A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: I've heard people say, "I read 10 chapters from the Bible today!" Fantastic, which chapters were they? "I have no idea. I remember nothing." You'd be better off to read 10 verses with comprehension than 10 chapters without it.

Especially when we're working to reignite our faith, the purposeful study of God's word is imperative. So you read it, you think about it, you meditate on it. It's just getting back and doing those things we should have been doing all along.

Dave: We know we put on our socks before our shoes, and our shirt before our jacket. We all know that the order of things is important. Pastor Greg Laurie says a spiritual awakening will come to our culture after a spiritual revival comes upon the church.

God described that dynamic in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Today on A New Beginning, we're learning about the components that lead to revival among God's people. It's a part of Pastor Greg's enlightening series called Jesus Revolution.

Greg Laurie: I want to talk about prayer and revival because that's really what needs to happen. We need to start praying like we've never prayed before. It's interesting that one of the great awakenings that happened in America that I mentioned last time was what is called the prayer revival in New York City.

It started as a prayer meeting on Fulton Street in New York City, and it started very small. But then the stock market crashed, and everyone basically was freaking out and calling on God. When things are going well, we might say, "Well, we don't really need God all that much." Oh, trust me, we need God. We need God badly.

But maybe we're just not willing to realize how desperate the situation really is. Often in the Bible, lethargy, laziness, and sleep is used as a picture of a person that is complacent in their relationship with God. In Romans 13:11, it says it's more urgent right now. The day of the Lord is closer than it's ever been. Time is running out, so wake up because our salvation is so close.

God wants to send a revival. One person wrote it down this way, and I quote: "If all the sleeping people will wake up, if all the lukewarm people will fire up, if all the dishonest people will confess up, if all the disgruntled people will cheer up, if all the estranged people will make up, if all the gossipers will shut up, if all true soldiers will stand up, if the dry bones will shake up, if all the church people will pray up, then we can have a revival." I like that.

So here's point number one: if you want to see a revival, you need to confess your sin, humble yourself, and pray. You need to confess your sin, humble yourself, and pray. In a moment, we're going to look at a passage of scripture where that happened, where God's people began to pray like never before.

But there are things that can hinder our prayer life. The Bible says that if we have idols in our heart, the Lord will not listen to us. So what's an idol? Well, it can be anything. It could be a car, it could be a house, it could be your body, it could be some device that you have, a phone or whatever else. It could be a career, it could be so many things that you're more passionate about than God.

The idea of not having another God before Him is to make God number one in your life. The first commandment is to put God first and have no other gods before me. And then He says don't make any graven images. If we have an idol in our heart, God won't hear us.

Another thing that can hinder our prayer is unconfessed sin. Because the Bible says that if we have iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear us. So I think it's really important for us to confess our sin. In fact, that kind of brings us to the text I want to look at: Nehemiah chapter nine.

This is a story of a massive prayer meeting that happened. This prayer meeting took place after the people of Israel, who had been held captive in Babylon for 70 years, were free. Talk about idols, they were like in idol central. They were idols everywhere.

In fact, the reason they ended up in Babylon is the Israelites kept taking God for granted and turning to these stupid false gods. So the Lord said, "Okay, you guys want false gods and idols? I'll send you to a place where you have more than you can shake a stick at." After 70 years in Babylon, they were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

They were led by Nehemiah. After the walls were rebuilt and everybody was back in the land, a prophet-priest named Ezra gave a powerful message. After he was done speaking, the people prayed. Nehemiah 9:1-4 says, "On October 31st, the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads.

And those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. They remained standing in place for three hours while the book of the law of the Lord God was read aloud to them. And for three more hours, they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord."

That sounds like revival to me. So what did they do? They prayed with passion and they confessed their sin. The Bible says that if we will confess our sin, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We sin more than we think we do. Let me restate that: we sin more than we think we do. And so they confessed their sin.

Number two: they separated themselves from ungodly influences. Verse two says they separated themselves from all foreigners. Our modern context would be getting away from bad influences. We all know people that drag us down, don't we? And we all know people that pull us up.

Some people when you're with them, you're just a little bit closer to Jesus. They inspire you to be a more godly person. Other people, they're always mocking you, challenging you, arguing with you, pushing back on anything you say regarding your faith. You need to think about who you hang out with.

I'm not suggesting you only hang out with Christians because how can we lead people to Christ if we don't hang out with non-believers? But at the same time, the Bible says that we are to flee youthful lusts and follow faith, righteousness, and peace along with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Find godly people, hang out with godly people. When I was a young Christian, just a kid like some of you are, I hung out with a lot of older people. I knew some people my age, but I found people that were old enough to be my parents who could be good role models for me so I could learn how to be a more godly version of me. I'd recommend you do the same thing.

Thirdly, they heard God's word and they acted on it. That was after three hours of listening to the word. And by the way, when we listen to the word of God, it's not for us to pick and choose what parts we like and what parts we don't like.

Some people will edit things out. They'll say things like, "My God would never say that about a person. My God is all loving and my God..." Well, I don't know who your God is, but He may not be the God of the Bible. He might be just a figment of your imagination.

There's only one God and He reveals Himself in the scripture. He says, "Lo, in the volume of the book I have come. It is written of me." So you want to know again the mind of God, the nature of God, the will of God, open this book. In fact, everything you need to know about God is found in the Bible. You don't need to look anywhere else.

Jesus said, "You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you." He didn't say, "You're my friends if you do whatsoever you agree with, or whatsoever you find easy, or whatsoever is culturally cool." He said, "You're my friends if you do whatsoever I command you."

So it's very important for us to understand the Bible is a package deal, as is the Christian life, and we do it God's way or we're not doing it the right way. Do what God tells you to do. Listen to what God told Joshua in Joshua one. He says, "Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you.

Don't deviate from them, turning to the right or the left." Then God says you'll be successful in everything you do. Study this book continuously. Meditate on it day and night so you'll be sure to obey everything written in it, and then you will prosper and succeed in all that you do.

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

Greg Laurie: Hey everybody, you can watch our Sunday services on a special broadcast that we call Harvest at Home. It's streaming on the Harvest Plus platform. So download that app right away, Harvest Plus, and you can enjoy being a part of our extended church family every Sunday.

Dave: And now Pastor Greg continues his message "Prayer and Revival" from his series Jesus Revolution. We're looking together today at Nehemiah chapter nine.

Greg Laurie: Do you know what it means to meditate in the word? It means to chew something over. This is a gross analogy, but I'll use it. You know how cows chew their cud? They chew, then they swallow, then they regurgitate it.

They figure if it was good last time, they'll have it again. And it's a warm meal, too, by the way. But they chew it over. They chew, chew, chew, chew. That's how we should study the word of God. Not regurgitate it, but read it, contemplate it, ponder it.

We use the word meditation in an Eastern sense—it means to empty your mind. When you use the word meditate in a biblical sense, it means to fill your mind. But it's not just jamming as many chapters in it that you can get in there.

I've heard people say, "I read 10 chapters from the Bible today!" Fantastic, which chapters were they? "I have no idea. I remember nothing." You'd be better off to read 10 verses with comprehension than 10 chapters without it.

So you read it, you think about it, you chew it over, you meditate on it, you consider it throughout the day. This is not rocket science on how to be a strong and growing Christian. Revival doesn't have to be overly mystical. It's just getting back and doing those things we should have been doing all along.

Here's a really interesting statement from a man that worked very closely with the great evangelist known as D.L. Moody. This guy was named R.A. Torrey. Back in those days, they liked to use initials instead of names. So R.A. Torrey, who worked with D.L. Moody, made this statement.

He says, "I can give a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or any community or any city on earth. Number one: let a few Christians—it doesn't have to be many—get thoroughly right with God. Again, let a few Christians get thoroughly right with God."

He says this is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest I say will come to nothing. "Number two: let them bind themselves together in a prayer group and pray for revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. Number three: let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ."

Then he says, "That's it. That is all. It's sure to bring a revival to any church or any community. I've given this prescription around the world. It's been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed. It cannot fail."

So, "I need a revival, Lord, send a revival." Well, why don't you just do the things we just talked about? Remember from where you have fallen, repent, do the first works quickly, as I said earlier. Get right with God. Pray with others.

Pray for revival until you see it in your life, in your family's life. We don't have to worry about the whole planet or even the whole nation. Let revival start with you. Let it start in your home. Let it start in your life. The Jesus Revolution starts right here in my heart. It starts in you, starts in me.

Ask God to use you to win others to Christ. When's the last time you shared your faith? You just start doing those things alone and I think you'll be surprised by what God will do in your life. God gives us a choice in Deuteronomy 30:19.

He says, "I've set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life that you and your descendants may live." You decide what your life is going to be like. You can't control the circumstances of life. I wish we could, trust me.

But we can't. But I can control the decisions I make in life. I can't control what happens to me, but I can control how I react to it, right? So every morning when I get up, I have decisions to make, choices to make.

I went to the Cheesecake Factory the other day. Their menu is too big. I was overwhelmed. I thought, "Come on, there's too many versions of chicken. There's like pages of chicken, chicken." That's why I like Chick-fil-A.

It's just chicken sandwich, spicy chicken sandwich, fries, the end. Goodbye. Simple, straightforward. Same with In-N-Out. We make choices and then our choices make us. If we make the right choices, we'll live a blessed life.

Not a pain-free life, not a trouble-free life, but we'll live a blessed life. And Jesus will be with us walking through it, through thick and thin and sunny days and stormy nights.

But listen, all these things I'm saying, these are for people that have put their faith in Jesus. And I wonder if you've done that. What we care about more than anything else is our relationship with God.

And I wonder if some of you have joined us here and you would say to yourself, "I don't really know God in this way." The thing that got me to believe in Jesus—before anyone talked to me, and actually no one ever invited me to church.

No one even invited me to the Christian meeting where I ended up getting saved on a high school campus. What drew me to that meeting were Christians that loved Jesus, and I thought they were crazy. But I wanted to know why they were crazy.

So I went and sat at a distance so I could figure out why I didn't have to be bothered by them anymore. I ended up hearing the gospel in a way I understood for the first time, and that is the day I believed in Jesus Christ.

I heard for the first time in a way I understood that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was sent from heaven to earth to die on the cross for my sin. Because I broke God's commandments and we've all fallen short of God's glory, and I was told if I would turn from my sin and believe in Him, I could start this new relationship with God.

The statement that really got my attention is when the guy who was speaking said, "Jesus said you're either for me or against me. You're with me or you're opposed to me." I looked around at the Christians and I thought, "Well, I'm not one of them. Does that mean I'm against Jesus?"

I don't want to be against Him, but I didn't even know I could be for Him and know Him. This was all new to me. And then he said, "If you want to ask Jesus in your life, I'm going to ask you to pray a prayer with me."

And I did it, and that was the day I became a Christian. A long time ago, 1970. That is really long ago, isn't it? But ever since that day, from 17 to today, Jesus has been faithful to me. Jesus has been there for me.

Jesus has made Himself even more real to me. And I want that to happen for you. Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the dead is here with us right now. And He says, "I stand at the door and I knock, and if you'll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in."

I wonder if there's someone here or someone listening who has not yet opened the door of their life to Jesus, but they would like to do it. He wants to come into your life. He wants to forgive you of your sin.

But only you can open the door of your life and ask Him to come in. In a moment, we're going to pray, and I'm going to extend an invitation similar to the one that was extended on my high school campus for you to believe in Jesus Christ, for you to be forgiven of your sin, for you to start this relationship with God and have your own Jesus Revolution. Let's all pray.

Father, I pray for every person here, every person watching or listening, wherever they may be, help them to see their need for You. Help them to come to You, help them to believe in You, we pray. Amen.

Dave: Pastor Greg Laurie with an important word of prayer. If you'd like to make that kind of change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg would like to help you with that, and he'll do so before today's edition of A New Beginning concludes. Please stay with us.

Also, don't forget this moment in history gave birth to the film called Jesus Revolution. It's actually Pastor Greg's own personal story, set against the backdrop of the Jesus movement. It's now available for streaming on many platforms.

Pastor Greg, you spoke today about having a relationship with the Lord. Someone can enter into that kind of relationship with God right now, can't they?

Greg Laurie: Yes, they really can. That's the amazing thing. I think people are surprised that it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months, it doesn't take weeks, it doesn't take days, it doesn't even take hours.

You can believe on the spot. There's a story in the Book of Acts of a jailer who cruelly mistreated the Apostle Paul and also Silas. There was a moment where he saw his need for Jesus Christ, and he asked this question: "What do I need to do to be saved?"

Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." And right there, that man believed. It can happen in seconds. Would you like it to happen to you? Would you like to have Christ live inside of you?

Would you like to know with assurance that when you die, you will go to heaven? I'll tell you what, it can happen right now because God, He's only a prayer away. I would like to lead you in a prayer where you can ask for His forgiveness, a prayer where you can receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord.

So if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want a second chance in life, if you want to go to heaven when you die, stop what you're doing and pray this prayer with me. In fact, if you like, you could even pray it out loud. As I pray, you pray after me these words.

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin, and I turn from it now. I choose to follow You from this moment forward as Savior and Lord, as God and friend. Thank You for loving me and calling me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Dave: Amen. Listen, if you have just prayed those words with Pastor Greg, the Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin. The Bible says Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We'd like to send you an important resource to help you begin to live this new life. It's Pastor Greg's own New Believer's Bible. Scores of people have been helped by this easy-to-understand version of the Bible and all the helps Pastor Greg includes for new believers.

Just ask for it, and we'll send it to you free of charge if you prayed for the first time today with Pastor Greg. Call us anytime at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org and click "Know God".

Pastor Greg, we hear from people all the time who tell us how these daily studies have impacted their lives. So many have found the Lord and been encouraged through this teaching.

Greg Laurie: Yes, it's really true, Dave. Even a little bit helps. People need to hear the gospel so badly. They need to hear the teaching of the word of God. It changes everything because it changes us. And I'm so passionate about it, and I'm called to do it, and I'm thankful for it, but I can't do it alone.

So I'm going to ask folks that are listening, if you think more people need to hear the gospel, if you believe more people need to hear the teaching of the word of God, then prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries and maybe even become a Harvest Partner, which means you're someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving, and that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us. So thanks for that.

Dave: Yes, that's right, and we really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org.

Next time, an enlightening discussion about matters of the end times as Pastor Greg invites Bible scholar Don Stewart to join him. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.