The World Changer at the End of the World: Filled with The Spirit

Today's episode of a new beginning is brought to you by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Learn more@harness.org and while you're there, browse our library of free e-books designed to help you grow in your faith will go wrong with one word is so filled with the spirit pressure Greg Laurie points out, we can choose to exercise control over our lawn and we need to choose well, I don't want to be under the drinking. The other five consoling me. I don't want to be consoled by the spirit. I want to be consoled by the Holy Spirit will hold your steering wheel in place will merely connect with your front wheels are you willing to have the open highway without control, like one of your requested messages to glory.

Some people choose to do that with her. Why, why, let me take a quick bowl.

How many of you here right now believe that Jesus Christ is coming back again rigor you believe is going about how many of you believe you could come back in your lifetime razor. Okay, how many of you believe you could even come back tonight. How many of you feel like if you were to come back to my, you would be ready to meet him raise your hand up will get good good. I believe that to you know there was a Gallup poll taken the revealed that a surprising 66% of the American public believes Jesus Christ is coming back to the earth in the future. That's a very high percentage because somewhere around 50% of Americans maybe the number is slightly lower now maybe high 40s but somewhere around 50% of Americans claim to be Christians. So a higher percentage of Americans believe Jesus Christ is coming back then even the percentage of Americans that claim to be Christians. And now with all that's going on in the news all my just seems like it's almost obvious like I wonder how it will be reported after Christ comes back with the headlines would be probably the headline of the Wall Street Journal.

After Christ came back would be Dow Jones plummets as world ends, they would come out of maybe from a more financial perspective, Victoria's Secret catalog would say our final sale. Some like Sports Illustrated. Their headline would be game over there would look at it for more of a sports perspective USA Today that are always known for their simplicity headline would simply be were dead wired magazine more of a high-tech magazine would say the last new thing Rolling Stone would have on the cover of their magazine, the Grateful Dead reunion tour. Some like that.

I ladies home Journal lose 10 pounds by Judgment Day. With our new Armageddon diet diet element, the Food Network would simply be our cooked goose recipes so no matter what.

There's a day that's appointed we don't know when, because Jesus said, no man knows the day of the hour when he will return when Christ will return my understanding of Bible prophecy which is 100% perfect and kinda joking, but I do kinda think it's right, of course, we all think that my view of Bible prophecy. I think the next a bed on the prophetic calendar as I've said many times will be the rapture of the church that we don't hear enough about this topic these days. It's so important, but it seems to have fallen somewhat out of favor in the church as a teaching. What is the rapture it's from the Greek word harp also edits a word that describes people being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The best numbers is first Thessalonians 417 the Lord himself will descend from heaven with her job with the voice of the archangel and the dead in Christ will rise first and we would try live in remaining will be caught up Greek word harp also caught up to meet the Lord in the air system will push back and say you know actually that's a teaching that's only been around since the 1800s.

No, actually it's a teaching that goes back 2000 years ago because I just quoted the apostle Paul gives us that very teaching and some of so you can find the word rupture in the Bible where you can find the word Bible in the Bible either, nor can you find the word Trinity in the Bible, but if you happen to have allowed Latin translation to actually do have the word rapture because the word harp also is translated to rapturous in the Latin Bible so call it the rapturous the harp also call it the great escape.

It doesn't matter it's going to happen.

In my view, it could happen at any moment. After that the antichrist emerges. In fact, I do not believe that the antichrist is coming, world leader can show up on the world scene until the church is caught up to meet the Lord. The Bible says he who now restrains will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way then that wicked one will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming. The restraining force in the world today. The restraining force in America today. The reason all hell was not completely broken loose so you would think it had is because believers are the restraining force on the planet sort of keeping things that the Holy Spirit working through the church once the church is caught up to meet the Lord in the air then the Antichrist is revealed, then the so-called tribulation period begins. That last for seven years. That ends with the battles of Armageddon and the second coming of Christ. And then of course the millennial reign of the Lord.

The Bible talks a lot about this will what are we supposed to do in light of this teaching.

What we want to live lives that honor the Lord we want to pay attention to these signs of the times I want to focus on a man who lived in the last days. If you will know they were his last days are different than ours were waiting for the judgment that will come upon 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 whited to the day that Noah boarded the ark, they knew nothing until the blood 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 left. So be alert and being awake because you have no idea when your master will show up alright so here is the story Noah was our beautiful they make it to the new land and now they're giving thanks to the Lord it if this were a movie and we wrote it.

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 and the credits are on the screen that's on 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, 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 drunkenly 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. Few things pop out from the story. First of all, it teaches us. Anyone can fall into sin, 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 says take heed lest he fall, Esther, Greg Moore will have the second half of this message in just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here. You know my uncle Fred Jordan at 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 you can find it@harvest.org we have worship in a message of God's word. So join us this weekend for harvest of home harvest.glad your long today as Pastor Greg presents a message called world changer at the end of the world. Part two is near the top of the list of our most requested messages of the past year.

Number two, we can ignore this on the make somebody mad right now so get ready in the sin of Noah we see the destructive power of alcohol right Milligan verse 21 he became drunk and lay naked now look, we have to understand the original language here scholar cell is the Hebrew word here for uncovered or lay naked indicates a deliberate act and not a mere unconscious affect of drunkenness. This is certainly not a good thing to do. He was not a good example. Let's just think for a moment of how many lives have been ruined by alcohol. I've never seen one good thing come from drinking. But I've seen a lot of bad things come from it.

Now y'all know I was raised in an alcoholic home and does so I dealt with. This up close and personal for the first 17 years of my life it on a scale. You wouldn't believe my mother was a raging alcoholic pretty much drinking herself into a stupor every night and passing out on the floor sometimes not coming home at all other times, getting behind the wheel of the car and driving horribly, and she and fax why was a with her on this occasion what she was going up jamboree Boulevard and went over there. The center divider and had a head on collision in a 1965 Mustangs is pre-safety bags and such, and in it almost killed but I just saw the effects of alcohol and I still see it. To this day I I see people that start to drink a little and one thing leads to another and it becomes a problem and we dismiss it we see well you know they have a disease but was unable to due to alcoholism is a disease it's a disease of alcoholism is a disease.

If the only disease that's bottled and sold. If alcoholism is a disease it's the only one that's contracted by the will of man, if it's a disease it's the only disease that provokes crime, but here's my point. I understand that some people are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than other. I understand that some people can maybe have a drink and it's not a big deal and that doesn't destroy their life and their marriage doesn't unravel. But I know other people. Literally, they have a sip of alcohol and it can lead to their ruin because I've seen it happen in real time because they had the propensity so we say will that's their problem is not my problem. Now we have another issue in the other issue is what if your so-called liberty to drink causes another person who doesn't have the liberty to stumble.

What if you have your drinks with your meal and you think it's cool and then your friend who was a alcoholic who just came to Christ and was gloriously delivered sees you having a drink and they have a drink. They fall off the wagon and destroy the will or doesn't haven't actually it happens a lot and I could tell you a lot of stories where I've seen it happen. So we need to really think about this because it can bring so much havoc in the life I've come to this brilliant conclusion. Follow me on this if you don't drink you'll never get drunk while I don't want to be under the influence of an intoxicant beer drinking. We need to be at any other drugs of any kind that is now beginning to get control of my life. It can even be a medication that was prescribed to me that I'm beginning to abuse his seat. I don't want those substances controlling me. I don't want to be controlled by the spirits. I want to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. That's a precious thing to have a clear mind and the Bible says don't be drunk with wine, where it is excess but be filled with the spirit speaking yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. So Noah was a lassies believer and we are to I mentioned that statement were Jesus said two men will be working in the field. One will be taken and the other left out.

Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other love stay awake, be alert you don't know when your master was show up?

What if Jesus came back for us tonight. What if this was the night I would you be ready to meet him. Now I know the second coming will not happen tonight will how do you know that because there's a difference between the rapture and the second coming to the rapture. The harp also is talking about that earlier is when Jesus comes for his church like a thief in the not remember that expression the second coming is when he comes at the end of the tribulation. With his church and the Bible says every eye will see him so I know the second coming, the return of Christ to the beer bottle.

He reestablishes his kingdom could not happen tonight, but the rapture. The harp also were believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the air that can happen at any moment. That's what you want to be ready and that's what Jesus is referring to when he says one will be taken and the other left his seat so what would happen to you if the Lord were to come back. Would you be taken or would you be left here's your choice. Get right or get left maybe or someone who is had a lapse in your faith. Maybe you stumble and you fall in.

Listen if you have fallen, you can get up, but maybe you need a helping can I offer that to you right now just to hear coming to pick up on your feet and make a recommitment to Jesus Christ. Don't stay in that state. You can start over again. You can get back in the race of life again. But there might be someone listening that has never asked Jesus Christ to come into their life and as I talk about the Lord's return. It kinda scares you and maybe it should because you're not sure if you're ready to meet the Lord, will you can be ready. Here's what you need to understand Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin. He went there voluntarily paid the price for every sin you've ever committed. And then he rose again from the dead and now he stands at the door of our life and he knocks and says a full hear his voice and open the door. He will come in. He's just a prayer away. All you need to do is say Lord come into my life and forgive me of my sentence. If you're not sure of Jesus Christ as living in your life. Respond to this invitation as we pray father speak to any person here any person listening or watching wherever they might be, who does not yet know you help them to come to you. Help them believe in you. Help them be forgiven by you. In Jesus name I pray for Greg Laurie important prayer if you'd like to follow through and make a change in your relationship with the Lord. Pastor Greg will help you do that before today's addition of a new beginning. Concludes stay with us and then it's a real joy to have a good friend, Pastor Levi Lesko with us easily, pastor of fresh life church in Montana, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming and is written a new book that were making available a colorful children's devotional resource called roar like a lion, Levi, what are you hearing from parents about the book. What is this resource done for kids and her folks what's been so surprising.

Dave you know I'm I knew that kids would you like it because we had focus groups with our own kids all my kids when I would write one would read it. Tell me what they didn't like about it. Then when our illustrator Catherine Pearson would send us the rough sketches of the drawings she was in Switzerland so she wouldn't email them.

My kids would say I don't like that or that bears not fat enough for you, whatever and we would make the tweaks so we Artie knew it we had something good on her hands, but what I was surprised by was the fact that I would hear back from adults who are blessed by two matter-of-fact one pastor who I sent it to in Australia wrote me back and said I don't even have kids in the house anymore my grandkids around, but I've enjoyed reading this myself and it was a great laugh because you know God's word is God's word and of course the kids devotional should encourages us because it's based on God's word, which will encourage all of us. And Jesus said we all have to have faith like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. I also have recurred a lot from homeschooled moms and homeschooled dads who said that this is been a really indispensable part of their homeschooled curriculum because it has history and Bible so they'll do. Maybe a little bit of this lesson then will do a deep dive on the right brothers and the fact that they flipped a coin to figure out who is gonna fly first to Kitty Hawk or the Corrie 10 boom section and then the learn more about the historical person and then they'll do a deeper dive on the Scriptures, and that they said it's basically functioning as Bible and history class, great. So roar like a lion. This new book by Levi Lesko deals with topics like having courage to try something new. Even when others are watching facing fears about school and friendships handling new challenges and past disappointments dealing with peer pressure and bullying and finally understanding how we each fit into God's great story so you can see that Levi's bringing it into the real world of what your kids are facing right now so you can equip them prepare them, help them, encourage them and more so order your copy of this brand-new book by Levi Lesko titled roar like a lion 90 devotions to a courageous faith.

Yes, the perfect time for new devotional resource the start of a new year and what better way to have quality time with your kids or grandkids will send it to you to say thank you for your investment in this ministry and the lives that will be touched in the coming year and does in our culture need a touch from the Lord right about now. So thank you for your investment today and will say thanks tangibly with a copy of the brand-new book called roar like a lion that were only able to measure this a short time longer to write us today at a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call any time 24 seven, 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will pressure Greg a couple of moments ago you talked of the importance of coming to the Lord to have our sins forgiven.

That's right if somebody listening right now wants to do that. Could you help them yet. I can do that David be happy to in the book of Isaiah we read these words seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous man their thoughts let them return to the Lord and he will have mercy on them and to our God, for he will freely pardon this and that's God's word to you and let me address this to the person who was never asked Jesus Christ to come into their life. Why don't you do it now that versus seek the Lord while he may be found, God's touched your heart today perhaps and you thought I need this relationship of the Lord. One of these days on them to make that commitment to Christ no, don't wait for one of these days. This is the day this is your moment, seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Listen God is near to you and he is ready to come into your life and there's another part of this verse when it says let us return to the Lord. I want to also extend an invitation to you that have fallen away from your faith.

You fallen away from the Lord, and you need to make a recommitment.

So if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to go to heaven when you die, or if you fallen away from the Lord, and you want to return to them. Pray this prayer with me, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I also know that your Savior and I need your help. I need your forgiveness come in the my life and forgive me of all of my sins, I choose to follow you from this moment forward be my Savior be my Lord be my God in be my friend.

Thank you for sharing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer in Jesus name I pray, amen. I want you to know on the authority of Scripture. If you just prayed that prayer and minute Christ is heard you and he is forgiven you, so God bless you, yet we want to help you begin to grow in your new face want to send you some resource materials we call our new believers growth packet will answer some of the questions you might have and get you started off right. So get in touch for your new believers growth packet will set it free of charge if you prayed with Pastor Greg for the first time today. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or go to harvest.org and click the words know God. And while you're aligned with this one I began receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions via email every day there free of charge will send them to the email address you provide for us and when they arrive. You can read them or with one click. Listen to the audio version. Sign up today free of charge@harvest.org next time Pastor Greg offers practical help for fighting the spiritual battles we face every day. It's the final message in our collection of most requested studies of the year. Join us to run a new beginning. Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Lord and my harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God learn how to become harvest partner sign up for daily devotions and find resources to help you grow in your faith harvest.org