A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Satan is a fallen angel. A powerful one, for sure. And once he has you where he wants you, he'll chew you up and he'll spit you out.

Dave: But Pastor Greg Laurie says there's good news. He points out today that Satan is powerful, but his power is no match for our God.

Greg Laurie: The Bible reminds us that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. So God is more powerful than Satan, and God is bigger than your problem.

Dave: Some people are into trucks. The more power, the more capacity, the bigger, the better. Well, consider the Belaz 75710 mining truck. It weighs 750,000 pounds empty, and its tires are 13 feet tall. There's no comparison to consumer pickup trucks.

Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out there's no comparison between our enemy and our God. God's power and capabilities are infinite.

Greg Laurie: God is bigger than your problem. How does that sound? I'm sure I'm talking to somebody right now that is facing a problem of some kind. So I have a very hopeful message for you today, starting with this thought.

There is a God in heaven who deeply loves you. If you forget everything else I say to you in this message, just remember that. You are loved by God. And God wants to reveal his custom-made plan that he has just for you. He wants to flood your life with love and peace and joy and purpose.

And then, if that's not enough, and that's a lot, he wants you to spend all eternity with him in this amazing place called heaven. One of my favorite verses from the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11, where God says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

So yes, it's true. God loves you, and God has a plan for your life, and God has a future for you. Now listen to this. Just as surely as there is a God in heaven who loves you, there is a devil from hell who hates you. He's a hateful, spiteful, wicked creature who opposes God and opposes anybody who follows God.

The Bible describes him like a roaring lion skulking about, seeking whom he may devour. Jesus summed it up this way. He said in John 10:10, "The thief," speaking of the devil, "comes only to steal, kill, and destroy." But in contrast, Christ says, "But I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly."

So the devil, he wants to stop you from following Jesus Christ. He wants to ruin your life. When you're being tempted, you ought to remember the words of the great evangelist Billy Sunday, who said, "Hell is the highest reward the devil can offer you for being a servant of his."

Wow. Hell is the highest reward. With that in mind, why would anybody ever give in to the temptations of the devil? Answer: Sin makes us stupid. I mean, think about it. Think about the people that you know that are intelligent individuals who've gone and done the craziest things under the sway and power of sin.

That's why we give into these things. So though the devil is powerful, don't forget this. God is way more powerful. Listen, the devil is not God's equal. God is the almighty creator of the universe. The devil, Lucifer, Satan, is a fallen angel. A powerful one, for sure.

But not anywhere near the equal of God. And the Bible reminds us that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. So God is more powerful than Satan, and God is bigger than your problem.

I want to tell you a story from the Bible, Mark chapter 5. I'd encourage you to turn over there with me right now. It's a story of a man who had been completely taken over by the power of the devil. A tortured, miserable, suicidal shell of a man in what appeared to be an absolutely hopeless situation. That is, until Jesus came along.

What we see in this man is the devil's package deal, if you will, that he has in store for any person who is in his grip. You see, the devil will start with just a foothold and then he'll take over. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile. And once he has you where he wants you, he'll chew you up and he'll spit you out.

Judas Iscariot is a classic example of this. One of the handpicked disciples of our Lord. But of course, we know that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. I guess that money looked pretty appealing to Judas, but then after the devil got what he wanted from Judas Iscariot, he kicked him to the curb like yesterday's garbage. So Judas found out the end result of doing the wrong thing.

The story before us illustrates these points and more. We see three forces at work in the text that we're going to be looking at. We see Satan, society, and the Savior. Or another way to look at it, we see chaos, culture, and then Christ.

Now as our story begins, we see that Jesus is on his way to reach this tragic man who had actually been taken over by the power of demons. Not one demon, not ten demons, but many demons, as it turns out.

So as Jesus is on his way, a storm comes on the Sea of Galilee, effectively sent by the devil to stop Jesus from reaching this man. But Christ would not be stopped. And it reminds us how God seeks us out, how God loves us.

Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had 100 sheep and one sheep went astray. And he left the 99 sheep and sought that one stray lamb and found it, wrapped it around his neck, and brought it back rejoicing. That's how Jesus is. He's going to reach that person. Like that tragic woman at the well from Samaria, who had ruined her life and Jesus had an appointment with her. Like little Zacchaeus, the tax collector who lived in Jericho. Jesus sought him out, and Jesus will not take no for an answer.

Years ago I was with my son Jonathan, who's now in his 30s, but then he was just a little guy, probably around five years old. So we were in a hotel and he loved to push the button. I'd let him do that. And so he'd always run ahead to get in the elevator. And so I said, "Wait for Dad, Jonathan."

And he ran ahead around a corner, and I come around the corner and just as I got to the elevator, the doors were closing with little Jonathan in there all by himself. Well, I almost had a heart attack. I'm pushing the button. By the way, when you push a button on an elevator over and over, it doesn't make it come faster, but it makes us feel better.

I'm pushing the button, pushing it, pushing it, pushing it. It seemed like an eternity. Finally the doors open. No Jonathan. Oh my God. So I get in the elevator, I go down to the lobby, I go to the front desk. "Excuse me though, ladies on the phone. Excuse me. I'm excuse me, sir. No, excuse me. I need to tell you." "Yes, yes, what is it?"

"My son got on the elevator and I don't know where he is. I need you to call security. I need you to call the police. I need SWAT in here. I need Delta Force. Help me find my boy." "Well, hold on one second, sir."

I run back to the elevator and I push every button on every floor. And as the elevator would go to the floor, the doors would open and I'd yell out his name. And after about five floors, the doors open and there he is. Oh man, I got him in there. I was so thankful to find him. But look, I was going to find my son. Nothing was going to stop me from locating him. I would have knocked on every door in that hotel until I found him. God is going to seek you out. He loves you. He cares about you. But the devil tries to stop Jesus from reaching this man.

Dave: Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

So many listeners have commented on the help they received from these daily messages. God's word ministers to them, and it often gets them through some of their darkest hours.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, my name is Anna. Two and a half years ago, I had a massive stroke and was fighting for my life. I spent several weeks in the ICU with my family by my side the entire time. Although I don't remember the first month in the ICU, my family told me how they played my favorite music along with your daily devotions because they knew I always listened to your messages.

The hospital staff saw that my room was filled with the worship music, your teachings, and prayer and petition from my family and friends. Apparently, even my anesthesiologist joined them in prayer before one of my procedures. Pastor Greg, thank you for your service to our Lord. God bless you.

Dave: 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 digs into today's text now as he brings us our message, "God is Bigger Than Your Problem." Let's listen.

Greg Laurie: Mark chapter 4, starting at verse 35. By the way, I'm reading from the New Living Translation.

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." You might underline that phrase. I'll come back to it. "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind and the other boats followed.

Soon a fierce storm came up and high waves were breaking into the boat and it began to fill with water. Look at verse 38. I love this. Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. I like that. He had a pillow. That's nice. He was comfortable. In the lower part of the boat as a storm is raging.

The disciples woke him up shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" Jesus woke up. He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence. Be still." Suddenly the wind stopped and there was a great calm. And then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have any faith?" And I love this last verse. The disciples were absolutely terrified, saying, "Who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him?"

Storms happen all the time on the Sea of Galilee. Apparently this was a pretty bad storm because the seasoned sailors themselves were freaking out. And then we find the Lord coming up on deck and stopping the storm. I wonder if I'm talking to somebody right now who's going through a storm.

And when I say a storm, I mean a hardship, a difficulty, perhaps even a tragedy. It's a big powerful storm and you feel like the disciples. You're saying to the Lord, "Lord, don't you care that I'm suffering? Don't you care that I'm in trouble right now? Are you even paying attention?"

Storms come into our lives as Christians. Sometimes God himself will send the storm, as in the case of Jonah, who was disobedient to God. The Lord called him to go and preach to the city of Nineveh and he said no. God said go. Jonah said no. God said oh. And God always has the last word. So you might say that Jonah was the original chicken of the sea.

Going in the wrong direction, running from God. What happened? The Lord sent a mighty storm. And of course, it was through that storm that God got the attention of Jonah. Sometimes we bring these storms on ourselves because of our disobedience. You might be in a situation right now where you're effectively reaping the consequences of your actions. The chickens have come home to roost, if you will, and you're saying, "Why is this happening to me?" You actually brought it on yourself.

So sometimes God will send a storm. Listen to this. Sometimes the devil will send a storm, as in the story before us. But God allows it. Sometimes we call on the Lord and he stops a storm, like the story before us. Other times the Lord sustains us through the storm. But know this, wherever you're at, your storm has a beginning, middle, and an end.

One more thing I would add. You're either pulling into a storm or you're coming out of a storm. There'll be another one coming. Just know that and please don't let that sound depressing. I hope it doesn't. Because Jesus is with you in your storms as well as when he is with you on your sunny days.

And the fact of the matter is you learn things in the midst of storms or hardships or trials that you will not learn anywhere else. And besides, there's no reason to panic. Why? Jesus said to the disciples in Mark 4:35, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake."

Now if Jesus had said, "Let's get on the boat and go into the middle of the lake and die," I probably would not have boarded that boat. But that's not what he said. He said, "Let's go to the other side of the lake." He did not promise smooth sailing, but he did promise a safe arrival. He promises the same to you right now. He never said life is going to be easy. He said, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." But he'll get you to the other side.

And ultimately for us as Christians, the other side is when we get to heaven. Let's go to the other side. He was on board. Listen to this. Better to be in a storm with Jesus than anywhere else without him.

You know, I find it interesting that the storm did not awaken Jesus from his sleep. I guess he was a deep sleeper. But the cry of the disciples did. They say in verse 38, "Don't you care that we're going to drown?" Does it ever seem to you as if God is sort of asleep? Well, in this sense, Jesus really was asleep.

Remember, he was fully God but he was fully man, and he was really exhausted and drained from the activities of the day. He really was asleep, but in a broader sense, God never sleeps. The Bible says he that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. So God's always aware of what you're going through.

But listen to this. In this storm, Satan was trying to stop Jesus, but he failed. By the way, when Jesus went out to the storm and said, "Peace, be still," it could better be translated, "Peace, be muzzled," as though he was talking to a crazy, aggressive, wild animal or a dog.

My wife and I were out walking the other day and we went into this one street and there's this big dog, no leash, and he's barking, kind of coming at us. And I kind of pushed her back, "Okay, let's not go down that street." I don't know what the owner was up to, but that dog was clearly saying, "This is my street."

You know, but it's not usually the big dogs that bite you. It's those little yappy dogs. Yeah, we recently, or a while ago I should say, were walking through another area of our neighborhood where there's this tiny little park. And we were walking on a little sidewalk and the lady was approaching with one of those small yappy little dogs.

And when I see a person with a dog, I always go around the dog. I don't trust them. They might bite. And sure enough, that dog bit Kathy in the ankle and it broke the skin. It was not a good thing. And it's always those yappy dogs. You know, why do they bite so much? Maybe they're just upset. "I'm little, I'm yappy, I'm not an attractive dog. Even a cat is better than me and they know it."

Like the little Chihuahuas, they're always shaking. Why are they shaking? Because they're thinking, "I'm not a rat. Don't feed me to a snake. I don't know." But she got bit by the park. And the funny thing is now whenever we walk near that park, I say, "Let's go through Dog Bite Park." So we've sort of memorialized it.

But look, Jesus was speaking to the power behind this storm, which was the devil, like a wild animal or an aggressive dog. Peace be still or peace be muzzled. Listen, when the devil has a person under his control, he's not going to give them up easily. He's sort of like a lion with a kill. Nothing's going to happen without a fight.

That's why it's so hard to get somebody to go to church with you. "Well, I don't know, I have other things to do." And the devil holds on to his prey. But again remember, God is more powerful than the devil and God is bigger than your problem.

So they come across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus has stopped the storm, and what is waiting for them on the other side? But a man who is possessed by demons. Turn now to Mark chapter 5. I'm going to read verses 1 through 9.

So they arrived at the other side of the lake in the region of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain.

Whenever he was put into chains and shackles, as he often was, he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. And day and night he wandered among the burial caves and the hills, howling and cutting himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus some distance away, the man saw him and ran to meet him and bowed before him. And with a shriek he screamed, "Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? In the name of God I beg you, don't torture me." And Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit." Wow. What a story.

This is downright spooky. A frightening, evil man with superhuman strength hanging around in a graveyard, screaming and howling. Another one of the gospel accounts tells us, if that wasn't enough, the guy was naked. So he's running around, nobody wanted to go near that graveyard. No one would want to go pay their respects to their loved ones who had passed. They might run into the crazy naked guy who broke chains.

And so everyone wrote this guy off. Man, he's out of his mind. He's under the power of the devil. And notice it says he cut himself. Isn't that interesting? You know, cutting or self-injury as it's sometimes called is becoming far more widespread among young people today. Kids cutting themselves with sharp objects like razor blades. And by the way, girls do it more often than boys.

At the end of my message, I'm going to tell you a story of one of these young people, a young girl named Nikki, who cut herself and was very despondent and what God did for her. How this guy ended up in this state where he's cutting himself and so tormented, we can only imagine. This man was dead spiritually.

The Bible says that we're dead in our trespass and our sin. The Bible also says that she that lives for pleasure is dead while she is living. You know, when guards will lead a condemned man down the prison hallway, they would call out the words, "Dead man walking. Dead man walking here." That's exactly who this guy was. He was a dead man walking.

Dave: A dramatic story today here on A New Beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie with a study from Mark 5 titled "God is Bigger Than Your Problem." And he'll have that final story for us in just a moment. So stay tuned.

Well, Pastor Greg just spoke about how people are dead spiritually. He said we're dead in our trespasses and sins. But you know, just a few verses later, the Bible says, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ." Have you been made alive with Christ? Pastor Greg, someone can come to the Lord right now, can't they?

Greg Laurie: That's right. You see, becoming a Christian, it doesn't take years, it doesn't take months, it doesn't take weeks. It doesn't even take hours. It can happen in a moment. The Bible describes it as turning from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.

But before that happens, the Bible says you need to have your eyes open. And here's the amazing thing. It's just like in a flash, a light goes on and you say, "This is all true." That's how it happened for me. I just heard the gospel and all of a sudden I realized this is all true. And maybe you've realized that as well.

Let me ask you. Would you like Jesus Christ to come into your life? Would you like him to forgive you of your sin? Would you like this relationship with God we've been talking about today? If so, why don't you just pray a simple prayer with me? You can pray it out loud if you like, but say this to God.

Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Jesus, I turn from my sin and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and Lord, as my God and friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer and I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Hey, did you just pray that prayer? If so, I want to send you at no charge what we call a New Believer's Bible. Here's Dave to tell you more. And let me just say congratulations. You've made the right decision.

Dave: Yeah, that's right. And to help you begin to live this new life, this life where you're at peace with God and can begin to enjoy the peace of God, let us send you Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's the perfect resource for someone who's new to the faith.

And again, we'll send it free of charge if you'll just contact us and request it. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to Harvest.org and click "Know God."

Well, Pastor Greg, we hear from listeners literally every single day and they confirm how this program is touching lives. In fact, take a listen to this comment.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg, thank you so much. For years I thought I was saved, but I come upon your message. I was in the gym working out and I was listening to one of your messages. And the message I was listening to was "Can You Lose Your Salvation?" And at the very end you said, "I'm going to ask you a question. Did you ever have it?"

And I went next door to the Walmart and I ran into my preacher and I told him what had happened and he said, "What do you want to do?" And I said, "I want to get saved." He said, "When?" I said, "Right here, right now." So I got saved in the produce section of Walmart because of your message.

And I thank you because for years I thought I was saved and I wasn't. And I got saved and I got baptized and for two years I've been living for Jesus. And I thank you. Thank you for all that you do. You're a great blessing to me. Thank you.

Greg Laurie: Wow. Wow, what a beautiful story. Just think how he was reached. How would you normally reach a guy like that? That is what I love about radio is you can reach unexpected people in unexpected places with the unexpected message of the gospel.

And here's a guy who thought he was saved, but actually he wasn't. And then he ran into his preacher. So the Lord orchestrated all of those circumstances. And this is just a reminder why we do what we do. And I have to be honest with you, this is what really motivates me to continue on doing what I do, hearing stories like this.

So I would encourage you to pray for us, but also to support us financially. In fact, some of you might even consider becoming a Harvest Partner. A Harvest Partner is someone who makes a commitment to support us on a regular basis financially. Every month they send a gift that we can depend on.

And the reason that matters is that helps us to consider new opportunities, to go to new places and reach new people like the gentleman we just heard from who committed his life to Jesus Christ at Walmart after hearing our broadcast. So prayerfully consider if you should become a Harvest Partner so we can continue to reach more people in more places.

Dave: That's right. You can call us and we'll help you become a Harvest Partner. Our number is 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 number, so call anytime. Again, 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to Harvest.org.

Well, next time, more of Pastor Greg's rich insights from this fifth chapter of the gospel of Mark. But before we go, Pastor Greg closes this way.

Greg Laurie: I mentioned earlier about how young people are cutting themselves and I received a letter a while ago from a young lady named Nikki who came to one of our Harvest Crusade events. And this is what she wrote. I'll just read it.

She says, "My life lately has been in the slumps. I was freaked out about school, I was having boyfriend trouble, I was stressed to the max. And to top it off, my family life hasn't been the greatest." So Nikki says, "I started to cut myself to cope with all of this. It was just hurting me more. I tried to stop but I was addicted."

How do you reach a young lady like that? She's at the Harvest Crusade hearing the gospel. She said, "I heard that Christ saves lives, so I decided to give it a chance. And after attending your service, I felt like my life has made a complete turnaround. I committed my life to Jesus and I decided to stop hurting myself.

At the time, I thought God would never forgive me for what I'd done to myself and all the sins I committed. But after hearing what Greg had to say, God opened my eyes." And Nikki concludes, "I'm now living my new life as a Christian."

Isn't that a great story? Am I talking to a young person like Nikki right now that's been cutting themselves? A young person that has a family that's falling apart? Am I talking to an older person that's lost hope in life? Whoever you are, wherever you are, God is bigger than your problem.