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January 14, 2022 3:00 am
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A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.
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Eli, listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast supported by harvest partners for more ways to deepen and challenge your spiritual walk and roll and pastor breaks free online courses sign and harvest out alert when leaving your burdens. Why is he you listen the troubles you concerns about worriers to stick to a select who pastor Greg Laurie says God wants us to let go of practical help coming to trust this overflow. So what are you doing your burdens upon you is like we were back merchandise is hard to navigate our way through the parking lot is bad might even hear the sound of broken glass work shows up with a card today on a new beginning. Greg Laurie points out how we can leave our burdens with more know about. But in my house. I take the trash out and I procrastinate, I put it up but I don't know why it's really not that hard. These big plastic trash scheduled wheels and a handle on them.
All I gotta do is drag around the front and put them there. But you know there's something about taking out the trash that I don't really like to do and then someone comes along and they pick up the traffic on the trash man, maybe a better title would be waste management professional.
Whatever they do their job and they do their job well. I'm glad they do it because that they decide to not pick up my truck for a month we would have a serious situation right so let me say something that might seem a little odd, but Jesus Christ is our Savior Jesus Christ as our Lord Jesus Christ is our God.
But Jesus in the back wants to pick up your trash.
Let me explain. Jesus is a Matthew 1128 come to me all you are weary and can't carry your heavy burdens that I would give you rest. Jesus is saying. Would you please bring your cares to me, would you please bring your anxieties and your worries and your problems and your burdens to me and he says and when you do that, I will give you rest of me that's quite a promise and we all have cares and anxieties and worries that weigh us down, only you know the feeling. Just when you're laying your head down at night. They come this will sometimes I wake you up in the middle of the night. Sometimes your you been able to kind of give them over to the Lord in the just pop back into your head again and then they trouble you, and then they feel like just a lot of weight on your shoulders and and sometimes our problems are imagined.
We make mountains out of mole hills, and other times are troubles are real, but whatever they are. Here's what the Bible says we should do with them. Let's read first Peter chapter 5 verse six and reading from the new living translation so humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you. Stay alert. Watch out your great enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, be strong in your faith and remember that your family of believers are all over the world and they're going to the same kind of suffering. You are so if you're taking notes here is point number one you are not alone in their suffering. You are not alone in your suffering. Look at verse eight. Their first Peter again, remember that your family of believers all over the world are going to the same kind of suffering.
You are I don't know why this but it's just good to know I'm not the only one going through suffering right that there's somebody else that is facing something is hard as I'm facing. Maybe even quite a bit harder than I'm facing. This is were community comes in. This is where the church comes in over at our church in Maui. They call it Ohana, which is the Hawaiian word for family, you know, as it was already said earlier, we don't need to do this alone. Don't try to be a solo Christian.
The Bible says bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. It's so wonderful. Will we can do that for one another, but I think there's something in this where we say well I don't want to admit. I need help. Why is that because were proud idiots. That's one of the Bible says humble yourself. Verse six under the mighty hand of God and at the right time to lift you up.
I think it's maybe easier in general for women to share their hearts with other women than it is for guys to share with other guys in my right because our guys and we we have this all sorted out. We fixed… We do well you know it we break stuff to and we get broken ourselves sometimes to and we need help. We all need to humble ourselves under the hand of God and acknowledge that we need help from other people you know when our son Christopher was called home to heaven 10 years ago. It was devastating for us and it just rocked our world and and frankly, I wondered will I survive this. It's so traumatizing that so hard to wrap your mind around the fact that your child is with you one day and he is in another and in so you know the first thing I did as I reached out to civil Greg, your pastor, don't you have all the answers well know number one and number two when the day was done. I was just the father in pain so I reached out to fellow pastors and other wonderful people I know in and they were a great encouragement to me. I would just say help me I'm struggling. I have these questions hide questions like anyone has questions and even though I given the answers many times I was still needing help and I also reached out to other people would lost children because knowing that there was someone that had somehow survived. This was comforting to me when I was in that first stage of it and so that's a whole thing. You're not alone in your suffering. I think if you just found out you had cancer. Your world is altered. But if you could talk to a cancer survivor and they can give you perspective that can be very encouraging to you and that is why for those of its web suffer who lost a child.
We've lost a spouse. We've had cancer and been able to overcome it to whatever it is we come through. Don't waste your pain. God allowed you to go through that for a reason, so use that to help other people because the Bible says comfort with the comfort that you have been comforted with so you're not alone in your suffering number two.
We need to give our burdens to God. We need to give our burdens to God to give her seven casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you.
The word castor is not the normal word for throwing something rather it is a word that signifies a definite act of the will, by which we stop worrying about something and let God assume the responsibility for our welfare.
So it's an act like okay I'm not gonna worry about this because worry doesn't help that I'm going to put it deliberately and intentionally in the hand of God coming back to this statement here. Casting all your cares upon him wife because he cares for you. Listen, if it troubles you, it concerns God the other day when my grandchildren was troubled about something. I was out of town so I face time turn tell me what's going on. I wanted to hear it didn't seem like a big thing. But if it's a big finger her. It's really kind of a big thing to me to it's on the same I got this all I care about you. I'm concerned about you. Why don't you cast that on me. I'm asking you to do so think what you do when the trashcan is overflowing you empty the trash. So what you do when you're burdens are piling up. You bring them to God right so let's shift gears now go over to Matthew chapter 6 will see the next thing that we need to do a read a few verses together. Matthew six verse 25.
Here is Jesus in the sermon on the Mount. This is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food or drink, or close to where is alive more than food in your body more than clothing. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them in your far more valuable to him than they are killed all of your worries at a single moment to your life. Why do you worry about closing the lid of the lilies of the field, how they grow, they don't work or make their clothing. Yet Solomon in all of his glory was on his just as beautifully as they are, and of God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow he will certainly care for you, why do you have such little faith so don't worry about these things same. What shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly father already knows all of your needs very important verse, verse 33 seek first the kingdom of God above everything else in his righteousness give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
Today's trouble is enough for today. Their powerful words from Jesus. So let's review. Number one, were not alone in our suffering. Number two, we should cast all our cares on God number three this is a big one, the believers should not worry, Jesus is. Don't worry about these things, Jesus is not saying a Christian should not think about those things to be concerned with the needs of life such as what you're going to wear what you can eat or where you're going to live and things of that nature is not saying don't think about it. He saying don't worry about it fact elsewhere in Scripture work commended for working hard and saving and investing and so forth.
So there's a place for all of that Jesus is a don't worry. Verse 25. Don't worry about your life for a better translation don't have anxiety about the issues of life. Stop doing what you've already been doing so the ideas you been doing this I want to stop at stop worrying, Esther, Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here.
You know my uncle Fred Jordan that one of the first Christian TV programs out there. It was called church in the home. I remember watching it as a little boy when I was living with my grandparents we have church in the home for you every weekend is called harvest that divided harvest.org we have worship in a message of God's word. So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home harvest.today on a new beginning in one of this past years most requested messages.
Pastor Greg is offering a helpful biblical antidote for worry is message time to take out the trash. Let's continue now some of us worry more by nature than others. How many of you struggle with worry and anxiety raise your hand. Okay, I wouldn't Sam a worry wart, but I would say I do worry at times and let me say something that might surprise you to worry can actually be a sin civil really yes because when you worry your effectively, not trusting God affect the word worry means to strangle artichoke and that's exactly what worry does to you. It strangles you a choke shoot in a worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow.
It empties today of its strength. Worry is interest paid on troubles before their due and so you can just worry about things that actually will never happen. I told you before about the guy that had a problem with worry so we hired someone to worry for he literally took it out on the paper and said wanted someone to worry for me. I'll pay you well so I took the job and he was bragging about this to one of his friends you've had a worry at all anymore is what he said why you always worried so much. I know I hired you got a worry for me. Hired a guy how much you pay the guy $50,000 a week why all you don't have that kind of money. How you get it baby said that's for him to worry about. See my try that. I don't know how well it will work with known I was down under in Australia. I love the Ozzie's are just such great people and so they have an expression in Australia and in its expression. No worries mate. So if you asked him a question, excuse me, can I get directions to this place.
It is going to be huge and right over there, then there's a yes I think it is a no worries my by the way, they never said thrown another shrimp on the Bobby right but that's not enough that she is in our life right to line from Crocodile Dundee forget every dated reference, if you got it though. You got L1 okay wow Crocodile Dundee financier, but that's the whole point. No worries though Jesus is saying don't worry about these. In general we we were so much what people think of us what people think of me you would not worry so much about what people think of you. If you realized how rarely they do hate to break that to so he's telling us, don't worry, it comes down to this, we need to trust in the providence of God. What is the providence of God. I've annoyed I just like the way it sounds.
Know the providence of God with the sovereignty of God simply means that God is in control. So either God allows it. Or God doesn't either allows it or he doesn't.
So either that thing you're dealing with. God did that or God allow that thing for some reason, we may not understand in the moment, but God is in control of all things, and there's no accidents in our lives and nothing touches us.
That is not first pass through his loving hands of God is in control. So Jesus now illustrates understand Jesus did most of his teaching out doors.
He wasn't in a sanctuary like this that he did speak in a synagogue, on occasion, but mostly he was on the ballot. The disciples he spent a lot of time by the water there. The Sea of Galilee and so he would use things that were happening around them as illustrations.
A civil look of the birds of birds over there. He's basically pointed out birds.
Don't worry.
Why should we Iva birdfeeder in front of my kitchen and I feel it was seated and I like to watch the birds, and eat the usually come in the morning.
I have little tiny lattes out there for them.
They really like you nothing hold them in their little burden trinkets are cute to take a picture of it sometime.
But the posted for you to look at the time I watch the birds and I don't see birds get stressed out you know I've never seen a bird to get a Valium or some like that you know you know they go in the get there.
See, they take off right those of the little birds and then they know I keep my feeder filled with see.
Then there's those other birds out there that take whatever they want whenever they want.
We call them seagulls. The only thing worse than a cat is a Siegel okay we could somehow find a way to get all the Siegel's to carry off all the cat they could take the kale weather at a non-I see these. I don't even mean this, but I see these things and people think I hate all these things and I don't. Maybe I do. I'm not really sure. I know I don't like seagulls because their thieving birds right the comedown the grab their food so the point is, the birds get their food.
The birds gather their food, but they don't worry about it is an old poem about birds. I read a long time ago. So the Robin to the sparrow friend.
I'd really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so said the sparrow to the Robin friend. I think that it must be that they have no heavenly father such as, cares for you and me, and I know suite is so birds don't worry. Why should we flowers. Don't worry.
Why should we. Verse 28. Why do you worry about clothing. Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow, they don't work or make their clothing that Solomon in all of his glory was not addressed as beautifully as they are. So Jesus is a look of the flowers you know you've seen the countryside sprayed with beautiful flowers and so Jesus is saying, look at all of these flowers and look at how beautiful they are. Solomon in all of his glory wasn't as beautiful as these flowers. Solomon dressed in his royal robes sitting on his luxurious throne of gold did not have the beauty of the flowers that were out there for people to see and Emily would Jesus is pointing out his we should not be obsessed with the outward.
He's not saying we shouldn't think about the outward he saying don't be obsessed with it.
Some people are obsessed with the way that they look there obsessed with. We live in a selfie culture going and we have all these filters on our phones and that you love these apps you can get. You can make yourself thinner and and and change your whole appearance. It's really not even you, and we sometimes want to carry that over into real life and did you know that $16 billion is spent every year on cosmetic surgery $16 billion and that's Newport Beach along how many of you live a new Persian side says that's a fact. That's no that's nationwide that's nationwide against that will sometimes I feel sometimes you really this is you wanted and I don't know you know sure, but you know we were so concerned about our outward appearance and chill.
Jesus is saying don't be obsessed with that yes think about.
Okay, now let me split the rent.
Some people to be a lot more concerned with their outward appearance.
You know you want to keep your body in the best physical shape, that you can the Bible says bodily exercise profits, little but godliness is profitable for all things, but it does say a profits a little so it's unlikely just all become you know old piece out of shape and read our Bibles. That's one extreme, and then the other extreme is well let's just don't work out constantly and not have any time for God and just be all we care about is our appearance to find the balance in between to be strong is much as we can, physically, and in the best shape that we can be in but understanding that God determines the length of our days.
Greg Laurie important perspective today. In a message called time to take out the trash and there's more to come here on a new beginning including a closing comment from Pastor Greg in just a few moments with such a privilege to have Pastor Levi Lesko with us today is author of the new children's devotional book roar like a lion, and it comes at a perfect time because of what's going on in the world in a covert caught the world by surprise, just upended everything but it didn't catch God by surprise, Levi. What is your book.
Tell us about trusting the Lord in the unexpected trials of life. Yeah, absolutely Dave, I think this book is hopefully going to help people to train for the trials. They're not yet in every single person every single family is going to suffer some sort of difficulty or loss. It's not a question of if but rather win and the Bible says that if we had a righteous heart. We have an everlasting foundation and when the whirlwinds of this life, we won't be moved but the person who builds their house on sand is can have the trial destroy them. So we talk a lot in the book about how to get ready for hard things that are going to come and how to respond to them when they do, by fixing our eyes on Jesus and by having faith and we talk specifically in the book there is a whole entry just did to help people kind of view hard things differently and to believe that that good things can come out of hard situations just like the cross, which led to our salvation. Yeah, there's a little sidebar in this particular chapter. That's called Stucker he talks about a what happens when you do get stuck and he said did you know have you ever seen a movie cartoon where people get stuck in quicksand. The more they move the deeper they get pulled in. You may thought that only happens on TV but quicksand is real. It's a mixture of sand and water because the water doesn't reach all the way to the top quicksand looks like regular sand but if a person or animal steps ended the begin to sink.
If you ever find yourself stuck in quicksand moves slowly spread out your arms and legs and try to float on your back to safety. So not only is this a spiritual book into practical book because I often wondered if I stepped into quicksand. What do I do now. I know because I've read roar like a lion by Levi Lesko is not just so amusing and yet I something like. I think one of the things this is that's fun for me about this book. Greg is is that there has to be something that keeps adults ingested to and finding out the Frank Sinatra paid $60 for his first microphone and before that he used to sing his concerts through a megaphone. When little things like that that will hopefully be interesting to the kids but also keep the adults paying attention as well. That's right so we want to send you this new book by Pastor Levi Lesko called roar like a lion subtitled 90 devotions to a courageous fate for your gift of any size they help a new beginning continue on ministering to people literally around the world. Yeah that's right and it's such an important time for that work. Hearts are hungry. We've been shot several weeks ago at SoCal harvest one person wrote in shape. Can you believe how many people are here. We came from Los Angeles and frankly we would've driven across the country to be here, we wouldn't have missed this for the world.
It's such an important time to reach out with the love of Christ and your investment makes that were possible and with your donation right now would like to send you Levi Lesko's new book called roar like a lion. You can donate securely online@harvest.org and we have operators who can speak with you by phone anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 when next I Pastor Greg brings us more insight from his message. Time to take out the trash.
Just a moment ago. He commented that we shouldn't worry about how long will live. That's ultimately determined by God.
He closes with this comment I told you before about the TV show I saw was a news program in there that a guy who had made it won't cost 100 this ever can reveal the secret to his longevity. So I had that way to the end, the old codger comes on takes a news camera folks and that reporter down to the market. Children is secret. He ate a hot dog. Every day they showed him this is a hot dog.
I wasn't like Hebrew National. It was like that sheep hotdog that sheep would like made out of rat tail brother withthe best, don't you think I'd know Kale allowed their so here's a guy you know he's working out low-fat diet drops dead on the job. Here's a guy that he thought Doug every day making about the hundred. Go figure. So don't worry about it. That's the point you're days are numbered and ordered by the Lord and just for podcast listeners. Pastor Levi commented about Pastor Greg's connection with children. They want my kids perk up whenever you pretty always do funny voices you tell funny stories and I think you know Jesus, the greatest company we can make about Jesus's ministry is that kids always wanted to be around when he was teaching and doing ministry and I think that as pastors as communicators. If kids are tuned into what were saying were not doing it right out because they shall be like magnets to the way that we communicate yes that's right you're a member of you know Jonathan, we would God and have like dinner with Chuck Smith and Jonathan were just a little kid and check that all these like really entertaining things. Jonathan member what he did with and that his daddy could turn into a rapid in a certain way look just like a rat and he would hold in the neck of his arm and he did it some way I could never replicate it and he would hold in the neck of his arm and he could get it to jump and tug run off his arm to where I swore the thing was alive and it was so real and so entertaining and he he would do it over and over and over for me is a great trick and I can't do it myself and I turned to figure it out and I'm a little going to count Chuck how do you do that exactly, but it you know I think that the people respond to that kind of thing but I will say this, you taken that mantle and run with it. You know, because my kids just come alive around you and obviously you your very seasoned grandfather and I think that's and we should you know always recognize the grandparent because Timothy didn't just have a mother Lois.
He also is grandmother unit to the grandparents listening. Maybe your kids aren't walking with Jesus, but you have a really important ministry when they come around your house. You know that they're getting a double dose of Scripture and Jesus in prayer and devotions and cement… Next to me is and even if you're not a parent or grandparent all here in in any way in kids lives. Paul was Timothy's dad but he was father in the faith. So you know I think that we all have to do that. What we can do in our God the father to the fatherless. The preceding podcast was made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God learn how to do, harvest partner, sign up for daily devotions and find resources to help you grow in your faith harvest.org