A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: There are two kinds of people in the world: those who are going through a crisis and those who are going to go through a crisis. But here's the good news: storms don't last forever.

Guest (Male): When the winds of adversity howl and the floodwaters of uncertainty begin to rise, Pastor Greg Laurie says hold on, you're in God's care.

Greg Laurie: So if you're in a storm right now, just remember, it's not going to last forever and something is going to come out of it an immeasurably great glory.

Guest (Male): There are many places in the country where the locals say if you don't like the weather, just wait 20 minutes. Weather changes constantly. Well, it's the same with the storms of life; they come and they go.

Some of us feel like a rain cloud has been hovering over our heads for months. But today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us find the help and reassurance we need for those times of crisis in our lives. Today's study is one of our most requested messages.

Greg Laurie: Turn in your Bibles to Jonah chapter one, and the title of my message is Getting Through the Storms of Life. A storm can come suddenly, and it can be some kind of an event. By storm, I'm using that as a metaphor for something big. It might be a hardship, it might be a problem, it might be an anxiety, it might be a tragedy, but it's something that comes pretty quickly, seemingly out of nowhere, and has great impact on you.

It might be a painful health problem. It might be the effects of age. It might be a stroke, it might be a heart attack, or it might be your storm is dealing with rebellious children. For others, your storm might be dealing with weird parents. I don't know, but everybody has their own storm they deal with, and sometimes it's a mega-storm. It might be the unexpected death of someone you love.

So it really comes down to this: there are two kinds of people in the world: those who are going through a crisis and those who are going to go through a crisis. I hate to break that to you. I wish I could just say no, you come to a point in your life where all the problems go away. No, that's not true. Some problems are just replaced by other ones. So you're either going to be pulling into a storm or you're pulling out of a storm, but one will be coming in time. But here's the good news: storms don't last forever.

They have a beginning, they have a middle, and they have an end. Now sure, there's others to follow, but hopefully there's some rainbows in between and some nice sunny days and some great times. But yes, storms come and of course, storms have their purposes and we'll define that in a few moments, but the Bible says, Jesus speaking at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, he talked about two men who built their houses. One built his house on a solid foundation of rock. The other built his house on an unstable foundation of sand.

Sort of like people that build elaborate sandcastles. You know, they have these big contests. You see pictures sometimes in the paper; it's like these massive castles that I just look at and I say why? It's going to be washed away. But that's what it's like to build your house on the wrong foundation. And then Jesus said, and the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on the house and it did not fall because it was founded on the rock.

Notice Jesus did not say if the rain descends, he says when the rain descends. The Bible says the rain will fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. We cannot control external circumstances. We cannot control what people say to us or say about us. We cannot control everything that comes our way, but we can control our reaction to it.

Well, I bring that up because here in the book of Jonah is a story of a man who ended up in a storm. And he ended up in this storm because he was running from the will of God. He was called to preach to a city called Nineveh and he refused. Remember I summed up the book of Jonah as follows: God said go, Jonah said no, and God said oh, because God will always have the last word. And so the Lord sent a storm.

Now, why was Jonah reluctant to go preach to the people of Nineveh? Actually, it's an interesting thing to note that Hebrew prophets did not generally leave Israel. They preached to God's people, the Jews. So this is a very unusual situation where God calls a Jewish prophet to go to a foreign country to preach to the inhabitants of it, and more to the point, he's called to preach in the capital of a country that hates his nation.

This would be like an Orthodox Jew being called to go preach to the Nazis during World War II. Not a very desirable assignment. And that's exactly what Jonah was doing. These people were wicked in Nineveh. In fact, verse two of Jonah 1 says their wickedness had come up before God. Literally, their wickedness had reached a high degree or the highest pitch.

Nineveh was like an overflowing septic tank stinking to high heaven, reminding us that God is acutely aware of the wickedness of all of us. Now, what kind of people lived in Nineveh? The most sinful people imaginable. Graphic accounts of their cruel treatment of captives have been found in Assyrian records. I don't want to go into detail, but let's just say it was barbaric beyond belief what they would do to the people that they would conquer.

For instance, the Assyrians would force friends and family members to parade with the decapitated heads of loved ones elevated on poles. I mean, this was beyond the pale. They were so evil in so many ways, but yet God says go preach to them. Why? Why preach to them? They don't deserve to hear the gospel. They deserve judgment. Actually, don't we all?

And has the Lord not told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel? And even more to the point, should we not bring the gospel not only to our friends, not only to our neighbors, but even to our enemies? This is what we're told to do in scripture. We've been given the same commission Jonah has been given.

This Great Commission, as we call it, was really the final words of Jesus. You know, when a person is getting ready to leave and they're giving us their last words, those words matter. And so the Lord is saying here's what really matters to me. Here's what I really care about. Here are my parting words to you before I ascend to heaven: go into all the world and preach the gospel, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

So if it's a big deal to Jesus, it should be a big deal to us too. Well, Jonah didn't want to go. Why? Well, we know why: because he was afraid his preaching would be received. And he was afraid the people would repent. And he was afraid that God, being who God is, would lovingly forgive them of their sin even though they didn't deserve it and something like a national awakening would take place, and he didn't want that.

He kind of liked the idea that God was going to obliterate the Ninevites and Assyria from the face of the planet. So it's not that he was afraid he would fail, he was effectively afraid he would succeed. I wonder if we're sometimes that way, like I don't want to tell that person about Jesus because if they become a Christian, then I'm stuck with them. Now I have to follow up on them.

Now I have to invite them to church and introduce them to my friends and really what you're saying is now I have to actually behave like a Christian. Because if you have a brand new believer in your car, I just bet you'll go a little slower than you normally go. If you have a brand new believer in your car, I bet you'll think twice about what you talk about after church if you have a meal together. If you have a new believer with you, I bet that you'll think about things that you say and do like you should have been doing all along. He didn't want to do it because he knew it would succeed.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We love hearing from our listeners, whether it's a short word or they take some time to let us know what's going on with them.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, I listen to A New Beginning every night on my way home from work and truly get insight and blessings from your radio sermons. From what I've learned from you, I've been able to help lead my grandkids to the Lord. Thank you. I'd also like to thank you for your New Believer's Bible. I just ordered one for my grandkids to share. Thanks again.

Guest (Male): How have Pastor Greg's studies touched your life? Would you let him know? Send him an email: greg@harvest.org. That's greg@harvest.org.

Well, Pastor Greg is offering insights today based on the life of Jonah, the reluctant evangelist who tried to renege on his assignment from God. Jonah had a bigger problem with the job he was given. His problem was with God himself.

Greg Laurie: I don't really want to do what you want me to do. And I guess we have to get to a point in our life where we're going to ask ourselves the question: does God know what he's doing? And let's broaden that. Does God actually love us? How many of you believe God loves you? Raise your hand if you believe that God loves you. That's very good, I'm glad you believe that because you should, because he does.

How many of you believe that God's plans are better than your plans? Raise your hand. Now, just about the same amount of hands. But yet, we say that, but then when his plan's a little different than ours, do we always go along with his game plan, or are we at times resistant? Well, if we're honest, it's the latter, not the former.

So he's reluctant. He doesn't want to go. And he's on this boat and he's headed as far from Nineveh as he can humanly get, and the following happened. Jonah chapter 1 verse 4: And the Lord hurled—I like that, this is the New Living Translation by the way—the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him and said, "How can you sleep at a time like this? Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives."

So the Lord sent a powerful wind. The Lord sends a mighty storm to get the attention of the prodigal prophet. Now, this had to be a bad storm because the sailors were freaking out. You know, there are guys out there, you watch these shows on TV like *The Deadliest Catch*, and they're dealing with the worst kind of waves and water, but if those guys are afraid, you know there's something to be afraid about. And all of these sailors, these seasoned people that have been on the ocean their whole life, were very afraid. So a powerful wind comes.

And as I pointed out recently, we all have our storms in life and there's three kinds of storms we face as Christians: protecting storms, perfecting storms, and correcting storms. Number one, there are protecting storms. This happened when Jesus performed his miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, and the people wanted to make him king and he immediately dispatched the disciples to get on the boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

And then it's key that he said, "Let's go to the other side." He did not say let's get into the boat and drown in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. If he had said that, I would never have gotten into that boat. But he did say let's get to the other side. He did not promise them calm waters, but he promised them a safe arrival. But that was a storm that was protecting them from themselves. The adulation, the praise, the power that it would have come their way if they ruled and reigned over the people with Jesus as king would have certainly destroyed them. He was protecting them.

Number two, there are perfecting storms. These are when we just go through trials and hardship in life that God allows. Sometimes these events seem random, but they never are, because we already learned in Romans 8:28 that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says our present troubles are quite small and won't last for very long, yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.

So we don't look at the troubles we see right now, rather we look forward to what we don't see yet, for the troubles we see now will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. So if you're looking at trouble right now, or you're in a storm right now, just remember, it's not going to last forever and something is going to come out of it an immeasurably great glory.

Now, finally we have correcting storms, and that's what Jonah was in. He brought this storm on himself, and God actually sent it because he loved Jonah. It's hard for us to believe that God would allow a hardship in our life because he loves us. It seems that we would want to protect our children from all difficulties, but remember the Lord is wanting us to mature in our faith, and one of the marks of God's love for us is discipline. Because the Bible says he disciplines the one that he loves.

Now, Kathy and I raised two sons, one of them sitting right here, Jonathan, and his older brother Christopher, who as you know is in heaven. Now they're like two separate people, obviously that's true, but two separate personalities. Christopher was always getting into trouble. I would tell him something and he'd do the very thing I told him to stop doing like two minutes later, if not sooner. Where Jonathan, I would just say it once and he would pretty much obey.

So, but then again, maybe I was a little overboard with Christopher. I think I heard Dr. James Dobson once say every parent owes their first child an apology, right? So all of our kids are different, and all of God's kids are different. For some he just says don't do that, okay I won't. Others he says don't do that, but we keep doing it. He says don't do that, and we keep doing it. He says don't do that, and we keep doing it. Lord says oh, don't make me use this.

Remember what David said? The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. My cup runs over. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. Your rod and your staff they comfort me.

Have you ever wondered what that phrase "your rod and your staff they comfort me" means? So one day David the shepherd's looking at his flock of sheep. He's thinking to himself probably these animals are so dumb. They're so dependent on me. If a predator comes, I've got to defend them. I've got to do everything for them. You know what, it's just like me. I'm just like one of these sheep. The Lord, he's my shepherd.

And just as I take care of my sheep, the Lord takes care of me. And he leads me to the still waters. But when I go through the valley, his rod and his staff they comfort me. The shepherd basically has two tools he carries with him in those days, a rod and a staff. A staff basically that long crooked instrument that you would use to pull a wayward sheep back into line. The rod? Pretty self-explanatory: it was a club, okay?

So the shepherd would use the rod to defend his sheep if a predator came. But he had other uses for the rod. He would use that staff; that wayward sheep pulls him back in, does it again, pulls him back in, and I already told you recently that sheep are so stupid if one walks off a cliff, the others will follow. And so he'll use that staff, use it, and if there's one sheep that keeps going astray, the shepherd might have to give him a little bit of a whack to get his attention. Whack! Just oh, now the sheep's paying attention.

And that's us. Some of us need the rod. The Lord uses staff, we don't listen. He pulls out the staff, pulls us in, we don't listen. He does it again. He's saying don't make me use this. But I love you, and I will. And sometimes he does. And that's what was happening with Jonah. He was trying to go in the opposite direction. The Lord was using the staff: come on now, that's not where I want you to go. Okay buddy, I'm sending a storm your way to get your attention.

Actually, being disciplined by God is an indication you're a child of God. So if you try to do sinful things as a Christian and you find it hard, or you're always the person that gets caught—are you that person? You always are the one that gets caught. That means God loves you. God loves you so much he says I'm not going to let my child get away with that, and I'm going to get their attention and it might be something that seems like the worst case scenario, it actually can be the very thing that brings you to your senses.

So that's what's happening. He's using a storm, a rod if you will, in the life of Jonah because he loves him. Not because he's mad at him. God doesn't get ticked off at us and throw things at us. He already took care of that at Calvary. He poured his judgment on his own son who died in our place. So when the Lord disciplines us it's not to get us back, well maybe it is to get us back. Not to repay us for our evil, but to get us back into fellowship with him. To restore us because what did David say? You restore my soul.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with good insight on the third of those three types of storms: those storms that correct us and bring us back on the path. And there's more to come in this message here on *A New Beginning*.

Obviously, God has creative ways of getting our attention and steering us to the right path. He may even use that creativity to get us to come to him for the first time. When circumstances have brought us to our knees, we're in the perfect position to pray. Pastor Greg, somebody can come to the Lord and pray right now, can't they?

Greg Laurie: That's right. The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So think of it this way: maybe you're out in a rip tide in the ocean and you can't get your footing and you're in trouble, and you see a lifeguard. Call out for help and the lifeguard will rescue you.

The same is true spiritually: you're drowning in your sin, you need help. Jesus will save you. He will rescue you, but you must call out to him. And you know how you do that? You do it in prayer. So let me just lead you in a simple prayer, and you can pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like, and this is where you are calling out to Jesus to save you.

Just pray this: Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, and I know you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Now, Lord, I turn from my sin and I put my faith in you. Be my Savior, my Lord, be my God and my friend. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know that Christ himself has come to live inside of you. And I have a resource I want to send you: it's called the *New Believer's Bible*. So the *New Believer's Bible* is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ.

There's some other materials included as well in what we call the *New Believer's Growth Pack*, but let me get this *New Believer's Bible* into your hands as quickly as possible. Here's Dave to tell you more.

Guest (Male): Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way free of any charge if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the *New Believer's Bible* when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us anytime 24/7 at 1-800-821-3300. Or write us at *A New Beginning*, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click "Know God."

And Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity. And we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further. Isn't that right?

Greg Laurie: Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul? Well, let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend?

Well, I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable. Well, listen, God says all souls are mine. God loves us and sent his son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sin so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right, and you can make your donation right now at harvest.org. Or write us at *A New Beginning*, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number: 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time, more insight on the correcting storm God sent upon the life of the rebellious prophet Jonah. It's one of our top 10 most requested messages. Join us here on *A New Beginning* with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.