No Regrets | Doing More

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Greg Laurie warns us again following his example Judas is so many people wanting you only that which is wired by God from Roebling to bond with their would be what is the least I can do still technically be.

This is always a dangerous ground beef, shredding on every once in a while you may see an unusual does mention the maximum you post the minimum is because if you fall below the minimum danger today on a new beginning after Greg Laurie helps us realize the danger of falling below the minimum. In our walk with the Lord instead focus on giving all those words will serve as more popular than ever. By the way, this is nothing new.

Jesus was popular in the first century as well, especially after he raised Lazarus from the dead. The name of Jesus was on everyone's lips wherever Christ went crowds of people would press on him he would be wrong not to process large crowds gathered to him and he got into a boat and sat down because the whole crowd was standing on the beach, you know, we had to get into a little floating pulpit.

In effect, to get a little distance from the crowd. We read over in Luke 12 are so many thousands of people gathered together to hear Jesus. They were stepping on each other and then in John 12.

The tech support is a large crowd of the Jews learned that Christ was there and they came not just for Jesus, but that they also might see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead.

So Jesus was very popular but here's the problem. This popularity would be short-lived and the same people that were singing his praises now would be shouting for his crucifixion and only days that because they never really understood his real mission. Even though zoning handpicked disciples didn't fully get it until he died and rose again from the dead, with one exception, and I would like to say it was Peter, James and John, sort of the favored three that Christ would take with them on special occasions, but I wasn't nor wasn't any other of the disciples that Jesus had kicked in fact, it wasn't a man at all. It was a woman there was a woman, or greater insight spiritually than those who effectively spent every waking hour of their life with Jesus for some three extended years who was the woman that seemed to get what all the guys missed her name was Mary, and it's worth noting that every time we read of her. She is at the feet of Jesus, so maybe that's why she had such great insight. She seemed to grasp an essential truth that was largely missed by the others and it was this that Jesus had come to die. So she had a unique understanding as to who he was and why he came. Because of this she brought the most incredible, valuable gift she could and Jesus is so moved by her sacrificial act that he commended her and said this will be a memorial that will never be forgotten.

So what did this woman do that so impressed Jesus did she deliver an amazing sermon. No. Did she pray an incredible prayer of faith actually know. In fact, what she did was really very practical at all that you could even say it was somewhat impractical, but it was very heartfelt, so let's see what she did and why Jesus commended her.

John 12 starting verse one, six days before the Passover celebration began. Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from the dead. The dinner was repaired and Jesus honor by the way I'm reading from the new living translation. Martha served as she usually did, and Lazarus was among those who eat with them and Mary took a 12 ounce jar of expensive perfume made from the essence of Nardi and she anointed the feet of Jesus with it, wiping his feet with her hair in the house was filled with a fragrant but Judas Iscariot the disciple who would soon betray them said this perfume was worth the years wages. It could have been sold and the money could have been given to the poor. I love John's commentary here.

It's not that Judas cared for the part he was a sea and since he was in charge of the disciples money yelp and stole some for himself.

Jesus replied leave her alone. She's done this in preparation for my burial will always have the poor among you, but me you will not always have.

And so this room was abuzz with conversation.

A lot is going on and then the reality is is is Jesus was pondering and thinking about what was ahead now you know son, always great to know everything and Jesus did in fact he would describe how the Son of Man speaking of himself would be betrayed by one of his own. He would be delivered to the high priest and crucified by the Romans in three days later he would rise again.

He knew all of this he knew he was going to take the beating and the whipping on the crucifixion and worst of all he knew he would bear all the sins of the world and it was weighing heavily on him this night and I don't think anyone happened to notice except Mary, she's watching them. She saying something is troubling the Lord and I want to do something so extravagant, so I'm amazing that it will be a great blessing to him so she breaks open the sponsor of expensive perfume diversity get a 12 ounce jar of expensive perfume. She anoints the feet of Jesus with the wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance is a good possibility that this bottle of perfume was a family heirloom, we find out later as were $25-$30,000. She took the whole bottle of expensive perfume and poured it on his feet. It was an active complete devotion and adoration. Judas Iscariot with calculator in hand, abandoning the price of everything and the value of nothing instantly calculates how much of oasis was, as I said $25-$30,000. What a waste to this as any had a point.

But this wasn't about perfume at all. This is about sacrifice. She brought the most valuable possession. She owned and gave it to Jesus what the most valuable possession. You'll let say hurricane was coming to California or maybe a fire and you only had moments to remove from your house, your most valuable items. What would you grab verse I thought about this, like, well, what I really grab and honestly I thought I would grab probably things that might kids and grandkids made me because I couldn't place them I would grab my wife over to see that verse. I love that I have not talked about humans and talk about objects that I could not replace it.

So you stop and think about what what is your most valuable physical possession right now. What thing do you have in your house in your garage in your pocket on your wrist on your finger to where it is in a bank account somewhere. What's the most valuable thing you have to know what number do. Would you be willing to give that to Jesus Christ that's literally what this woman did and Judas did not get it at all.

Judas is typical of so many people today like dutiful Pharisees. They want to give only that which is required by God, and preferably get by with the bare minimum. If they would be on his third question would be what is the least I can do and still technically be a Christian. I've even heard it stated another way, how much can I get away with and still be saved. How many sins can I commit and still technically maintain my salvation. I know that all go to heaven when I die. This is for nice and dangerous ground to be treading upon you don't ever want to think about the minimum you can give. You want to think about the privilege of the maximum you can give to God in a summer night or will I go to church once a week. That should be good or better yet once a month. So many things going on in Sunday's all read the Bible.

If I have time and very busy and I got it check my emails check a few news sites update my social media feed the dog do this and that. Now I get to it all read a little Scripture given the offering of it occurs to me. Let's see what change I have. There's a little lint can the church use some lint here you go. Kind of an afterthought. Instead of coming prepared to get the reality of some people give more to a waitress in a restaurant then it will give to the work of God.

Lisa waitress gets 10%. Hope you give them much better yet 15 or 20 dog 20% grade.

That's nice. You give 20% to gobble. What's the bare minimum 10% to 10% of the gross of the neck.

See that's the way we think we want to get the minimum that the maximum will pray if it occurs because of this crisis will pray a lot, but if there is no try to show yelp we get around to it all. Seeing the worship songs at church but I don't really like it when they go to long and if they start the hand lifting stuff. It kinda makes me a little bit uncomfortable. These emotional out first and then it even gets worse.

You can find yourself one of these people and then if that's about enough, you'll be critical of those that do more than you do your critical of the one of you do that, really, do they really need to do that, do they really need to go that far, you know, maybe that's one of the reasons we don't see the work of God in quite the same scale as the early church sod in the first century, as recorded in the book of acts as modeled by Mary. These first century believers had a sense of abandoned about God would say that Philip go to the desert and wait for further directions and you do it, God would tell Peter to take disabled man by the hand and pull him to his feet and Peter would go for it. They took wrist they bet the farm on stuff and you know what God blessed them. As a result, they were simply in love with Jesus and they were willing to give it a try. If you have a great what if it fails that I would rather try and fail my attempt to bring glory to God.

Did never try anything at all. And even worse, criticize others who try to get people to know that you're a believer or are they surprised when they learn of your face pastor Greg points out how the disciples were known for being men and women who had been with Jesus. More on that in a moment. Whenever you send us a letter and email or post a comment social media we read every word pastor Greg been encouraged by your teaching your podcast Sunday services online studies and everything else I can get my hands on. Peace can only come from God.

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Pastor Greg is helping us explore the outer limits of what were willing to give and do for the Lord for replay of today study called no regrets.

Just go to harvest.org and I've people periodically criticize me for how handsome I am and held that such accidents never happened in my life out criticize me and the fact that you left me and you understood that was a joke immediately. Which in a way. Your laughter was a form of insult, but I'm okay with that mother criticize our evangelism only like your crusades. We know like you have this music and in it we don't like that.

This so we know like God and I would've the lights and we don't like it we don't like okay whatever. What the heck are you doing you know I mean that's my response. I mean, maybe you don't like the way I'm doing it while I like the way you're not doing it and criticizing someone who is doing it so I look at do we do everything perfectly. Yes no we don't. But but I'll tell you this for trying and our feeble ways. At times to do everything we can to reach more people with the message of the gospel. That's what we take risks, and we should all be that way and that's the way Mary was the nuts away the first century believers were, they were in love with Jesus. It was said of them and ask for 13 they had been with Jesus.

We read there and asked the members of the Council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John.

They could see they were ordinary men who had no special training but they recognize them as men who had been with Jesus can people tell you've been with Jesus you know after church I would.

I would hope they could tell if we go to a restaurant afterward. Some people from our church. I would hope to take all the others of the Christians, not because there mean, not because they're loud and obnoxious, or because they don't, but because are caring people there loving people are having a lot of fun. They're talking about maybe what they heard a church are talking about their faith and so that's a good thing and that's what it means to be with Jesus. But what is it that brought this love and sacrifice remarry.

The thing that moved it was Jesus himself. She reason is nothing too good for Jesus. And this is the most valuable thing I own and he's going to go and die for my sin and for the sins of everyone in this room that he's going to die for the sins of the world. In fact everything Jesus is been saying he is meant he is said what he meant and he is meant what he said. I think the disciples were he's talking mystically. What does he mean to be crucified, and she realizes he's speaking literally is gonna literally be crucified. He's actually going to be betrayed. He really is going to die and rise again, and I need to do something to say thank you in advance and so she brought this bottle of perfume and broke it and poured it at his feet chasing while that's a nice story, Greg.

That's a long time ago.

It doesn't really have any relevance to us today, but I think it does. Actually I think we can still sit at his feet.

What is it mean today that Sid had his feet. What what it means is to spend time in the presence of God was in God everywhere yes yeah but yet we also know that when two or more are gathered together in his name. He's there in the midst right so we know that the Lord comes to us in a special way warmer and fellowship with other believers so that's why church matters.

We also know that the Lord inhabits the praises of his people. So when we engage in corporate worship together we can sense his presence with us, but we did spend time worshiping and we spend time listening to me. Mary took time to listen to Jesus. Have you ever been saying something to someone and they're not paying attention. Let me restate the question ever talk to someone who is holding a cell phone in their hand.

You know when everything's finding that I was tell you this is so important to me and so glad you're listening and they get attacked and you know they can't resist looking just like endorphins released text text text like and maybe they put it down below the table. Your arrest under like that's very interesting in what you doing I'm not doing anything to get out.

That's the way this it all is that anything could you just put your phone down reported on mute face down, give me her attention. Same is true of us only come to hear from the Lord right now are in effect sitting at his feet. So I hope that we give great attention to the word of God and hear what it has just say because I think when you sit at his feet. You'll be energized to then serve it okays I hear people say you are just burned out a ministry I just burned out.

I had to just walk away burned out like I've been in ministry now for 43 years I started when I was to place first sermon I wore a diaper. My message was, we will all be changed to a true story. Notice about Tom. I been doing this for a while. I wanted to take some I've never been burned out.

A ministry now. I get tired in ministry.

Everyone does. Even Jesus got tired and he said even the disciples sailors come aside for a while arrest you guys have a meal sleep.

Take care of yourselves, but I've never been tired of ministry. In fact, when I serve the Lord. I'm energized, there are times when I've come out to speak and maybe it's been a long week for a long day and I don't even feel like I'm fully prepared as I should be.

But when I come on spoken there been times might take my spiritual tank is been almost on empty and it ended on full because as I gave the Lord gave to me Izzy and I think when you sit at his feet and spent time in his presence.

You'll be energized to do the work of the Lord. Let me flip out around if you're serving the Lord. Somehow, and you don't have that passion and that commitment.

Maybe it's because you're not spending enough time sitting at his speech comes out of this if your intake is less than your out then your upkeep will be your downfall.

Pastor Greg Laurie, if your intake is less than your output, your upkeep will be your downfall. And there's more to come as Pastor Greg continues his message here on a new beginning called no regrets.

You know the last couple of years have been such a trying time for everyone. The pandemic and all the uncertainty political tension unrest in our cities, inflation, empty store shelves, but the counseling God's word is the answer for the troubles and trials were facing and we want to reach out even further with the studies. The only thing holding us back is the resources to make it happen. So, Pastor Greg, we hope our listeners might pray about partnering with us so we can reach further in their own community and and reach further into places they've never even been that's right. It's an investment in kingdom business is not right.

Yes, that's true. So whatever you can send to us here at a new beginning will use that money to reach more people with the teaching of the word of God and the message of the gospel. I hope some of you will be generous because this enables us to do more but whatever you send look forward to hearing from you yet. We hope you let God use you to make a difference. A real tangible difference in people's lives and we want to say thank you for your investment good details about a book called don't give the enemy a seat at your table by Louis Giglio. It's a practical look at the encouragement of Psalm 23 and how it'll help us keep our enemy from having any say so in our thoughts and emotions will send it to say thank you for your investment right now. Just go to harvest.org or call us anytime 24 seven at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 ever start your day off wrong, you know, things started badly and just kept going downhill. A lot of it has to do with your focus where your mind is centered as the day starts one a plug into Pastor Greg's daily devotions there free of charge. It's good encouragement to keep your eyes fixed on Christ. You can read each day's devotion or listen to the audio version. Your choice.

Sign up today free of charge@harvest.org you know there's nothing lying here in the word of God worshiping the Lord together. I will encourage you to join us for something we call Harvest at Home every Saturday and Sunday harvest.org joint Christians, literally from around the world as we worship and we study the word of God together. So join us for Harvest at Home and harvest when next I Pastor Greg has more insights from this study called no regrets will return to our text in John chapter 12. Join us here on new beginning pastors and Bible teacher Greg Laurie and everybody thinks or listening to an beginning this is a podcast made possible by harvest partners. So for more content can help you know God and equip you to make him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a harvest partner. Just go to harvest.org