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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie - The Danger of the Compromised Life

December 3, 2024 | S24:E4902

Greg Laurie - The Danger of the Compromised Life
Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
#GregLaurie #Faith #TrustGod #Freedom #Lifestyle #Heart #Religion #Choices #WordofGod #Obedience #Sin #inActive #Idols #HarvestwithPastorGregLaurie #FalseGods

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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - The Danger of the Compromised Life | December 3, 2024
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:00:00.477 --> 00:00:03.780
  • Greg laurie: god has given to you a free will.
  • 00:00:03.913 --> 00:00:05.949
  • The choice is yours.
  • 00:00:06.082 --> 00:00:07.584
  • You decide if you will go to heaven or hell.
  • 00:00:07.717 --> 00:00:08.518
  • You decide if you will follow christ or satan.
  • 00:00:10.353 --> 00:00:13.490
  • You decide if your sins will be forgiven,
  • 00:00:13.490 --> 00:00:15.792
  • Or you'll have to give an account for them.
  • 00:00:15.792 --> 00:00:18.228
  • That's all up to you.
  • 00:00:18.228 --> 00:00:19.963
  • But once you've made that decision,
  • 00:00:19.963 --> 00:00:21.931
  • God, in effect, will strengthen you in it.
  • 00:00:21.931 --> 00:00:25.769
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:00:25.769 --> 00:00:29.606
  • ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪
  • 00:00:29.606 --> 00:00:39.115
  • Greg: you know, prior to knowing jesus christ,
  • 00:00:43.053 --> 00:00:46.122
  • If we knew it or not, if we liked it or not,
  • 00:00:46.122 --> 00:00:49.225
  • We were under the power and control of the devil.
  • 00:00:49.225 --> 00:00:54.564
  • This is what the bible teaches.
  • 00:00:54.564 --> 00:00:56.266
  • The scripture tells us that this satan,
  • 00:00:56.266 --> 00:01:00.103
  • This god of this world, as he's called in the bible,
  • 00:01:00.103 --> 00:01:03.506
  • Blinded the eyes of us, and we were held captive by him,
  • 00:01:03.506 --> 00:01:07.944
  • Taken captive by him.
  • 00:01:07.944 --> 00:01:09.913
  • And the irony is we thought we were in
  • 00:01:09.913 --> 00:01:12.082
  • Control of our own lives.
  • 00:01:12.082 --> 00:01:13.716
  • That makes me laugh when people say,
  • 00:01:13.716 --> 00:01:15.285
  • "well, i don't want to become a christian,
  • 00:01:15.285 --> 00:01:16.753
  • Because i don't want to come under the control of god.
  • 00:01:16.753 --> 00:01:18.888
  • I'm the captain of my own ship.
  • 00:01:18.888 --> 00:01:21.224
  • I am in control of my own life."
  • 00:01:21.224 --> 00:01:23.059
  • No, you aren't.
  • 00:01:23.059 --> 00:01:24.794
  • You're under the control of the devil,
  • 00:01:24.794 --> 00:01:27.397
  • And he's a liar, and he ripped us off.
  • 00:01:27.397 --> 00:01:30.066
  • He promised us pleasure, but he brought us misery.
  • 00:01:30.066 --> 00:01:33.069
  • He promised us fun, but he brought us guilt.
  • 00:01:33.069 --> 00:01:35.638
  • He promised us life, but he brought us death.
  • 00:01:35.638 --> 00:01:38.842
  • And the most clever strategy of all,
  • 00:01:38.842 --> 00:01:41.678
  • He had us thinking he did not even exist.
  • 00:01:41.678 --> 00:01:43.947
  • But one day, in each of our lives,
  • 00:01:43.947 --> 00:01:46.015
  • For those of us who have put our faith in christ,
  • 00:01:46.015 --> 00:01:48.785
  • It was like a light went on.
  • 00:01:48.785 --> 00:01:51.054
  • Like a lightning bolt from heaven, it hit us.
  • 00:01:51.054 --> 00:01:54.290
  • Jesus christ is the answer.
  • 00:01:54.290 --> 00:01:56.159
  • Jesus christ is the one i've been searching for,
  • 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:59.262
  • So we believed in him, and that changed our life.
  • 00:01:59.262 --> 00:02:03.266
  • Now, this is the greatest event that will happen in any human
  • 00:02:03.266 --> 00:02:06.336
  • Life: the day that you're born again.
  • 00:02:06.336 --> 00:02:08.938
  • And i ask you today, are you born again,
  • 00:02:08.938 --> 00:02:11.474
  • And are you sure you're born again?
  • 00:02:11.474 --> 00:02:14.277
  • And if you're not, i'll tell you how to be at the end
  • 00:02:14.277 --> 00:02:16.312
  • Of the message.
  • 00:02:16.312 --> 00:02:17.647
  • But listen, after we made that commitment to christ,
  • 00:02:17.647 --> 00:02:20.416
  • You need to know what's going on.
  • 00:02:20.416 --> 00:02:21.985
  • The devil, well, to put it bluntly,
  • 00:02:21.985 --> 00:02:23.953
  • Is really ticked off.
  • 00:02:23.953 --> 00:02:26.422
  • He lost one of his own, and he's gonna do everything he can to
  • 00:02:26.422 --> 00:02:29.592
  • Undermine you, to trip you up, to pull you back,
  • 00:02:29.592 --> 00:02:33.263
  • If possible.
  • 00:02:33.263 --> 00:02:35.064
  • It's been said conversion has made our hearts a battlefield,
  • 00:02:35.064 --> 00:02:38.968
  • And it's true.
  • 00:02:38.968 --> 00:02:41.004
  • If you're not experiencing this spiritual battle,
  • 00:02:41.004 --> 00:02:43.673
  • Quite honestly, something is wrong with you.
  • 00:02:43.673 --> 00:02:47.210
  • And so i want you to know you're gonna face devilish opposition.
  • 00:02:47.210 --> 00:02:51.681
  • Now, i'm gonna talk about one of the devil's most effective
  • 00:02:51.681 --> 00:02:55.251
  • Strategies in this message, and that strategy is compromise.
  • 00:02:55.251 --> 00:03:00.023
  • And here's what we learned in hebrews 11, verse 27.
  • 00:03:00.023 --> 00:03:04.227
  • It says, "it was by faith that moses left the land of egypt,
  • 00:03:04.227 --> 00:03:09.666
  • Not fearing the king's anger.
  • 00:03:09.666 --> 00:03:11.801
  • He kept right on going, because he kept his eyes on the one
  • 00:03:11.801 --> 00:03:15.672
  • Who is invisible."
  • 00:03:15.672 --> 00:03:17.473
  • It was by faith, you see; because he had faith,
  • 00:03:17.473 --> 00:03:19.275
  • He did not have fear.
  • 00:03:19.275 --> 00:03:20.977
  • And the thing that prompted his faith and sustained his faith
  • 00:03:20.977 --> 00:03:23.680
  • Was keeping his eyes on jesus, looking to the lord.
  • 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:30.019
  • And when you have your eyes on the lord,
  • 00:03:30.019 --> 00:03:31.821
  • You can do amazing things; and when you take your eyes off
  • 00:03:31.821 --> 00:03:34.724
  • Of the lord, you're gonna face defeat.
  • 00:03:34.724 --> 00:03:37.727
  • So, let's see what happens now when moses has his first
  • 00:03:37.727 --> 00:03:40.330
  • Confrontation with the great pharaoh of egypt.
  • 00:03:40.330 --> 00:03:44.667
  • Now let's flip over to exodus chapter 7, verse 10.
  • 00:03:44.667 --> 00:03:47.937
  • "so, moses and aaron went into pharaoh,
  • 00:03:47.937 --> 00:03:50.073
  • And they did so just as the lord commanded.
  • 00:03:50.073 --> 00:03:52.175
  • And aaron cast down the rod--this is the shepherd's
  • 00:03:52.175 --> 00:03:54.877
  • Staff now.
  • 00:03:54.877 --> 00:03:56.212
  • "--before pharaoh and before his servants,
  • 00:03:56.212 --> 00:03:58.881
  • And it became a snake.
  • 00:03:58.881 --> 00:04:00.917
  • But pharaoh also had wise men and sorcerers,
  • 00:04:00.917 --> 00:04:03.253
  • And the magicians of egypt, they did the same thing with
  • 00:04:03.253 --> 00:04:06.489
  • Their enchantments.
  • 00:04:06.489 --> 00:04:07.824
  • Every man threw down his rod, and they became snakes,
  • 00:04:07.824 --> 00:04:10.660
  • But aaron's rod swallowed up their rods,
  • 00:04:10.660 --> 00:04:13.396
  • And pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them as the
  • 00:04:13.396 --> 00:04:18.101
  • Lord had said."
  • 00:04:18.101 --> 00:04:20.270
  • So now a series of judgments are gonna come upon egypt.
  • 00:04:20.270 --> 00:04:25.375
  • Each one is gonna be directed specifically against
  • 00:04:25.375 --> 00:04:29.646
  • A god of egypt.
  • 00:04:29.646 --> 00:04:31.581
  • You see, the egyptians worship pharaoh as god.
  • 00:04:31.581 --> 00:04:33.549
  • They worship the nile river as god.
  • 00:04:33.549 --> 00:04:35.685
  • They worshiped animals as god.
  • 00:04:35.685 --> 00:04:38.388
  • They worshiped frogs as god.
  • 00:04:38.388 --> 00:04:39.956
  • They worshiped all kinds of crazy things.
  • 00:04:39.956 --> 00:04:42.692
  • And so god's gonna bring a series of ten judgments
  • 00:04:42.692 --> 00:04:45.895
  • Or plagues against egypt
  • 00:04:45.895 --> 00:04:47.797
  • Each leveled at one of the gods they worship.
  • 00:04:47.797 --> 00:04:50.967
  • The first thing that happens is plague number one.
  • 00:04:50.967 --> 00:04:53.936
  • The nile river is turned to blood.
  • 00:04:53.936 --> 00:04:56.039
  • That's found in exodus 7:14-18.
  • 00:04:56.039 --> 00:04:59.509
  • God directs moses to go over with his staff,
  • 00:04:59.509 --> 00:05:01.644
  • And he calls pharaoh to come and watch,
  • 00:05:01.644 --> 00:05:04.547
  • And he puts the staff in the water,
  • 00:05:04.547 --> 00:05:06.449
  • And it turns to blood.
  • 00:05:06.449 --> 00:05:08.551
  • Now, not only did the egyptians worship the nile,
  • 00:05:08.551 --> 00:05:11.020
  • But that was also the source of food supply.
  • 00:05:11.020 --> 00:05:13.756
  • It was a source of drinking water.
  • 00:05:13.756 --> 00:05:16.959
  • They would use that water for bathing,
  • 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:19.162
  • For cooking, for cleaning, laundry,
  • 00:05:19.162 --> 00:05:20.963
  • And, of course, drinking, plus they got fish out of that nile
  • 00:05:20.963 --> 00:05:25.601
  • River, and now it's all turned to blood.
  • 00:05:25.601 --> 00:05:29.339
  • But the magicians come on.
  • 00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:31.941
  • Oh, that's no big deal.
  • 00:05:31.941 --> 00:05:33.543
  • We can do it, too.
  • 00:05:33.543 --> 00:05:35.044
  • And they take what little clear water there is and turn
  • 00:05:35.044 --> 00:05:36.913
  • That to blood.
  • 00:05:36.913 --> 00:05:38.247
  • It would almost seem to be a bit more logical if the magicians of
  • 00:05:38.247 --> 00:05:41.284
  • Pharaoh could turn the bloody water back to clear.
  • 00:05:41.284 --> 00:05:44.754
  • That would be helpful.
  • 00:05:44.754 --> 00:05:46.589
  • But they took what little clear water was left and turned
  • 00:05:46.589 --> 00:05:48.658
  • That to blood.
  • 00:05:48.658 --> 00:05:49.992
  • Whoever said sin makes sense?
  • 00:05:49.992 --> 00:05:51.694
  • Here's something i've discovered after years of walking with
  • 00:05:51.694 --> 00:05:55.631
  • The lord: sin makes you stupid.
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  • It does.
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  • Sin makes you stupid.
  • 00:06:00.903 --> 00:06:02.438
  • I know clear thinking people--or at least i thought they were
  • 00:06:02.438 --> 00:06:05.508
  • Clear thinking--intelligent people do the most irrational
  • 00:06:05.508 --> 00:06:09.712
  • Things under the control of sin.
  • 00:06:09.712 --> 00:06:12.415
  • As the great theologian forrest gump once said,
  • 00:06:12.415 --> 00:06:17.620
  • "stupid is, is as stupid does."
  • 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:20.089
  • Really bad forrest gump imitation.
  • 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:22.959
  • And because of this devilish imitation that pharaoh
  • 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.929
  • Hardens his heart.
  • 00:06:26.929 --> 00:06:28.998
  • But really what was happening was god was striking down
  • 00:06:28.998 --> 00:06:30.900
  • Their god.
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  • He was saying, "you worship the nile as a god.
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  • Your god just failed you.
  • 00:06:36.038 --> 00:06:37.407
  • Your god isn't real.
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  • Where is your god now?"
  • 00:06:38.975 --> 00:06:40.343
  • You know, we can have gods, too, with a small g.
  • 00:06:40.343 --> 00:06:45.214
  • A god, an idol is anything or anyone that takes the place
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  • Of the lord god in our life.
  • 00:06:50.653 --> 00:06:54.424
  • You know, some people make gods out of careers,
  • 00:06:54.424 --> 00:06:56.759
  • Some even ministries.
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  • Some make gods out of relationships.
  • 00:06:59.162 --> 00:07:01.697
  • Some make gods out of possessions.
  • 00:07:01.697 --> 00:07:03.933
  • That becomes the most important thing to them.
  • 00:07:03.933 --> 00:07:07.203
  • And sometimes something will happen to remove that god that
  • 00:07:07.203 --> 00:07:10.573
  • Has blocked the true lord out of our lives.
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  • Maybe you're terminated from your job.
  • 00:07:15.711 --> 00:07:17.780
  • Maybe the relationship unravels.
  • 00:07:17.780 --> 00:07:20.383
  • Maybe the object you worshipped is stolen,
  • 00:07:20.383 --> 00:07:22.418
  • Or damaged, or whatever it is.
  • 00:07:22.418 --> 00:07:24.854
  • Your god is knocked over, and you realize it was never a true
  • 00:07:24.854 --> 00:07:28.191
  • God at all, and it opened your eyes to see your need for
  • 00:07:28.191 --> 00:07:32.462
  • The true and living god.
  • 00:07:32.462 --> 00:07:34.864
  • And here's pharaoh.
  • 00:07:34.864 --> 00:07:36.199
  • He's seen the nile river turned to blood,
  • 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:38.434
  • But still his heart gets hard.
  • 00:07:38.434 --> 00:07:40.303
  • In fact, exodus 7:23 says, "he returned to his palace and put
  • 00:07:40.303 --> 00:07:43.039
  • The whole thing out of his mind."
  • 00:07:43.039 --> 00:07:46.108
  • Said, "god, big deal."
  • 00:07:46.108 --> 00:07:47.610
  • Now plague number two comes, an invasion of frogs.
  • 00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:51.247
  • That's in exodus 8, and this is a crazy plague,
  • 00:07:51.247 --> 00:07:55.918
  • Frogs everywhere.
  • 00:07:55.918 --> 00:07:57.520
  • You know, when i lived in hawai‘i years ago--i was
  • 00:07:57.520 --> 00:08:00.890
  • A kid--we used to walk around everywhere barefoot.
  • 00:08:00.890 --> 00:08:03.926
  • And, you know, so at night you'd walk around barefoot
  • 00:08:03.926 --> 00:08:07.230
  • And sometimes step on frogs.
  • 00:08:07.230 --> 00:08:09.699
  • There's lots of frogs in hawai‘i, and they're big frogs.
  • 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:12.435
  • And i'll tell you, that is gross.
  • 00:08:12.435 --> 00:08:14.770
  • You know, have you ever stepped on a snail barefoot.
  • 00:08:14.770 --> 00:08:17.640
  • That's so bad. here's why: squish.
  • 00:08:17.640 --> 00:08:20.810
  • Oh, ugh!
  • 00:08:20.810 --> 00:08:22.645
  • A frog's worse.
  • 00:08:22.645 --> 00:08:24.847
  • [making squishing noises] ribbit.
  • 00:08:24.847 --> 00:08:26.849
  • Oh!
  • 00:08:26.849 --> 00:08:28.451
  • Is there a frog on my foot?
  • 00:08:28.451 --> 00:08:30.052
  • Oh, no, you know.
  • 00:08:30.052 --> 00:08:31.387
  • There were frogs everywhere, the bible says.
  • 00:08:31.387 --> 00:08:34.290
  • There were frogs on the floor.
  • 00:08:34.290 --> 00:08:35.725
  • There were frogs in the chairs.
  • 00:08:35.725 --> 00:08:37.293
  • There were frogs in the ovens.
  • 00:08:37.293 --> 00:08:38.761
  • There were frogs in the bed.
  • 00:08:38.761 --> 00:08:40.396
  • You know, you kiss your wife goodnight.
  • 00:08:40.396 --> 00:08:41.898
  • "goodnight, honey, i love you."
  • 00:08:41.898 --> 00:08:43.232
  • Ribbit. oh.
  • 00:08:43.232 --> 00:08:45.234
  • And it's a funny thing because the egyptians worshiped
  • 00:08:45.234 --> 00:08:48.371
  • A frog god.
  • 00:08:48.371 --> 00:08:50.273
  • His name in egyptian was kermoto,
  • 00:08:50.273 --> 00:08:52.675
  • And i made that up.
  • 00:08:52.675 --> 00:08:56.312
  • That was--remember kermit?
  • 00:08:56.312 --> 00:08:57.713
  • Kermit the frog, sesame street--
  • 00:08:57.713 --> 00:09:00.850
  • It was actually called heget, h-e-g-e-t.
  • 00:09:00.850 --> 00:09:04.854
  • They worshiped a frog.
  • 00:09:04.854 --> 00:09:07.323
  • What a stupid thing to worship.
  • 00:09:07.323 --> 00:09:10.092
  • God says, "you want frogs?
  • 00:09:10.092 --> 00:09:11.928
  • Is this your god?
  • 00:09:11.928 --> 00:09:13.262
  • Here's a whole bunch of gods to worship.
  • 00:09:13.262 --> 00:09:15.197
  • Have fun, gang."
  • 00:09:15.197 --> 00:09:16.632
  • Yeah, there were frogs everywhere.
  • 00:09:16.632 --> 00:09:18.301
  • And then the pharaoh goes to moses and says,
  • 00:09:18.301 --> 00:09:21.404
  • "make these frogs go away."
  • 00:09:21.404 --> 00:09:23.172
  • And then moses prays, and the frogs all die.
  • 00:09:23.172 --> 00:09:27.109
  • The only thing worse than a living frog is a dead frog,
  • 00:09:27.109 --> 00:09:29.412
  • And it's stinking.
  • 00:09:29.412 --> 00:09:30.846
  • And coming back to my childhood in hawai‘i,
  • 00:09:30.846 --> 00:09:32.214
  • We would get up in the morning, and there would be all these
  • 00:09:32.214 --> 00:09:34.817
  • Frogs laying on the street that were run over by cars, you know?
  • 00:09:34.817 --> 00:09:38.654
  • They were, like, in this little, like this position.
  • 00:09:38.654 --> 00:09:41.357
  • And they made great little frisbees, frog frisbee.
  • 00:09:41.357 --> 00:09:44.060
  • They're only good for one throw.
  • 00:09:44.060 --> 00:09:46.095
  • They fell apart. but this is all true.
  • 00:09:46.095 --> 00:09:48.564
  • And the bible says the land stank.
  • 00:09:48.564 --> 00:09:52.835
  • I love that word stank.
  • 00:09:52.835 --> 00:09:55.037
  • That's a good biblical word of someone who isn't smelling well.
  • 00:09:55.037 --> 00:09:59.141
  • You know, you need to take a shower, bro.
  • 00:09:59.141 --> 00:10:00.876
  • Man, you be stanking.
  • 00:10:00.876 --> 00:10:02.511
  • You know, the land stank.
  • 00:10:02.511 --> 00:10:05.648
  • So, pharaoh, of course, now his heart softened,
  • 00:10:05.648 --> 00:10:08.351
  • And he responded no, exodus 8:15.
  • 00:10:08.351 --> 00:10:11.354
  • "pharaoh saw there was relief, and he hardened his heart.
  • 00:10:11.354 --> 00:10:15.524
  • This is so typical of nonbelievers.
  • 00:10:15.524 --> 00:10:17.693
  • Pharaoh asked moses to call on god,
  • 00:10:17.693 --> 00:10:20.896
  • And moses did.
  • 00:10:20.896 --> 00:10:23.399
  • And once the crisis was gone, pharaoh said,
  • 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:25.801
  • "great, i'll go back to being hard again.
  • 00:10:25.801 --> 00:10:28.170
  • Heard about a hospital chaplain who kept a record of some 2,000
  • 00:10:28.170 --> 00:10:31.807
  • Patients, all of whom were near death,
  • 00:10:31.807 --> 00:10:35.244
  • Or at least thought they were.
  • 00:10:35.244 --> 00:10:37.346
  • And what he found was of those who were sorry and repentant
  • 00:10:37.346 --> 00:10:40.916
  • For their sins, when they were restored back to health,
  • 00:10:40.916 --> 00:10:45.988
  • He felt only two out of 2,000 showed a marked change in
  • 00:10:45.988 --> 00:10:50.960
  • Their spiritual lives after their recovery.
  • 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.463
  • In other words, when they thought they were dying,
  • 00:10:54.463 --> 00:10:55.965
  • "oh, god, help me.
  • 00:10:55.965 --> 00:10:57.633
  • Oh, god, i turn to you."
  • 00:10:57.633 --> 00:10:59.068
  • And then when they recovered, "oh, thanks, god.
  • 00:10:59.068 --> 00:11:01.470
  • See ya later."
  • 00:11:01.470 --> 00:11:02.905
  • That's what the pharaoh was doing.
  • 00:11:02.905 --> 00:11:04.373
  • "oh, you got me out of this mess.
  • 00:11:04.373 --> 00:11:05.708
  • Well, i'll just go back to hardening my heart."
  • 00:11:05.708 --> 00:11:07.343
  • So, what's going on with this heart of pharaoh?
  • 00:11:07.343 --> 00:11:10.179
  • And this raises one of the apparent contradictions in the
  • 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:14.250
  • Bible, because we read here that pharaoh hardened his heart.
  • 00:11:14.250 --> 00:11:19.455
  • But then later on in exodus 10:1,
  • 00:11:19.455 --> 00:11:21.557
  • We read god hardened pharaoh's heart.
  • 00:11:21.557 --> 00:11:25.361
  • Contradiction.
  • 00:11:25.361 --> 00:11:27.363
  • Who hardened the heart?
  • 00:11:27.363 --> 00:11:28.698
  • Was it god or was it pharaoh?
  • 00:11:28.698 --> 00:11:30.032
  • The answer: both.
  • 00:11:30.032 --> 00:11:31.500
  • It's not a contradiction.
  • 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:33.102
  • It's two sides of the same coin.
  • 00:11:33.102 --> 00:11:35.504
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:11:35.504 --> 00:11:39.975
  • Greg: greg laurie here.
  • 00:11:41.177 --> 00:11:42.545
  • You know, in harvest ministries, we're committing to reaching
  • 00:11:42.545 --> 00:11:45.247
  • Unexpected people in unexpected places with an
  • 00:11:45.247 --> 00:11:48.651
  • Unexpected message.
  • 00:11:48.651 --> 00:11:50.352
  • And thanks to your financial support, we've been able to
  • 00:11:50.352 --> 00:11:54.724
  • Touch people all over the world with the hope of jesus christ.
  • 00:11:54.724 --> 00:11:59.195
  • Your gifts today not only help us reach millions across the
  • 00:11:59.195 --> 00:12:02.932
  • Country through this television program, they also help us to
  • 00:12:02.932 --> 00:12:07.169
  • Bring hope to people and their biggest need, whether through
  • 00:12:07.169 --> 00:12:10.773
  • Our evangelistic events or our relief efforts.
  • 00:12:10.773 --> 00:12:13.542
  • Together, we've been able to minister to so many people
  • 00:12:13.542 --> 00:12:16.812
  • Devastated by the fires in lahaina on the island of maui,
  • 00:12:16.812 --> 00:12:20.850
  • And also, your support has helped us partner to bring
  • 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:24.320
  • Medical help in the ongoing conflict in israel.
  • 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:27.590
  • So i'm asking you today to continue to support this
  • 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:30.760
  • Ministry so we can do everything possible to fulfill
  • 00:12:30.760 --> 00:12:34.697
  • The great commission.
  • 00:12:34.697 --> 00:12:36.031
  • Let's do this together, and let me say in advance, thank you
  • 00:12:36.031 --> 00:12:39.301
  • And god bless you.
  • 00:12:39.301 --> 00:12:41.337
  • ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪
  • 00:12:41.403 --> 00:12:47.643
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:56.318
  • Greg: initially, pharaoh hardened his heart.
  • 00:12:56.318 --> 00:12:58.988
  • Listen, god has given to you a free will.
  • 00:12:58.988 --> 00:13:01.090
  • The choice is yours.
  • 00:13:01.090 --> 00:13:03.159
  • You decide if you will go to heaven or hell.
  • 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:05.628
  • You decide if you will follow christ or satan.
  • 00:13:05.628 --> 00:13:09.031
  • You decide if your sins will be forgiven,
  • 00:13:09.031 --> 00:13:11.967
  • Or you'll have to give an account for them.
  • 00:13:11.967 --> 00:13:13.836
  • That's all up to you.
  • 00:13:13.836 --> 00:13:15.504
  • But once you've made that decision,
  • 00:13:15.504 --> 00:13:17.840
  • God, in effect, will strengthen you in it.
  • 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:20.810
  • If it's a decision to follow christ,
  • 00:13:20.810 --> 00:13:23.145
  • He will strengthen you in that decision,
  • 00:13:23.145 --> 00:13:24.914
  • Because a better translation of the word used,
  • 00:13:24.914 --> 00:13:27.183
  • When it says "god hardened pharaoh's heart," would be god
  • 00:13:27.183 --> 00:13:30.252
  • Strengthened or stiffened pharaoh's heart.
  • 00:13:30.252 --> 00:13:35.524
  • So, pharaoh initially hardened his heart,
  • 00:13:35.524 --> 00:13:38.861
  • And god confirmed him in that hardness.
  • 00:13:38.861 --> 00:13:41.664
  • So, you're the one who decides, ultimately,
  • 00:13:41.664 --> 00:13:44.600
  • But then the lord will confirm you in the position you hold.
  • 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:47.770
  • He will not violate your free will.
  • 00:13:47.770 --> 00:13:50.773
  • He will not overrule your free will.
  • 00:13:50.773 --> 00:13:53.609
  • And that's exactly what happened to pharaoh,
  • 00:13:53.609 --> 00:13:57.213
  • And his heart got harder and harder.
  • 00:13:57.213 --> 00:13:59.348
  • And the more signs that were done before him,
  • 00:13:59.348 --> 00:14:02.084
  • The harder his heart got, and that sort of addresses the idea
  • 00:14:02.084 --> 00:14:07.122
  • Of people believing if they see a miracle.
  • 00:14:07.122 --> 00:14:09.825
  • You know, you're thinking, "man, if i could perform a miracle,
  • 00:14:09.825 --> 00:14:12.595
  • I know all of my nonbelieving friends would come to christ.
  • 00:14:12.595 --> 00:14:15.331
  • Like, at my super bowl party after church,
  • 00:14:15.331 --> 00:14:18.300
  • If i could like have the, you know,
  • 00:14:18.300 --> 00:14:20.269
  • The burgers out on the grill, and if i can call fire from
  • 00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:22.671
  • Heaven on the burgers, they'd believe
  • 00:14:22.671 --> 00:14:25.774
  • Right there on the spot."
  • 00:14:25.774 --> 00:14:27.109
  • No, they wouldn't.
  • 00:14:27.109 --> 00:14:28.744
  • They wouldn't believe, because miracle after miracle was done
  • 00:14:28.744 --> 00:14:31.614
  • For pharaoh.
  • 00:14:31.614 --> 00:14:32.982
  • And more to the point, when christ walked this earth,
  • 00:14:32.982 --> 00:14:35.251
  • He healed people of leprosy.
  • 00:14:35.251 --> 00:14:37.386
  • He restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf.
  • 00:14:37.386 --> 00:14:40.890
  • He even raised people from the dead.
  • 00:14:40.890 --> 00:14:43.692
  • He walked on water, man.
  • 00:14:43.692 --> 00:14:46.061
  • What more do you want?
  • 00:14:46.061 --> 00:14:48.364
  • And by and large, almost all of the people turned against him,
  • 00:14:48.364 --> 00:14:52.268
  • Demanding his crucifixion and his death.
  • 00:14:52.268 --> 00:14:57.273
  • No, we don't need to do a miracle to cause people
  • 00:14:57.273 --> 00:14:59.575
  • To believe.
  • 00:14:59.575 --> 00:15:00.943
  • Here's what jesus said: "a wicked and adulterous generation
  • 00:15:00.943 --> 00:15:04.146
  • Seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to them but that
  • 00:15:04.146 --> 00:15:07.483
  • Of the prophet jonah.
  • 00:15:07.483 --> 00:15:09.919
  • And as jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the
  • 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:12.554
  • Great fish, so will the son of man," speaking of himself,
  • 00:15:12.554 --> 00:15:16.492
  • "be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
  • 00:15:16.492 --> 00:15:19.461
  • What does that mean?
  • 00:15:19.461 --> 00:15:20.796
  • Let me loosely paraphrase that, and i think i'm doing justice
  • 00:15:20.796 --> 00:15:22.598
  • To what he was saying.
  • 00:15:22.598 --> 00:15:24.333
  • People don't need a miracle.
  • 00:15:24.333 --> 00:15:26.468
  • They don't need a sign.
  • 00:15:26.468 --> 00:15:28.037
  • Here's the sign they need: the death and resurrection
  • 00:15:28.037 --> 00:15:30.873
  • Of jesus christ from the dead.
  • 00:15:30.873 --> 00:15:33.075
  • That's our message to this culture.
  • 00:15:33.075 --> 00:15:34.910
  • Jesus loves you, jesus died for you,
  • 00:15:34.910 --> 00:15:37.446
  • Jesus rose again from the dead.
  • 00:15:37.446 --> 00:15:41.083
  • And jesus will come and take residence in your heart.
  • 00:15:41.083 --> 00:15:45.220
  • That's the sign we need, backed up by a godly lifestyle.
  • 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:50.726
  • Listen to this.
  • 00:15:50.726 --> 00:15:52.261
  • How does one get a hardened heart?
  • 00:15:52.261 --> 00:15:54.897
  • You might be surprised by my answer.
  • 00:15:54.897 --> 00:15:57.599
  • You get a hardened heart by continued exposure to the truth
  • 00:15:57.599 --> 00:16:01.603
  • Of god and a refusal to obey and respond to it.
  • 00:16:01.603 --> 00:16:06.608
  • Let me say that again.
  • 00:16:06.608 --> 00:16:08.410
  • You get a hard heart by continued exposure to the word
  • 00:16:08.410 --> 00:16:12.581
  • Of god or the truth of god and a refusal on your part to obey and
  • 00:16:12.581 --> 00:16:18.153
  • Respond to it.
  • 00:16:18.153 --> 00:16:20.155
  • We might think that the worst thing that can happen to
  • 00:16:20.155 --> 00:16:22.758
  • A person is that they get into some sensual lifestyle,
  • 00:16:22.758 --> 00:16:25.661
  • Be it drinking, or partying, or drugs,
  • 00:16:25.661 --> 00:16:28.764
  • Or whatever it is.
  • 00:16:28.764 --> 00:16:30.466
  • But listen, there's more chance for the person who's in the grip
  • 00:16:30.466 --> 00:16:33.602
  • Of some specific sin and still retains a heart and
  • 00:16:33.602 --> 00:16:37.239
  • A conscience, than for the man or woman who is hardened.
  • 00:16:37.239 --> 00:16:41.910
  • And where is the easiest place to get a hardened heart?
  • 00:16:41.910 --> 00:16:45.280
  • Right there.
  • 00:16:45.280 --> 00:16:47.549
  • Yes, you heard me right.
  • 00:16:47.549 --> 00:16:49.218
  • Right here in church; because some will hear the word of god,
  • 00:16:49.218 --> 00:16:53.155
  • And they'll receive the word of god,
  • 00:16:53.155 --> 00:16:55.391
  • And they'll obey the word of god,
  • 00:16:55.391 --> 00:16:57.526
  • And they'll be changed by god.
  • 00:16:57.526 --> 00:16:59.895
  • And others will hear the word of god.
  • 00:16:59.895 --> 00:17:02.031
  • They may not even hear it.
  • 00:17:02.031 --> 00:17:03.532
  • They may have ear plugs in or doing something else.
  • 00:17:03.532 --> 00:17:06.435
  • But they'll just blow it off, and then their heart will get
  • 00:17:06.435 --> 00:17:09.972
  • Hard, hearing god's word.
  • 00:17:09.972 --> 00:17:12.708
  • So, let's hear god's word as we ought to hear it,
  • 00:17:12.708 --> 00:17:15.944
  • And let it change our life.
  • 00:17:15.944 --> 00:17:17.946
  • Because if we don't hear it the way we ought to hear it,
  • 00:17:17.946 --> 00:17:20.482
  • It can harden our heart, and you can end up like pharaoh.
  • 00:17:20.482 --> 00:17:24.653
  • It's scary.
  • 00:17:24.653 --> 00:17:26.288
  • And actually, over in the book of hebrews,
  • 00:17:26.288 --> 00:17:28.424
  • We read these words in hebrews 3: "don't harden your heart,
  • 00:17:28.424 --> 00:17:32.561
  • Brothers," speaking to christians,
  • 00:17:32.561 --> 00:17:34.897
  • "and walking away from the living god,
  • 00:17:34.897 --> 00:17:37.266
  • But stand firm in the faith while it's still called today."
  • 00:17:37.266 --> 00:17:41.470
  • So, it's basically saying we, as believers,
  • 00:17:41.470 --> 00:17:44.173
  • Can harden our heart.
  • 00:17:44.173 --> 00:17:45.674
  • Let's not let that happen.
  • 00:17:45.674 --> 00:17:48.477
  • Well, now comes plague number three,
  • 00:17:48.477 --> 00:17:49.845
  • A bunch of gnats.
  • 00:17:49.845 --> 00:17:52.014
  • That's all folks.
  • 00:17:52.014 --> 00:17:53.682
  • Okay, you're not responding to the nile turning to blood.
  • 00:17:53.682 --> 00:17:56.785
  • You're not responding to the frogs everywhere.
  • 00:17:56.785 --> 00:17:59.488
  • Here's a bunch of bugs, gnats.
  • 00:17:59.488 --> 00:18:02.324
  • Gnats are horrible, aren't they?
  • 00:18:02.324 --> 00:18:04.093
  • And this particular plague included all kinds of insects,
  • 00:18:04.093 --> 00:18:07.096
  • Winged insects, primarily.
  • 00:18:07.096 --> 00:18:09.531
  • You know, we have spiders and tics and beetles.
  • 00:18:09.531 --> 00:18:13.368
  • It was the first case of beetle mania.
  • 00:18:13.368 --> 00:18:16.505
  • Ladies and gentlemen, the beetles.
  • 00:18:16.505 --> 00:18:18.774
  • In come the beetles.
  • 00:18:18.774 --> 00:18:20.275
  • And if you got that joke, you're really old.
  • 00:18:20.275 --> 00:18:21.977
  • And most of you didn't get it, so maybe that's good.
  • 00:18:21.977 --> 00:18:24.213
  • But that didn't cause the pharaoh to respond.
  • 00:18:24.213 --> 00:18:27.616
  • His heart just gets harder, but now this is interesting.
  • 00:18:27.616 --> 00:18:30.819
  • He knows what moses is trying to do,
  • 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:32.454
  • So he's gonna change his strategy,
  • 00:18:32.454 --> 00:18:34.723
  • And that really brings us to the heart of this message.
  • 00:18:34.723 --> 00:18:38.127
  • He brings a series of compromises to moses,
  • 00:18:38.127 --> 00:18:41.630
  • So he'll not do what is right.
  • 00:18:41.630 --> 00:18:45.834
  • Look at exodus 8:25.
  • 00:18:45.834 --> 00:18:48.103
  • Read this with me.
  • 00:18:48.103 --> 00:18:49.438
  • "pharaoh called for moses and aaron.
  • 00:18:49.438 --> 00:18:51.773
  • 'all right,' he said, 'go ahead and offer sacrifices to your
  • 00:18:51.773 --> 00:18:55.444
  • God, but do it here in the land.'
  • 00:18:55.444 --> 00:18:59.815
  • Moses replied, 'well, that wouldn't be right.
  • 00:18:59.815 --> 00:19:01.483
  • The egyptians detest the sacrifices we offer to the lord
  • 00:19:01.483 --> 00:19:03.952
  • Our god.
  • 00:19:03.952 --> 00:19:05.387
  • Look, if we offer our sacrifices here where the egyptians can
  • 00:19:05.387 --> 00:19:08.056
  • See us, they will stone us.
  • 00:19:08.056 --> 00:19:09.858
  • We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness to offer
  • 00:19:09.858 --> 00:19:12.794
  • Sacrifices to the lord our god, just as he commanded us.'
  • 00:19:12.794 --> 00:19:16.765
  • Pharaoh replied, 'all right, go ahead.
  • 00:19:16.765 --> 00:19:20.135
  • I'll let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices
  • 00:19:20.135 --> 00:19:22.638
  • To the lord your god, but don't go too far away.
  • 00:19:22.638 --> 00:19:28.510
  • Now hurry and pray for me.'"
  • 00:19:28.510 --> 00:19:33.815
  • Mm, so the pharaoh said, "okay, okay, already.
  • 00:19:33.815 --> 00:19:36.818
  • Go, leave, but don't go too far.
  • 00:19:36.818 --> 00:19:41.123
  • Hey, and don't forget, pray for me,
  • 00:19:41.123 --> 00:19:43.892
  • Intercede for me."
  • 00:19:43.892 --> 00:19:45.294
  • Now, what's going on?
  • 00:19:45.294 --> 00:19:46.628
  • He's trying to get them to compromise.
  • 00:19:46.628 --> 00:19:48.897
  • First of all, he says, "go sacrifice here in the land."
  • 00:19:48.897 --> 00:19:52.467
  • But what did god tell them to do?
  • 00:19:52.467 --> 00:19:54.303
  • He said, "go three days into the wilderness."
  • 00:19:54.303 --> 00:19:55.871
  • Why?
  • 00:19:55.871 --> 00:19:57.239
  • Because god wanted them to put as much distance between them
  • 00:19:57.239 --> 00:20:00.976
  • And egypt as possible, so they wouldn't be tempted to go back.
  • 00:20:00.976 --> 00:20:04.246
  • And in the same way, when we become a christian,
  • 00:20:04.246 --> 00:20:06.949
  • God tells us to make a break with our past and our sinful
  • 00:20:06.949 --> 00:20:10.919
  • Activities and begin to follow jesus christ.
  • 00:20:10.919 --> 00:20:13.322
  • Because, you see, if you make a deal with the devil,
  • 00:20:13.322 --> 00:20:16.825
  • You're going to ultimately lose.
  • 00:20:16.825 --> 00:20:19.328
  • You know, the devil will say, "all right,
  • 00:20:19.328 --> 00:20:21.763
  • All right, if you have to be a christian,
  • 00:20:21.763 --> 00:20:23.732
  • Be one, but be practical.
  • 00:20:23.732 --> 00:20:25.667
  • Don't get fanatical."
  • 00:20:25.667 --> 00:20:27.336
  • Heard a story about a hunter who went out to shoot a bear,
  • 00:20:27.336 --> 00:20:31.206
  • And he found a big one.
  • 00:20:31.206 --> 00:20:32.908
  • He had him in his sights.
  • 00:20:32.908 --> 00:20:34.943
  • He was just getting ready to pull the trigger when the bear
  • 00:20:34.943 --> 00:20:37.112
  • Turned around and said, "excuse me."
  • 00:20:37.112 --> 00:20:39.381
  • This is a true story.
  • 00:20:39.381 --> 00:20:41.216
  • Hunter's shocked, of course.
  • 00:20:41.216 --> 00:20:43.619
  • It's a talking bear.
  • 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:45.087
  • Bear says, "excuse me, what are you doing?"
  • 00:20:45.087 --> 00:20:46.588
  • The hunter says, "well, i'm gonna shoot you and kill you."
  • 00:20:46.588 --> 00:20:48.523
  • The bear said, "wait, isn't it better to talk than to shoot?
  • 00:20:48.523 --> 00:20:51.827
  • And let me ask you, what is it you want?"
  • 00:20:51.827 --> 00:20:54.763
  • The hunter said, "well, i'm cold.
  • 00:20:54.763 --> 00:20:56.098
  • I want a fur coat."
  • 00:20:56.098 --> 00:20:57.733
  • The bear said, "okay, maybe we can talk.
  • 00:20:57.733 --> 00:20:59.601
  • Here's what i want: a full stomach."
  • 00:20:59.601 --> 00:21:02.204
  • So, the hunter set his gun up against a tree,
  • 00:21:02.204 --> 00:21:04.773
  • And the bear and the hunter disappeared into the forest
  • 00:21:04.773 --> 00:21:07.576
  • For a while.
  • 00:21:07.576 --> 00:21:08.944
  • A little bit later, the bear emerged alone.
  • 00:21:08.944 --> 00:21:11.613
  • Apparently, the negotiations had been successful.
  • 00:21:11.613 --> 00:21:14.616
  • The hunter got his fur coat, and the bear got a full stomach.
  • 00:21:14.616 --> 00:21:19.221
  • That's how compromise works.
  • 00:21:19.221 --> 00:21:22.591
  • "oh, don't go too far, don't be too fanatical," the devil says.
  • 00:21:22.591 --> 00:21:27.596
  • And we compromise with him.
  • 00:21:27.596 --> 00:21:28.930
  • But look at this.
  • 00:21:28.930 --> 00:21:30.265
  • This is really interesting.
  • 00:21:30.265 --> 00:21:31.800
  • The pharaoh says in verse 28, "i'll let you go,
  • 00:21:31.800 --> 00:21:34.303
  • But pray for me."
  • 00:21:34.303 --> 00:21:36.705
  • Wow.
  • 00:21:36.705 --> 00:21:38.440
  • Doesn't that look like he's getting closer to god?
  • 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:40.609
  • Well, maybe and maybe not.
  • 00:21:40.609 --> 00:21:42.711
  • And we know, of course, it was maybe not.
  • 00:21:42.711 --> 00:21:45.013
  • It was a ploy.
  • 00:21:45.013 --> 00:21:46.682
  • And this happens to believers.
  • 00:21:46.682 --> 00:21:48.950
  • They get into relationships with nonbelievers.
  • 00:21:48.950 --> 00:21:52.821
  • Sometimes it's romantic, and sometimes it even becomes
  • 00:21:52.821 --> 00:21:55.424
  • Sexual, and they've totally compromised their witness,
  • 00:21:55.424 --> 00:21:58.760
  • And they know it's a bad thing, and they know they need to
  • 00:21:58.760 --> 00:22:02.230
  • Break up with this person.
  • 00:22:02.230 --> 00:22:03.699
  • So, the christian says to the non-christian,
  • 00:22:03.699 --> 00:22:06.034
  • "we need to terminate this relationship."
  • 00:22:06.034 --> 00:22:08.937
  • And the nonbeliever says, "well, wait,
  • 00:22:08.937 --> 00:22:10.706
  • Don't give up on me.
  • 00:22:10.706 --> 00:22:12.040
  • Pray for me.
  • 00:22:12.040 --> 00:22:13.375
  • I'm close to coming to christ."
  • 00:22:13.375 --> 00:22:15.077
  • Yeah, you know what?
  • 00:22:15.077 --> 00:22:16.411
  • They're not gonna come to christ by you compromising.
  • 00:22:16.411 --> 00:22:19.848
  • They're gonna come to christ by you standing up for
  • 00:22:19.848 --> 00:22:22.184
  • What is true.
  • 00:22:22.184 --> 00:22:23.719
  • You know, that's how you do it.
  • 00:22:23.719 --> 00:22:28.390
  • Okay, so now the final compromise,
  • 00:22:28.390 --> 00:22:30.225
  • Exodus 10:24.
  • 00:22:30.225 --> 00:22:32.294
  • Pharaoh calls moses and says, "all right,
  • 00:22:32.294 --> 00:22:34.262
  • All right, take your whiny little kids if you have to,
  • 00:22:34.262 --> 00:22:38.734
  • But leave your flocks and herds."
  • 00:22:38.734 --> 00:22:41.770
  • That seems like a pretty decent compromise.
  • 00:22:41.770 --> 00:22:44.506
  • Okay, okay, take your kids, leave your animals.
  • 00:22:44.506 --> 00:22:48.009
  • You know?
  • 00:22:48.009 --> 00:22:50.579
  • Moses could've said, "this is a good deal.
  • 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:52.414
  • Let's get out while we're ahead.
  • 00:22:52.414 --> 00:22:54.149
  • I mean, he's telling us we can go.
  • 00:22:54.149 --> 00:22:55.617
  • We just have to leave our animals."
  • 00:22:55.617 --> 00:22:57.652
  • But i love what moses says to pharaoh.
  • 00:22:57.652 --> 00:23:01.490
  • Verse 26, "no, pharaoh, not a hoof will be left behind."
  • 00:23:01.490 --> 00:23:06.161
  • Why would pharaoh even want the animals?
  • 00:23:06.161 --> 00:23:09.531
  • Because he knew if there was something left in the land,
  • 00:23:09.531 --> 00:23:13.435
  • It would keep them potentially coming back to the land.
  • 00:23:13.435 --> 00:23:16.838
  • But here's what moses says, "no, you can't have our animals.
  • 00:23:16.838 --> 00:23:19.941
  • You can't have our kids. you can't have anything.
  • 00:23:19.941 --> 00:23:23.378
  • We are leaving lock, stock, and barrel."
  • 00:23:23.378 --> 00:23:25.914
  • And we need to say the same thing to the devil.
  • 00:23:25.914 --> 00:23:27.983
  • "here's the deal, devil, listen very carefully.
  • 00:23:27.983 --> 00:23:29.851
  • You get nothing.
  • 00:23:29.851 --> 00:23:32.187
  • You get zero.
  • 00:23:32.187 --> 00:23:33.789
  • You get zip. you get nada.
  • 00:23:33.789 --> 00:23:36.925
  • You've ripped me off.
  • 00:23:36.925 --> 00:23:38.827
  • You've taken advantage of me.
  • 00:23:38.827 --> 00:23:41.263
  • You ruined my life for years, and you've ruined the lives of
  • 00:23:41.263 --> 00:23:43.965
  • People i know, and i'm giving you nothing.
  • 00:23:43.965 --> 00:23:46.234
  • There's no compromise, goodbye."
  • 00:23:46.234 --> 00:23:48.870
  • And you turn your back on him and follow the lord,
  • 00:23:48.870 --> 00:23:51.840
  • And you'll never regret it.
  • 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:53.775
  • That's the way to live for christ.
  • 00:23:53.775 --> 00:23:55.644
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:23:55.644 --> 00:24:00.582
  • Greg: maybe god has spoken to your heart,
  • 00:24:00.582 --> 00:24:03.385
  • And you have seen your need for jesus christ.
  • 00:24:03.385 --> 00:24:07.255
  • Jesus christ is the son of god, who came from heaven
  • 00:24:07.255 --> 00:24:11.393
  • To this earth.
  • 00:24:11.393 --> 00:24:12.761
  • He was born in a manger.
  • 00:24:12.761 --> 00:24:14.229
  • He died on a cross.
  • 00:24:14.229 --> 00:24:16.198
  • He rose again from the dead.
  • 00:24:16.198 --> 00:24:17.666
  • Why?
  • 00:24:17.666 --> 00:24:19.000
  • Because he loves you, and he wants a relationship with you.
  • 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:21.903
  • Listen, i'm not talking about religion.
  • 00:24:21.903 --> 00:24:23.972
  • I don't want to be a religious person.
  • 00:24:23.972 --> 00:24:25.974
  • I don't think you want to be one either.
  • 00:24:25.974 --> 00:24:27.676
  • I'm talking about relationship with god.
  • 00:24:27.676 --> 00:24:31.413
  • Jesus, who died and rose again, stands at the door of your life,
  • 00:24:31.413 --> 00:24:35.917
  • And he knocks, and he says if you'll hear his voice and open
  • 00:24:35.917 --> 00:24:39.087
  • The door, he will come in.
  • 00:24:39.087 --> 00:24:40.922
  • Question, have you asked jesus christ to come and
  • 00:24:40.922 --> 00:24:43.792
  • Live inside of you?
  • 00:24:43.792 --> 00:24:45.126
  • You might say, "well, i think so.
  • 00:24:45.126 --> 00:24:46.561
  • I'm not sure."
  • 00:24:46.561 --> 00:24:47.896
  • Hey, if someone moved into your house in the middle of
  • 00:24:47.896 --> 00:24:49.397
  • The night, do you think you would be aware of it?
  • 00:24:49.397 --> 00:24:52.234
  • I'm sure you would.
  • 00:24:52.234 --> 00:24:53.668
  • And in the same way, if christ has come to live inside of you,
  • 00:24:53.668 --> 00:24:56.838
  • You will know.
  • 00:24:56.838 --> 00:24:58.240
  • And if you don't know, maybe he has not come in, yet.
  • 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:01.676
  • He's just a prayer away.
  • 00:25:01.676 --> 00:25:03.345
  • All you need to do is say,
  • 00:25:03.345 --> 00:25:05.413
  • "jesus, i want this relationship with you.
  • 00:25:05.413 --> 00:25:07.649
  • I want you to forgive me of my sin.
  • 00:25:07.649 --> 00:25:10.018
  • I want to go to heaven when i die."
  • 00:25:10.018 --> 00:25:12.254
  • Would you like to do that?
  • 00:25:12.254 --> 00:25:13.889
  • Would you like christ to come into your life?
  • 00:25:13.889 --> 00:25:15.423
  • If so, why don't you just pray this simple prayer with me?
  • 00:25:15.423 --> 00:25:18.960
  • You can pray it out loud, or you can pray it in the quietness
  • 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:22.397
  • Of your heart.
  • 00:25:22.397 --> 00:25:23.798
  • But this is a prayer where you're asking jesus christ to be
  • 00:25:23.798 --> 00:25:26.568
  • Your savior and lord.
  • 00:25:26.568 --> 00:25:28.203
  • Pray this with me now.
  • 00:25:28.203 --> 00:25:29.704
  • "lord jesus, i know that i'm a sinner,
  • 00:25:29.704 --> 00:25:32.874
  • But i know that you're the savior,
  • 00:25:32.874 --> 00:25:35.477
  • Who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead.
  • 00:25:35.477 --> 00:25:39.981
  • Now come into my life.
  • 00:25:39.981 --> 00:25:42.484
  • I choose to follow you from this moment forward.
  • 00:25:42.484 --> 00:25:46.154
  • Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering
  • 00:25:46.154 --> 00:25:49.124
  • This prayer.
  • 00:25:49.124 --> 00:25:50.458
  • In jesus's name, amen."
  • 00:25:50.458 --> 00:25:53.028
  • Did you just pray that prayer with me?
  • 00:25:53.028 --> 00:25:55.130
  • If so, i want you to know, on the authority of scripture,
  • 00:25:55.130 --> 00:25:58.366
  • That christ himself has come to live inside of you.
  • 00:25:58.366 --> 00:26:01.770
  • And i would love to send to you, at no charge,
  • 00:26:01.770 --> 00:26:04.039
  • The "new believer's bible."
  • 00:26:04.039 --> 00:26:06.107
  • It's a very friendly translation of the new testament you'll find
  • 00:26:06.107 --> 00:26:09.444
  • Very understanding, and it's filled with hundreds of notes
  • 00:26:09.444 --> 00:26:13.315
  • That i wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you've
  • 00:26:13.315 --> 00:26:16.418
  • Just made to follow jesus.
  • 00:26:16.418 --> 00:26:18.887
  • And let me be the first to say to you,
  • 00:26:18.887 --> 00:26:20.455
  • Congratulations and welcome to the family of god.
  • 00:26:20.455 --> 00:26:26.461
  • Greg: greg laurie here.
  • 00:26:29.998 --> 00:26:31.366
  • You know, in harvest ministries, we're committing to reaching
  • 00:26:31.366 --> 00:26:34.069
  • Unexpected people in unexpected places with an
  • 00:26:34.069 --> 00:26:37.472
  • Unexpected message.
  • 00:26:37.472 --> 00:26:39.174
  • And thanks to your financial support, we've been able to
  • 00:26:39.174 --> 00:26:43.545
  • Touch people all over the world with the hope of jesus christ.
  • 00:26:43.545 --> 00:26:48.016
  • Your gifts today not only help us reach millions across the
  • 00:26:48.016 --> 00:26:51.753
  • Country through this television program, they also help us to
  • 00:26:51.753 --> 00:26:55.991
  • Bring hope to people and their biggest need, whether through
  • 00:26:55.991 --> 00:26:59.594
  • Our evangelistic events or our relief efforts.
  • 00:26:59.594 --> 00:27:02.364
  • Together, we've been able to minister to so many people
  • 00:27:02.364 --> 00:27:05.634
  • Devastated by the fires in lahaina on the island of maui,
  • 00:27:05.634 --> 00:27:09.671
  • And also, your support has helped us partner to bring
  • 00:27:09.671 --> 00:27:13.141
  • Medical help in the ongoing conflict in israel.
  • 00:27:13.141 --> 00:27:16.411
  • So i'm asking you today to continue to support this
  • 00:27:16.411 --> 00:27:19.581
  • Ministry so we can do everything possible to fulfill
  • 00:27:19.581 --> 00:27:23.518
  • The great commission.
  • 00:27:23.518 --> 00:27:24.853
  • Let's do this together, and let me say in advance, thank you
  • 00:27:24.853 --> 00:27:28.123
  • And god bless you.
  • 00:27:28.123 --> 00:27:29.010