives of others and give of the resources God is giving you you sharing that that is pleasing to God. So here it is. When you lift your voice and sacrificial praise you please God when you are mistreated and you take it you please God when you invest your financial resources in his kingdom you please God.

Are you living a life that's pleasing to God.

Well, we know the unit did not die. He went to heaven. It was sort of like he was rapture. It was a gust solo rapture to an amazing thing. We'll talk about it next time you walk with God it was not for God took him were literally translated him to have an outlook that could happen to us. I believe were living in the last days.

I believe Jesus Christ could come back at any time and as far as I can see in my study of Bible prophecy. I believe the next event on the prophetic calendar is what we call the rapture of the church when all true followers of Jesus are caught up to meet him in the year and a moment in the twinkling of an eye that can happen just like it happened again, it could happen to us or we will die and if the Lord doesn't come in our lifetime we died because as I've said before, the statistics on death are really impressive one out of every one person's will die right so the Bible says it's appointed doorman once to die, and then comes the judgment. There's no escaping this. But here's the good news unit walk with God on earth. Therefore, he was received by the Lord in heaven when you walk with God in death comes, you don't look forward to it necessarily but you don't fear it either because you know when you die, you go to have, to be absent from the body. The Bible says is to be present with the Lord. The moment you take your last breath on earth you take your next breath.

In heaven that's the hope of the Christian you have that hope it if you don't want to leave with it today. Knowing your life is right with the Lord, knowing your sin is forgiven. Listen, God made this possible by sending his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you. 2000 years ago Jesus died in your place. He died for your sin and if you'll turn from your sin and believe in him, you can be forgiven and know with certainty to go to heaven when you die, to give you an opportunity to pray and ask Christ to come into your life. If you have not done it yet and if you wandered away from the Lord. I give you an opportunity to come back to him as well. Let's all pray father, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sin, Lord Jesus, thank you for coming and dying and rising know you're here with us now standing at the door of our hearts and not help those that don't know you, to see their need for you to help them become to you. We pray for Greg Laurie important word or prayer.

And if you like to make that kind of change today in your relationship with the Lord. Pastor Greg would like to help you do that will do so before today's addition of a new beginning. Concludes but if you like a permanent copy of the full study.

Pastor Greg has brought us in the last two programs get in touch and mention the title the world changer who was out of this world part one, you can call us anytime 24 seven at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or just go online to harvest.org yesterday when God wants to use us. Does she reveal his plan in small increments in a many of our listeners know that you found Christ while you're in high school. Is it a good thing. God didn't reveal to you that you'd be one day speaking to millions of people in a long-running crusade ministry in and doing weekly online church services for hundreds of thousands every single week weight with that of without a freak you out. Yes, you know it's interesting, Dave. Early on in my ministry I got a little glimpse of my future and it's a story of told before but I went down to a baptism icon of the Mars state beach.

This is early 70s and and I was a little bit late and I had missed the baptism now I have to point out I was not Pastor at this point I was just a person attending church and so I'm sitting there wondering how I got the time wrong and I noticed a little group of Christians sitting around singing the song, so I went over and joined them in and we sing along. And I realize it was no leader, and after we finished our song.

I just felt prompted by the Lord to share something from the word again understand I'm not a Bible teacher at this time. I'm just someone going to church but I read seven Scripture I thought might be relevant so I shared it and I as I was speaking. Some people joined us, who apparently got the time wrong in the baptism as well and they leaned over to me and said pastor we missed the baptism could you baptize.

As I said, I'm not a pastor I'm just a Christian and I felt prompted by the Lord to baptize these people. I thought why not because what is the great commission is to go to all the world and preach the gospel, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father son and the Holy Spirit of thought. I don't see why Baptize them.

So I took them down to the beach and I never really studied the technique of baptism, I would just attended them in something with you hold their nose down and you keep one of the water only was perplexing to me but I baptize them in after I was done at crowded and sorta gathered up on the top of the rock. This is like a natural amphitheater down at that the court is no more state beach called Pirates Cove and so I looked up this little crowded gathered in the Lord spoke to my heart and he said preach the gospel understand I'd never spoken publicly before I preach the gospel and before I knew it I was inviting the people I was preaching to to come down and accept Christ, and I would baptize them.

And sure enough, some people came down so is like the Lord gave me a glimpse into my future but it was still the distant future.

That type of thing did not happen for me until much later.

So sometimes the Lord will sorta put a little seed in your mind and your heart that sort of a dream. A dream of what can be in your life and so you know, in the sense where you're going, but you don't know how you're going to get there. You don't know how it's going to be accomplished and here's what I've learned. Dave God is always led me one step at a time. Sometimes what looks like an accident is actually Providence. What might look like an interruption is divine intervention. So here's my simple point God leads you a step at a time.

Be faithful in the little things in a give you bigger things to do so.

I write about that a lot more.

My brand-new book that I'm calling world changers. It's about ordinary men and women that did the extraordinary things because they were willing to take bold steps of faith in God is given to every Christian faith and it's up to us how much we use it so this book will inspire you and encourage you to go out and change your world to send it to you for your gift of any size.

And when you order this book just be reminded of the fact that will take your gift and use it to reach more people with the life-changing message of the gospel because it's America's only hope for that matter. It's the world's only hope show were you still pretend pastor in 1978 when you married me and my wife know I was real then that was.

I was actually ordained. So don't be alarmed. Okay your marriage is official in legal okay. I may have looked like a pretend pastor here and appeared then or had I cut so to get off know you along your beard was sent was that you get a lot of your lot here it's all gone then that we get wedding pictures.

Let's show them on the radio right now on the radio. Yeah in living color. Yes, look at your radio right now was showing one of the photos you and if you can actually see it on your radio.

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Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime of the day or night, seven days a week at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org you spoke today about having a relationship with the Lord. Yes, someone can enter into that kind of relationship with God right now yeah they really can. That's the amazing thing.

I think people are surprised that it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. It doesn't take weeks.

It doesn't take days, it doesn't even take ours you can believe on the spot and I would like to lead you in a prayer where you can ask for his forgiveness. A prayer where you can receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord. So if you want Christ to come in your life if you want him to forgive you of your sin if you want a second chance in life. If you want to go to heaven when you die, stop what you're doing and pray after me these words Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as Savior and Lord is God and friend. Thank you for loving me and calling me ever giving me in Jesus name I pray, amen man Ellison if you have just prayed those words with Pastor Greg and met them. Sincerely, the Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin. The Bible tells us Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and would like to send you some materials to help you begin to live this new life we call it our new believers growth packet just ask for and will send it to you free of charge if you prayed for the first time today with Pastor Greg write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime day or night at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click on no God but next time as Pastor Greg continues his world changers series will talk about ways to build bridges to those who don't yet believe see it starts with this next time, new beginning with Pastor Greg Moore possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org