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March 10, 2021 3:00 am
Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how to wake ourselves up spiritually, and how that’ll have an effect on our culture, as well. He’s explaining the biblical prescription for a societal spiritual awakening.
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It's time for another spiritual awakening in our time. Receive a copy of Jesus Revolution and study guide when you support this show at harvest.org/donate.
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A new beginning presents the timely book Jesus revolution by Pastor Greg Laurie and shares how it's the perfect time for another move of God. The last great spiritual awakening in American history was known as the Jesus movement by the Jesus revolution and so here's a word say Lord do it again and I seem to find take away principles that we can apply in hopes that we can see another Jesus revolution. Yours for a gift of any amount at harvest.or reading, writing and arithmetic 3Rs called Pastor Greg Laurie shares three more hours. The 3R's of revival are.
Remember, repent, and then repeat this if you want to see a revival revival life's start your day reading the word of God. If you feel like it or not take more time to be with God's people in worship. More opportunities to pray, leave your comfort zone and share things in the endless miles of highway can be fatiguing to actually feel sleepy 65 miles an hour. Sometimes we go through life is 65 miles an spiritually speaking practically falling asleep today and a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie points out how to wake ourselves up spiritually and now that'll have an effect in our culture as well is explaining the biblical prescriptions for societal spiritual awakening were talking about the Jesus revolution. You know it's interesting in the days of the Jesus movement within call of the Jesus revolution it was time magazine that came up with this idea. They called it a revolution. We didn't call it.but in many ways.
It was a revolution. What is a revolution. Generally, we think of all people radical change like the French Revolution, but the word revolution also means turning around and returning to something and I think that's really what we need in America we need to turn back to God. You know I can't think of a time in our nation's history. For the years I've been alive and maybe even before in studying history when America has been more divided than we are right now and we love to point our fingers. You know, we point our fingers at Hollywood and all the junk they turned out they do deserve some blame. Of course we point our fingers that Washington DC what you know when a nation is breaking down God does not point his finger at the White House. He points his finger at his house at the church because revival as we pointed out last time is what the church needs to experience a spiritual awakening is what America needs a revival is what the church needs. I quoted this verse last time second Chronicles 714. It's really God's prescription for revival or restoration, and it applies to any person or any nation where God says if my people, which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will forgive their sins and heal their land.
So I want to talk about prayer and revival because that's really what needs to happen we need to start praying like we've never prayed before revival is getting back to the Christian life as it was meant to be lit revival asserted like being in love for the first time or in the bloom of first love affect the Bible even compares our relationship with God to God of two newly weds or someone in the first love relationship.
In fact, in the book of Ephesians, Jesus talks of the church there and says you know, lose paraphrase, I know you guys are active. I know you're busy, you're doing a lot of great stuff but here's my issue with you. You've left your first love. Now how many of you are in love with somebody right now is your love for somebody okay now I how many of you are married again.
How many of you are in love with your spouse.
I better see the same amount and how many of you are not married yet, but you're in love with somebody you're in love with somebody at the gate okay are you with them. Are you with them here. Have you told them you do they know ours is the first time they're hearing you I would when I was a kid in school, I was always falling in love with girls but never knew I existed and I got have crushes on girls right in. So maybe there's someone you think oh I wonder if that's the right one for me. So you write their name in your name together. You know, and if you play around with their last name is your last name of your girl and you know that the kinds of things that people that are in love doing you you got the butterflies in the stomach and your nervous and your mouth goes dry and all those things that speak of a new love and then you get married. Okay.
And then things change. As I've said marriage is a three ring circus. There is engagement ring wedding ring and suffering know that's a job but sometimes it's that way but I bring this up as an illustration because this can be like a relationship with God. You know you first come to Jesus you are all excited you're all fired up.
You want to go to every church service. You can go to too many church service you can't wait to get up in the morning and hear what the Bible has to say to you, prayer man, you just love to pray you're always praying affect sometimes you pray too long, which is the worst thing a person can do.
Sharing your faith that just natural you're always initiating conversations about Jesus Christ. But the thing is is as time passes we start taking these things for granted and it's possible to sort of leave our first love. You don't lose it, but you can leave it so speaking to people who left their first love.
Jesus says, remember from where you will fall in repent and do the first works quickly, so the 3R's of getting right with God, or we could say the 3R's of revival are. Remember, so there was a time in your life as a Christian when you're thought you had more fire for God, you are more passion for Jesus. Remember it as a point of reference, then repent literally repent, you know, change your direction exit repent means means going the opposite direction and then repeat do the first works quickly. Listen to this.
If you want to see a revival then do revival like thing. So instead of overly mystifying it just kick back and do those things you used to do. Don't wait for some a motion to overcome you just start your day reading the word of God. If you feel like it or not take more time to be with God's people in worship take more opportunities to pray, leave your comfort zone and share your faith. You know it's interesting that one of the great awakening that happened in America that I mentioned last time was what is called the prayer revival in New York City. It started as a prayer meeting on Fulton St. in New York and it started very small, but then the stock market crash, and everyone basically was freaking out and calling on God.
You know when things are going well. When the economy is good. We might say what we don't really need got all that much. Trust me, we need God we need God badly but maybe were just not willing to realize how desperate the situation really is. What is revival. Charles Finney, who was a part of one of the great revivals." Revival is nothing more or less than a new beginning of obedience to God.
Early Sunday a great evangelist talked about revival and he said this, they tell me a revival is only temporary. So, as a bath but it does you good you know so it's a good thing when it happened so revival is not only returning to one's first love in Jesus, but it's also waking up from sleep, often in the Bible, lethargy, laziness, and sleep is used is a picture of a person that is complacent and the relationship of God in Romans 1311 it says it's more urgent. Right now the deal. The Lord is closer than it's ever been. Time is running out so wake up because our salvation is so close know the funny thing about going to sleep is you don't always know that you're asleep. Others do because you're snoring right but that sometimes when my wife and I are dozing off.
She likes to watch how do I put it delicately boring things on TV which actually helps because I want things to get me to stimulated sulfate turn that off and then she likes to watch a show called him a few represented the great British bake-off everything that so so it's like these two people up all Hollywood and Mary Berry know they have another lady to do it with.
In all these people compete from around England and they are given the challenge to bake this or make that and and then he tests all the things after they become an immediate sink so boring and so I fall asleep and Kelly was a car you sleeping that I don't know why that I did not know I wasn't sleeping when we deny a warmer sleeping summer causes the three in the morning we leave you know what yeah and you just woke me up. Thank you very much.
So that's how it can be sometimes. Spiritually, you don't realize that you're spiritually asleep pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment.
We hear from listeners all over the country and from countries all over the world. Thank you very much faster great for everything you every Sunday, a white unnamed harvest service from Spain with my husband.
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Call 1-866-871-1144 that's a special number 1-866-871-1144 will pastor Greg is pointing out today how a spiritual awakening in the culture depends on revival in the church were learning the steps toward that goal. Today revival is getting back to the Christian faith that was lived out in the first century. You know it's been said that revival is when God get so sick and tired of being misrepresented. He shows up himself. I want to say that again revival is when God get so sick and tired of being misrepresented. He shows up himself and periodically we have to rescue Jesus from modern-day Christianity to get all caught up in religious stuff and ritualistic stuff and all kinds of things that have nothing to do with Jesus. This is why we called it the Jesus movement in the Jesus revolution everything. It's about Jesus and were more focused on Jesus. Everything seems the fine it's right place.
So God wants to send a revival one person wrote it down this way and I quote, if all the sleeping people will wake up if all the lukewarm people will fire up if all of the dishonest people will confess if all the disgruntled people will cheer up if all the estranged people will make up if all the gossipers will shut up. If all true soldiers will stand up if the dry bones will shake up of all the church people will pray then we can have a revival. I like that.
So here's a point number one if you're taking notes if you want to see a revival. This use in humble yourself and pray need to confess your sin. Humble yourself and pray and in a mobile to look at a passage of Scripture were that happened were God's people began to pray like never before. But before we do that, let's pray Lord, teach us to pray your disciples said that to you one day and he gave him an answer.
You gave them what we call the Lord's prayer our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Lord we want to know how to pray more Lord we want to pray more, but we don't pray as much, as we ought to will admit that so give us a hard to pray, teach us to pray.
We ask it in your name. Amen. Here's something to think about was sleep. You know when I get sleepy is when I overeat, I get real tired. Think about Thanksgiving when we all commit the sin of gluttony nationally right so we turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy and sweet potatoes made with melted marshmallows. At least we do that and then you have biscuits or cornbread or muffins or window roles or something like that. And of course pumpkin by I think it's a law you have to help him comply on Thanksgiving, but I don't know about you but I want to go to Oklahoma afterwords and then you wake up on what you do you go have a turkey sandwich or something like that. But, so here's a funny thing about sleep. You know it's it's not always just a bad thing. It can happen when you been fed really well so you you can come to church and be fed. The word of God and study the word of God. And actually, how shall I put it.
I don't want to see overeat because I don't think you can over study the Bible, let me say it this way you can study the Bible without any application in your life or putting it into action. See if you just eat and you don't exercise, you're just going to become well spiritually obese. You'll be a real holy roller want to roll you out of the church dry and I think there has to be a place for under thing we need to give out.
God is given to us were blessed to be a blessing, but there are things that can hinder our prayer life. The Bible says that if we have idols in our heart. The Lord will not listen to us. So it's an idol. Well, feeling, idol can be anything, it could be a good target could be a card to be a housing to be your body. It could be some device that you have a phone or whatever else it could be a career. It could be so many things that you're more passionate about than God so the idea of not having another God before Ms. is made God number one in your life. The first commandment is is is put God first and how you know have no other gods before me. And then he says don't make any graven images so if you know if we have an idol in our heart.
God won't hear us another thing that can hinder our prayer is unconfessed sin. You know it because the Bible says that if we have iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us.
So I think it's really him for us to confess our sin effect that can brings us to the text I want to look at Nehemiah chapter 9 and this is a story of a massive prayer meeting that happened and in this prayer meeting took place after the people of Israel, who had been held captive in Babylon for 70 years, for free and talk about idols.
There were like an idol central their idols everywhere affect the recently ended up in Babylon's Israelites kept seeking God for granted and turning to the stupid false gods. So Lord said, okay, you guys want false gods and idols all send you dual play for your help more than you can shake a stick at. After 70 years in Babylon. They were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They were led by Nehemiah. So after the walls were rebuilt and everybody was back in the land. A profit priest name Ezra gave a powerful message, and after he was done speaking people prayed so Nehemiah 9 verses 1 to 4 reading from the new living translation October 31, the people assembled again and this time they fasted interest in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads and those of Israelite dissent separated themselves from all corners as a confess their own sins and the sins of their ancestors, they remain standing in place for three hours while the book of the law of the Lord God was read aloud to them for three more hours.
They confess their sins and worship the Lord. So don't talk to me about services going to long. I may check this out for three hours. They confess their sins and worship the Lord for three hours they stood in place carrying the message so that sounds like revival to me. So, were they do. They prayed with passion and the confess their sins of the Bible says that we will confess our sin is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The promise people will say today will you know I don't really think that's a sin on my opinion is this is missing and that is a sin will it's really not up to you or me to decide what is sin. We determine what sin is by what God says and I see the word confess means to agree with God in the way we know what God thinks about things is by reading the Bible, so they read the word of God. They heard the mind of God then then you would sins to confess, but I think sometimes we think of sins is just breaking the commandment and sins are that when you step over a line or are you do a thing that the Bible tells you you should not do like break one of the commandments of some preacher recently said he doesn't think we need the 10 Commandments anymore.
I could not differ more from that God gave us the very 10 Commandments there written by the finger of God.
Now he wants to go beyond the because in the commandments, Jesus pointed out in the sermon on the menu. Further that's been said, you shall not murder but I say to you if your anger with your brother without a cause it to same thing or you've heard of the law. You shall not commit adultery. That's one of the commandments that I say to you, if you look at a woman with lust in your heart. You've committed adultery so he wants to go further than them, but he certainly doesn't want us to do away with them, but they help us know what right and wrong are but then there are other kinds of sins not just sins of commission but sins of omission.
The sin of omission is when you don't do what you should do the sin of commission is when you do what you should not do. Again, the sin of commission is when you do what you should not do break a commandment across the line. The sin of omission is when you don't do what you should do because the Bible says if we noted a good and we don't do it. It sent we will think of sin, that way why I didn't think lustfully today and I didn't cut anybody off on the freeway and I didn't cost once and I didn't lie and I didn't steal so I guess I haven't sin in the Lord led to wanted to go over there and share the gospel with a person right now there's no way to do that way could not be a sin could not be the sin of omission of the Lord's boatyard and said put down the cell phone and pick up my word and you said no.
Could it be a sin to not obey God to get to him that knows to do good and does not do it to him of the sensors a lot of things that can qualify as sins I think we have to knowledge that in our life. That is when the Lord's prayer, which is a template for all prayer he shows us we should ask God to forgive us of our sin every day. Go back to it again. Our father who art in heaven how it would be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sin is we forgive those who sin against us.
Just as surely as you need daily bread that just means you need everything from God.
Bread means food, clothing, 20 back in the 60s. We used to call money bread with the human bread okay so but that's really true bread just means everything everything and even life. You ask God for within.
Forgive us our sins and just as surely as I need to ask God for his provision.
I need also asked God Pastor Greg Laurie today on the importance of confessing our sins and how that sets the stage for humble effective prayer today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg is presenting a study called prayer and revival. It's part of his series, Jesus, revolution, and if you missed any of today's message. You can hear what you missed by going online to harvest.org or order a permanent copy on CD by dialing 1-800-821-3300.
That's 1-800-821-3300 one test Greg. Many of us I think it been on sort of a news diet watching the news can just cause so much stress and disappointment of the world. This is a mess. Yes it sure seems like God may be up to something you think.
Yes I I sure pray and hope so because I tell you what our nation needs a healing. I cannot remember a time when we been more divided. The only parallel would be late 60s with all the riots and racial division and issues at that time, I would say it's as bad today. I would say it's maybe even a little bit worse today because you know it did back in the late 60s. We didn't have social media. We didn't have twitter.
I wouldn't have all these platforms were killed could be thrown onto pre-existing flames and I think everybody just needs to step back and I'm talking up primarily to Christians and we need to live and behave as followers of Jesus Christ. Because really, we should seek to be bridge builders not bridge burners. We need to be peacemakers, not troublemakers.
And I think we need to really pray that God would heal our land.
Now I know I've quoted this verse many times, but man, it is so clear and really gives us the prescription for the healing of a nation, and end of course is second Chronicles 714, with the Lord says if my people notice. He pointed his finger at his people. When a nation is in trouble. God doesn't point his finger at the government. He points his finger at his people.
He says if my people, which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then God promises I'll hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. We need to healing and it's happened before and it can happen again. The last great spiritual awakening in American history was known as the Jesus movement are the Jesus revolution. Some historians believe not only was it the last great revival. Some even believe it was the greatest of all the revivals I here's what I do know I came to Christ in 1970. I walked into the epicenter of the Jesus movement I and I saw amazing things in my life was impacted and a whole generation was impacted.
The nation was impacted and I wrote a book about it in the title of the book is Jesus, revolution, and I might also add that I cowrote it with a lady named Ellen von Ellen von was also the co-author of my autobiography called lost boy of fairy gifted writer in her own right and she help me put this book together. She did extensive research so you can understand the backdrop of the Jesus revolution and I think as you read this book, you're going to say well. This reminds me of right now and so here's a word say Lord do it again as Scripture says, will you not revive us again that your people may praise you, so we need another spiritual awakening, I don't think we can organize it, but I think we can agonize for it in prayer and I don't think we can make it happen. But I think we can prepare the ground for the work of the spirit and I think reading this book will inspire you because you know it's been said that fame of revival spreads the flame of revival. So learn about the theme of revival learn about what God did in the last great spiritual awakening in America.
And let's pray that it will happen again.
I want to send you this book Jesus revolution at no cost. All I ask of you is that you would send a gift to help us continue to preach the gospel and teach the word of God. So for your gift of any size will rush you a copy of my book Jesus revolution.
Yeah that's right it's an inspiring look at what happened during the 60s and 70s, and how can happen again. In fact, a subtitle of the book is how God transformed an unlikely generation, and how he can do it again today and along with the book will even include the brand-new study guide that helps you dive even deeper into the insights pastor Greg presents so to thank you for your generous donation right now. We hope you'll ask for Jesus revolution you can write a set 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 dock for the next time more insight on the important role of prayer seek to bring revival to the church and to our individual lives more for pastor Greg series Jesus revolution. Next time, new beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org