A New Beginning

Dave Dane: Wherever we are, whatever we're doing, temptation seems to find us. Coming up today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us with our escape plan.

Greg Laurie: Every temptation can be resisted and overcome. Every temptation. The Bible says, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he'll receive the crown of life." The word "blessed" could be translated "happy." You're happy when you overcome temptation.

Dave Dane: In the Lord's Prayer, we read, "Lead us not into temptation," and we certainly don't want to go down that path. But haven't you found that sometimes temptation comes up the path and finds us? Temptation is pervasive; it's ubiquitous. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us dissect temptation. We'll trace its roots all the way back to the Garden of Eden as Pastor Greg offers some good biblical insights on how to stop Satan's attacks right in their tracks.

Greg Laurie: I heard about a pastor who was taking over a church. He didn't really know anybody there yet. On the Saturday before that Sunday, he decided to go meet people in the congregation. He met a few folks and he came to the home of one of his congregants. He knocked on the door and there was no answer. He knocked again, still no answer. He knocked one more time. He left his business card with his name on it and he wrote down Revelation 3:20, which says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in."

The next day was Sunday and someone took that card the pastor gave to them and gave it to an usher to give back to the pastor. The pastor looked at the card and they too had written a scripture reference. They wrote down Genesis 3:10, which says, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself." We'll actually get to that verse in this message today among others. We've looked at the creation of all things. Now we're looking at the story of Adam and Eve's sin against God in the Garden of Eden. We're reading about the creation of men and women.

In Genesis 2, Moses zooms in from the cosmos to the Garden of Eden. This new section of Genesis deals with the relationship between God and man. Let's read together Genesis 2, verse 7. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

The word "breathed" is interesting in verse 7. It's warmly personal. God was face-to-face with man. With the intimacy of a kiss or a little puff of air, God brings man to life. Now drop down to verse 15. "Then the Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.'"

Eden means delight. The very name Eden is used synonymously with names and phrases like Camelot, Atlantis, Utopia, or Shangri-La. We might think of Eden as a fictitious place, but it was a real place that God placed Adam in in this garden of absolute delight. It was a paradise beyond anything you could imagine. Think of the most beautiful places you've ever been to. Eden was that and much more, handmade by God himself, untouched by sin. It was literally perfect. Adam had the coolest job of all time. He was the gardener in the Garden of Eden.

His job was to discover what the Lord had made, to enjoy what God had created, and to tend to this garden. But something was missing in Adam's life. More specifically, it wasn't a something, it was a someone. Adam didn't know that yet because he had not yet met the someone, but here she comes. Genesis 2, verse 18: "The Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper comparable to him.'"

Drop down to verse 21. "The Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and as he slept, he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, he made into a woman and he brought her to the man. Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh.' And they were both naked, the man and the woman, and they were not ashamed."

Adam and Eve are in perfect paradise, living the dream. It can't get any better than this, surrounded by beauty and the most amazing wildlife. All the animals are docile and tame, and they have the greatest food to eat. It is so good. But there was trouble in paradise. Enter the devil. Genesis 3, verse 1: "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, you will not eat of every tree of the garden?'"

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and desirable to make one wise, she took of the fruit and she ate. She gave it to her husband with her, and he ate.

The eyes of both of them were opened and they knew they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" Adam said, "I heard your voice in the garden, but I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself."

Now we see how the devil seeks to attack and undermine us. We see his four waves of attack that he uses over and over again. He comes as a snake, a talking snake. Did other animals talk at this time before the fall? I don't know, but that would be kind of cool, having conversations with different animals. He comes as a snake, and snakes are interesting creatures. When I was a young boy, I was an avid collector of snakes. I had boas, pythons, king snakes, and gopher snakes. I went out and caught snakes.

Snakes are not expressive creatures. They're cold-blooded. Snakes don't show affection like a dog. Dogs are so affectionate; they want to be with you. You know when a dog is happy or sad. Cats are more mysterious, filled with murderous thoughts. They might occasionally lick you with their little weird sandpaper tongue. Even with a cat, you can read them to a certain degree, though they're a bit more mysterious than dogs. But with reptiles, snakes in particular, you don't know if they're just looking around or if they're going to strike at you. It's hard to tell. They're very clever and sly, and the devil is compared in the Bible to a snake.

I read a sad story about a large python that ate a Chihuahua. A family had a snake that was their pet that slithered around the home. They also had a Chihuahua. What could go wrong? One day they found the snake in the Chihuahua's bed. That should have been their first warning that trouble was coming to the Chihuahua. One morning, the kids got up and went into the front room and there was the snake finishing off the Chihuahua. If a snake is in your pet's bed, trouble is going to follow. Sometimes we think we can handle a temptation or control a vice, and it won't get the better of us. Next thing you know, you're in trouble. That's how the devil works. He's subtle.

He questioned the word of God. "Did God really say what you thought he said?" Satan uses the name for God found in the first chapter of Genesis, Elohim. "Did Elohim really say?" But remember, the Lord introduced himself as Yahweh, a more personal name. "Hey, did Elohim really say what you thought he said?" Satan also questioned the love of God. If God really loved you, he'd let you do whatever you want. No, he loved you too much to let you do whatever you want.

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

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

Dave Dane: 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. Today, Pastor Greg is showing us the pivotal moment in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the picture, provoked by temptation from our spiritual adversary. We continue now.

Greg Laurie: The devil's primary objective is to separate you from God through sin. He'll always be looking for ways to do that. Once he succeeds and you take the bait he offers, then he'll come and condemn you. That's why he's called the accuser of the brethren. He will tempt you and then condemn you for giving in to his temptation. He'll say things like, "Don't read the Bible now, that would be hypocritical. Don't you dare go to church." When we've sinned, we think we can't go to church after what we did this week.

What do you think the church is? Think of the church like a hospital. Think of the church like a place that you go to get better. As I've often said, the church is not a museum for saints; it's a hospital for sinners. The devil will try to keep you from church, from God's people, from opening the Bible, and from praying. Don't listen to him. But that's what the devil does. "Did God really say what you thought he said?" He introduces the assumption that God's word is subject to our judgment.

We shouldn't question if we really want to listen to what God said in his word, but people do this all the time. They'll say, "I'm a Christian and I love the Lord, but I don't know if I agree with this part of the Bible because my God would never send a person to hell for living in rebellion against him and outside of his plan," or "My God thinks thus and so." Listen, I don't know who your God is, but he's not the God of the Bible.

Someone once asked me, "What do you do when you come to a verse in the Bible you don't agree with?" My response was, "Change your opinion because you're wrong." You want to make sure you've correctly interpreted that verse in context, but having said that, the Bible is the source of all truth. We believe this, but the devil attacks the word of God. What he is implying is that God is holding you away from something good.

If God really loved you, he'd let you do whatever you want. Why would he restrict you? Why would he say you can't eat of this tree? God's holding you back from this thing because in the day you eat of it, you will be like a god yourself. You'll be a goddess, knowing good and evil. He's a liar. If God tells you not to do something, it's for your own good. God gives his commandments—you shall not lie, you shall not steal, you shall not take the Lord's name in vain, you shall honor your mother and father.

Live by these standards and principles because these are walls of protection keeping evil out. We think God is caging us in, but the opposite is true. Years ago, we had a German Shepherd. One day I looked out the window and saw him staring at something in the grass. It was a brightly colored little finch. I walked out into the backyard and realized it looked like someone's pet bird. I put my index finger down, and this bird hopped right onto my finger.

I walked into the kitchen and said, "Kathy, look what I found in the backyard. A beautiful little bird." She was cooking at that moment. I said, "Look at this bird." We threw the bird in and we ate it—no, that didn't happen. I made that up just to keep your attention. Where did this bird come from? It had to be someone's pet. Jonathan, who was a little boy then, said, "There's a kid down the street whose bird died and they have a cage." I said, "Go get the cage."

He ran down the street, came back, and put the cage on the kitchen counter. I opened the door of the cage, and the bird hopped in. He was so happy. He got on the swing. He didn't see that cage as a prison; he saw that cage as protection from my German Shepherd, who would have eaten him if I left him out there much longer. When you understand the commandments and the principles of scripture in their proper context, they're there to protect you. The Bible says no good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly.

Then the devil denied the word of God. It's a short step from questioning the word of God to denying the word of God. What do we learn? Don't get into conversations with the devil. The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. Then the devil substituted his own lie. "You will become like a god, knowing good and evil." That was a complete lie. Command central of your life is your mind. You are the air traffic controller of your own mind.

The air traffic controller tells one pilot he can take off and another that they can land. He tells another to change their altitude and another to change their attitude. He's there directing people. You decide what thoughts come into your mind and what thoughts stay out. Paul writes about this in 2nd Corinthians 10 when he says, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, we have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ."

When that thought comes, you say, "No, I'm not letting that one in." That thought of fear, that thought of lust, that thought of vengeance—that's not coming in here. But the thought about the Lord, that is going to come in. Ask yourself the question, "Where is this thought coming from?" Here's what you need to remember: every temptation can be resisted and overcome. Every temptation.

The Bible says, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he'll receive the crown of life." The word "blessed" could be translated "happy." You're happy when you overcome temptation. 1st Corinthians 10:13 says, "There is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God who is faithful will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it."

Dave Dane: Good encouragement about the escape route available to all believers when temptation comes knocking. Pastor Greg Laurie with his message called Trouble in Paradise today here on a New Beginning. Now God gives his children help so we won't fall victim to our adversary's temptation. But it's a different story with those who've never entered into a relationship with the Lord. It's a good time to ask, have you ever come to the Lord and asked him to forgive your sins and be your savior and Lord? Pastor Greg, what would you say to the person who wants to make that kind of change today?

Greg Laurie: What I would say is he's only a prayer away. Which means if you will call upon the name of the Lord right now through prayer, he will hear your prayer and answer your prayer. Listen, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer right now after me. Just pray: 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. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my savior and Lord, as my God and my friend. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Dave Dane: Amen. Listen, if you have just prayed that prayer and meant those words sincerely, we want to welcome you into the family of God. Let us help you get started walking with the Lord each day. Pastor Greg wants to send you his New Believer's Bible, absolutely free, along with some other helpful resources. They'll help answer your questions and get you started off right as you live for God each day. Just let us know you prayed with Pastor Greg and that you want the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime at 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click the words "Know God". 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: It's really true, Dave. I believe it's so important because the gospel saves lives. It saves eternal lives. 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. That changes the course of their future. That impacts their children and their children's children. The gospel changes everything. 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. If this is something you care about, I encourage you to make a financial investment in a New Beginning and Harvest Ministries.

Dave Dane: 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. 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. Next time, more insight on how to stand against our adversary as we learn lessons born in the Garden of Eden. Join us here on a New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie.