A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Here's what people are looking for that don't know the Lord. They're looking for someone who is real. You don't need a PhD to share Christ effectively. Pastor Greg Laurie says, if you follow Christ, you can show someone else how to follow Christ.

If you're just religious and pious and holier than thou, you're not going to reach anyone. But if you can be real and authentic, and you just seek to be the best follower of Jesus you possibly can be, you will reach people.

Music: 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

Greg Laurie: They say the best form of advertising is word of mouth. When one person tells another about his experience, it's very persuasive. Well, that form of expression was around long before Madison Avenue brought it to radio and TV.

The Lord invited us to tell others what He's done for us. And today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie shows us what we can learn on this issue from the prophet who ran from God, Jonah.

We'll see when Jonah finally turned around, so did an entire city.

Music: This is the day, the day when life begins

Greg Laurie: It was a beautiful day at the beach in Nineveh, I suppose. People were laying in the sun, catching some rays, living large. A couple kids building a sandcastle, a few people splashing around in the ocean. They didn't have a care in the world.

Financially, they lived in a city that was extremely prosperous, militarily, without peer, and they lived wicked, sinful lives, and they flaunted it. They seemed to be living in an impregnable fortress, they didn't have a care in the world.

So they're kicking back at the beach, and this large object starts moving toward them in the water. One thought, is that a boat? What is that thing? It's moving so quickly. And it gets closer, and it's a massive sea creature that comes up to the beach, opens its mouth, and belches out what looks like a human being.

Out pops Jonah, covered in seaweed, skin probably bleached from the gastric juices, steam coming off of him. I'm sure some flies came over very quickly. And he stood up and said, "40 days, and Nineveh will be overthrown." Talk about an entrance.

And that is where our story begins, here in the book of Jonah. Jonah chapter 2 verse 10 says, "The Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."

So, we all know the story. In case you don't know what leads up to this point, of course, he was called to go preach to the Ninevites, he flat out refused, because they were the enemies of Israel, and he was afraid that God would spare them, and he was hoping God instead would judge and destroy them. So instead of going to Nineveh, he got on a boat, going in the opposite direction.

The storm came that was sent by the Lord, and then he was swallowed by this beast. Now, we say a whale, it may have been a whale, it could have been a sperm whale, it's large enough to swallow a human. Giant squid have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales, but it may have been a creature that is now extinct, it may have been a custom-designed watercraft, for the moment, it really doesn't matter.

As I've said before, there's only three verses in the book of Jonah about the fish. But that's what everyone seems to focus on. The story of Jonah is not the story of a guy who got swallowed by a fish, as much as it is a story of a man that God used to bring a revival to a city of around a million people.

In fact, that fish, that whale, whatever the heck it was, really saved his life, because if he would have stayed in that storm out on the water, he would have surely died. And by the way, he's not the first guy who had his life saved by a sea creature.

I just read this article, I don't know how I had not come across this before, it was the year 2000. A young man named Kevin Hines, 19 years old, was so despondent, he decided to take his life. He was on a bus crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Kevin Hines ran to the side of the bridge and jumped over, falling to the water below.

A free fall reaching 75 miles per hour, and he hit on impact, and that was 240 feet in four seconds. You get a sense of how high the Golden Gate Bridge is. Now, people jump off the Golden Gate Bridge on a fairly regular basis, and nobody survives it.

But this guy hits the water, and he's still alive. And he said in an article, "I, when I resurfaced, I was trying to stay afloat," but he had lost the use of his legs. And he thought, "I'm going to drown." And he says, "As I'm bobbing down on the water, I was saying to God, 'I don't want to die, I've made a mistake.'"

Sounds a little bit like Jonah. Because it was in the belly of the beast, the aquatic creature that Jonah cried out to God, and it was in the cold waters of the ocean that Kevin Hines called out to God. And what happened next is absolutely amazing. He saw some kind of a creature circling below him, going around and around, and he thought it was a shark. He thought, "If things aren't bad enough, now I've got a shark."

And he's literally punching at this creature, and the creature bumped him up a little bit, and it went around in a circle and bumped him up again, and kept bumping him, keeping him on the surface, and that creature was a sea lion. So, the sea lion came through for Kevin Hines, and then a rescue boat came, and he got pulled into the boat and he survived it, now he's telling his story, and thankful to God, I'm sure, that he's still alive.

So, hey, Jonah and the whale, Kevin and the sea lion. You never know what the Lord will use, right? So, Jonah encountered God in the belly of that creature, and now it was time to take care of some unfinished business, which was to go to Nineveh and warn them of the impending judgment.

So Jonah 3 verse 1 says, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.'" And as I already said, what resulted was the largest revival in biblical history. Speaking of the Golden Gate Bridge, it's a part of San Francisco. The population of San Francisco is around a million people.

So, to give you a sense of scale, back in these days, they didn't have cities of this size generally. This was an anomaly. So it would be as though the entire population of San Francisco repented of all of their sins and turned to God. That's what happened here in Nineveh. So I want to talk a little bit about the message that Jonah preached.

In Jonah chapter 3, starting in verse 3. "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim the message that I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city. It took three days to go through it, and Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city, crying out, "40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown."

Now, I want you to notice, this is a very specific message entrusted to him by God. And if we're honest, we would say initially, it seemed like kind of a hopeless message, right? "40 days, and Nineveh will be overthrown." "40 days and you guys are dead meat." But actually that was not really what the message was about.

It was a warning. You have 40 days to get it together. You have 40 days to turn to God. You have 40 days to change your ways and to repent. There's a promise given by God that we've quoted many times that can result in revival. And it's 2 Chronicles 7:14, where God says, "If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I'll hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

Well, these people, as we'll see in a moment, ultimately turned from their wicked ways, and God forgave them. So this is point number one if you're taking notes about the message he was bringing. Number one, our message must be delivered with urgency. Our message must be delivered with urgency.

You know, there are some messages that are not urgent, and there are other messages that are. If your child is going into the street and a car is approaching, and you yell, "Stop!" you'll yell with urgency because their life depends on it. We can think of other things that would have an urgency to them as well.

A verse 4 of Jonah 3 says, "He cried out." He cried out. He cried it out. Not just, "Hey, dudes, 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown." No, it was like, "40 days, and Nineveh will be overthrown." By the way, that's not the first time he cried. He also cried in the belly of the fish. Jonah 2 says, "Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly." And he said, "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and he answered me, out of the belly of hell, I cried, and you heard my voice."

Listen, when you're going through times of affliction, the best thing you can do is cry out to the Lord. And sometimes we don't even know what to say. We get bad news, someone or something is a threat to us, something is alarming us, and sometimes the best thing to do is just say, "Oh, Jesus. Jesus. Jesus, help me." And that's what he did.

He cried out to the Lord. Jeremiah 33:3, God says, "Call out to me, and I will answer you. I'll show you great and mighty things which you do not know." So he took this same desperation he felt in the belly of this fish, where God forgave him and gave him a second chance, and he carried it with him as he spoke to these people. This was a man who had been transformed.

Jonah was a resurrection man. He should have been dead. No way should you survive sitting in the gut of some whale or fish for three days and three nights. And actually Jesus used the story of Jonah to illustrate his own death. He says, "As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of Man, speaking of himself, be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

And so Jesus is, first he's validating the story of Jonah, by the way. And then secondly, he's using it to talk about resurrection, his own resurrection, that he would rise again from the dead. Jonah was a resurrection man, and people knew it. He should have been dead, but instead, he was alive. And you know what? If you've encountered Jesus Christ, you too are a resurrection person.

And you know, here's what people are looking for that don't know the Lord. They're looking for someone who is real. If you're just religious, and pious, and holier than thou, you're not going to reach anyone. But if you can be real and authentic, and when you make a mistake, you admit you made a mistake, and and you just seek to be the best follower of Jesus you possibly can be, you will reach people.

It was A.W. Tozer, a great author from days gone by, who made this statement, and I quote, "The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice, a voice from God, not an echo of what others are doing and saying, but an authentic voice." End quote. Jonah was an authentic voice, he was a resurrection man. He was a man who should have been dead, who was alive again, and wasn't afraid to talk about it, and people could see it in him.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We really enjoy hearing when Pastor Greg's teaching and preaching touches lives.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg, I want to thank you for leading me to Christ over the radio back in 2007. I was a meth addict at the time and could see my life ending soon because of the addiction. God used you that morning as I listened on the radio. As I prayed the sinner's prayer along with you, instantly I knew that I was set free. Since then, I've studied God's word and have never turned back to drugs. God's presence means everything to me and I consider myself a living miracle. Thank you, Pastor Greg, for your faithfulness.

Guest (Male): If you have a story to share, why not call us and give us all the details? Here's the number: 1-866-871-1144. 866-871-1144.

Guest (Male): Well, today Pastor Greg is talking about how authentic Jonah was after his encounter with the great fish, authentic and passionate about reaching people with God's message. We're learning some important lessons about that today in one of our most requested studies.

Greg Laurie: Number two, our message must be clear and definite. Anyone could understand this message. "40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown." A child can understand this message. I've had pastors say to me before who have been to our crusades and they'll say afterwards, "I'm kind of surprised people responded." And I'll say, "Well, really why?" "Your message was so simple." Exactly! That was intentional.

Did you know it actually takes more work to prepare a simple, understandable message than it does to prepare one that is complex and over the heads of people? And what good is that, by the way? You got to go to where people are and share things that people can understand. And I work extra hard on those messages because I want it to be so streamlined, so simple, if someone chooses to reject it, it's not because they didn't understand it, it's because they chose to not believe it.

It's not simplistic, but it's simple. And after all, did not Jesus say that if you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, you must become as a little child? Number three, our message should be authoritative. Jonah brought an authoritative message. No apologies, just proclamation.

"This is the truth. I'm not apologizing for the truth. I'm not candy-coating the truth. I'm not editing the truth. I'm not adding on to, nor am I taking away from the truth. Here it is. This is the message God gave me. 40 days, and Nineveh will be overthrown." I've got to deliver that message. So we have a real simple message too, by the way.

It's not for us to add to it or to take away from it. There's actually explosive power in the simple message of the Gospel. Paul even says it's the power of God unto salvation to the person who believes. Our message is simply there's no other name given under heaven, whereby a man can be saved, except through Jesus Christ.

That's the message we need to proclaim just like Jonah proclaimed. And I want you to notice, he gave an authoritative message and he had a wonderful response. Look what it says here in Jonah 3:5, "They believed his message." It doesn't say they believed Jonah, they believed his message. They believed the message that God gave to him. Why? Because there's power in the message that we bring. There's no power in my personal message.

There's no power in my horrible jokes. Don't laugh because that was an affirmation, they're horrible. No, there's no power in my illustrations. There's no power in anything I bring, but there's power in the word of God. And that's why we always open up the word of God. Otherwise, why would I want to waste your time?

No, we believe the power is in God's word. He promises it will not return void, it will prosper in the place that he sends it. Okay, so Jonah brought his message, covered in vomit, flies following him everywhere, I think. He gives it faithfully, the people hear, how did it go over? I'd say pretty well.

Look at Jonah chapter 3 verse 5. "The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow." And when the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, "He stepped down from his throne, took off his royal robes, and dressed himself in burlap, and sat on a heap of ashes. And then the king sent nobles with a decree through the city, saying, 'Not one person, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all the violence.'"

"Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us." Now look at this, "When God saw what they had done, how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened."

If God could bring a mighty revival in Nineveh with no better representative than Jonah, and no more Gospel than he preached in their streets, surely God can do the same thing for America. I mean, if God could use a knucklehead like this, with a message like that, to have such an impact, surely he can use you, and surely he can use me with the life-changing message of the Gospel.

We throw that word around a lot, Gospel, Gospel, Gospel. What is the Gospel? Definition: good news. But before I can fully appreciate the good news, I need to know the bad news. The bad news is, I'm a sinner, I've broken God's commandments, I fall short of God's standards. I could never live a good enough life to get to heaven.

But the good news is, is 2,000 years ago God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in my place and pay for all of my sins. And if I'll turn from that sin and put my faith in Jesus, I can be forgiven. Isn't that a great thing to know? And we need to share this because you can be a resurrection man.

And you can be a resurrection woman. You have a story to tell, just like Jonah did. God raised you from the dead. Now, some of us lived more crazy lives than others, right? Some of us were into things that, well, it's kind of embarrassing to talk about some of the things we were into, but we were. Others not as bad, but the bottom line is we were all sinners.

And we were all spiritually dead. And we all needed Jesus, right? And Jesus saved us. So that's your message. So be the resurrection man, be the resurrection woman, and go into your world, go into your sphere of influence and tell them, "Let a Jonah get right with God and the entire city of Nineveh gets saved."

How about your city? How about your family? How about your neighborhood? How about your campus? How about your work site? How about your world? You can go into that world and you can make a difference you've never imagined before. But let me just close by saying this, that this message that we're proclaiming is here for anybody who wants to believe it, here.

Because there might be some of you that have never asked God to forgive you of your sin. Maybe you like Jonah have been running from God. You think God's out to ruin your life. You think if you become a real Christian, you'll never have fun again. It's just going to be boredom, layered upon boredom, with a little more boredom measured in.

No, no, nothing could be further from the truth. The deepest, greatest, most fulfilling life there is is a life where one has a relationship with God. Don't settle for the devil's cheap substitutes. God has the real thing you've been looking for all along. Jesus Christ died on that cross for you. He rose again from the dead.

And he's here with us right now, standing at the door of our life and he is knocking, and he is saying if you'll hear his voice and open the door, he will come in. So I ask you in closing, have you asked him to come into your life? And if not, would you like to? We're going to pray in a moment, and I'm going to extend an invitation for anybody here that does not yet know God in a personal way.

If you're not sure that you'll go to heaven when you die, that can change for you tonight. He's just a prayer away. He's ready to forgive you of any sin you've ever committed. So if you need to get right with God, or if you're a prodigal son or daughter and you need to come back to the Lord again, here's an opportunity to do it. Let's all bow our heads and pray. Father, speak to every heart now, of every person here, and every person who's watching.

If they don't know you yet, Lord, help this be the moment they believe and come to you. And I ask this now, in Jesus name. Amen.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer today here on A New Beginning. And if you'd like to make a change in your relationship with God, Pastor Greg would like to help you with that in just a moment. So please stay tuned. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions? They're a great way to start your day with extra insight and inspiration. Sign up for his devotions today at harvest.org.

Guest (Male): Well, Pastor Greg, a few moments ago, you spoke of the need to get our hearts right with God.

Greg Laurie: Right.

Guest (Male): Could you help someone who wants to do that right now?

Greg Laurie: Yes, I'd be delighted to. Listen, as you've listened to this program today, maybe something's been happening inside of your heart where you're sensing, "I need to do this personally, but how do I do it and what do I do?" Let me help you. It's very simple. In fact, it's so simple, you may be shocked.

God, this relationship with Him is just a prayer away. The Bible says if you will call upon the name of the Lord you'll be saved. So, I'd like to lead you in a prayer where you do just that. You call on the name of the Lord. You know, sometimes when I'm talking with someone one-on-one and they want to accept Jesus Christ, I'll have them pray a prayer after me.

Maybe you'd like to do that right now. Thousands have done this over the years listening to our broadcast and the Lord has changed their lives. And it can happen for you right now. This can be the moment where you change your eternal address literally from hell to heaven. I'll pray a simple prayer, and I would just ask you to pray this prayer out loud, if you like, after me. Just pray these words.

"Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for me, and rose again from the dead. Jesus, I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In your name I pray, Amen." I know, it's such a simple, short prayer. But you just called on the name of the Lord. And you know what? He heard that prayer. And if you meant that prayer in your heart, he answered that prayer.

Now let me help you to get started on the right foot in your new life in Jesus Christ. The greatest adventure awaits you, the life of walking with God. I want to send you what we call a New Believer's Growth Pack. What is that? Well, first of all, it's a copy of the new, New Believer's Bible. And by that I mean we have redone this from ground level up. I've rewritten the notes.

And it's a New Living Translation with a lot of notes on how to grow spiritually woven through this unique edition of scripture. So I'll send you the New Believer's Pack that includes the New Believer's Bible and a whole lot more. And let me be the first to say to you, "Congratulations, and welcome to the family of God."

Guest (Male): And to get that free New Believer's Bible, along with the other items in our Growth Pack, just let us know you prayed along with Pastor Greg to receive Christ today. We'll be glad to send our New Believer's Growth Pack your way. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. Call any time, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God.

Guest (Male): You know, 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: That's right.

Guest (Male): And we hope our listeners might pray about making an investment so these studies can continue.

Greg Laurie: Yeah, it's really true, Dave. You know, and even a little bit helps. You know, 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 that 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.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And we really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us any time, day or night, at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, another of Pastor Greg's most requested messages. Number six in our top 10. A candid study of the judgment waiting for those who don't come to Christ. It's information we've got to know. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.

Music: This is the day, the day when life begins