A New Beginning

Guest (Male): Bills, deadlines, problems, pressures, discord, discontent. Even believers can get worn out. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie offers help.

Greg Laurie: In the Christian life, sometimes we need a refresh because we find ourselves tired and exhausted. But here's what Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you." Could you use some spiritual refreshment right now?

Guest (Male): When we think about sitting down, we might think that's pretty relaxing. But if you're sitting in traffic, not so much. If you're sitting in the doctor's office, you might be fearing bad news. Many are fearful sitting on an airplane.

But is God feeling fear or tension as he sits on his throne? No. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us tap into God's state of mind through the power of prayer. He invites us to taste of the refreshing reassurance of a heavenly point of view.

Greg Laurie: Have you ever been out running in the hot sun and you're just sweating like crazy? I have to admit, it's been a long time since I've been out running in the hot sun. In fact, it's been a long time since I've been out running, period. The closest I get to running now is jogging my memory.

But there have been times when I have run and I've sweat a lot. I know that when I'm playing racquetball, I'll run all over a court to chase a little ball. But just think about the last time you were exhausted, you were covered in perspiration, and maybe you dove into the ocean or into a lake or into a swimming pool. You went from hot and bothered to revived and refreshed.

The same is true when you're really dehydrated and you take a long drink of very cool water. It just refreshes you. I love the word refresh. It's such a perfect word to speak of starting again or returning to something. In fact, they even use that word for your computer.

Sometimes I'm working on a computer and I've left it and I come back and things are sort of frozen or certain programs aren't working properly. So we're told to refresh our computer screen. Sometimes that means you need to completely reboot. Well, listen, in the Christian life, sometimes we need a reboot.

Sometimes we need a refresh because we find ourselves hot and bothered. We find ourselves tired and exhausted. But here's what Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you." On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the people, "Times of refreshment come from the presence of the Lord."

Could you use some spiritual refreshment right now? The place to find that is from God himself. Now, the Bible is very specific about where we as Christians can find spiritual refreshment. Here's a point, if you're taking notes: Number one, you will find spiritual refreshment when you read and study the Bible.

Psalm 19 says, "The word of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul." Now, I know it's not always an emotional experience when you open up the Bible and read it, but this is not about emotions. This is about replenishment. This is about restoration. This is about getting perspective on life and getting direction from the Lord.

So as you open the word of God, it's going to refresh your soul. And have you ever had a verse just jump off the page to you? Maybe it's a verse you've read before, but suddenly it has new meaning applied toward your particular situation. Yes, that's what it is. You're finding refreshment from the word of God.

Number two, listen to this one: You will be spiritually refreshed when you think of others more than yourself. You'll be spiritually refreshed when you think of others more than yourself. Now, I know this is counterintuitive in the selfie culture we're living in today, where we're all trying to get more followers on social media and we're very aware of our image. Maybe we think of ourselves as an influencer.

And sadly, we've heard stories of people who have literally died trying to get the ultimate selfie shot when they've been on the edge of a cliff or some other dangerous situation. But actually, the truth is when you stop thinking about yourself so much and think about others, it will refresh you spiritually. The Bible actually tells us that he who refreshes others will be refreshed himself.

So as you're giving to others, you find that you yourself are replenished. So do you want to be spiritually refreshed? Spend time in God's presence, study the word of God, put the needs of others above your own needs, and you'll find it will happen. You know, there's a great verse in Proverbs 25:13. It says, "Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat. They're refreshing."

Would you let me be that friend to you right now and offer you some perspective from God's word on how to be refreshed in your spiritual life? The word refresh means to give new strength or to give energy to. It means to reinvigorate. And sometimes what we need to do is refresh our memories because if you're like me, you forget things.

I mean, I forget things all the time. Sometimes I forget where I parked my car at a mall. Sometimes I forget other things and I need my memory refreshed. And even as a Christian, there are things that I know. I've been a believer now for 50 years. I've read so many passages of the Bible, but there are times I forget a passage or I forget a spiritual truth or I forget a lesson that the Lord has taught me.

So I find I need to have my memory refreshed. Here's the problem: We often remember what we ought to forget and we forget what we ought to remember. There are things I want to remember and I'll forget them. And there are things I don't want to remember that I can't get out of my brain. I think it's true for some of you, too.

Certain jingles that we've heard on the radio or television commercial songs that are still with us or theme songs to television shows. I mean, why is it that I know all of the lyrics to the Flintstones TV show? I never consciously sat down and said, "I'm going to learn these words," but I know them. I never wanted to memorize that. But there's passages I'll forget from scripture, but I remember the lyrics to that song or weird songs I've heard on the radio. So I need to jog my memory. I need to refresh my memory. In fact, Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:13, "I think it's right to refresh your memory as long as you live."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Whenever you send us an email, letter, or post a comment on social media, we read every word.

"Hi, Pastor Greg. I'm a retired United States Marine who thanks God for your preaching. I love listening to your podcast. I'm still trusting God that he will save my wife and two daughters. I wish I would have shown Jesus to them earlier but am praying now for their salvation every day. May God bless you and your family, Greg."

Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email and let him know? Send it to greg@harvest.org. Again, that's greg@harvest.org. Well, as a part of Pastor Greg's new series called Refresh, he offers some solid refreshing counsel on the power of prayer. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: Here before us now in Matthew 20 is two scenarios of prayer. And in this text, we're going to find how to and how not to pray. How to and how not to pray. In both of the stories, Jesus asks the people before him, "What is it that you want?"

First, we're going to look at a mother who had two sons. She loved them as mothers love sons and daughters and she was very ambitious for them. And she asked Jesus to give something to them that was completely inappropriate. She stands as an example of how not to pray. In contrast, we have another story of two men who were unable to see. They were blind. And they called upon Jesus. And the way they prayed gives us an example of how to pray.

So let's start with how not to pray. Matthew chapter 20, verse 17. "Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. He took the 12 disciples aside on the road and said to them, 'Behold, we're going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes and they'll condemn him to death. And they'll deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and on the third day he'll rise again.'"

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from him. By the way, this mother's name is Salome and the sons here are James and John. And Jesus says to her, "What do you wish?" She said, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and the other on your left, in your kingdom."

Jesus answered, "You don't know what you're asking for. Are you able to drink of the cup that I'm going to drink of and be baptized with the baptism I will be baptized with?" And they said, "We are able." Jesus said, "You will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized with. But to sit on my right and on my left hand is not mine to give, but it's for those that have been prepared by my father."

Try to understand what's going on. Jesus is giving a detailed view of what is about to happen. He knew the future. He knew the thoughts of every person that he spoke to. And now he's saying, "This is what's going to happen to me. I'm going to be betrayed. I'm going to be handed over to the Gentiles. I'm going to be scourged. I'm going to be beaten. I'm going to be crucified. And I'm going to rise again from the dead."

As he's sharing this with the disciples, they're just not getting it because you see their view was that when Messiah came—and Jesus was Messiah—that he would establish an earthly kingdom then and there. They were mistaken in their understanding of the role of Messiah. Because scripture clearly teaches first Messiah would come and suffer and die for the sins of the world, then he would return again and establish his kingdom.

They missed the first part and only understood the latter part. So they thought he would drive out the Romans and they would rule and reign with him in positions of great power. Hence, the request from Salome. And Jesus is saying to them, "Do you know what you're even asking for? Are you able to drink of the cup that I'm about to drink of?" They said, "We're able."

Their response should have been, "Wait, wait, what's in the cup? We want to know about the cup before we say we will." Years ago, I was in the Philippines speaking and there's a delicacy over there called the balut. It's actually a duck egg. Inside of this egg is a partially formed duck, some feathers, a little beak, and some fluid.

And I was over at a home of a missionary and there were a lot of people there and they said in front of everybody, "Greg, we want to give you this balut to eat." And I said, "Well, what is that?" And they said, "Let us demonstrate." And someone took the egg and they broke it open and I saw the duck's head and I saw the feathers and they're drinking the fluid and then they eat the egg. Oh my goodness.

And they said, "Greg, now you need to eat the egg." I said, "I don't think I can do that." And then someone whispered in my ear, "If you don't eat the egg, you'll offend the people." I whispered back, "If I eat the egg, I'll throw up." I just can't do it. I just can't go there. I mean, there's some things that you just don't want to eat, some things you don't want to drink.

What was the cup? Jesus was going to drink the cup of the wrath of God Almighty as the sins of the world would be placed upon him. And he recoiled from this. You remember in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed to the Father, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done."

So he says to James and John, "You want to drink of the cup?" "Yeah, yeah. We're good with the cup. Give us the cup." He's thinking, "You don't even know what you're asking for." What did Salome, the mother, and James and John want? She wanted her sons to be on the right and left hand of Jesus.

Salome, by the way, happened to be standing at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified. Who was on the right and left hand of Jesus? Two criminals who were also crucified. I'm sure at that moment, Salome said, "Lord, thank you for not answering my prayer."

So listen, if God has said no to your request recently, don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. It actually could be a very good thing because God sees the big picture. That's how not to pray. Now let's talk about how to pray. Here's a couple of guys who prayed in the right way. Go back to Matthew 20, look at verse 29.

"As they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out saying, 'Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David.' Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet, and they cried out all the more saying, 'Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David.' Jesus stood still and called them and said, 'What do you want me to do for you?' They said, 'Lord, that our eyes may be opened.' Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight and they followed him."

So here's Jesus still on his way to the cross, on his way to suffer. And two guys are on the roadside. Here Christ is passing by. They call out to him. Someone says, "Shh, don't bother him. He's busy, he has things on his mind." And they call out even louder—actually, the word translated from the Greek would be they screamed.

And Jesus stopped and he heard them and he answered their prayer. Isn't it amazing to think that God cares about us? I mean, he cares about the things that concern us. God is never too busy or preoccupied to take time for you. Listen, if it concerns you, it concerns him. So here were two men with a very real need and Jesus responded to the need.

So what do we learn about prayer from this story? Number one, in times of crisis, they prayed and so should we. In their time of crisis, they prayed and so should we. Listen, this is what prayer is for, to put us in touch with God. Psalm 50, verse 50 says, the Lord speaking, "Call upon me in the day of trouble and I shall rescue you and you will honor me."

Are you in trouble right now? Am I talking to somebody facing a crisis? You don't see any way you can resolve it. Maybe it's a family crisis. Maybe your marriage is coming apart. Maybe you have a prodigal child. Maybe it's a health crisis. You've gotten bad news from the doctor and you're scared. Maybe it's some other kind of a crisis. Call on the Lord.

The Bible says you have not because you ask not. Pray about that thing that is troubling you. I love what Ephesians 6:18 says. Paul writes, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." I love how Paul used that word "all" so many times. With all prayer and all perseverance for all the saints.

The Texas translation would be, "All y'all ought to be praying all the time, y'all." Just all the time, praying about everything. This is what we need to be doing. They prayed with passion and persistence as well. Again, as I said, they didn't just say, "Have mercy on us." They screamed the word out and that's how we need to pray as well. Just keep praying about that thing that is troubling you.

Let me come back to some things we all ought to be praying for. When you're praying for the salvation of a loved one, you're praying according to the will of God because the Bible says God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Keep praying for that person you care about.

When you're praying for the restoration of a family, you're praying for the will of God. God has established the family. A man and a woman coming together in marriage, committed to one another for a lifetime. He will bless this bond. This is why Satan is always attacking it and always trying to redefine it and to break it apart.

But the family is so important for the health of a nation. You know, it's been said that a family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family. Pray for the family, but pray for your family. Make sure your family is strong. And speaking of the nation, when we pray for a spiritual awakening in our country, we're praying according to the will of God.

Pray for a spiritual awakening in your nation. These men called out to Jesus. Now, it's interesting because another gospel identifies one in particular and his name was Bartimaeus. So there were two men praying but one was more noticeable than the other and it was Bartimaeus crying out in his prayer was heard by Jesus.

I love what we read here, verse 32. "Jesus stood still. And he called them and said, 'What do you want me to do for you?' They said, 'Lord, that our eyes may be opened.'" Jeremiah 29:13, God says, "If you seek me, you'll find me, if you seek me with all of your heart." You bring your need to Jesus. You watch how he will meet your need.

Guest (Male): Great encouragement from Pastor Greg Laurie. Our study today here on A New Beginning is called The Refreshing Power of Prayer. And there's more to come in this message. We'll hear that next time.

Pastor Greg just mentioned the verse, "If you seek me, you will find me, if you seek me with your whole heart." Have you ever entered into a relationship with the Lord, a real relationship with him? If you have, you'll know it. Pastor Greg, what if someone's not sure and they'd like to be sure?

Greg Laurie: I would say that God is just a prayer away. You know, it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. Frankly, it doesn't even take hours. It can happen so quickly. It just starts with you saying to God: I know I'm a sinner. I know that you love me. I know that you sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and pay for those sins and then to rise again from the dead and I want him to come into my life.

So here's my question to you: Have you done that yet? Because Jesus, who did die on that cross and rose again from the dead three days later, is alive and standing at the door of your life right now and he's knocking. And he's saying, "If you'll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in." Would you like your sin forgiven? Would you like to know that when you die you will go to heaven? Do you want Christ to come into your life right now?

If so, why don't you just stop whatever it is you're doing and pray this prayer with me? You could pray it out loud, you can pray it in the quietness of your own heart. But pray this prayer to God. Say: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. I ask all of this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Listen, if you just prayed that prayer, the Bible promises that God has heard your prayer and has answered that prayer. The Bible says that if we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So God bless you. You've made the right decision, the decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): That's right, and listen as you begin to live this new life, we want to send you something to help you get started off right. It's Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's an easy-to-understand translation, plus hundreds and hundreds of study helps, especially for those who are new to the faith. Millions of people have been helped by this resource.

So get in touch for your own copy of the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it to you free of any charge. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's again 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click "Know God."

And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue. Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry, to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly.

Online, you'll find us at harvest.org and there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now. That's harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300.

Well, next time, very helpful insight as Pastor Greg alerts us to the things that can hinder our prayers. More from his series called Refresh. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.