This is Not a Drill | Make Your Stand for Christ

You are 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@harvest.org have you been involved with reversing of your very Christian faith as she grew everyone around you know you're a believer. Greg Maurice is important to people in your workplace people on your job is to know your Christian figures because Jesus said he'll stand there for me all stand up for you.

These remain in heaven.

What a deal to give their team loyalty is no yell, scream and holler.

Sometimes those colors are needed on their faces. It's just a game. We have that same over provided following Christ today on a new beginning pastor Greg Laurie hope to see the importance of making our faith. A ration is a big secret question is why we are in the book of Nehemiah. By the way, this is our love. In the book of Nehemiah. So I want you to turn to Nehemiah chapter 10 were in our series recalling the rebuild live, but the title of this message is this is not a drill. And I Nehemiah at this stage. Historically has gone back to Babylon. Remember that story was originally serving as the Kings cupbearer when he heard the news that the walls of Jerusalem were lying in burn chart out rubble. So Nehemiah made the journey to Jerusalem funded by the king, even within our best gardening brawling.

The people and did the impossible.

They rebuild the walls of the city, they prayed they dedicated themselves of the Lord. They confess their sins and a great revival broke out, but now is given a message that things are going well back in Jerusalem and he needed to return.

So let's backtrack a little bit then will come to get to the conclusion but let's pick up chronologically where we left off last time you remember Nehemiah returns. They rebuild the walls address brought out of mothballs.

He led the first wave of Jews returning to Babylon. He helped to rebuild the temple. He had been largely inactive. They bring about again. He read Scripture to the people for three hours.

Then they confess their sins to God for three hours and there's this great revival that breaks out and know that people make a series of very significant commitments to the Lord and that's where we pick up were in Nehemiah 10 point number one of your taking notes.

They surrendered to the word of God. They surrendered to the word of God. Nehemiah 1028 then the rest of the people, the Pres, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and temple servants and all what separated themselves from the pagan people of the land in order to obey the law of God, together with their wives, sons and daughters and all who are old enough to understand.

They swore an oath, they bound themselves with an old and they Laura Courson themselves.

If they failed to obey the law of God is issued by his servant Moses, they solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our God. There is a serious another siding on the dotted line.

You know you can go look at the car all you want. I love this time I buy this car. I want to get this car and when do you think I'm going for.

So you going to say I'm ready to buy the car and they bring out hundreds of sheets of paper that you have to sign sign sign sign sign in sign in and they give you the keys to your new car in you get in it and you drive it up a lot and it drops in value by $3000 before we even got the first tank of gas right are you sign on the dotted line examiner by this home. I'm committing myself to purchase this property. Now you must keep the commitment you made. That's what they were doing here. The same is true when you stand in front of a pastor and before your friends and family and state your vows to your husband or your wife to be your making a commitment publicly and that's why think it's it's a great thing to make a public stand for Jesus Christ to sort of seal the deal when you're baptized that the public commitment. People can see it. They should see it when you make that first stand in front of your nonbelieving friends at your workplace or on your campus and you say I am a Christian and you know they're going to be watching you like Cox, why because they want you to do well know, because they want you to do really badly, so they can take right then I want you to do well because when you walk closely with the Lord and they see the transformation in your character. It drives him insane because they come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, public profession, have you made a public profession of your faith. Does your family know you're a Christian all your family, your extended family to people in your neighborhood know you're a Christian to people in your workplace know you're a Christian to people on your campus know you're a Christian to people that folly one social media know that you are a Christian make your stand for Christ publicly because Jesus said if you'll stand there for me all stand up for you if you confess me before people if you confess me before people, Jesus is all confession before the father and the angels in heaven.

What a deal like instead of in front of a few other human beings you're gonna stand up for me in heaven. That's right. Okay I'm all okay so you make your public that I have a little a granddaughter named Allie and she was at school the other day at lunch time and does so the kids are all eating their little lunches you know and Allie says we need everybody we need to pray and thank Jesus for our food are like what planet are you from good. I love that Ellie told me that story is it Allie very good you major public stand for Jesus and that's a great thing for all of us to keep in mind, and so we make that stand and we stand by that stand that we have made no abnormal say we believe the Bible will say we love the Bible and we will quote the Bible but will we surrender what the Bible says this is the requested. Don't just quoted to me. Don't to say how much you love it will use surrendered to what the Bible says when he restated will you surrender to what the Bible says on every single topic. I used to have a little plaque years ago that said, God said it, I believe it, that settles it is that sum up the way you feel will come back to that point the moment. Point number two they separated themselves from ungodly influence.

They separated themselves from ungodly influence is a diverse 28 then the rest of the people the Pres Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the pagan people of the land in order to obey the law of the Lord. We promise to not let our daughters Mary the pagan people of the land and not let our sons Mary.

There daughters note the cause and effect, they separated in order to obey look at it again. They had separated themselves from the pagan people in order to obey the law of the Lord. Listen to this.

If you want to live a godly life.

You will need to separate yourself from some things and some people and in exchange. Surround yourself with other things and other people someone sums it up perfectly. It's as blessed as a man walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, or stands in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of the scornful. Notice the words that are used versus guys walking Benny standing many sitting versus walking in the counsel of the ungodly, sending the way of sinners sitting in the seat of the scornful. So like let's say you're on a diet so used to walk every day could walk so you decide to walk right by your favorite donut shop. Just when they're making the donuts for us in the morning mistake what you do it when you're walking by walking. I'm getting exercise and you look in the window, virtual walking, now you're standing next thing you know you're sitting judges at a table here and the bad of Rod donut dough right you can't wait, that's all sin words. It's a progression.

So don't do that if you want to be a blessed man a blessed woman are change or blessed with happy because it's an interchangeable word happy is a man that doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners sit in the seat of the scornful blots is the lie is in the law of the Lord in the unit does he meditate day and night.

Let me paraphrase it. He loves to read the Bible.

He loves to hear the Bible preached. He loves to hear songs that are verses from the Bible in them. He loves the word of God and he meditates, which means he thinks about it he ponders it he considers it day and night, so you had to separate from one thing enjoying yourself to another Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment at harvest ministries we hear from people all around the country and in places that are sometimes hard to reach their Pastor Greg read about in the wilds of Idaho, but are able to enjoy your Harvest at Home broadcast.

Recall in our home church away and are €13 and even gave his heart to Jesus while watching harvest at all. Praise the Lord and blessings to you, it's so great to know the Harvest at Home. Broadcast is impacted this family in this way you have a story to tell if so, would you let Pastor Greg know just drop him an email greg@harvest.org again, greg@harvest.org Pastor Greg is presenting his final study in the book of Nehemiah a message called. This is not a drill.

Let's listen word to you who are sick. Recall how many of you are not married, raise your hand averaging okay. Quite a few of you guys. Here's what I want to say to you, don't even think about marrying a nonbeliever.

Okay.

Trust me on this even better.

Trust the word of God on this. You don't want to go there will not. I maybe lead them to the Lord okay yeah maybe you will.

Maybe you won't.

And chances are you will note explained that the moment but if you're a single person you want to look for a godly person so maybe you're going out with someone right now and I'd ask you why they are Christian, you know they say gone a lot really say that liver someone that's even more godly then you not less so when there's no question that there are a follower of Jesus Christ wasn't the three most important decisions you going to make in your life are number one. What are you going to do with Jesus Christ.

Number two what to do with your life and number three. Who are you going to marry three most important decisions number one what even to do with Jesus Christ. Are you going to accept him or reject him to follow him or not follow him number two. What are you going to do with your life course. We are like take. Thirdly, Julio Mary, you can get number one right and mess up two and three and have a really miserable life believe in Jesus then go marry a nonbeliever, or believe in Jesus make a bunch of bad choices in your life you need to get all three of these right from of the Israelites. They had a constant problem with that Getting pulled down by ungodly people, they would intermarry with pagan people and end up doing pagan things ceasing and that usually what happens when believers Mary non-believers see the promise.

Generally, the believer does not pull the nonbeliever, but rather the nonbeliever pulls the believer down. I get illustrate right now I could pick someone out here in the front row someone much smaller than me and I could take on a pull you on the platform that I would take hold of your arm with my considerable strength. I might be able to pull your right appear in the state, but the chances are, even though you're much smaller than the away lesson I do, you could probably pull me off the stage more easily than I could put you on the stage.

Even if I were stronger than your wife you of the pull of gravity working for you.

So the same way when I'm with the nonbeliever it's easier for me to go there way that it is for them to come my way. The only way to get a come my way is up there born again. They want Jesus, but the way I could go their way, as I still have an old nature.

I'm still potentially drawn to sinful things so this is where the problem begins and this is why Paul says in second Corinthians 614 don't be unequally yoked together with nonbelievers for what fellowship does like With darkness or righteousness with on righteousness are even eat at the table of the Lord and also at the table of the devil. Another translation puts it this way and I like this translation don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong that's not partnership.

That's war is like best friends would dart does Christ go strolling with the devil to trust and mistrust hold hands who would even think of setting up pagan idols in God's holy temple. See, when you combine certain things. Problems can ensue. You can take nitro and you can add glycerin and you have an explosion in the same way you can take bleach and ammonia and they can generate chlorine gas that is both toxic and deadly that can potentially happen with the believer and the nonbeliever is not a good result because it's going to be detrimental to the believer. Now, having said that, while I miss what I'm saying don't marry a nonbeliever. I'm not saying don't have contact with nonbelievers because how we gonna reach people with the gospel of we don't have contact with them. Separation does not mean isolation. Paul actually wrote about this to the believers in Corinth and understand Corrine was a really wicked place when we talk about the Corinthians. We could've just as easily call them the California first and second Californians because the issues of Corinth apply to California a lot of immorality. A lot of crazy stuff going on. So these are Christians living in a superb pagan culture surrounded by idol worshipers and all kinds of other things on Paul's writing to them. They're dealing with them. Issues that are similar to what we might deal with today. So Paul writes of the believers in Corinth and he says don't associate with the so-called Christian if they indulge in sexual sin or greedy or worship idols are drunk or are a cheap to get a step further and says don't you have a meal with them while really is and that being a little judge mental and mean no, actually it's been loving and at the same time careful good avoiding people possibly be loving because of you love them enough, you'll tell them the truth about what the Bible said so someone says I'm a Christian and their living with a boyfriend or girlfriend or doing drugs or getting drunk is a hold on. You say you're a Christian, why you doing this. The Bible tells you not to do the things he men don't judge my journey really you're actually saying that you don't judge my journey but I want to judge your journey and you with it okay great. The Bible says judge not judgment judgment.

I don't know any of the verse with judgment. Yes, the Bible says Jesus became judge not lest you be judged. Right. What is it mean means condemned not lest you be condemned. I'm in no position to condemn a person to say that persons going to hell. I don't know their heart. I don't know everything about them. That's not my will but I am supposed to judge people, which means I evaluate where their ads spiritually.

I'm supposed to judge myself. The Bible says we make evaluations every day about all kinds of things does not. The Bible even say judgment begins at the house of God so fearful of Christian and you're doing things that contradict the Bible. I want to call you out on them.

Not because I want to hurt you, but because I want to help you because you're on a destructive path and I want you to turn around. Galatians 6 all rights brothers and sisters of another believer is overcome by some in you are godly should gently and humbly help that person back into the right path to be careful you don't follow the same temptation yourself. So yes, I want to help them because the Bible says faithful of the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

That means I came in I love you. I want to tell you the truth, because I love you and I don't want you to go down the steps now having said that, I still need have contact with nonbelievers because Paul continues on, and he says now I'm not saying avoid nonbelievers.

First Corinthians 510 who indulge in sexual sin or greedy or cheap people enough to leave this world to avoid people like that you might be surprised to know that when I have friendship from nonbelievers and I have friends that don't know the Lord and we talked and I stand for what I stand for and they know what I believe.

But I don't expect nonbelievers to behave is believers, but I do expect Christians to behave as Christians, but of your regular and you don't know what the Bible says about this and that I'm not going to harp on those things that you happen to be doing as much as I'm going to try to point you to Christ because once you come to Christ all those other things will get sorted out. So that's my main objective with the non-believer bring them beginning pastor Greg Laurie with practical insights based in the book of Nehemiah and there's more to come as pastor Greg wraps up this final message in his series called the rebuild life and we want to mention pastor Greg brand-new book called Lennon Dylan, Alice and Jesus as a look at the life stories of so many famous music artists whose lives self-destructed and Patrick so might look at all the trouble that those people get into and say yeah that's why I don't even listen to the crowd anymore, but often their struggles are common struggles. That's right and there's some things we can learn from them is not right. Oh sure, these are just people. When the day is done, and they go behind the closed doors of where they live there just regular people like you and I are, they have the same struggles they have the same insecurities they have that they have the same questions and just because they have all these things doesn't mean that they're happy.

In fact, that's why so many of them turned to drugs or other things because they're not finding the fulfillment in the things they may have thought they would find fulfillment in a lady wrote a book talking about achieving the high note and she referenced different people who had great success in their careers, like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

And she said the reason they turned to drugs is because they couldn't hit the high note anymore by that she was not speaking of literally kidding. I note, but they could maintain that level of excitement and euphoria that they may have experienced when it first started for them. You sort of adjust to that you become acclimated to that.

So then you say what is the next high note. What's the next accomplishment.

What is the next mountain to conquer. Then you conquer that, then you say what's the next thing to do. What's the next car I should driver what's the next house I should live in her house as I should buy our yacht. I should have then you accomplish that you think what's in and on and on it goes into just empty empty empty. The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun was welcome Muggeridge once said, all news is old news happening to new people and you would think that rock stars would look of the lives of other rock stars who have crashed and burned and say I'm not going to do that but yet so many of them do so. It's a story of people were searching, but many of them have found the Lord. Tragically, many of them have not found the Lord so this book looks at both sides of that and what happens with the decisions you make in life. I think though ultimately you will be a very encouraging book for you to not give up praying for people you know that are not yet believers and listen. This would be an excellent book to give to anyone you know who is not a believer but the rev fan of rock music because I think this book will really speak to them. Yeah, that's right. And again. It's called Lennon Dylan, Alice and Jesus it subtitled the spiritual biography of rock 'n' roll health that loved one. Learn from the mistakes of these high profile music icons and avoid heart ache and tragedy. It's a book with some strong warnings, but it's also a book of strong hope as well and would like to send you Lennon Dylan Allison Jesus to thank you for your donation right now, it's your investments in this outreach that allow us to keep bringing pastor Greg insights each day. So call us today at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 seven phone number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to 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 you can join 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 time pastor Greg has more insights from spinal study in the book of Nehemiah are series called the rebuild life. Join us here on a new beginning.

Pastor and Bible Greg for and new beginning as a podcast, made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God if this show has impacted your life. Share your story, leave a review on your favorite podcast and help others find help