Best of 2020: The World Changer at the End of the World Part 2: Finish the Race Well

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry pastor Greg wanted to see a special word of things to the harvest partners who make this ministry possible next time your online check out Pastor Greg's personal blog@blog.greglaurie.com. You don't want to just start this race. Will you one of the village rings how many trip and fall in the range today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie urges to stay faithful to rush forward and not rest on our laurels. Extensive Bible knowledge and years of spiritual experience make you think you're somehow above it all. You think you bring some kind of a plot so spiritually. The Bible warns with him the things he says the heedless of the fall is the skill of walking the highway warmers based mortal danger. It's a long way down. The last thing they want literally is to make it only halfway across the highway to the beginning. Laurie points out is even more important to finish the race of life. Well mortal danger.

There's uncertainty worthless moments with thankfully when we fall. The Lord is focused on the man who lived in the last days. If you will know they were his last days are different than ours were waiting for the judge will double, come up on the planet by fire. He was waiting for the judge of that would come up on the planet by water and his name was Noah. He was living in the days before the great flood and Jesus actually brought him up as a picture of what things will be like before Christ returns in the Matthew 24. It said the arrival of the Son of Man will take place in days like no one's, before the great flood. Everyone was carrying on as usual. Having a good time guided to the day that Noah boarded the ark, they knew nothing until the flood swept everything away and then Jesus is the Son of Man's arrival will be like that two men will be working in the field.

When will be taking the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other love.

So be alert and being awake because you have no idea when your master will show up alright so in light of that, how should we live, let's go back to that last days believer Noah.

How did he live. We Artie saw this together.

Taking notes is point number one from our last message. Noah had a great reverence for God Noah had a great reverence for God.

Hebrews 11 seven says. Noah moved with godly fear, or with godly reverence. I think that's something that's lacking in the lives of many believers today an actual reverence for God number two Noah walked with God when no one else did Jenna 669 says. Noah walked with God then we know that Noah was also a witness or God.

Second Peter 25 since he was a preacher of righteousness. Listen to this.

Did you know that Noah lived hundred and 20 years and never had a single convert yet is called a preacher of righteousness. He stands as an example to all of the people seed sewers out there who cannot always measure their success in sharing the gospel outwardly. Maybe that describes you. You told your whole family about Jesus. No one fully you told all your friends about Jesus.

Not one of them is become a Christian, you let your neighborhood know you're a believer you've invited them all the church and no one has responded to your invitation and you feel like a failure will take heart, because it's not over till it's over using my job is to sow seeds. By that I mean my job is to get the gospel out there and it's the Holy Spirit's job to bring about a conviction in the heart of a non-believer only he can do that but don't underestimate the power of that little seed that you've sown in your family's life in your children's life and your grandchildren's life and the lives of others or read the story about a missionary who was named George Smith.

He probably thought his ministry was a complete failure. You been in Africa only a short time and then he was driven from the country, leaving behind only one convert a very poor unknown woman. He died not long after that while on his knees praying for Africa. Years later, a group of men stumbled upon the place work George Smith did prayed and they found a copy of his Bible that he left behind in Africa and they met the one convert of George Smith's ministry, but as it turns out that one convert had reached others who reached others and 100 years later, a mission agency discovered 13,000 people trace their conversion to the ministry of George Smith. Queso got a thing for your taking the time to sow the seed of the word of God, the life of your child and you don't have some great far-reaching ministry and you feel like you don't have enough to do. Listen, you know know who that child will turn out to be. You don't know about that seed that you sewed in another place. So you just pray and leave it in God's hand so Noah didn't have a lot of people that believe, but were still talking about them today our weight so he did reach his family and that's a big deal because Hebrews 11 seven says, by faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen move with godly reverence and he prepared an ark or a boat for the saving of his house sold so he did reach his family and I can think of people who got in the ministry and have done a great job reaching out to a lot of people and neglected their family in the process. My first priority is to God my second priority is to my family okay so that's very important to me than it should be to every one of us. You know contrast Noah with lot to lot in a sense, was like no, in that they were both awaiting a cataclysmic judgment.

Noah was awaiting the judgment of God that came to the flood lot was waiting for the judgment of God. They came upon Sodom and Gomorrah, but lot was sold compromise though he was a believer, but he was so compromised. He could not even reach his own family. So when he revealed to his family to God's judgment was coming and he said we gotta get out of town. They laughed at him like he was telling them a joke, blow them off.

I should we listen to you. You will get. Of example are you he could get his own wife out of the place he got out of the city, but you look back and face God's judgment. So the point is, he was a failure in reaching his own family, but Noah was not and then the Lord gives to know a very unusual command. It's in Genesis 60 pop over there now. Genesis 6 verse 14 the Lord tells them to build an ark or about a verse 14 of Genesis 6 build a large boat from gopher wood, says the Lord, and waterproof it with tar inside and out, then construct decks installed throughout its interior makes about 450 feet long 75 feet wide and 45 feet high leave and 18 inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat with the door on the side about three decks inside of the boat, lower middle and upper so this was the supreme act of faith. Considering the fact that it had never rained up to this point it'd already get the way the earth was watered with through this unique sort of water canopy the Lord it said in place creating a terrarium type of effect on planet Earth and you at all the beautiful vegetation and so forth. So it did not yet rained and there was no water nearby and the Lord says build about Noah Sagan about what I'm going to do with the boats but that he obeyed the Lord. One of the greatest acts of faith in history when Noah cut down that first gopher wood tree to build this ark, but he did it. You know it's an interesting thing because Noah was not a builder.

The Bible doesn't tell us he really was. It in the building profession he was what you would call an amateur well I think experts built the Titanic. That didn't turn out so well. What an amateur built the ark and it was very buoyant and very seaworthy. As we'll see in just a moment, but he put feet to his faith and did what God told him to do. Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

We hear from so many people find Christ through harvest ministries and it's a blessing to know that God is using his word to touch hearts. Thank you for leading me to Christ. Three years ago when the harvest although I'm not perfect. I realize writing all his glory has made me want to become a better man because of everything Lord God, I am now. I struggle my whole life with only overcome that battle because everything I want you to know you majoring on my life and I can't thank you enough. God bless you and harvest the encouraging story of how God's word is changing lives through the ministry of harvest do you have a story to tell of how Pastor Greg's teaching has touched you.

Call us and let us know 866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144 over studying the Bible's account of Noah today and one of the most requested messages of the past year called a world changer at the end of the world part two let's continue.

I want you to think about the spiritual life of Noah.

For a moment he had to sit on that boat for 40 days and 40 nights as the rain came in. He ultimately was onboard around a year in the sea can be a very lonely place canted and typing up that thing must've stunk. Honestly, all those creatures and their but now his voyage is about to come to an end and God's Holy Spirit blew across the land in the clouds began to dissipate the sun appears and eventually the grass on the plants and the trees begin to come back to life.

As the children song says the sun came out and dried up the land, the landing, everything was fine and dandy, dandy, ever heard that song. But he waited and finally the moment is come for him to get off of this art and I want to the notice what he does Genesis 820 says. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He built an altar to the Lord, you know, it would've been very easy to just climb up that boat and say okay man I'm so sick of being on the water. I want to just run around like a month on terra firma on firm ground, but the first thing he did because he had his priorities in order.

Is he built an altar to the Lord gave thanks to the Lord, he put first things first, there's a lot of ways that we can do this as well.

The simple act of saying grace over a meal is a great way to just give thanks to God.

By the way when your meal comes me as a grace, it doesn't honestly need to be a 10 minute prayer. Okay it just give thanks and eat the food prayed further up the missionaries afterwards could pray for them, but what eat the food while it's still warm and I think it's actually a really great testimony if you're in a public place with your family and you got your head to say grace but just make sure you leave a tip afterwards and don't be a bad witness right but that's a way to put God first of remembering the Lord of the people giving up your finances, whatever money you make. That's given to you by God, and you take a time that also known as the 10th of that and you give it to God and the Scripture promises that if you honor the Lord with your wealth and the firstfruits of your crops, your barn will be overflowing. I saw a bumper sticker in a car that said ties. If you love Jesus. Anybody can honk right so that's is the percentage okay I'm putting God first and then another way to put God first is on Sunday. It's like were going to church today. That's what we do on this day the Lord's day. Remember God and God remembered Noah.

You know, Ecclesiastes, 12 months is remember now the creator in the days of your youth link sometimes and were young we think, well, you know, I've got my wild oats to so really, why well.

Just as everyone says I do. Why should you. Why would you do want to do things today that you regret tomorrow and in the years and maybe even decades to come. Why not start sewing spiritual seed in your youth and lay a good foundation in your youth. It's almost like we have this big free pass to be crazy in our youth into every wrong thing imaginable will that is certainly not what God wants you to do that's right, he says remember the creator in the days of your youth. Such an important time.

The early years of our life. I became a Christian at age 17. I did some stupid things. Prior to that, things I regret but I'm thankful I didn't go much longer than that and I look back on that day and I look at the course that the lives of some of my friends took the didn't believe as I believe now run into some of them every now and then and there into their second and third and fourth marriages, some of them have substance abuse problems. Some of them never stop partying and I just think of the course I took and how God blessed me, and how God is taking care of me and I realized I made the right choice and when you're young that's a perfect time to make the right choice.

Okay so here is the story Noah's Ark beautiful. They make it to the new land and now they're giving thanks to the Lord it if this were a movie and if we eroded this is where the story would, and you can see the closing scene. Those looking up to heaven, tears coming down his face and the flowers are growing and the animals are hopping around and there's a rainbow in the credits are on the screen but that's not how the story ends. Because this is a Bible story Bible stories are true. They're not fairytales.

When something happens that is not convenient.

It's there anyway because if it happens it happens in all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and the Lord doesn't cover up the flaws of the great men and women that he is.

The story is told of the great British legend Oliver Cromwell was having this portrait painted and he said to the painter. Make sure to paint me warts and all.

That's because the peanut was known to sort of flatter the people he painted, Cromwell said I want people to see me as I was, and indeed when you look at the portrait of Cromwell gives warts on his face that some of the Bible gives us up, cleaning up one of its heroes. If there's warts you'll see them if there's flaws will be aware of them.

So what happened next is kind of sound in many ways in the life of Noah, but it did happen. Genesis chapter 9 verse 20 after the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine that he had made and became drunk and lay naked inside of his tent. Ham the father of Canaan, saw his father was naked went outside and told his brothers then Shem and Japheth took a rope and held it over their shoulders and backed into the tent to cover their father as they did this they look the other way so they would not see him naked while really after all that walking with the Lord.

After all of that exercise of faith. This is how you're going to thank the Lord will this is what he did few things pop out from the story.

First of all, it teaches us. Anyone can fall into sin.

Anyone can fall into sin including you and if you think a moment that'll never happen to me or I would never deny the Lord or I would never send in their wake.

You could know prayerfully and hopefully you won't.

And the fact is, God will never give you more than you can handle right because the Bible says in first Corinthians 1013 there is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God was faithful will not allow you to be tempted above your ability to resist.

There's always a way out of every temptation is in their how many of you have been tempted to sin. Raise your hand be printed. Gay how many of you been tempted to sin in you giving into the temptation regular razor hands all of you as we all have have a week now. Let me ask you this.

Go back to that temptation you gave into whatever was. Was there a way out. Could you have resisted it. Could you walk out of the door. Could you have terminated the conversation or whatever you are dealing with.

Could you have gotten out of it. Had you chosen to. The answer is yes.

But if you don't choose to what you can choose the wrong thing and that's what Noah did you know may surprise you to know that sometimes those who have known the Lord longer can be more vulnerable to slipping than the person who is young and the thing that makes sense to you. Sometimes those love known the Lord longer can be more vulnerable to slipping than the person was young and the faith is a but why because when you're young in the faith. You know you're weak and vulnerable, so your careful and you hopefully surround yourself with godly people. But when you have known the Lord for a while you thinking while I'm on pretty good. I don't think I need to have those safeguards in my life anymore. I'll just pretty much not be accountable to anyone and do what I want when I want the next thing you know you're falling extensive Bible knowledge and years of spiritual experience make you think you're somehow above it all.

You think you've reached some kind of a plateau spiritually, but you'll never reach that plateau in the Bible warns that him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. You know there's a number of godly people who fell after they know the Lord for years. Moses comes to mind member when he struck the rock with the staff, and water came out while he struck a rock again later in the story when the Lord is not told him to, and was yelling at the Israelites a must we get water out of the rock, as we've done before Canada taken the glory for himself that only belong to God.

Because of this the Lord and let them enter the promised land. Moses, the man of God.

The men at the Lord spoke to at the burning Bush the man who led the exodus out of Egypt. The man who put up a lot of the whining and complaining of the Israelites and was so faithful to the Lord blown at the end and even make it into the promised land. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, the king of Israel and the men uniquely identified as being after God's own heart. Sin later in life as well.

He was in his 50s appears to be having something of a midlife crisis kicking back in his rooftop when he should have been leading the troops in the battle and steadies scoping checks and he sees the beautiful Bathsheba. Ironically, baby herself any lust after her and you know the rest of that story how he she became pregnant and he had her husband killed to cover it up.

That happened after he known the Lord for years and then David's son Solomon Phelan to grow sin in his later years as well. Solomon was given such great wisdom from heaven that people came from around the world to sit at his feet and drink it in, and yet he went on an epic backslide and recorded it for us is called the book of Ecclesiastes talks about all the things he tried and experimented with in all the things that were so empty and ultimately he says a here's the conclusion your God and keep his commandments at the whole duty of man sees it what you bringing all the sub, I'm just saying that anybody can fall into sin if they choose to. You don't want to just start this race. Well, you want to finish the race based on the life of Noah from Pastor Greg Laurie today on a new beginning.

He's presenting a message called the world changer at the end of the world part two it's near the top of our list of most requested studies of the past year. You can hear any part of the sermon again by going to harvest.org or contact us for a CD copy had 1-800-821-3300.

We can take your call anytime 24 seven that's 1-800-821-3300 Pastor Greg was struck via social media post of yours recently that that really crystallizes our burden for this new year and what we plan to do moving forward you write this, our country is in dire shape spiritually and morally. And it's my firm conviction that the only hope is the proclamation of the gospel.

I don't see anything else that can turn America around. That's just such a concise statement of what we're all about the gospel can save our culture from ruin.

Yeah, and I'm so glad to say that we have a tool we can put into your listeners hands that'll help them do their part in making that a reality. Yes, with that tool is called a rush of hope in many of our listeners may remember that we put it out on our social platforms harvest.org etc. and it's been shown around the United States now on television, but now were offering it to people for their gift of any size they have their own copy of it on DVD and here's how this works. Here is your job, here's your mission, should you decide to accept it. It is to get people you know that are not yet Christians in front of the screen, not might be a tablet screen could be a phone screen.

Better yet, a TV screen where you show them a rush of hope. What is a rush to follow.

It's what we call a cinematic crusade beautifully filmed with a lot of incredible scenery from Montana and Colorado but the main focus of the film is how God can intervene in difficult situations and transform human lives like the story of young Bart Millard what his mother walked out of him and he was left to be raised by his alcoholic abusive father. But God intervened in his life and was able to change Bart's heart, enabling him to forgive his father, and have an impact on his father. Coming to Christ.

Later in life. We also have the compelling story of Jeremy Camp who is a newlywed but tragically his bride Melissa got cancer and he walked with her through it hoping God would heal her but ultimately she tragically died but this is a story of how he was able to face this with faith and still have hope and trust in God and believe even when circumstances were hard interwoven throughout a rush of Pope is a message I give offering hope to the viewer and ending with the gospel presentation will even lead folks in a prayer.

All you have to do is get someone to see it were effectively doing the heavy lifting for you and at the end of them watching it you can turn to them and say did you pray and ask Christ to come in your life with pastor Greg and if not would you like to do it right now. Get your copy of a rush of hope.

This will be a tool that will help you reach people with the gospel like never before. Yeah that's right it will be glad to send you a rush of hope to thank you for your donation right now. It's an investment becomes at a strategic time as we prepare to reach more people than we ever have before. So contact us today for the DVD of a rush of hope and along with it.

You will receive an evangelistic tract on life's most important questions, and other resources to help you host a watch party in your home. Plus will send a digital download code so you can watch the film online right from your computer, tablet or smart phone. That way you can take it with you and share it with a friend.

He asserted a cinematic crusade in your pocket or purse.

I will only be mentioning this. A short time longer to write us today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 1-800-821-3300 and we can take your call anytime 24 seven or just go online harvest time. Pastor Greg wraps up our study of Noah. One of the most requested messages of the past year. Join us here on a new beginning.

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