A New Beginning

Guest (Male): Anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. Children have an honest openheartedness toward God. As adults, we can get jaded. Pastor Greg Laurie says we need childlike hearts.

Greg Laurie: The conventional thinking is that a child should become as an adult to know God, but in fact, Jesus says the opposite. An adult should become as a child to know God. What does that mean? It means you come in complete honesty to God.

Guest (Male): Adulthood toughens us. Every time we're lied to, let down, or taken advantage of, we build a thicker skin and vow never again. Over time, that can make us skeptical and even cynical. But today, on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie reminds us a hardened heart can't fully connect with God.

It's like we're turtles hiding in our shells, keeping everyone out. But good news is coming. Pastor Greg helps us come out of that shell and open our hearts to the Lord. Grab your Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 18. The title of my message is Jesus and the Open Heart.

Greg Laurie: It's part of our Jesus and You series, Jesus and the Open Heart. So, I became a Christian when I was 17 years old. And most people come to faith in the early years of their life. I read that 64% of Christians say they made a personal commitment to Christ before the age of 18, 43% came to faith between the ages of four and 14.

Well, I read an interesting article from the New York Times that said there is a return of young people to church right now, especially men. Did you hear about this article? This article says, and I quote, "For the first time in modern American history, young men are now more religious than their female peers." That's fascinating and good. It's a good thing because that has not been the case in the past.

The article goes on to say at church, young men are encountering calls to responsibility, sacrifice, and leadership. This is in contrast to the messaging of self-indulgence and avoidance of commitment. So, that's good. They're not finding what they want and certainly not what they need from the culture. This to me is not all that surprising because for a long time, it seems as though the progressive left has waged an all-out war on men.

Men are getting tired of hearing about so-called toxic masculinity and patriarchy and gender norms are just a social construct and on it goes. Young men want to be men and they want to be masculine in the best sense of that term. And so where do we look? We look to the time-tested, God-honored, inspired words from Scripture to find out what a real man should be. And the Bible is very clear on this subject.

Over in First Corinthians 16:13 to 14, Paul writes these words: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and let all of that be done in love." There you have everything together in one package. A man, a masculine man, is to be watchful, he's to stand firm, he's to act like a man, he's to be strong, and yet he is to do all of it in love.

So first of all, a man should be watchful. A man is a protector in his home. He's usually the last to bed, makes sure all the doors are locked, keeps an open ear to anything happening throughout the night. That's his role, but it's not just physical protection, it's spiritual protection as well.

He guards his family against harmful influences on television, social media. He talks to his kids about what's happening at their school, what they're being taught in the classroom. He snoops around in their bedrooms. Oh no, that's the private space of the child. Nonsense. The kids live under my roof, I'm going to snoop all that I want, right?

Sorry, it's called parenting. And I'm doing it for their own good because if I find something that's harmful to them, I want to warn them about that and help them through it. But a man is not only watchful, he's to be a provider. If you're a husband, if you're a father, you're to take care of your wife and children. First Timothy 5:8 says for those who won't provide for their family, they've denied the true faith and they're worse than unbelievers.

Thirdly, a man should stand firm. The man, the masculine person, should be the spiritual leader in the home. That's true masculinity: the spiritual leader. But sadly, in many Christian homes, a man is passive at best and sometimes detrimental to the spiritual relationship of the wife and children.

He's the last one that wants to read the Bible, he's the last one that wants to pray, when in reality, he should be the initiator. He should be the leader. He should be the one that takes point on this and says, "Everyone get in the car, we're going to church." That's what a man does.

Also, he is to be strong, not just physically, but spiritually. We've had enough effeminized men and beta males and soy boys. It's got to change. It's got to change. In the words of the great theologian, Vito Corleone, "Be a man!" That's a scene from The Godfather. Maybe you've not all seen that film. I probably shouldn't admit I've seen it, but I have, and I like it.

And there's a scene when Vito Corleone, at his daughter's wedding, says to the singer who's troubled about something and starts to cry, he slaps him and says, "Be a man!" And I think a lot of guys need to hear that message right now. But don't just be a man, be a godly man. That's what we really need today.

So who's the strongest man who ever lived? It's not a superhero, they're not real. It's not even a character like Samson, though he had incredible superhuman strength. The strongest man who ever lived was Jesus. He was the very definition of masculinity presented to us in the Bible.

Even Pontius Pilate said of Christ, after he had been scourged 39 times by the Roman cat-of-nine-tails, no doubt tearing into his flesh, his skeletal tissue, exposing vital organs, Pilate said publicly, "Behold the man." Jesus really was the man. But he was a humble man, and he was a meek man.

In his only autobiographical statement, Jesus said, "I am meek and lowly of heart." What does that mean? To be meek means to have power under constraint. There's a difference between being weak and meek. A weak man can't do anything about something, a meek man can but chooses to restrain himself in certain situations.

Jesus could have gotten out of the dilemma he was in as he was headed to the cross with just a word to heaven, but in meekness, he laid his life down for each of us. And then finally, we read that the man of God should do everything in love. He should be a loving man.

You can be a strong man, you can be masculine, you can be firm, you can be a provider, you can be a protector, but be a man who loves his family. A one-woman man, a man who is faithful to his wife for a lifetime. That's true masculinity right there. The Bible says love your wife as Christ loves the church. And that was a sacrificial love that he laid down for all of us. So I applaud the fact that young men are coming back to church.

Now, before us here in the Gospel of Luke chapter 18, we have the story of young people coming to Jesus. There's two movements in this story. The first movement is of young children coming to Christ, and we read the famous statement of Christ when he said, "Let the little children come unto me and don't forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

The second movement in our text is of a wealthy young man coming to Jesus one day. We often call him the rich young ruler. And Jesus looked at him, we read, and loved him, yet this man walked away sad, or a better translation, deeply distressed. And it's because Jesus said something to him he did not like, and he asked him to do something he did not want to do. He did not have an open heart. The children, they had an open heart. This man did not.

So let's read about the children here in Luke chapter 18, starting in verse 15. Read with me if you would. "One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. And when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, 'Let the little children come to me and don't stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these little children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.'"

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's such a blessing to hear from listeners who take time to express their appreciation.

Hey Pastor Greg, I'm a pastor in North Carolina. Just wanted to let you know that you and your ministry has been a great blessing to me. I have learned and shared many things that you've said over the years. I am also a UPS driver, so I get a chance to see a lot of people in the daytime and there too, get to share things that you have shared with me as I drive back and forth to work. Just wanted to let you know you have been a great gift to me. Thank you.

When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is touching lives. Would you consider sharing your story? If so, call Pastor Greg at 1-866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144. Well, Pastor Greg continues his message now from Luke chapter 18 called Jesus and the Open Heart.

Greg Laurie: Okay, so here's point number one if you're taking notes. Jesus loves the little children and so should we. Jesus loves the little children, as the song says, and so should we. He always made time for the kids. Last time we looked at the story of Jairus and his 12-year-old daughter who was very sick.

In fact, she was at death's door. Jairus found the Lord was taking him home to touch his little daughter, but by the time they arrived, the daughter had tragically died. And Jesus went over to her and knelt down by the bed and whispered into her ear, "Little lamb, arise." And life returned to this little girl.

And then there's the story of the so-called nobleman whose son was very sick. And Jesus touched him as well. He always took time for kids. And it's always important to take time for children because they don't stay children very long. They grow so quickly, don't they?

Did you know that from birth to age five, a child's brain reaches up to 90% of its adult size? All of these experiences are happening to them that shape them in their cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual development. So take time with your children. Take time to speak to them. Take time to listen to them, to pray with them. I read that there are 940 Saturdays between a child's birth and them leaving for college. 940 Saturdays.

Number two, we need to bring our children to Jesus. Our job as parents is to point our kids to Christ. Listen to this parent: if you don't take a proactive interest in your child's spiritual welfare, somebody else will, and most likely, it won't be good. Don't leave it to the public school system to teach your children values.

Don't leave it to the media to teach your child what is right and wrong. That is your job as the mother or the father. And specifically, you're told Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Very important.

What does it mean to train up a child in the way that they should go? One way to translate it is create a thirst in them in the way that they should go. So our objective as parents is to create a thirst in our child for God. Hopefully, they'll see something in us that they will want to emulate, that they'll want to copy. And I'll tell you, here's one way that you can keep your children from coming to Christ: be a hypocrite. Be a hypocrite.

Now look, we all have moments of hypocrisy. And we all do and say things as parents we wish we had not said or done. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with apologizing to your child every now and then. Say, "You know, Mom shouldn't have done that, Dad shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry."

But having said that, you're going to have moments of inconsistency, but there's a difference between that and outright hypocrisy. The word hypocrite literally translated means to be an actor. And it's when your child starts seeing that you're putting on a performance.

You're two people. You're the person that greets people at church, and you're the person that is tyrannical in the home. They see how you talk to total strangers. You show more consideration to a stranger who knocks at your door than to your spouse or to your children. Or they see you screaming, losing your temper, getting drunk, using profanity.

Little eyes are watching and little ears are listening. And they are now deciding if they too want a relationship with God like you have. So don't be that person. The Bible says bring them up in the way of the Lord, don't knock them down. Create in them a thirst to know God like you know God.

One of the best ways to get somebody hungry or thirsty is eat a meal in front of them. Well, I don't know if that's completely true. Watching some people eat makes me not want to eat ever again. But let's just say you're enjoying a nice meal. Maybe after church, you say, "We're going to go get a bite of lunch. You want to join us?"

They say, "Well, I already ate, but I'll come along and just drink a glass of water." So you go to the restaurant, and everybody orders their lunch, and they're drinking their glass of water. And then the burgers arrive, and then the fries arrive glistening in the sun. And so the person drinking the water says, "Can I have one fry?" "Oh sure, have as many as you want."

And why is it that when you eat somebody else's food, it tastes better than when you ordered it? Have you noticed that? That one fry, that one bite, which is so good, is so wonderful. And then you want your own, right? So that's the idea. Live in such a way that they will look at you and say, "I want a relationship with God like they have." That's what it means to train up your children in the way of the Lord.

So the parents are bringing their kids to Christ here in verse 15. They brought their little children to Jesus so he would touch and bless them. The Jews' culture at the time was for the father to lay his hand on a child and pronounce a blessing over them. So that's what they're asking for. They want Jesus to put his hand on their children and bless them.

In Mark's Gospel, talking about the same story, it says Jesus took them into his arms and fervently blessed them. So he was passionate about this. He wanted to do it. And I think Jesus enjoyed being with kids. Because all of the time, he was having these debates with the religious leaders.

They're always confronting him, trying to trap him, trying to paint him into a corner. And here come the kids, and they want to just play, and they want to laugh, and they want to listen. And Jesus is enjoying himself immensely. So when the disciples start pushing the kids away, he says, "What are you doing? Let these little children come unto me. In fact, even more, you can learn from these little children."

And I think the fact that the kids were drawn to him says a lot about Jesus. I think kids are a pretty good judge of character. You know, we'll take our kids down to the mall. It's Christmas time. Get a picture with Santa. And how many pictures are there of kids on the lap of Santa crying?

He's scary to them. They don't want to go meet Santa, or really the guy in the fake beard and red suit and all that. And so when a child is attracted and is drawn to you, that says something. You know where you stand with a child, especially a really small one. I read a little point. It said that studies have shown that babies as young as one day are drawn to a more attractive face.

So if you want to know if you're attractive or not, look at a baby. Get close to them. Let them see your face. If they smile, you're pretty good-looking. If they turn away, you're an unattractive person. You've been judged by a baby. But kids are drawn to someone they see something in, a quality, and they're obviously drawn to Jesus.

And then Jesus takes the child and uses them as an example. He says, "You guys don't stop the children from coming to me. In fact, learn from the children." Look at verse 17: "The kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these little children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

Now the conventional thinking is that a child should become as an adult to know God, but in fact, Jesus says the opposite. An adult should become as a child to know God. Isn't that interesting? You should become like a child. What does that mean? Back to diapers? Hopefully not.

You should not be childish, but you should be childlike. Not childish and immature, but rather childlike. What does it mean to be childlike? It means you come in complete honesty to God. You're not putting on an act, you're not living behind a facade, you're honest to God.

Heard a story about a mother who had a big dinner party. She invited too many people over. And it was a lot of work and she finally got all the food on the table. She was absolutely exhausted. So she said to her six-year-old daughter, "Honey, why don't you offer the prayer to God giving thanks for the meal?"

Little girl said, "Mommy, what do you want me to pray?" The mom said, "Just pray what you always hear Mommy pray." So the little girl prayed, "Dear God, why did I invite all these people over here to dinner?" Maybe a little too honest, but true. Children are very honest.

You know how a child feels. If they're happy, they laugh. If they're sad, they cry. If they fall, they come running for help, usually to Mom, not Dad. But children come with a complete helplessness, especially when they're really little. They're absolutely dependent on the parent for everything. And we in the same way come with complete helplessness to God, totally in need of his forgiveness.

Guest (Male): Good insight today from Pastor Greg Laurie. Today's message here on A New Beginning, Jesus and the Open Heart. And there's more to come. As Pastor Greg said, we're all totally in need of the Lord's forgiveness. The Bible says we're all sinners, we've all fallen short of the glory of God. But complete forgiveness is available through the sacrifice of Christ.

Pastor Greg, before we go any further, what would you say to the person listening who's not sure if they've ever come to the Lord and asked him to be their savior, asked him for forgiveness?

Greg Laurie: Yes, I think they need to make this commitment to Christ. Here's what the Bible says: "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." So you need to reach out to God. Not just think about it, not just say, "One of these days I would like to," just do it.

In fact, you can do it right now. You say, "Well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord?" You do it through prayer. God is just a prayer away. He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know him. He wants to reveal himself to you. So you just need to call out and say, "Lord, save me and help me."

How about if I lead you in a prayer? And you could pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like, you can pray it quietly in your heart, but direct this prayer toward God, and you could pray it after me right now. You ready? Pray this after me.

Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior. And I want a relationship with you. So as your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking you to save me from my sin. And I'm asking that we begin a new relationship today.

Thank you for loving me and sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and then raising him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Guest (Male): Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with Jesus.

Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believers Bible. It's a special edition of God's Word for those who are new to the faith with scores of helps for new believers written by Pastor Greg. So get in touch and ask for the New Believers Bible. We'll send it free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words "Know God".

And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially, those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We're definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that helps us be here with these programs. So if you've partnered with us, thank you.

And if you have yet to partner with us, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Next time, more insight on the importance of childlike faith and how we need to come to God with an open heart. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.