A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: How are you doing in the race of life? Maybe there's some area in your life where there's been compromise, some addiction or some sin. Right now is there. This is the time to deal with it and do it quickly. No matter how far we stray from God, we're never more than a prayer away. Pastor Greg Laurie urges us to keep short accounts with the Lord.

God says in Jeremiah 3:22, "Return you backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding." This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Can you hear the angels singing? This is the day, the day when life begins.

Ever let your phone battery run down to almost nothing? Well, you think you're fine until suddenly the screen goes dark and you're desperate for a charger. It's easy to neglect our faith the same way, and soon we feel spiritually drained and like we're running on empty.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie hopes us stay charged and connected for the long haul. No more running on low power mode when we have a full power calling from our God. This is the day, the day when life begins.

Greg Laurie: Grab your Bibles and turn to Nehemiah chapter 10. Today the title of the message is finishing what you start.

So, I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of a person that will start a project and not always finish it. Like take my office as an example, it gets very messy. I have lots of books piled up, and it's getting so cluttered I can't find anything. In fact, one time I lost my wife for two days. Like what? So it's time to straighten it out and I start to organize and I'll get it completed with maybe a few things left out and then that little mess will turn into a big mess and it will be a problem all over again.

And you know, spiritually, we too can grow complacent and lazy. And that's what was happening to Israel. Of course, they had gone to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. They were successful. The walls were completed in 52 days. Nehemiah felt like, hey, my job is done. He went back to Babylon to continue on as the cupbearer, advisor, counselor to the king. And then a report came to Nehemiah that the people had gone back again, that there was sin among them again, that there was compromise, that everything was falling apart.

Reminding us that just because you have a good beginning, doesn't mean you will necessarily have a good finish. So that brings us now to our text, Nehemiah 10 verse 28.

And this is what they did before their fall began. Nehemiah 10 verse 28, "The rest of the people, the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all separated themselves from the pagan temple of the land in order to obey the Lord, together with their wives, sons, daughters, and all who were old enough to understand, join their leaders, and bound themselves with an oath. They swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the law of God as issued by the servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord our God."

So they promised to carefully follow all the commands of scripture. I think sometimes people want to pick and choose what parts of the Bible they like and discard the rest. You can't do that. You can't go to the Bible and take out the parts you don't agree with. Jesus said, "You are my disciples if you continue in my word." So we need to continue in what his word says.

Here's another thing, they separated themselves from ungodly influences. They separated themselves from ungodly influences. Look at verse 28, "Then the rest of the people, the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, separated themselves from the pagan people of the land in order to obey the law of the Lord. Saying, we promised not to let our daughters marry the pagan people of the land and not to let our sons marry their daughters."

If you want to be a godly person, you have to separate yourself from some things and join yourself to others. Being a Christian is saying no to some things and saying yes to others. Someone sums it up perfectly. It says, "Happy is the man or woman who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful." That's what they don't do. But in contrast, "Their delight is in the word of the Lord and in it do they meditate day and night."

In Timothy, Paul writes, "Flee youthful desires and follow righteousness, faith and peace along with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." So a word to singles. How many of you are single? If you're not married, raise your hand. Raise it up high. Look around. Look around.

I met my wife in church. I actually saw her while I was preaching. Now, I wasn't scoping girls while I was preaching. I was just speaking and I noticed her sitting there. This is many years ago. And she was there with her two sisters and there was like a light coming down from heaven on her. I realized later it was one of her sisters with a flashlight holding. No, and so I went up to, hey, how are you doing and nice to meet you and, hey, you guys want to go ahead and get some dessert after church. So I went out with Kathy and her sisters. And the next week I saw her again and say, hey, you want to go ahead and get dessert after church. And I went out with Kathy and her sisters. And the third week I said, hey, let's go ahead and get some dessert. She said, let me get my sisters. I said, I don't want your sisters.

Being the great romantic that I am, then she knew I had some interest there. But, but no, there's not a better place to, to meet that guy, that girl than in church. And but listen, look for a godly person. I'm going to be honest with you. It's hard enough in marriage, being married to a godly person. I can't imagine if I was married to someone who had views that were totally contrary to my views, who did not believe the Bible was the word of God, that did not want to put Christ first in our relationship. How are we going to raise our children? So many decisions to make. Look for a godly person.

The three most important decisions you will make in your life. Number one, what are you going to do with Jesus Christ? Number two, what are you going to do with your life? Number three, who are you going to marry? And so, here's what was happening to Israel. They were being pulled down by ungodly people and they were intermarrying with them and found themselves worshiping the false gods. And this is why it was an issue. And this is why the Bible says, "Don't be unequally yoked together with non-believers, for what fellowship does light have with darkness, or righteousness with unrighteousness?" Or as a more modern translation puts it, "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 light best friends with darkness? Christ goes strolling with the devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? It's good translation. And the answer of course, to those questions, is of course, no.

So, we don't want to marry or become romantically entangled with someone who's not a believer. However, the Bible is not advocating complete isolation and no contact with non-believers. Otherwise, how are we going to reach them with the gospel? Because we're to go into all the world and preach the gospel, right? So we have to find that balance between the two, because the Great Commission is to go into all the world and preach the gospel, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded us. So we do want to reach people with the gospel, but I read this stat the other day. 95% of all Christians have never led a person to Christ. That's a lot. 95% of Christians have never led someone to Christ.

This stat also said 59% of Christians say they seldom or never share their faith with others. That's almost 60%. How many of you share your faith with others? Raise your hand. Good for you. What are you? I feel like you're bragging now, honestly. It's a little, oh, look at me, look at me. No, I I asked you to. Wonderful. Thank you for doing that.

Also the people invested in God's kingdom. Look at verse 32, "They said, we promised to obey the command to pay the annual temple tax of 1/8 of an ounce of silver for the care of the temple of our Lord." So they were tithing. The word tithe means 10th. They were giving a 10th of their income to the Lord. Bringing their best, not the worst, to God. Some would say, well, tithing is not in the New Testament. Okay. So tithing is not in the New Testament, you say, therefore, I give nothing. Wait, how did you arrive at that conclusion?

It's clear in both the Old and New Testament that the believer should invest their finances into the kingdom. Why? Because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Whatever you spend your money on is what you have the greatest interest in. And I hope you have an interest in the kingdom of God. And by the way, 10% is ground level, not the highest, it's entry level. The Bible even talks about bringing your tithes and offerings to the Lord. And there are so many direct statements in the New Testament about the importance of giving.

In fact, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul says, "The believer should set aside a sum of money on the first day of the week." We should give systematically, not sporadically or when it occurs to us, but it's something you plan on. You're to give proportionately. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16, "You should give in keeping with your income." Each person should give in keeping with their income. So some can give more, some can give less, but it's okay, but give something. And you are to give joyfully. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, "Determine how much you'll give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves a cheerful giver." And finally, if we do this, God promises he will meet our needs. 2 Corinthians 9:8, "God will generously provide all you need, and you'll have everything you need in plenty left over to share with others."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Greg Laurie: You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie, and I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours and I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, well that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience. It actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way, it's a vacation with a purpose. And we're going to be taking a tour of Israel, April 6th to 15th, 2027. You can find out more at israel.harvest.org.

Guest (Male): Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land, April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at israel.harvest.org.

Guest (Male): Well, Pastor Greg is highlighting precepts today that will help us finish well, from his message in Nehemiah called, "Finishing What You Start."

Greg Laurie: Now, I wish I could say and they followed these commitments and they lived happily ever after and the book of Nehemiah ends, but it doesn't end there. That's not what happened at all. They they listened to and obeyed the word of God. They separated themselves from ungodly people. They gave of their finances, and then they turned their backs on God. Wow, is that sound familiar? Sounds just like us.

We've all in one way, shape, or form had lapses in our faith or grown somewhat complacent or lost the eye of the tiger if you will. This happened to the church of Ephesus. Jesus said to them, "Hey, I know all the things you do. I see your hard work and patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You've patiently suffered for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you," Jesus said, "You don't love me as much as you did at first. Look how far you've fallen."

And so here's old Nehemiah, he's back with the king again in Babylon. He hears what's happening in Israel. It's like the old expression when the cat's away, the mice will play. And even worse, he hears that, that Tobiah, who was working with this guy named Sanballat. Remember I talked about Sanballat and Tobiah. They're always giving Israel a hard time, opposing them when they went to rebuild the wall, slandering them, threatening their lives. And yet the people of God persisted. Guess who's back in town. They gave Tobiah a room in the temple. It's like the fox was in the henhouse.

So Nehemiah now needs to leave Babylon, go back to Israel and take care of business. Look at what happens. Nehemiah 13:8. He says, "I became very upset. I threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room and I demanded the rooms be purified and I brought back the articles for God's temple, grain offerings and the frankincense." Out with the old, in with the new. When something's dirty, you need to clean it. They fumigated the place and they tossed Tobiah out.

Sometimes we get a Tobiah in our life. It can be an addiction. It can be an old sin coming back again. Hey, come and live in the guest room. You're not living here but you can stay in this room. And next thing you know, it's taking your life over again. And that's exactly what they did and they needed to get him out plain and simple. This reminds us of when Jesus cleansed the temple. Remember? He went into the moneychangers. He overturned the tables, drove them out with a whip. It's like Indiana Jones. And then he had to do it a second time because those same people came in again and set their tables up. And sometimes there needs to be some serious cleaning in our life because we've allowed little compromises to come in.

This might be a good time for me to admit to a personal addiction I've had for years. I've tried to break free from it and it still haunts me. Got real quiet in here all of a sudden. I bite my nails. How many of you are nail biters? Raise your hand. I hate it. And it's and I can't explain it. Now, I do it sometimes when I'm stressed, I'll nibble and I'll peel a nail off. It's gross. I've gotten them torn off so badly. I have like little fleshly nubs left. I can't. If I drop something on the ground like a coin, I I literally can't pick it up. I'm just down there fumbling. It's horrible. Right.

And here's how it always starts. My nails are getting a little long and I'll trim it with my teeth and then I'll fix this. And next thing I know, I've torn them down again. So it starts small and it gets big. That's how sin works in our life. Little compromises lead to bigger problems. So Nehemiah took action. He cleaned house. And I wonder if someone needs to clean house spiritually today in their own life. God says in Jeremiah 3:22, "Return you backsliding children and I will heal your backsliding."

It's always good to know when we've messed up, we can be forgiven if we return to God. Coming back to the message of Jesus to the church of Ephesus, after he told them they had left their first love, he then goes on to say, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent, and do the first works quickly." Interesting, quickly. In other words, he's saying, "You need to act on this."

Listen, if the Holy Spirit of God is touching your heart right now, and maybe there's some area in your life where there's been compromise, or some Tobiah, so to speak, is is taken up a guest room or some addiction or some sin has returned, or something that's probably coming to the forefront of your mind right now is there. This is the time to deal with it and do it quickly. How are you doing in the race of life? Have you lost your way? Have you lost the eye of the tiger, so to speak? Well then it's time to make that recommitment again and Christ can forgive you because we all want to finish this race well.

I wonder where we all are in the race of life. You know, when you're older you say, well, I'm toward the end. Okay. True. When you're young, you say, I've got so far to go and so much time. Well, maybe you do and maybe you don't. Because actually you don't know when your life will end, do you? So every day should be precious to you. Live every day as though it were your last day because one day it will be.

Someone put it this way, "Inside every old person is a young person wondering what in the world just happened." It's funny how you all of a sudden are an old person. When did I become an old person? I don't think like an old person. Yeah, you probably do. But anyway. You you can deny it all you want. It is what it is, all right? But life is passing quickly and we don't know when that race is going to end and we want to finish it well.

And there might be somebody here that hasn't even started in the so-called race of life. Remember I said the three most important decisions you'll make in life. Number one, what you do with Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born in that manger, born of a virgin, supernaturally, who voluntarily went to the cross and died for the sin of the world and rose again from the dead and now is ready to change every human heart because he stands at the door of our life and he knocks and says if we'll hear his voice and open the door he'll come in. He's here. And I have to make a decision about Jesus. I I can't say, well, he was a great philosopher. He was a wonderful moral teacher. I have admiration for him. He didn't say admire me.

Jesus said, "Follow me." So either I believe what he said about himself that he is the Son of God, I believe what he said himself, he's the only way to the Father. Because Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me." Or I reject it. You say, well, Greg, I'm not comfortable with those two choices. I I don't accept him. I don't reject him. I'm just neutral. You can't be neutral. To be undecided is to be decided. This is an either or proposition. This is a yes or no response. Do you believe he's the Son of God? Do you believe he can change your life? Well then say yes to him or say no, I don't believe any of that.

And some of us have never made that decision and you can make it right here, right now. You can ask Christ to come into your life and forgive you of all of your sin. Or if you've fallen, remember that commercial on TV? The lady falls. I've fallen and I can't get up. Life alert, right? I have one of those at home. No, I don't. Maybe I should, you know. But you can get up because God will pick you up, but you have to call out to him. And if you're one of those people that stumbled and fallen, just call out to the Lord. "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return to our God who will abundantly pardon." I love that.

The Lord is near. He's here. He's ready to change you. Why don't you respond? Do it quickly. Pray this prayer after me, right where you are. Just pray. You can pray it out loud if you like, but just pray these words after me. Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I know that you're the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer with those who are making a decision for the Lord today. It's a day some will remember for the rest of their lives. If you've just prayed with Pastor Greg today here on A New Beginning, well first of all, we want to welcome you into the family of God. And second, we want to help you get started. Let us send you Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. It has scores of helps specifically for new believers, including a section called First Steps to help you know God's plan for your life, how to know you're saved, how to find the right church, how to study the Bible and more. We'll be glad to send you the New Believers Bible free of charge if you'll call us at 1-800-821-3300. Call any time, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God.

And then let us take a moment to thank you for praying for this ministry and for supporting it through your generous donation. It's an investment in Kingdom business. Isn't that right, Pastor Greg?

Greg Laurie: Yeah, that's really true, Dave, and I believe it's so important because you know, the gospel saves lives, it saves eternal lives because when a person believes in Jesus according to scripture, they pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God. And then of course, that changes the course of their future. That impacts their children and their children's children. The gospel changes everything. And thousands and thousands of people respond every single year. Thanks to the Lord, also thanks to you for your investment in this ministry, enabling us to reach people wherever they are. So if this is something you care about, I encourage you to make a financial investment in A New Beginning and Harvest Ministries.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And we really do appreciate your support. Thanks for partnering with us today. It can make a real difference, not just for today or this week, but for eternity. So get in touch with your support today by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org.

Well, next time, Pastor Greg launches a new series in the book of First John, a series about faith called, "Unshakeable." Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie.