How to Never Stumble or Fall - II

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. If you would like to know how you can become a harvest partner, just go to harvest.org that's harvest.org someone who will assume you will know buckaroo you have the capacity much worse.

It's so easy to underestimate temptation. Pastor Greg Laurie has important counsel. The Bible says I go all American spirit for instruction and the only thing I'll never do that you're trusting in yourself instead of trusting in God and the Internet is a long looking at their smart phone. Suddenly falling falling into fountain swimming pools, tripping over a plethora of obstacles of the seconds before they might've said I got this I can read my walk today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie points out that many of us have that same confidence in our spiritual walk. Today a message of caution anyone serving your Bible to cute God suggested a John after eight being in Luke chapter 22. Again, John 18 and Luke 22 and the title of my message again this how to never stumble or fall. Let me sort of set the scene here in Luke 22 Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples.

He's headed to the cross. He's told the he's headed to the cross. He's going to break bread with them and tell them to do this in remembrance of him, but before that he is a fascinating conversation with Simon Peter. Luke 22 verse 31 Jesus says Simon, Simon, Satan is asked to sift you as wheat.

But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail when you are repented and turned to me again you'll strengthen your brothers. Peter said Lord I'm ready to go to prison with you and even to die with you, Jesus said, let me tell you something before the rooster crows tomorrow morning you will denied three times that you even knew me. Put yourself in Peter symbols for a moment or just hanging out with Jesus is not his normal jubilant self.

He seems very serious, really intense. Then he turns to you and uses your name twice. Paul Paul Kathy Kathy Greg Greg Cindy Cindy Satan is been asking that you be taken out of the care and protection of God without freak you out of Jesus said that to you freak me out. But Jesus then says I have prayed for you and I want you to know that the Bible says Christ lives to make intercession for you at the right hand of the father. Jesus is in effect praying for you. So the next time the devil comes knocking at your door.

Send Jesus to answer it. That's what happened here.

I prayed for you Peter, that your faith would not fail for when you have returned, you'll strengthen your brothers returned to Florida. Peter says I'll go to prison for you all. Time for you will since you brought it up rock you to deny that you knew me three times. So he warned Peter that brings us to Peter's first step down and I would say that this particular attitude is at the root of any and every person who's ever fallen away from the faith, or any person was ever stumbled or fallen. I don't care what the particular sin is there involved in this always starts here in itself confidence, self-confidence, verse 33. He said Lord I'm ready to go with you to prison in the death. Jesus said Peter the rooster will not grow this day, until you denied three times that you knew me according to Matthew's gospel Peter added this detail.

Even if all are made to stumble, I will never be made to stumble careful, you look at someone who falls Lewis and you to never do that. I'd never be unfaithful to my wife.

I never become an alcoholic I'd never become a drug addict. I never do that.

Think all I know buckaroo you have the capacity to do that and much worse.

And that's what we think. I'll never do that figure trusting in yourself instead of trusting in God, the Bible says pride goes before a fall and an arrogant spirit before destruction, so this simply means that I go through life aware of the fact of my weakness and my vulnerability and my propensity to do the wrong thing. As the old song says prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the one I love self-confidence that leads to the next step down friendless nests look good.

Luke 22 verse 39 coming out. He went to the Mount of olives as he was a custom in his disciples followed him to the place and he said to them, pray that you enter not into temptation know this place been referred to by Luke as the garden of Gethsemane because he was withdrawn from them about a stone so he knelt down and prayed saying father if it is your will take this cup away from me.

Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done. When he rose from prayer he came to his disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow and he said why did you sleep rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation. So the second sin apprentice.

This was a direct result of the first sin of self-confidence. Jesus said, specifically you guys you need to pray and they decided to sleep instead. And so there sleeping when they should have been praying and you know understand this, not praying about something can actually be a sin to sin of omission of sin of commission is doing what you should not do a sin of omission is not doing what you should do because the Bible says to give the nose to do good and does not do it to him it is sin.

While let's see what happens next, so that there in the garden of Gethsemane. There, sleeping when they should have been praying, here comes the temple guard and along with the Roman soldiers. They got swords and spears and shields and torches and their coming to arrest Jesus, but Jesus did not necessarily stand out in a crowd. Judah said it's a guy that I kiss that's Jesus so he has the low-key Jesus for them, which points out the fact that Jesus didn't look like he looks in religious paintings know if you look at religious art you always know who Jesus is everybody else's robe was sort of dusty and dirty.

He is a very white grow just picked it up at the cleaners and he is a blue sash that boosted nobody gets the blue sash but Jesus sometimes is carrying a lamb around his neck why he would do that.

I have no idea that he has a lamb Oreos the staff from everybody here I am the good Shepherd get you missed the memo. Now, you soon. Are you making fun of Jesus. Of course not.

But I am kind of making fun of religious artistic depictions of him. Jesus blended into a crowd. He didn't glow-in-the-dark. He was not 10 feet tall. He had to be identify if the one I kiss so there approaching the Jesus says who do you see this is in John's Gospel, they said, Jesus of Nazareth, he said I am he know if you have an English Bible. You might notice the word. He is italicized, which means it's not in the original language, so a better translation would be Jesus saying who do you think this a Jesus a better buyout. I have this power.

That statement, it's a claim of deity.

It's what God said to Moses at the burning bush will be looking at this together. Moses says who shall I say 70 God says I am that I am so in a statement of beauty. I am in the Bible says they'll fall backwards and planning on top of each other like dominoes, torches flying in the air that shows he could've gotten out of that situation very easily. He could is that while yeah and you were by end of story. But he submitted to this may take him away. He's arrested. These taken to the house of Caiaphas to be tried, but before that happens. As the guards come in to grab Jesus. One guy named Marcus probably is first and Simon Peter, and in an attempt to defend Jesus pulls out his sword. It slices off the ear of Malka's Jesus is like a naïve thing you know. Yes, the picnic gear up, he puts it back in the guy in the heels of so the last earthly miracle of Jesus was covering the blunder of a disciple to Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment. It's a privilege to bring the studies from Pastor Greg your way and were encouraged to hear when they've helped people dear Greg, thank you for your daily devotions in my email.

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Pastor Greg is offering biblical insight today in his message how to never stumble or fall. Now we shift over to John 18 I'm reading from the new living translation starting in verse 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus says that another of the disciples that would be the apostle John, the writer of this gospel. The other disciple was a corner with a high priest, and he was allowed to enter the high priest courtyard with Jesus, Peter had to stay outside the gate and the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching that the gate she let Peter in the woman as Peter, one of that man's disciples, are you know is that I am not because it was cold, the household servants in the guards and made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves and Peter stood with them, warming himself. Third, stepped out for Simon Peter number one was self-confidence number two prayerless this number three. He was keeping his distance from Jesus.

Yes, he was following Jesus, but he was following at a distance. In this distance from the Lord in closeness and fellowship will always be at the foundation of all spiritual regression.

Listen to this a true believer is never happy when they're out of fellowship with God so pure and fellowship with God.

If you sin against the Lord. You're an unhappy person.

If you can't be happy in your sin.

That's a good sign. David the matter for God's own heart. Sin big time.

We all knew that and he described the way he felt and some 32, when he said when I kept it all inside my words became the long groans the pressure never let up all the juices of my life dried up.

Then I let it all out and I said, I'll make a clean break and I'll confess my failures to God is following at a distance you see in those TV shows were those so you may be a lien going in for a kill and liens.

You know, I have to say are very, very cool cats. Okay, I don't just like I like big cats and so liens you know they don't waste energy is certainly there in the tall grass and wait for lunch to come and so maybe they'll see a herd of antelope benefits, a herd of antelope everything as a title now.

It's so a flock of seagulls they were abandoned wants to. And there's a murder of crows with a pack of dogs and so forth. I don't know if it's of what you call a group of antelopes look that up later, but some but they're moving together, you get a pretty good room broke they'll do the jump rope, you know, there they are in life and that's a lot of work to get one of those. Then there's the one stray envelope falling about 20 feet behind the room to do what you think the lines going to go in for the kill on Sony looks at a person to dig down here.

We are the people of God worshiping together serving together learning together but Umbra will broker a boom in here.

You 20 feet via Google Google. You know, yeah the person. This is all unit we have to go to church again. Did we do that last week really.

The Bible really again.

Yes, again, the child of God hungers for these things. The compromiser only does it out of duty or obligation. Know what is encouraging to do it. They don't do it. You're the person following at a distance you wind up in that miserable no man's land of compromise where you have too much of the Lord to be happy in the world and too much of the world to be happy in the Lord, don't be that person. Peter's following at a distance and point number four. He's warming himself of the enemy's fire verse 18. They stood around this far, warming themselves. He hoped to go unnoticed in the larger crowd he was with the wrong people at the wrong place about to do the wrong thing. Why does it come as a revelation to people that if you hang around ungodly people. They will pull you down and so you're hanging around the wrong people at the wrong places. The next thing you know you're doing the wrong thing, why what you want to fit in. I want to be cool.

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

Now you would've thought the P what is it all done I just I did the thing I said I would never do I gotta get outta here.

No one was holding him here. He could've escaped to be wanted to but he did not do it. That leads me to his next step down verse 25 as he was standing by the fire warming himself.

He asked him again, you're not one of his disciples are usually denied and say no I'm not one of the household slaves of a high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off as did in ICU in the olive grove with Jesus. Your sin will find you out. Oh yeah, right. You were there. I knew I should not of posted that on Instagram have the word spread. Everybody knew about what happened there in the garden of Gethsemane, but here he is still hanging around this fire. Why was he doing it simple answer. Write this down. Sin makes you stupid resident. Sin makes you stupid. You do things you never thought you would do your caught in the vortex of it and here's Peter know it's his second denial. Why didn't he get out of there, good question. That brings us to the third denial and here's something you may have missed between the second and third denial. There was a one hour interval of the long time.

That's plenty of time to get out of there, but he stayed there.

He's he's compromise now is not thinking rationally and finally someone says to him.

Yes, you were with Jesus and I know you're one of his disciples because your accent betrays you see, Peter was a Galilean and the people in Jerusalem thought of themselves as more sophisticated, so we had a sort of Galilean accent just like we have accents in different areas of the United States you know people in Texas.

There, there is a little different than dictating to me you have an accent. I so Californians don't have accents were like devoid of act know you have the California accent. Why because I don't say hey how y'all doing, or some like that. I know what you know we there's all you must be from Boston because you just told me going to park your car right. I was signing books the other day and some lady mincing to some New Yorkers that say the word coffee. She said coffee soon. Exactly right. So different ways we speak from different parts of the country.

He had the Galilean accent, a man we know where you're from and then we read that Peter began to curse and swear and he took a note saying I never knew the man and guess what happened at the moment. He said that Jesus was let off of the courtyard archivists and he made eye contact with Peter. What kind of look did Jesus give to Peter. I think it was a look of love and I'll tell you.

I think it was a look of love, because Jesus predicted this ride. He said you're going to deny me, but don't forget the resident when you overturned, you will strengthen your brothers.

Peter you going to mess up. Trust me, it's going to happen. Roosters are involved. But when you of return you will strengthen your brothers, Peter, you're coming back. I don't think Peter heard you're coming back part because the Bible says he went out of web for Greg Laurie is showing us the downward spiral in Peter's life that led to his denial of Christ three times, wishing the steps that lead to backsliding and how to avoid them. And there's more to come as this message continues here on a new beginning. Listen if you missed any portion of this important message.

I hope you get a replay online@harvest.org there are often several more minutes of insight online as we don't have the same tight time requirements as we do on radio. If you like a permanent copy of the study. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. The title of today's message is how to never stumble or fall yesterday were making available the book by singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp called. I still believe yes and I suppose the pivot point of the book was when Jeremy had to say goodbye to his young bride Melissa who passed away from terminal cancer.

Just weeks after their wedding yeah and let me quote from the book Jeremy wrote this talking about his own emotional state of mind immediately following his wife's death and feeling the Lord, prompting him to write a song. This is what he said after resisting God's urging, for perhaps half an hour. I picked up my guitar. 10 minutes later, I still believe is very popular song was completed which is remarkable without any continues. There is no thought of. Oh this is going to be a big hit song. The purpose of that song was so I could be ministered to and all I've done in the years since his share it with others.

That's right.

And now he's sharing his story in a larger platform not only with this song but with his book and adjust days through the release of the movie that tells the story of his life and of Melissa's passing.

He's changing so many hearts and lives through that song. And through this story. Yes, I recently spoke with Jeremy.

It was in front of our congregation. After we saw the film and I told him a story from my own life that's connected to that powerful song that he wrote called, I still believe let's give that a listen. No Jeremy listed in this very stage XI years ago after our son Christopher died in an automobile accident and that it was a church service on the Sunday morning and I wasn't planning on speaking of just sitting there just traumatized after the death of my son, which was unexpected and I come prompted by the Lord to come and say a word and I walked up to the pulpit and what I said was I still believe that I was thinking of your song and site.

It just summed up the way that I know because you know people sometimes say when you go through something you can lose your faith we hear people say I lost my faith in this crisis and what I've said before, is a debate that cannot be tested as a painting cannot be trusted. You know it and we believe not because of our circumstances, but despite them, and we went like this bad God is still good and also your son touched me in and I sort of use that as a team to describe how I was feeling and in its get in touch.

Millions of people because were not hurting world that you know and every day people wake up to bad views in their life is altered and things change and God can be with you through your pain and even more.

There's an afterlife. There's hope there's heaven sake say something about that guy you know one thing that I realized and was having. The story is that you know God in the car were that pain is universal. We all experience nice and it's what we do with that pain.

I was all faced with a choice either to say God I'm angry at you and I might run away from you, run as far away as possible into the world which the world is the cause of the problem the first place you want to find hope not.

If I cease not to find joy or ominous use to run the Jesus the only hope and only peace and only joy there is and so August face pain and trials and that's what you see and people are saved saved everybody's face. It but we have Jesus and that's what I want to show that the only way I got through this because of Jesus and that's it.

That's the message to everyone.

We want to get a copy of Jeremy Kim's book, I still believe we talked about his life.

The challenges he faced all that he went through with Melissa the lessons he learned the victory he found the Hopi found in Christ. And it's all in a book titled, I still believe, which by the way, is also the title of a new film coming out in just days about the powerful story of Jeremy and Melissa, You want to read the book before you see the movie and that's why we want to rush you a copy of Jeremy's book, I still believe it will inspire you.

It'll help you and it will certainly be of help to someone that you know that may be going through a very hard time right now. I will send you this book for your gift of any size and thanks for being a listener to a new beginning. Yeah, that's right. And we hope you'll contact us today were so thankful for your partnership with us if that would like to invite you to become what we call a harvest partner Pastor Gregor harvest partners keep in touch with us on a regular basis and we really appreciate that the way you know Dave wherever I go, I run into people and they'll tell me that they listen to our radio broadcast. And that's my opportunity to hear from them to be here for me every day but I don't hear from them. When you become a harvest partner. We just opened up a conversation among log turned into a dialogue. I speak with you. You communicate with us. We help one another. We pray for one another and you are able to support us and enable us to reach even more people. So let's move from a monologue to a dialogue.

Let's work together. Would you prayerfully consider becoming a harvest partner.

What is that mean that means it every month you make a regular contribution to our ministry may not be a huge contribution.

But even if it's a little it adds up when a lot of people do it.

So if you can give a lot if you can only give a little, would you prayerfully consider doing something and we would say in advance.

Thank you. And when you send your first gift as a harvest partner would like to thank you with Jeremy Camp's inspiring autobiography called. I still believe so get in touch today by writing a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or better yet, give us a phone call so we can help you with the harvest. Partner details dial 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org the next time Pastor Greg brings us more insight on how we can avoid the danger of backsliding continues his message how to never stumble or fall. Next time you beginning Greg Laurie was made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org