Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
Closed captions
Show Timecode
Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - When Love Moves In Fear Moves Out | April 20, 2026
- ...
- 00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:01.333
- Greg laurie: god has something for you in every stage of life.
- 00:00:05.971 --> 00:00:09.675
- To the child, god says, "i'll never leave you or forsake you."
- 00:00:09.775 --> 00:00:13.345
- To the teen, god says, "you're fearfully and wonderfully made."
- 00:00:13.445 --> 00:00:18.117
- To the young adult, the lord says, "i know the thoughts that
- 00:00:18.217 --> 00:00:19.251
- I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
- 00:00:20.786 --> 00:00:23.822
- You a future and a hope."
- 00:00:23.822 --> 00:00:25.791
- And to the elderly, god says, "even to your old age and gray
- 00:00:25.791 --> 00:00:29.561
- Hairs, i am he--i am he who will sustain you.
- 00:00:29.561 --> 00:00:33.132
- I've made you. i will carry you.
- 00:00:33.132 --> 00:00:35.334
- I will sustain you, and i will rescue you."
- 00:00:35.334 --> 00:00:39.038
- ♪ this is the day, ♪
- 00:00:41.707 --> 00:00:44.076
- ♪ the day when life begins. ♪
- 00:00:44.076 --> 00:00:49.314
- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪♪
- 00:00:49.314 --> 00:00:58.257
- Greg: have you ever gotten one of those scam phone calls?
- 00:01:02.428 --> 00:01:05.497
- Oh, there's so many of them now, and they'll come from, you name
- 00:01:05.497 --> 00:01:09.701
- It, apple, amazon, the irs, and they're telling you you better
- 00:01:09.701 --> 00:01:15.941
- Pay up or you're in trouble.
- 00:01:15.941 --> 00:01:18.077
- Thirty-three million scam robocalls are made daily.
- 00:01:18.077 --> 00:01:22.648
- And they do work because i read that 60 million americans lost
- 00:01:22.648 --> 00:01:27.419
- Over $29 billion to these scam phone calls.
- 00:01:27.419 --> 00:01:32.758
- But there's scam religious things as well, scam
- 00:01:32.758 --> 00:01:37.062
- Counterfeits out there for the real gospel.
- 00:01:37.062 --> 00:01:39.965
- Just as there is the genuine, there is also the counterfeit.
- 00:01:39.965 --> 00:01:44.069
- They claim to be one thing, but they really are another.
- 00:01:44.069 --> 00:01:46.872
- Jesus called them wolves in sheep's clothing.
- 00:01:46.872 --> 00:01:50.008
- In fact, one of the signs of the end times, which i believe we're
- 00:01:50.008 --> 00:01:52.911
- In, is "some will depart from the faith, giving heed to
- 00:01:52.911 --> 00:01:56.281
- Seducing spirits and the doctrines that demons teach."
- 00:01:56.281 --> 00:02:01.520
- And that is why we're told right here in 1 john 4: "don't believe
- 00:02:01.520 --> 00:02:05.324
- Every spirit.
- 00:02:05.324 --> 00:02:06.658
- Test them, because many false prophets have gone out into
- 00:02:06.658 --> 00:02:10.596
- The world."
- 00:02:10.596 --> 00:02:11.930
- Now, what is john referring to when he says "spirits"?
- 00:02:11.930 --> 00:02:15.400
- How do we test a spirit?
- 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:17.769
- Well, basically he's talking about angelic beings.
- 00:02:17.769 --> 00:02:20.472
- There's a supernatural realm.
- 00:02:20.472 --> 00:02:22.608
- Just as we live in a physical world, there is a spiritual
- 00:02:22.608 --> 00:02:26.945
- World, and in this spiritual world there, of course, is god
- 00:02:26.945 --> 00:02:30.415
- And satan, but also angels and fallen angels, also known as
- 00:02:30.415 --> 00:02:35.854
- Demons, and they're actively at work.
- 00:02:35.854 --> 00:02:37.890
- The good news is we have more angels on our side than the
- 00:02:37.890 --> 00:02:41.560
- Devil has on his side.
- 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:44.029
- And angels are constantly doing the work of god, sort of working
- 00:02:44.029 --> 00:02:48.267
- Behind the scenes.
- 00:02:48.267 --> 00:02:49.635
- They just show up, do what they're there to do, and go.
- 00:02:49.635 --> 00:02:52.037
- They're sort of like seal team 6, you know?
- 00:02:52.037 --> 00:02:55.140
- You don't even know they were there, but they're doing the
- 00:02:55.140 --> 00:02:57.142
- Work of god.
- 00:02:57.142 --> 00:02:58.510
- The bible says: "the angel of the lord encamps around those
- 00:02:58.510 --> 00:03:02.047
- That fear him."
- 00:03:02.047 --> 00:03:03.815
- And it also tells us that they're ministering spirits sent
- 00:03:03.815 --> 00:03:07.486
- To minister to those who are the heirs of salvation.
- 00:03:07.486 --> 00:03:11.089
- That would be us.
- 00:03:11.089 --> 00:03:12.758
- Sometimes angels guide us; occasionally they speak to us.
- 00:03:12.758 --> 00:03:16.929
- They often protect us.
- 00:03:16.929 --> 00:03:19.264
- And they're actively at work in our life.
- 00:03:19.264 --> 00:03:21.500
- But then there are fallen angels, also known as demons,
- 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:24.937
- Doing the work of the devil.
- 00:03:24.937 --> 00:03:27.339
- I mentioned last time that the purpose of demons seems to be
- 00:03:27.339 --> 00:03:31.310
- Twofold: they seek to hinder the purposes of god and extend the
- 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:36.515
- Power of satan.
- 00:03:36.515 --> 00:03:38.951
- Now, they come in different ways.
- 00:03:38.951 --> 00:03:40.319
- We always think of something demonic as dark and sinister and
- 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.122
- Evil, and it can be that, of course, but it can also come
- 00:03:44.122 --> 00:03:47.259
- Through the guise of something that seems virtuous and good,
- 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:50.762
- Even religious.
- 00:03:50.762 --> 00:03:52.397
- Don't forget that satan, also known as lucifer, was once an
- 00:03:52.397 --> 00:03:56.935
- Angel of light.
- 00:03:56.935 --> 00:03:58.337
- I mean, what is more virtuous than going and getting a
- 00:03:58.337 --> 00:04:01.974
- Wonderful education at one of our ivy league universities?
- 00:04:01.974 --> 00:04:06.778
- But my question is, what is going on in these universities
- 00:04:06.778 --> 00:04:10.315
- Today like harvard and yale?
- 00:04:10.315 --> 00:04:13.585
- Did you know that the mission statement of harvard university
- 00:04:13.585 --> 00:04:17.222
- When it was founded back in 1646 went as follows: "let every
- 00:04:17.222 --> 00:04:23.195
- Student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to
- 00:04:23.195 --> 00:04:26.965
- Consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know
- 00:04:26.965 --> 00:04:31.737
- God and jesus christ, which is eternal life."
- 00:04:31.737 --> 00:04:35.674
- Mission statement of harvard.
- 00:04:35.674 --> 00:04:37.609
- So how are they doing in that?
- 00:04:37.609 --> 00:04:40.112
- And then of course there's yale, very similar.
- 00:04:40.112 --> 00:04:43.048
- Their mission statement is, quote, "every student shall
- 00:04:43.048 --> 00:04:46.251
- Consider the main end of this study, to wit, to know god in
- 00:04:46.251 --> 00:04:50.656
- Jesus christ and answerably to lead a godly, sober life."
- 00:04:50.656 --> 00:04:55.727
- Wow, what happened in our universities?
- 00:04:55.727 --> 00:04:58.864
- They've become centers of confusion, promoting woke
- 00:04:58.864 --> 00:05:02.267
- Ideology, anti-american sentiment.
- 00:05:02.267 --> 00:05:05.737
- Worst of all, anti-christian sentiment, and they're a hotbed
- 00:05:05.737 --> 00:05:09.708
- Of anti-semitism.
- 00:05:09.708 --> 00:05:12.411
- So you see the challenges that are there, and i believe there's
- 00:05:12.411 --> 00:05:17.349
- A spiritual dynamic behind all of this.
- 00:05:17.349 --> 00:05:19.885
- I believe this is a spiritual battle that we're seeing right
- 00:05:19.885 --> 00:05:24.723
- Now and that's why we should not believe every spirit.
- 00:05:24.723 --> 00:05:27.893
- We need to be discerning and we need to be informed
- 00:05:27.893 --> 00:05:30.929
- And educated.
- 00:05:30.929 --> 00:05:32.297
- So that brings us to 1 john chapter 4, history lesson over.
- 00:05:32.297 --> 00:05:36.668
- "dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by
- 00:05:36.668 --> 00:05:39.938
- The spirit.
- 00:05:39.938 --> 00:05:41.273
- You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from god.
- 00:05:41.273 --> 00:05:46.445
- For there are many false prophets in the world.
- 00:05:46.445 --> 00:05:50.182
- This is how we know if they have the spirit of god.
- 00:05:50.182 --> 00:05:52.984
- If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that jesus
- 00:05:52.984 --> 00:05:56.188
- Christ came in a real body, that person has the spirit of god.
- 00:05:56.188 --> 00:06:00.792
- If somehow they claim to be a prophet but does not acknowledge
- 00:06:00.792 --> 00:06:03.995
- The truth about jesus, that person is not from god.
- 00:06:03.995 --> 00:06:08.033
- Such a person has a spirit of the antichrist, which you heard
- 00:06:08.033 --> 00:06:12.404
- Is coming into the world and indeed is already here."
- 00:06:12.404 --> 00:06:16.775
- Point number one if you're taking notes, we are in a
- 00:06:16.775 --> 00:06:19.711
- Spiritual war.
- 00:06:19.711 --> 00:06:21.446
- John speaks of the antichrist and antichrists, plural.
- 00:06:21.446 --> 00:06:27.319
- The antichrist, a coming world leader, will emerge on the
- 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:31.757
- Scene, and when he comes, he'll bring temporary peace.
- 00:06:31.757 --> 00:06:35.927
- He'll help the jews rebuild their temple, and then he will
- 00:06:35.927 --> 00:06:38.997
- Desecrate that rebuilt temple with what is called the
- 00:06:38.997 --> 00:06:42.100
- Abomination of desolation, spoken of in matthew 24
- 00:06:42.100 --> 00:06:46.405
- By jesus.
- 00:06:46.405 --> 00:06:48.340
- And this is where the antichrist will erect an image of himself
- 00:06:48.340 --> 00:06:51.676
- And command people to worship him.
- 00:06:51.676 --> 00:06:54.179
- So in effect, he'll show his true colors.
- 00:06:54.179 --> 00:06:57.182
- So this is the coming world leader, the antichrist.
- 00:06:57.182 --> 00:06:59.751
- But then there's antichrists that john refers to.
- 00:06:59.751 --> 00:07:04.322
- And remember, the prefix "anti" doesn't just mean against,
- 00:07:04.322 --> 00:07:08.193
- Though it includes that, but it also means instead of.
- 00:07:08.193 --> 00:07:11.463
- So john is saying in the last days you're going to see a lot
- 00:07:11.463 --> 00:07:14.699
- Of instead of christs or fake christs or someone pretending to
- 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:21.306
- Be christ or representing him.
- 00:07:21.306 --> 00:07:23.809
- And so this is something we need to be aware of.
- 00:07:23.809 --> 00:07:27.279
- So john is refuting a teaching of that time that was
- 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:31.450
- Called gnosticism.
- 00:07:31.450 --> 00:07:33.385
- It's from the greek word "kenosis," which means to know.
- 00:07:33.385 --> 00:07:37.355
- So gnostics believed that salvation came through this
- 00:07:37.355 --> 00:07:41.126
- Hidden spiritual knowledge.
- 00:07:41.126 --> 00:07:43.929
- They did not believe that jesus christ was the son of god
- 00:07:43.929 --> 00:07:46.898
- Walking this earth.
- 00:07:46.898 --> 00:07:48.400
- They believed you had to get this hidden spiritual knowledge,
- 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:51.837
- And then you would know, that's kenosis.
- 00:07:51.837 --> 00:07:54.539
- You would know.
- 00:07:54.539 --> 00:07:55.907
- So it's a funny thing: john takes their word from them and
- 00:07:55.907 --> 00:07:58.877
- Uses it to show how we can know god and he uses the word
- 00:07:58.877 --> 00:08:02.647
- "kenosis" 30 times in his epistle.
- 00:08:02.647 --> 00:08:05.750
- You can know this for sure.
- 00:08:05.750 --> 00:08:07.552
- You don't need the secret password.
- 00:08:07.552 --> 00:08:09.688
- You don't need the hidden knowledge.
- 00:08:09.688 --> 00:08:11.323
- But then he lays down this litmus test, if you will, as to
- 00:08:11.323 --> 00:08:16.428
- How to know whether or not something is really true.
- 00:08:16.428 --> 00:08:20.665
- Here it is, 1 john 4:2: "if a person claiming to be a prophet
- 00:08:20.665 --> 00:08:25.003
- Acknowledges that jesus christ came in a real body, that person
- 00:08:25.003 --> 00:08:29.241
- Has the spirit of god."
- 00:08:29.241 --> 00:08:30.609
- Listen to this: to be a christian, you must believe that
- 00:08:30.609 --> 00:08:34.012
- Jesus was born of a virgin, supernaturally conceived in
- 00:08:34.012 --> 00:08:39.284
- Her womb.
- 00:08:39.284 --> 00:08:40.619
- The virgin birth is an essential.
- 00:08:40.619 --> 00:08:42.521
- And then you must believe that he was fully god and fully man,
- 00:08:42.521 --> 00:08:46.625
- Walking among us.
- 00:08:46.625 --> 00:08:48.159
- And then you must believe that he died on the cross and bodily
- 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.630
- Rose again from the dead three days later and that he's
- 00:08:51.630 --> 00:08:54.499
- Coming back again.
- 00:08:54.499 --> 00:08:56.001
- These are non-negotiables that every christian should believe.
- 00:08:56.001 --> 00:09:00.438
- You say, "well, everyone believes that.
- 00:09:00.438 --> 00:09:02.040
- In fact, every religion teaches that."
- 00:09:02.040 --> 00:09:03.875
- No, actually, they don't.
- 00:09:03.875 --> 00:09:05.844
- If you are to take even a quick look at the major religions of
- 00:09:05.844 --> 00:09:09.814
- The world, you would see they have very different views on the
- 00:09:09.814 --> 00:09:13.218
- Person of jesus.
- 00:09:13.218 --> 00:09:15.086
- As an example, hinduism teaches jesus may be admired as a wise
- 00:09:15.086 --> 00:09:20.191
- Teacher or a holy man, possibly as a god among many other gods,
- 00:09:20.191 --> 00:09:27.098
- But it does not show him to be the one true god or the
- 00:09:27.098 --> 00:09:32.437
- Exclusive savior.
- 00:09:32.437 --> 00:09:33.838
- Okay, well, jesus said, "i'm the way, the truth and the life, and
- 00:09:33.838 --> 00:09:36.508
- No man comes to the father but by me," and he said, "i and the
- 00:09:36.508 --> 00:09:40.245
- Father are one," so that's clearly a different view than
- 00:09:40.245 --> 00:09:44.749
- What the bible teaches about christ.
- 00:09:44.749 --> 00:09:46.651
- Buddhism teaches jesus is not divine.
- 00:09:46.651 --> 00:09:50.655
- He's sort of an enlightened teacher, maybe a moral example,
- 00:09:50.655 --> 00:09:54.793
- But they have no real belief in a personal god in most
- 00:09:54.793 --> 00:09:58.763
- Buddhist schools.
- 00:09:58.763 --> 00:10:00.098
- Now mormonism, which will often present itself as a form of
- 00:10:00.098 --> 00:10:04.035
- Christianity, has a whole different view.
- 00:10:04.035 --> 00:10:07.238
- They teach jesus is the son of god.
- 00:10:07.238 --> 00:10:09.641
- He was created by god the father, but he's not equal with
- 00:10:09.641 --> 00:10:12.911
- The father.
- 00:10:12.911 --> 00:10:14.279
- Jesus said, "i and the father are one," claiming equality, but
- 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:17.349
- They say he's not equal with the father, and they teach that
- 00:10:17.349 --> 00:10:20.752
- Jesus and satan are spirit brothers, and they deny
- 00:10:20.752 --> 00:10:24.990
- The trinity.
- 00:10:24.990 --> 00:10:26.358
- The jehovah's witnesses teach that jesus is not god, but
- 00:10:26.358 --> 00:10:30.428
- Rather he's the archangel michael in human form.
- 00:10:30.428 --> 00:10:34.466
- They deny the trinity and they deny the bodily resurrection
- 00:10:34.466 --> 00:10:37.869
- Of christ.
- 00:10:37.869 --> 00:10:39.204
- Now here's another thing, mormons and jehovah's witnesses
- 00:10:39.204 --> 00:10:42.273
- Teach that they're the only way to god.
- 00:10:42.273 --> 00:10:45.610
- And so when a mormon says, "well, i'm a christian too," if
- 00:10:45.610 --> 00:10:48.313
- They're honest, they would say, "but we have our prophet, joseph
- 00:10:48.313 --> 00:10:52.751
- Smith, and we have our extra books that you don't have that
- 00:10:52.751 --> 00:10:55.820
- Are equal to the scripture, and you have to come this way if you
- 00:10:55.820 --> 00:10:59.624
- Want a relationship with god."
- 00:10:59.624 --> 00:11:01.026
- So the reason i tell you all this is i'm looking at the
- 00:11:01.026 --> 00:11:03.928
- Litmus test of 1 john.
- 00:11:03.928 --> 00:11:06.297
- And all of these are contrary to what john says.
- 00:11:06.297 --> 00:11:10.635
- These are sort of like modern versions of gnosticism.
- 00:11:10.635 --> 00:11:14.739
- And what is john emphasizing?
- 00:11:14.739 --> 00:11:16.541
- He's saying, "listen, i want you to know god."
- 00:11:16.541 --> 00:11:20.078
- In fact, in 1 john 5:13, he says, "we wrote these things to
- 00:11:20.078 --> 00:11:23.915
- You that believe in the name of the son of god so you may
- 00:11:23.915 --> 00:11:27.085
- Gnosko, so you may know you have eternal life."
- 00:11:27.085 --> 00:11:32.257
- You can know this for sure.
- 00:11:32.257 --> 00:11:34.259
- He repeats it again, 1 john 2:3: "by this we know that we
- 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:38.797
- Know him."
- 00:11:38.797 --> 00:11:40.131
- And then in 1 john 3:14: "we know we have passed from death
- 00:11:40.131 --> 00:11:44.269
- To life," so he's focusing on this and emphasizing it.
- 00:11:44.269 --> 00:11:48.440
- It's no secret.
- 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:50.308
- Anyone has access to it.
- 00:11:50.308 --> 00:11:51.810
- You don't need a secret password.
- 00:11:51.810 --> 00:11:53.778
- You probably heard this story before, but there's a man named
- 00:11:53.778 --> 00:11:57.482
- Stefan thomas, a german-born programmer who lives in
- 00:11:57.482 --> 00:12:01.519
- San francisco.
- 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:02.887
- He was given over 7000 bitcoins back in 2011 as payment for
- 00:12:02.887 --> 00:12:07.959
- Making a video that explains how cryptocurrency works, and at
- 00:12:07.959 --> 00:12:13.364
- That time bitcoin was worth very little, but all of a sudden it
- 00:12:13.364 --> 00:12:18.136
- Was worth a lot more.
- 00:12:18.136 --> 00:12:19.471
- In fact, it was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but this
- 00:12:19.471 --> 00:12:23.775
- Individual took that bitcoin and he put it in a digital wallet.
- 00:12:23.775 --> 00:12:28.446
- I'm not even sure what that is exactly.
- 00:12:28.446 --> 00:12:31.316
- But to get the money, to access the bitcoin, you had to have the
- 00:12:31.316 --> 00:12:35.286
- Password which he wrote down on a piece of paper and then
- 00:12:35.286 --> 00:12:39.290
- Lost it.
- 00:12:39.290 --> 00:12:40.625
- I'm not laughing at his misfortune, but really you have
- 00:12:40.625 --> 00:12:43.328
- That much money in a account, you lost the password?
- 00:12:43.328 --> 00:12:46.798
- So--and i wonder what passwords he tried.
- 00:12:46.798 --> 00:12:49.300
- "password," that's a good password.
- 00:12:49.300 --> 00:12:51.569
- Or the name of your pet.
- 00:12:51.569 --> 00:12:52.937
- Oh, none of these.
- 00:12:52.937 --> 00:12:54.272
- He couldn't remember his password.
- 00:12:54.272 --> 00:12:56.441
- He tried eight times to get in.
- 00:12:56.441 --> 00:12:58.943
- He has two times left, and if he doesn't come up with a proper
- 00:12:58.943 --> 00:13:02.747
- Password, he will never have access to all that money.
- 00:13:02.747 --> 00:13:06.084
- And that's sort of how it can seem in this relationship
- 00:13:06.084 --> 00:13:08.419
- With god.
- 00:13:08.419 --> 00:13:09.754
- You don't have the password.
- 00:13:09.754 --> 00:13:11.122
- Here's the good news.
- 00:13:11.122 --> 00:13:12.457
- Jesus already took care of all of these things for you.
- 00:13:12.457 --> 00:13:15.426
- You don't have to worry about them at all.
- 00:13:15.426 --> 00:13:17.629
- You don't need secret codes or anything else.
- 00:13:17.629 --> 00:13:20.198
- Jesus entered your password.
- 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:23.701
- He paid the price, and he has given you open access to god.
- 00:13:23.701 --> 00:13:28.473
- Point number two, god is bigger and greater than everyone and
- 00:13:28.473 --> 00:13:33.945
- Everything else.
- 00:13:33.945 --> 00:13:35.613
- God is bigger and god is greater than everyone and
- 00:13:35.613 --> 00:13:38.950
- Everything else.
- 00:13:38.950 --> 00:13:40.618
- Look at 1 john 4:4: "but you belong to god, my dear children.
- 00:13:40.618 --> 00:13:44.088
- You've already won a victory over these people because," and
- 00:13:44.088 --> 00:13:47.192
- I love this verse, "greater is he that is in you than he that
- 00:13:47.192 --> 00:13:51.229
- Is in the world."
- 00:13:51.229 --> 00:13:53.164
- Here are three biblical examples of god's people overcoming their
- 00:13:53.164 --> 00:13:57.535
- Adversary: moses at the red sea.
- 00:13:57.535 --> 00:14:01.372
- Wow, he's at the brink of this massive body of water he can't
- 00:14:01.372 --> 00:14:06.144
- Get across.
- 00:14:06.144 --> 00:14:07.579
- Behind him in hot pursuit is the egyptian army.
- 00:14:07.579 --> 00:14:10.415
- He's literally between a rock and a hard place, and he calls
- 00:14:10.415 --> 00:14:14.919
- Out to god.
- 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:16.621
- And god says, "i will fight from you.
- 00:14:16.621 --> 00:14:18.723
- You only need to be still," and the red sea parted.
- 00:14:18.723 --> 00:14:22.160
- You know the story.
- 00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:23.494
- And so all of israel passed through the dry bed of the red
- 00:14:23.494 --> 00:14:27.799
- Sea, and the waters were piled up on each side.
- 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:30.435
- You ever been to one of those really nice aquariums like the
- 00:14:30.435 --> 00:14:33.104
- Monterey aquarium?
- 00:14:33.104 --> 00:14:34.639
- They have these giant tanks with all these exotic creatures.
- 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:38.343
- Imagine walking through the red sea going, "whoa, whoa, whoa,
- 00:14:38.343 --> 00:14:40.945
- That's cool.
- 00:14:40.945 --> 00:14:42.280
- Get my camera, hurry."
- 00:14:42.280 --> 00:14:44.048
- And meanwhile moses is going, "keep walking, keep walking.
- 00:14:44.048 --> 00:14:46.384
- Let's go, let's go, let's go."
- 00:14:46.384 --> 00:14:48.086
- They get to the other side.
- 00:14:48.086 --> 00:14:49.420
- The last israeli gets over and the waters close on the pursuing
- 00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:53.591
- Egyptian army.
- 00:14:53.591 --> 00:14:55.827
- Think of david facing goliath.
- 00:14:55.827 --> 00:14:57.795
- What an adversary, 9 feet, 6 inches of solid muscle.
- 00:14:57.795 --> 00:15:03.134
- Yet david trusted in the lord and said, "you have defied the
- 00:15:03.134 --> 00:15:08.172
- Armies of israel," and he attacked him, and goliath
- 00:15:08.172 --> 00:15:11.175
- Was defeated.
- 00:15:11.175 --> 00:15:12.510
- Think of the disciples on the sea of galilee.
- 00:15:12.510 --> 00:15:15.346
- A violent storm hits and they're pitching about in that little
- 00:15:15.346 --> 00:15:19.183
- Boat and jesus stands up and rebukes the sea and
- 00:15:19.183 --> 00:15:22.153
- Says, "peace!
- 00:15:22.153 --> 00:15:23.488
- Be still."
- 00:15:23.488 --> 00:15:24.856
- Jesus was bigger than that storm.
- 00:15:24.856 --> 00:15:26.991
- Point number three: if you really know god, you will
- 00:15:26.991 --> 00:15:31.162
- Love others.
- 00:15:31.162 --> 00:15:32.931
- If you really know god, you will love others.
- 00:15:32.931 --> 00:15:35.733
- 1 john 4:7: "dear friends, let us continue to love one another.
- 00:15:35.733 --> 00:15:41.940
- To love comes from god.
- 00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:43.374
- Anyone who loves is a child of god and knows god, but anyone
- 00:15:43.374 --> 00:15:47.612
- Who does not love does not know god, for god is love."
- 00:15:47.612 --> 00:15:53.751
- I love this.
- 00:15:53.751 --> 00:15:55.086
- Earlier, we identified the three major themes of 1 john.
- 00:15:55.086 --> 00:15:58.756
- Number one, god is light.
- 00:15:58.756 --> 00:16:01.192
- 1 john 1:1: "this is the message we've heard from the beginning,
- 00:16:01.192 --> 00:16:05.830
- And declare to you that god is light and in him there is no
- 00:16:05.830 --> 00:16:08.866
- Darkness," so god is light.
- 00:16:08.866 --> 00:16:10.902
- Number two, god is love, reinforced right here before us.
- 00:16:10.902 --> 00:16:15.073
- "and he does not love, does not know god."
- 00:16:15.073 --> 00:16:17.475
- And thirdly, god is life.
- 00:16:17.475 --> 00:16:19.911
- 1 john chapter 5, "he that has the son of god has life.
- 00:16:19.911 --> 00:16:24.115
- He who does not have the son of god does not have life."
- 00:16:24.115 --> 00:16:27.218
- Light and love are inseparable, sort of like grace and truth,
- 00:16:27.218 --> 00:16:31.622
- Light and love.
- 00:16:31.622 --> 00:16:32.991
- So, you know, light shows you what's really going on.
- 00:16:32.991 --> 00:16:36.995
- You ever lose something in your car?
- 00:16:36.995 --> 00:16:38.463
- It's really dark.
- 00:16:38.463 --> 00:16:39.931
- You gotta get it out of the garage, you gotta get some light
- 00:16:39.931 --> 00:16:42.600
- In there and then you find it.
- 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:44.068
- Oh, that's where that burrito went that i lost one year ago.
- 00:16:44.068 --> 00:16:49.040
- No wonder there was an odd smell in the car.
- 00:16:49.040 --> 00:16:52.844
- So light exposes things.
- 00:16:52.844 --> 00:16:54.512
- So maybe the light shines into a person's life.
- 00:16:54.512 --> 00:16:58.082
- Maybe it's a friend of yours, the light of scripture, the
- 00:16:58.082 --> 00:17:00.752
- Light of truth, and you see they're doing something they
- 00:17:00.752 --> 00:17:03.688
- Should not be doing.
- 00:17:03.688 --> 00:17:05.089
- That's where love comes in.
- 00:17:05.089 --> 00:17:06.457
- The light shows the problem, but the love wants to help the
- 00:17:06.457 --> 00:17:08.926
- Person in the problem, right?
- 00:17:08.926 --> 00:17:11.763
- So the bible says if a brother or a sister is overtaken in a
- 00:17:11.763 --> 00:17:16.034
- Fault, you who are spiritual should kick them when they're
- 00:17:16.034 --> 00:17:19.337
- Down and tell as many people as possible, preferably on
- 00:17:19.337 --> 00:17:23.808
- Social media.
- 00:17:23.808 --> 00:17:25.710
- You know that verse, right?
- 00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:27.545
- Yeah, it's not in the bible.
- 00:17:27.545 --> 00:17:29.414
- What it really says is "if a brother or a sister is overtaken
- 00:17:29.414 --> 00:17:32.817
- In a fault or stumbles in sin, you who are spiritual should
- 00:17:32.817 --> 00:17:36.954
- Restore such a person in a spirit of meekness and take heed
- 00:17:36.954 --> 00:17:41.692
- Lest you also be tempted."
- 00:17:41.692 --> 00:17:44.028
- So what it's truly saying is if someone's down, help them up
- 00:17:44.028 --> 00:17:46.898
- Because one day you may be down.
- 00:17:46.898 --> 00:17:49.801
- And you may need someone to help you up.
- 00:17:49.801 --> 00:17:52.503
- See, that's light and love.
- 00:17:52.503 --> 00:17:54.005
- Light shows the problem.
- 00:17:54.005 --> 00:17:55.840
- Love brings the solution, and god is love.
- 00:17:55.840 --> 00:18:01.379
- Jesus said, "by this shall all men know that you are my
- 00:18:01.379 --> 00:18:04.816
- Disciples, that you have perfect doctrine."
- 00:18:04.816 --> 00:18:09.020
- Well, we should have perfect doctrine as much as we can.
- 00:18:09.020 --> 00:18:12.356
- We should believe the right things, but actually he didn't
- 00:18:12.356 --> 00:18:14.525
- Say that.
- 00:18:14.525 --> 00:18:15.860
- "by this shall all men know you are my disciples, that you have
- 00:18:15.860 --> 00:18:19.197
- Love one for another."
- 00:18:19.197 --> 00:18:21.666
- You know, one of the things that drew me to christ was the love
- 00:18:21.666 --> 00:18:26.337
- Of christians demonstrated toward each other.
- 00:18:26.337 --> 00:18:30.208
- I looked at them and i thought, "these people are weird.
- 00:18:30.208 --> 00:18:32.443
- They seem to actually love each other."
- 00:18:32.443 --> 00:18:35.213
- And i don't know what kind of home you were raised in, but i
- 00:18:35.213 --> 00:18:38.416
- Wasn't raised in what you call a loving home.
- 00:18:38.416 --> 00:18:41.819
- I know my mom loved me in her way, but she never told me.
- 00:18:41.819 --> 00:18:46.257
- She never affirmed me in that way, so i never heard it.
- 00:18:46.257 --> 00:18:49.093
- She never hugged me, so i was kind of a sort of a broken
- 00:18:49.093 --> 00:18:54.832
- Person when i first showed up at church and some girl comes up to
- 00:18:54.832 --> 00:18:58.136
- Me i'd never seen before, throws her arms around me, and says,
- 00:18:58.136 --> 00:19:02.173
- "god bless you.
- 00:19:02.173 --> 00:19:03.508
- I love you, brother," and i'm like, "uh."
- 00:19:03.508 --> 00:19:07.311
- You know, not everyone's a hugger.
- 00:19:07.311 --> 00:19:10.114
- Some people say, "i'm a hugger."
- 00:19:10.114 --> 00:19:11.782
- I'm like, "oh, no.
- 00:19:11.782 --> 00:19:14.552
- How long is this gonna take?"
- 00:19:14.552 --> 00:19:18.289
- It's taken me a long time to learn how to love, to learn how
- 00:19:18.289 --> 00:19:22.560
- To say, "i love you," and to accept love from others, but
- 00:19:22.560 --> 00:19:26.764
- That is a mark of a real christian.
- 00:19:26.764 --> 00:19:28.933
- Be known for your love, be known as a bridge builder, not a
- 00:19:28.933 --> 00:19:32.904
- Bridge burner.
- 00:19:32.904 --> 00:19:34.805
- Be known as someone who builds people up, not as someone who
- 00:19:34.805 --> 00:19:37.708
- Tears people down.
- 00:19:37.708 --> 00:19:39.744
- Be a loving person, be a forgiving person, as i've often
- 00:19:39.744 --> 00:19:44.182
- Said--i forgot what i often have said.
- 00:19:44.182 --> 00:19:49.053
- Oh, yes, and that brings me to my next point in a moment.
- 00:19:49.053 --> 00:19:54.158
- When you forgive a person, you set a prisoner free: yourself.
- 00:19:54.158 --> 00:19:59.297
- Point number four, god's love is greater than our worst fears.
- 00:19:59.297 --> 00:20:04.535
- God's love is greater than our worst fears.
- 00:20:04.535 --> 00:20:08.072
- 1 john 4:18: "god demonstrated this love to us by sending his
- 00:20:08.072 --> 00:20:12.243
- Only begotten son.
- 00:20:12.243 --> 00:20:13.844
- Such love has no fear, for perfect love expels all fear."
- 00:20:13.844 --> 00:20:19.917
- King james translation: "perfect love casts out all fear."
- 00:20:19.917 --> 00:20:24.388
- If we are afraid, it is for the fear of punishment, and it shows
- 00:20:24.388 --> 00:20:28.392
- We have not fully experienced his perfect love.
- 00:20:28.392 --> 00:20:32.129
- I find this verse interesting.
- 00:20:32.129 --> 00:20:34.432
- You might think john would say courage is better than fear, or
- 00:20:34.432 --> 00:20:38.069
- Faith is better than fear, and that's all true.
- 00:20:38.069 --> 00:20:41.472
- But instead john says, "perfect love casts out all fear."
- 00:20:41.472 --> 00:20:46.811
- And the word that he uses for cast out or expel is a strong
- 00:20:46.811 --> 00:20:50.881
- Action-oriented word that means to drive out, to throw out
- 00:20:50.881 --> 00:20:56.120
- With force.
- 00:20:56.120 --> 00:20:57.488
- Fear and love are mutually exclusive.
- 00:20:57.488 --> 00:20:59.857
- If you are living in fear, especially the fear of judgment,
- 00:20:59.857 --> 00:21:03.194
- You have not yet grasped what it is to be loved by god.
- 00:21:03.194 --> 00:21:07.632
- Please know this: you are loved by god.
- 00:21:07.632 --> 00:21:11.135
- God is not mad at you.
- 00:21:11.135 --> 00:21:14.005
- God is mad about you.
- 00:21:14.005 --> 00:21:16.641
- And he loves you with the deepest love, and that evicts
- 00:21:16.641 --> 00:21:20.878
- Fear because if you walk around with a concern that, oh man, god
- 00:21:20.878 --> 00:21:25.049
- Doesn't love me and god's gonna judge me, then john is saying,
- 00:21:25.049 --> 00:21:29.186
- "man, listen, when you know the love of god, it drives that fear
- 00:21:29.186 --> 00:21:33.724
- Away, and he's never going to stop loving you."
- 00:21:33.724 --> 00:21:36.961
- Number five point: romans 8:38 reinforces this when it says,
- 00:21:36.961 --> 00:21:41.932
- "i'm convinced that nothing can separate us from god's love,
- 00:21:41.932 --> 00:21:46.103
- Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons nor our fears
- 00:21:46.103 --> 00:21:49.807
- For today or worries about tomorrow, even the powers of
- 00:21:49.807 --> 00:21:53.477
- Hell cannot separate us from god's love."
- 00:21:53.477 --> 00:21:57.448
- And you know, our fears change with the passing of time.
- 00:21:57.448 --> 00:22:02.286
- When we're little kids, we have little kid fears.
- 00:22:02.286 --> 00:22:05.323
- I hope you don't still have those fears.
- 00:22:05.323 --> 00:22:08.092
- You're afraid of the dark, you're afraid of the monster
- 00:22:08.092 --> 00:22:11.195
- Under the bed.
- 00:22:11.195 --> 00:22:12.897
- You're afraid of abandonment.
- 00:22:12.897 --> 00:22:14.432
- That's why divorce is so devastating, especially
- 00:22:14.432 --> 00:22:17.268
- For children.
- 00:22:17.268 --> 00:22:18.602
- I remember that well.
- 00:22:18.602 --> 00:22:19.970
- As you get older, maybe your early teens, you have
- 00:22:19.970 --> 00:22:22.640
- Different fears.
- 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:24.008
- You have the fear of not fitting in.
- 00:22:24.008 --> 00:22:25.810
- Not being liked or accepted, not being good enough.
- 00:22:25.810 --> 00:22:29.380
- Then you become a young adult and you have new fears.
- 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:32.183
- Now your fear is, am i going to find a career?
- 00:22:32.183 --> 00:22:34.952
- Am i going to find someone to love me?
- 00:22:34.952 --> 00:22:36.487
- Am i going to find a spouse?
- 00:22:36.487 --> 00:22:38.856
- Or maybe you find yourself comparing yourself to others on
- 00:22:38.856 --> 00:22:41.859
- Social media.
- 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:43.227
- Then one day you wake up and you're an old person.
- 00:22:43.227 --> 00:22:46.797
- And they have different fears too.
- 00:22:46.797 --> 00:22:49.200
- How do you know when you're an old person?
- 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:52.103
- There are telltale signs.
- 00:22:52.103 --> 00:22:53.904
- You know you're getting old when you sink your teeth into a
- 00:22:53.904 --> 00:22:56.474
- Steak, and they stay there.
- 00:22:56.474 --> 00:23:02.313
- You know you're getting old when you have a party and your
- 00:23:02.313 --> 00:23:04.782
- Neighbors don't even know it.
- 00:23:04.782 --> 00:23:07.618
- You know you're getting old when your back goes out more than
- 00:23:07.618 --> 00:23:10.888
- You do.
- 00:23:10.888 --> 00:23:12.757
- You know you're getting old when you drop something and you bend
- 00:23:12.757 --> 00:23:15.493
- Down to pick it up and you wonder what else you can do
- 00:23:15.493 --> 00:23:18.396
- While you're down there.
- 00:23:18.396 --> 00:23:21.098
- "i don't want to come down here again.
- 00:23:21.098 --> 00:23:23.367
- Is there anything else that needs to be cleaned or
- 00:23:23.367 --> 00:23:26.504
- Picked up?
- 00:23:26.504 --> 00:23:27.872
- Let's get it over with."
- 00:23:27.872 --> 00:23:29.440
- Signs of getting old.
- 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:31.909
- But the good news is, is god has something for you in every stage
- 00:23:31.909 --> 00:23:35.546
- Of life.
- 00:23:35.546 --> 00:23:36.914
- To the child, god says, "i'll never leave you or forsake you."
- 00:23:36.914 --> 00:23:40.484
- To the teen, god says, "you're fearfully and wonderfully made."
- 00:23:40.484 --> 00:23:45.256
- To the young adult, the lord says, "i know the thoughts that
- 00:23:45.256 --> 00:23:47.925
- I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
- 00:23:47.925 --> 00:23:50.961
- You a future and a hope."
- 00:23:50.961 --> 00:23:52.930
- And to the elderly, god says, "even to your old age and gray
- 00:23:52.930 --> 00:23:56.700
- Hairs, i am he--i am he who will sustain you.
- 00:23:56.700 --> 00:24:00.271
- I've made you. i will carry you.
- 00:24:00.271 --> 00:24:02.440
- I will sustain you, and i will rescue you."
- 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:06.010
- I love that.
- 00:24:06.010 --> 00:24:12.216
- All the old people are clapping...
- 00:24:12.216 --> 00:24:15.886
- Clear! ...
- 00:24:15.886 --> 00:24:17.388
- "i'm back," okay.
- 00:24:17.388 --> 00:24:20.391
- So he has something for all of us.
- 00:24:20.391 --> 00:24:23.194
- You know, when you get older, you don't want to lose your
- 00:24:23.194 --> 00:24:27.865
- Mobility, you don't want to lose your mental sharpness.
- 00:24:27.865 --> 00:24:31.335
- You want to remember things.
- 00:24:31.335 --> 00:24:32.703
- That's very important.
- 00:24:32.703 --> 00:24:36.140
- Um, anyway, i--that was a joke.
- 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:37.942
- I meant it that time.
- 00:24:37.942 --> 00:24:39.276
- The other time i really did forget.
- 00:24:39.276 --> 00:24:40.678
- This time, that was the joke, like, oh, you lose your mental
- 00:24:40.678 --> 00:24:44.515
- Sharpness and i forgot something, see?
- 00:24:44.515 --> 00:24:46.517
- Okay, last point: our love for god is a response to god's love
- 00:24:46.517 --> 00:24:53.090
- For us.
- 00:24:53.090 --> 00:24:54.758
- Our love for god is a response to god's love for us.
- 00:24:54.758 --> 00:24:57.862
- Why do we love god?
- 00:24:57.862 --> 00:24:59.196
- 1 john 4:19: "we love him because he first loved us."
- 00:24:59.196 --> 00:25:06.103
- I mean, when we just think about the fact that god loves us,
- 00:25:06.103 --> 00:25:09.707
- It's overwhelming.
- 00:25:09.707 --> 00:25:11.642
- You know, the bible says it's the goodness of god or the
- 00:25:11.642 --> 00:25:14.812
- Kindness of god that brings us to repentance.
- 00:25:14.812 --> 00:25:18.215
- His love wore down our rebellion.
- 00:25:18.215 --> 00:25:21.585
- One day we just realize, "why am i fighting with him?
- 00:25:21.585 --> 00:25:24.655
- Why am i running from him?
- 00:25:24.655 --> 00:25:26.924
- He loves me," and so i respond in love.
- 00:25:26.924 --> 00:25:33.764
- Greg: there are so many things to be worried about right now,
- 00:25:38.002 --> 00:25:40.304
- Aren't there?
- 00:25:40.304 --> 00:25:41.639
- The worrying about terrorism,
- 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:43.207
- Worry about your personal safety, violent crime,
- 00:25:43.207 --> 00:25:46.310
- The economy, the list goes on.
- 00:25:46.310 --> 00:25:48.345
- Here's what the bible says, "don't worry about anything.
- 00:25:48.345 --> 00:25:52.049
- Pray about everything."
- 00:25:52.049 --> 00:25:54.451
- Turn your panic into prayer.
- 00:25:54.451 --> 00:25:57.588
- Jesus said, "come unto me, all of you that are laboring and are
- 00:25:57.588 --> 00:26:00.691
- Heavy laden, i will give you rest."
- 00:26:00.691 --> 00:26:03.260
- Give your burdens, give your problems over to god and let him
- 00:26:03.260 --> 00:26:07.898
- Give you his peace in your heart.
- 00:26:07.898 --> 00:26:12.069
- Let me send for you, at no charge, what i call a new
- 00:26:12.069 --> 00:26:15.606
- Believer's bible to help you grow in a relationship with god
- 00:26:15.606 --> 00:26:20.844
- And learn how to turn your panic into prayer and your worry
- 00:26:20.844 --> 00:26:24.915
- Into worship.
- 00:26:24.915 --> 00:26:27.952
- Greg: hey, greg laurie here. maybe you've seen this...
- 00:26:32.089 --> 00:26:34.258
- This is called the "new believer's bible," and a number
- 00:26:34.258 --> 00:26:37.595
- Of years ago, i wanted to do an edition of scripture with
- 00:26:37.595 --> 00:26:42.466
- Commentary that would make the bible more accessible to someone
- 00:26:42.466 --> 00:26:47.338
- Who's never read it before, like a new believer.
- 00:26:47.338 --> 00:26:50.374
- But today we live, of course, in a digital world,
- 00:26:50.374 --> 00:26:54.178
- So we've taken the curriculum from the "new believer's bible"
- 00:26:54.178 --> 00:26:57.481
- And we've created this online community of people just like
- 00:26:57.481 --> 00:27:00.951
- You who are studying the word of god together.
- 00:27:00.951 --> 00:27:04.388
- By the way, this is free of charge, you can learn at
- 00:27:04.388 --> 00:27:07.157
- Your own pace, but most importantly, you'll experience
- 00:27:07.157 --> 00:27:10.861
- The power of god's word to transform your life.
- 00:27:10.861 --> 00:27:14.498
- The bible says, of itself, it's alive and powerful and sharper
- 00:27:14.498 --> 00:27:19.336
- Than any two-edged sword, so i hope you'll take your phone
- 00:27:19.336 --> 00:27:23.240
- Right now and join us online at harvest discipleship.
- 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:27.544
- Let's learn and grow together.
- 00:27:27.544 --> 00:27:27.544