A Second Chance for a World Changer: What God Can Do with You

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God don't want to hear from you. Would you consider emailing me you can reach me at greg@harvest.org again that's Greg harvest.org and you can also make me one of your friends on Facebook and drop me a comment is not enough to just do the right thing and the right thing the right way the right song coming up today. Pastor Greg Morey point show the walk of faith is one where we do what God wants how he wants and when he wants and I think sometimes we want to take matters in your own we need to pray about things that we need to trust the Lord, and wait on his timing when the timing is right. The Lord will direct you. That's what you need and I is getting you from point A to point B.

What he has to follow a schedule you have to land on the right runway and it's pretty important for the plane to land on its wheels. None of the passengers are going to complain that that's too restrictive today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie points out, God has a plan for each of us is important to follow, wait it out were learning from the Old Testament man of God most let's all grab our Bibles and turn to 2000.

Just today. Hebrews chapter 11 in Exodus chapter 2.a world changer series member earlier in this series, I ask you the question, are you a thermostat or a thermometer thermostat basically just tells you what the temperature it's right. I have one of these thermostats that has a mind of its own. It's called a nest thermostat you know it can address me crazy because sometimes it just decides based on past history that I wanted warmer when I don't owe our in the middle of the night.

The nest decides it should be much colder in the notes things that should be in the 40s at night, when I conducted wrong with you as a mind of its own, but basically up thermostat sets the temperature monitor.

In contrast, just tells you the temperature and asked the question earlier. You may recall, are you up thermostat or are you a thermometer.

In other words, do you set the pace or are you a doctor by your surrounding Moses, no question about it was up thermostat. In fact, we know because of his life in his godliness and his integrity.

He affectively 3 million people plus from idolatry. The reason I bring this up is as soon as Moses love them to go receive the commandment from God up at Mount Sinai.

These people went crazy worshiping false gods of kinds of insane stuff. But the point is, when he was around.

The lid was sort of Things about Is a Man Who Was a World Changer, but He Is Also a Man of Great Paradoxes, so Let's Dig in Door Scripture. Now Go to Hebrews 11 by Faith Moses When He Was Born Was Given Three Months by His Parents Because They Thought He Was a Beautiful Child and They Were Not Afraid of the King's Command by Faith Moses When He Became of Age Refused to Be Called the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter Choosing Rather to Suffer Affliction with the People of God Rather Than to Enjoy the Passing Pleasures of Sin. He Has Seen the Reproach of Christ Greater Riches Than the Treasures in Egypt Really Look Forward to a Robe or Stop Now. The Story Here Is Amazing of a Little Moses Little Mo You Know His Mother up Places Him in Almost like, Well, a Miniature Are Converted Noah's Ark. It Was like Moses Are Just a Little Basket Covered with Pitch That Would Float and She Put the Little Baby the Beautiful Baby Don't Forget in the Nile River, and Just Give It a Little Push and He's Cruising up the Nile and This Happens to Be in the Same Area Were the Pharaoh's Daughter. The Princess Affectively Would Go Each Morning and Almost As If on Cue, the Beautiful Baby Cries, and the Daughter of Pharaoh Cares and Walks over and Says While Look at This Baby Maternal Instincts Kick in. She Loves This Little Baby Immediately and Wants to Make Him or Her Own Son. So God Was Putting Everything Together Now Courses Was All a Plan Hatched by the Mother of Moses and His Sister Miriam That They Were Hoping This Would Happen.

I Bring This up Because Sometimes We Don't Understand That You Can Be Practical and Spiritual Simultaneously Know Some People They Think Everything Spiritual Never Involves Human Effort. It Just Happened. In Other People Think Everything Is Proctored: We Should Never Expect God to Do Anything While the Truth Is the Spiritual and the Practical Can Work Together. You Know When Nehemiah Went to Rebuild the City. He Started with a Plan and and Then He Prayed about It and He Started Working in a Way That a Harvest Crusade at the AT&T Stadium. We Were so Thrilled with What the Lord Did.

It Was the Largest Single Evangelistic Event. One Day Evangelistic Event in American History. I Mean We Never Thought That Would Happen but We Give God the Glory. Now Did We Work in the Crusade Every Single Day. Did We Plan for Yes We Did, Did We Pray about It. You Better Believe It. But Then God Blessed. But There's a Place for God Blessing in Human Effort As Well. You Know Sometimes People Might Be Out Of Work and so You Asked Them A Lot. You Put Your Resume out There in the Say No I'm Just Praying about It, You Know, Just in an Open Frame Sitton Well Gonna Lay Back Actually Him the Old La-Z-Boy in Praying for a Response. So You Better Start Praying about Where to Get Your Next Meal Because the Bible Says of a Man Doesn't Work He Should Meet the Point of It Is Is That You Need to Get out There.

Be Practical.

Let People Know You're Looking for Work and so There Are Things That Work Together. The Practical and the Spiritual Soul.

Moses Cries on Cue in a Baby's Tears Were God's First Weapon in This War against Egypt Wasn't Turns out This Young Lady This Princess of Egypt Properly Nurse and Raise Moses so Joke about His Mom Happened to Be Nearby Americans Is Akers a Lady That Could Nurse Him and so the Pharaoh's Daughter Hires the Mother of Moses to Nurse Her Own Child. So Joke a Bit. Had Three Precious Months with Their Little Baby and She Had A Lot Of Gall That Must've Been Hard, Always Hard to Let Our Children Go Is Net so Stephen Fills in Some Gaps Here in Acts 720 He Says That the Time Moses Was Born a Beautiful Job in God's Eyes. His Parents Cared for Him in over Three Months. One of Last They Had to Abandon Him.

Pharaoh's Daughter Found Him and Raised Him As Her Own Son Moses Was Taught in All the Wisdom of the Egyptians and He Became Mighty in Both Speech and Action Notes Interesting. The Jewish Historian Josephus Believes That Moses Was Being Groomed to Become the Next Pharaoh of Egypt and II Think This Is Possible Because Interestingly, When Steven and His Commentary on Moses Said Pharaoh's Daughter Was Raising Him As Her Own Son. It Sort of Implies That That's What He Was Being Groomed to Become. I Mean Think about Moses He Goes Literally from Rags to Riches Overnight from the Low Rent District to the Very Lab of Lecturing and Moses Said the Finest Education Imaginable. At This Time, Egypt Was an Incredibly Advanced Culture They Had an Amazing Grasp of so Many Things, Including Astronomy and Arts and Music and Painting and Philosophy, and of Course They Built Edifices That Are Still Standing Today.

So Moses Meant He Was like in the Oxford of Egypt. He Was Eating the Finest Food Wearing the Most Amazing Clothes and Being Groomed to Probably Become of the Next Pharaoh, but in Side of That Egyptian Exterior Was a Hebrew Heart. He He Knew That He Was a Jew and He Cared about This Fellow Jews, and He Wanted to Help Them.

And so Now We Come to Hebrews 11 Again Dropped on the Verse 24. It Was by Faith That Moses, When He Grew up Refused to Be Treated As a Son of Pharaoh's Daughter.

This Is Really Interesting. He Chose to Share the Oppression of God's People Instead of Enjoying the Fleeting Pleasures of Sin.

He Thought It Was Better to Suffer for the Sake of the Messiah and on the Treasures of Egypt. He Was Looking He Had the Great Reward That God Would Give All of That Passage, Moses Said, I Don't Need the Pleasures of Egypt. I Don't Need the Luxuries of Egypt. I'd Rather Suffer God's People Listen to This Gods Worst Is Better Than the World's Best. Let Me Say That Again God's Worst Is Better Than the World's Best.

Let Me Explain What Is the World's Best.

Well I Guess It's All the Pleasures All the Experiences All the Possessions. Whatever This World Can Offer.

That's the Best and Then You Die in a New Phase Judgment Gods Worst, What Would It Be Well May Be Ridiculed for Your Faith in Christ. Going through Trials Associated with Your Faith. For Some Even Being Martyred for Your Faith. That's the Worst Thing That Can Happen to You As a Christian, but God's Worst Is Better Than the World's Best and Here's Why. Because the World's Best Only Last for A Few Moments. In Light of Eternity. But God's Best, Comes with Reward. So Even If I Suffer in This Life. I Know There's a Warlord on the Other Side. But You Know What Else I Found Whatever Pleasures You Give up to Follow Christ. Would God Gives You. In Their Place Are so Much Better. You Don't Even Miss That Stuff Anymore. Moses Was or Somebody in Pharaoh's Court Would Soon Something Will Happen and He'll Be Reduced to a Nobody. But There's a Silver Lining in That Dark Cloud 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. Take It with You to Be Ministered to Every Weekend. Join Us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org.

We are tracking the life and integrity of Moses today from Pastor Greg series called world changers today study is titled the second chance for a world changer. Let's see what happens. He got a little carried away in the right idea. I think his heart was in the right place, but he took matters into his own hands, is go over to Exodus now exit is to.

Here's what happens.

As you know, he's a prince of Egypt and is a very powerful man but he's a Jew and he wants to help the fellow Hebrews out there is so her story picks up Exodus 2 verse 11 came to pass in those days when Moses was grown that he went up to his brethren and looked at their burdens and saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brothers so he looked this way they look that way when he saw no one.

He killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand only went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting and he said to the one who did the wrong are you striking your companion. He said who made you a prince in the judge over us. Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian so Moses said surely this thing is no when Pharaoh heard of this matter. He sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled from the base of Pharaoh dwelt in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well stop there while God did not tell Moses to do this. It took matters into his own hands. Now true. This was an injustice were an Egyptian is beating a Hebrew baby Moses could've used his influence to bring a stop to what he thought was wrong and he kills the guy I find verse 12. Interesting there and exit is to it. Says he looked this way and he looked that way pretty much a good indication that what you're doing is all right when you're like this before you do it right. The shuttle looked up because the Lord was watching Wednesday of a story of years ago when we are having a workday at the church and I've told you before, I have no mechanical skills whatsoever. Hey I Brian I was born out of wedlock and never at a dad to tell me basic things like, here's how you tie a tie.

Here's how you work with tools. I never had any that some clueless and so were having this work and I'm looking for something to do and someone had a hedge cutter actually out lien by the heads. I think I'll do that, I'll trim the hedges and so I fired up. I'm going to cause a dominant and all of a sudden I wasn't paying attention. I cut right to the court of the hedge cutter just thoughts and here's what I did look this way I look that way.

I set it down and I walked off. I didn't tell anyone. I got it years later, years later friend by Dennis Davenport used to be and stop at our church and I was a pastor of his own church said I was up on the roof on that workday and I looked down and I saw that happen.

I don't what kind of a pastor is this a stupid one who does not use power tools that would was but you know you look this way Nila got away all I've covered it up. You think that's a Moses thought but you know he wasn't a very good center because the Bible tells us he buried the guy in the sand. Just a quick tip if you're going to bury a body don't buried in the sand because think of the Egyptian sand.

The wind blowing in. All of a sudden there is the evidence of what you did so. He was found out quickly and already fellow Jews were talking about it take to put you in charge. You're not the boss of me. You can't tell me what to do were gods of the Pharaoh and now Moses was a wanted man is picture was taken in all the post offices wanted Moses and so he headed for the hills.

He should've waited for God's timing. Listen to this.

It's not enough to just do the right thing you need to do the right thing in the right way at the right time. I think sometimes we grow impatient with God and we want to take matters into your own hands.

Maybe your wife married to an unbelieving husband. I don't know how you got the place you disobeyed God just married this guy even though he wasn't a Christian. Maybe you became a Christian after you were married. But here's the bottom line that you're married in the sky getting and how I reach so you're thinking and I'm just gonna pastor him every day I'm going to nag him into the kingdom of God. Trust me, it's not gonna work. I no man will ever be nagged into God's kingdom. No woman for that matter either actually over first Peter three at judging how to win your husband, the Christ. It says you will and without a word by the way that you live as you have a godly life. And then the man sees it, so my point is simply this, we need to pray about things and we need to trust the Lord, and wait on his timing when the timing is right.

The Lord will direct you and that's when you need to act Moses was way ahead of schedule a Moses five is been summed up as follows. He spent 40 years in Pharaoh's court finding out he was a somebody 40 years in the desert finding out he was a nobody than 40 years finding out what God can do with the somebody who finds out there and nobody so Moses fades in the complete obscurity, once the heir to the throne of all of Egypt always a common shepherd to someone else's sheep.

He needs a family. They let them take care of their sheep and he ends up marrying one of the daughters and so it looks like while Moses way to crash and burn way to wreck everything you would play your cards right you go to bed.

The top dog in Egypt and maybe done some good. But you messed everything up and you kill that guy. Then you try to cover up. Well that's all true.

Moses fail I said earlier, we fail, but he failed forward. What is it me, the billboard will hopefully mean to learn from your mistakes. If I burn myself touching the stove was a little child I learned in my little child, brain, don't touch a hot stove again and that goes through like a bike learn. This is wrong will don't do the wrong thing again. So Moses just waited upon the Lord will find out what happened to him when God spoke to him next time will Bush that would not stop earning but still remember Moses, the man of God lets and we all fail in life. Caleb lapses Simon Peter met you want to talk about crashing and burning openly denying the Lord God gave him a second chance Disney Jesus recommissioned him at the sea of Galilee to go feed my sheep.

What about Jonah, he messed up he ran from God. God kinda got his attention. In this, dove a great fish. Jonah came to his senses and was given a second chance God gives second chances. That's why I've called this message a second chance borough world changer, you need a second chance today of you messed up on life. Even as a Christian done something you're ashamed of something you deeply regret is a will. That's it for me. God will never use me. Why would you say that we see nothing else loosing God's got a Moses he can use you and what about those other people I mentioned earlier.

Sure, we messed up.

But God can recommissioned you learn from your mistakes admit them, repent of them recommit your life to the Lord and he will give you a second chance and maybe some of you are running from God today been running from him. Your whole life because you think God's out to get you into thinking that of a party, Chris.

I'll never have fun again. I'll never smile again. Life would just be boring and dull. Nothing could be further from the truth. Becoming a Christian is like going from black and white to color and to be biblical. It's going from death to life, and quite frankly from a future and held to a place called heaven, heard a story about lawyer that was trying to deliver an important paper to a man than this guy avoided him at all costs because he thought it was some kind of a subpoena, so he took great efforts to avoid that attorney and do whatever he could not have any contact with them.

This went on for years and the attorney could never get to this guy.

He kept debating him and and avoiding him and then one day, 14 years later this man who would been running from the attorney found himself in a hospital dying of cancer and who's rolled up into the bed next to him about the lawyer and the men love these little you know what I don't even care now.

I'm dying of cancer. Go ahead and serve me the papers alloys of what you talking about. I wasn't in the subpoena you I was trying to inform you that you would an inherited $14 million that it this is us running from God. All God's out to give the gods out to ruin my life know he loves you.

Remember the story of the prodigal son who sinned against his father on his father saw him a great distance, he ran to his son.

God is running to you to save you.

There might be some of you in closing who don't have a relationship with God you been running from God you didn't know that God loved you you didn't know that God's plan for you is better than your plan for yourself.

I want to help you get right with God in a moment were going to pray, to give you an opportunity if you have never asked Jesus to come into your life to ask him in and so you can be forgiven of all of your sin and I'm also going to extend an invitation to some of you messed up fallen into some kind of sin, but you need a second chance.

I'll give you an opportunity to pray and ask God to give you that second chance.

Think about what you're going to do as we close now in prayer until Barry Hansen everyone pray please father, we thank you for your word to us and we thank you for your love for us and we thank you that you are a God of second chances. I pray Lord for everybody here and everybody listening. It is not yet know you hope them to come to you now help them to believe in you. Help them to know that there is a God in heaven who loves who's calling to them, who's running to them under her but to express his love in Jesus name I pray for Greg Laurie important word of prayer.

And if you like to make sure your heart is right with the Lord. Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment before today's addition of a new beginning wraps up now. The title of today's study is the second chance for a world changer mentioned that if you'd like a permanent copy of the teaching when you call 1-800-821-3300 call anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300 or go to harvest.org and were so happy to have special guests, Jeff and Chante felt hot with us today their joining Pastor Greg and his wife Kathy here in the studio and we're making available their new book called thriving in love and money to thank you for investing in this outreach and investment that changes lives each and every day Pastor pays speaking of investing in ministry. Let's talk a little bit about giving to the Lord why is that important to invest in the kingdom of God and by that I mean investing in the ministry like ours or others or your local church while it really goes back to that where your treasure is, there your heart will be writing his Jesus.

Now this, that what you do with your money. It reveals the heart right like if he dies he was a pastor. I'm sure you said many times that if you're choosing to tide of your choosing to invest in the king down it reveals where your heart as see how this is see you choosing to eat you choosing to trust. However, one of the other things we may not realize about what Jesus said there is what you do with your money. It's not just reveals the heart. It also steers the heart and see you do that. I see you step out in faith and say no. I want to hold on to all of it that God says to give this back to him. It forces me to say this is a choice of trust may not be feeling right now.

You will wish it would be but it's going to be a choice steers my heart in that direction when I take a deep breath and choose to gather your listening this Chante and Jeff Phil Hahn.

They written a book called thriving in love and money and this is our special resorts this month that we want to put in your hands hold you know that when we offer these resources, it's because we want to help you. We want to encourage you.

We want to strengthen you and this is one of the most important that we've ever offered, and I would remind you that I'm offering this to you for your gift of any size whatever you send large or small, will get your copy.

But let me encourage you to invest in our ministry because this is a ministry that obviously teaches the word of God. But it's also a ministry that calls people to Christ and every year we see literally thousands of people make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ as will invite them to do so at the end of our program.

So if you believe that people need to come to Jesus if you believe people need to hear the word of God, then the we would appreciate your investment in our ministry and will get you your copy of this book by Jeff and Chante felt Hahn driving in love and money and we hope you contact us today so we can get this help on its way to you will only be mentioning this resource.

A short time longer your investment right now is so pivotal as we reach even further in impacting our culture with the truth of God's word so you can send your donation today to a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and the full title of the book is thriving in love and money subtitled five-game changing insights about your relationships, your money and yourself will pressure great today. You wrapped up your message talking about eternity. How can somebody listening know that they're going to heaven. That's a great question and I guess let me take it a step further. I know that is the most important question you can ask, how can a person know they're going to have let me say at the outset, I believe I'm going to have an effect out to get a step further. I know I'm going to have is a Greg is not kind of arrogant, not really, because I know this because God is made a promise to me and I've believed that promise. The Bible says we write these things to you that believe on the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. I've believed on the name of the son of God. Thus, I know I'll go to heaven when I die, here's my question to you. Do you believe on the name of the son of God, is there any more important issue that that I can think of one.

So I like to lead you in a simple prayer and this is a prayer will you will be asking Jesus to forgive you of your sin and you'll be asking them to be your own Savior friend Lord. It's a prayer. Only you can pray pray these words.

If you would, Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner but I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead. Jesus come in the my life.

I want to believe in you. I want to follow you. I want this relationship with you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and rising again from the dead, and I think you that you've heard this prayer and I believe you've come into my life in Jesus name I pray, amen. I want to help you grow in your faith. I want to help you grow spiritually. So I've a free gift for you. It's called the new believers grow packet what's in it know not a bag of seeds to plant in your backyard. I guess it's sort of a form of a bag of seeds because I want to sell some spiritual seed in your life to help you develop as a follower of Christ, so I'm of the send you a copy of the New Testament and the new living translation but it's a special edition that's called the new believers Bible and it's filled with notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this new commitment or recommitment you've made to Christ and there's some other materials in the new believers packet as well so order your copy today and I'm so glad I have this privilege today to lead you and their prayer. God bless you. You've made the right decision. The decision to follow Jesus Christ. Here's how to get that new believers packet just right is that a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300, you can connect with us anytime night or day at 1-800-821-3300 or just go online to harvest.org and click the words know God Pastor Greg continues to study the example of Moses litigant Exodus 3 Moses meets with God finds out he's been chosen to help deliver the children of Israel fascinating study next time beginning and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org