Category Archives: Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Put It Away

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“No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’ “—Jeremiah 31:34

I read about an interesting custom that takes place every New Year’s Eve in Italy. Just before midnight, the streets are cleared. Even the policemen take cover, because at the stroke of midnight, the windows of the houses fly open, and to the sound of laughter, music, and fireworks, everyone throws out what they no longer want. Old dishes, hated furniture, and some personal possessions are tossed out of the windows. It’s a way of dealing with the old year, wiping it out, and starting fresh. I like the idea of that.

The apostle Paul said in Philippians, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (3:13). To forget something does not mean failing to remember; it means no longer being influenced or affected by it.

When God promised, “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34), it is not suggesting that God was having a lapse in memory. He knows everything. He remembers everything. When God says He is choosing not to remember something, it means that He is putting it away.

We can put it away as well. We break the power of the past by living for the future. And we should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. Sometimes we are crippled by the things we have done wrong. Instead, we should learn from our mistakes and fail forward, which means not doing the same things again. Otherwise, we haven’t learned anything.

It’s a serious sin to do the wrong thing, but what is even worse is to repeat it. And one sure way to forget our past is to not repeat our mistakes.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What’s the Big Deal About Israel?

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“I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves”—Zechariah 12:2–3

Why is Jerusalem such a big deal in world news? Why aren’t we talking about Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, or some other major capital in another part of the world? Why this little city?

I will tell you why. Because God said that in the last days, Jerusalem would play a key role: “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (Zechariah 12:2–3 NLT).

Scripture also foretold in Ezekiel 37 that the Jews would be regathered in their land, and this prophecy was fulfilled when Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. After Ezekiel 37 comes Ezekiel 38, which speaks of an attack against Israel by a large nation to the north of the Jewish homeland, accompanied by a number of allies invading Israel from every direction. Scripture emphasizes multiple times that this will happen in the last days. This is still in the future.

In speaking of Israel’s enemies, Ezekiel 38:8–11 offers an interesting detail:

“A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.

“You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, “Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence!”‘” (NLT).

These people who live in such confidence? Can you imagine that statement being made right after the Holocaust? Hardly. Can you imagine that statement being made after Israel was established as a nation, or even after the 1967 war? Not really. But today Israel has one of the most powerful and effective military forces on the face of the earth. They are not the largest, but they are known for their military prowess and for their military intelligence. And for quite a long time now, they have had nuclear weaponry. That is why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stood before the United Nations and made it very clear that, if necessary, Israel will exercise a military option to protect herself. So I think Israel does live within a certain degree of confidence today that they have never known historically.

In an address to the United Nations, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Iran’s apocalyptic leaders believe that a medieval holy man will reappear in the wake of a devastating Holy War, thereby ensuring that their brand of radical Islam will rule the earth. That’s not just what they believe. That’s what is actually guiding their policies and their actions.”

And that is true. Because in his address to the United Nations, Iran’s former leader Ahmadinejad stated, “God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness, a man who loves people and loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam A1-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ. Peace be upon him and the righteous.”

This Islamic messiah, this 12th Imam, according to their beliefs, will bring about an Islamic kingdom. But also according to their beliefs, the Judeo-Christian civilization must be destroyed first. For this 12th Imam to come, they believe, there must first be chaos.

Could this be what brings about the scenario predicted in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel (see chapters 38 and 39)? No one can say with certainty. But this much we must acknowledge: It certainly could be. We see how things are lining up.

Up to this point, the United States has been a staunch ally of Israel’s. And I believe that one of the reasons God has blessed our nation is because of our continued support for Israel. But it would appear these days that we are backing away from her. And according to Bible prophecy, one day, there will be no great ally behind Israel. She will stand alone when she is attacked by an enemy from the north and its allies.

The Bible also predicts that a national revival will come to Israel, when God will once again pour out his Spirit upon the nation. But this will happen after the rapture of the church. Romans 11:25 predicts, “Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.”

I have met people who can quote chapter and verse and give a good overview of the proper chronology of events of the end times, yet they are not living godly lives. And they are missing the point. If knowing what the Bible predicts about the last days doesn’t impact us in the way that we live, then we have missed what God is trying to say. Jesus didn’t say, “When these things begin to happen, argue about it.” Rather, he said, “When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV).

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – So Far to Go

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Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:13–14

When my friend John Collins, who is one of our pastors at Harvest Christian Fellowship, met Billy Graham for the first time, he thanked him for his faithfulness to the Lord.

Billy Graham replied, “I wish I could have done more.”

John thought, If Billy Graham says that, what about me?

Billy Graham wasn’t saying that to be humble. He really meant it. And that shows he is a real man of God, because he realizes he has so far to go.

The apostle Paul felt the same way. He said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). Here was one of the greatest Christians in human history saying that he had not arrived spiritually. He was saying he had so far to go.

Talk about bragging rights. Can you imagine a bunch of guys getting together and hanging out with Paul?

One guy might say, “Hey, you know what? The Lord spoke through me today.”

Another might say, “Well, the Lord led me to share my faith.”

Paul could say, “Well, God gave me inspired letters, called the Epistles, which basically take up half of the Bible.” Okay. Who can top that? But in actuality, Paul never said things like that, although it was the reality of his life. He was so close to God. And if anyone could rest on his laurels, it would have been Paul.

Many Christians are self-satisfied because they compare themselves with other Christians. But that isn’t what they ought to be doing. If the apostle Paul could say of his life, “Not that I have already attained,” then certainly we all have a long way to go.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Suffering God

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This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.—Hebrews 4:15–16

When hardship strikes some people, they will turn away from God. Something bad happens to them that doesn’t make sense, and they conclude there can’t be a God if something like that could happen to them. They turn against Him and essentially find a belief system that accommodates their feelings.

But our God is a suffering God. Jesus Christ was God incarnate, and no one ever suffered like Jesus. Not only did He endure the physical pain of the whipping, beating, and the crucifixion, but He bore all the sins of the world on Himself as He hung on Calvary’s cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46).

When you are suffering, you need to know that you’re talking to a God who knows what you are going through. You will find in Jesus a merciful High Priest and a faithful friend who feels your pain. Hebrews 4:15 says, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”

We can’t live in a pain-free world, as much as we would like to try. When trouble comes (and it will come), when crisis knocks at your door (and it will knock), you can either become angry at God or turn to Him and trust in Him.

Here is your choice in life: you can become better or bitter. It is usually one or the other. When something bad happens, you can say, “I am mad at God. I am bitter with God.” Okay. That is your choice. But you can also say, “I am going to trust in God. I am going to cling to God.” And you will become better as a result. It is really up to you.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Run Lightly

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All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. —1 Corinthians 10:23

I used to be one of those people who could eat whatever I wanted and never gain weight. When I was in my twenties, I would eat something called a macho combo burrito. It was the size of a sleeping bag, but I could eat it and never gain a pound. Now if I even think about a macho combo burrito, I’ll put on weight. I just can’t do what I once was able to do.

Hebrews 12:1 tells us, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” What may be a weight to one person isn’t necessarily a weight to others. Sometimes we’ll see another Christian doing something, and we’ll say, “Well, I’ll go ahead and do that too.” But what may not be a hindrance to another person can be a hindrance to you.

Sin is sin. And sin is the same for everyone. But there are certain things that some may have the freedom to do that others don’t have. So we have to look at those things and not simply ask whether they are permissible. We also need to ask whether they are edifying. It is not a matter of asking, “Is this allowed?” It’s a matter of asking, “Is this going to build me up?” So ask yourself that question.

The apostle Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23). In other words, just because something is permissible for a Christian doesn’t mean that you ought to do it. Maybe it could hurt you. Let’s run as lightly as possible in the race of life.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Wings and Weights

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Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. —2 Timothy 2:22

Have you ever noticed that when you hang around certain people, you end up eating the wrong things? They always want to order the pizza or the hamburgers and French fries and onion rings. Then there are the people who eat very well, and when you are around them, you kind of adapt and make healthier choices too.

In the same way, there are some people who either will drag you down spiritually or make you want to do better spiritually. There are some people who either will dull your spiritual appetite or make you want to walk more closely with God. So here is the question: What kind of person are you in the way you affect someone else? And what about the people you hang around with? How do they affect you?

We want to think about the things we do and about the people we hang out with, because running the spiritual race is not just running to what is right; it is also running from what is wrong. Paul said, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22).

For example, there are a lot of things you could do with your weekend, but you make going to church a priority. That’s a really good decision. Think about the people you hang out with and the things you do. Do they speed you on your way spiritually, or do they slow you down? Do they build you up, or do they tear you down? Or, to put it simply, are those people or activities wings or weights? Are they wings that help you on your way? Or, are they weights that slow you down?

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What’s Slowing You Down?

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Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.—Philippians 3:8

When it comes to luggage, I’m everyone’s worst nightmare. I pack more stuff than I end up using and am always trying to squeeze my bulging carry-ons into the plane’s overhead bins. The idea is to travel as lightly as possible, but I seldom manage to do this.

The same principle is true of our spiritual lives. We need to set aside the things that drag us down spiritually. Hebrews 12:1 tells us, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (3:8).

I love that word rubbish. It sounds so proper. It’s what the Brits call garbage. But from the original language, the word rubbish that Paul used in Philippians 3:8 can be translated as “waste,” “dung,” “manure,” or “excrement.” What Paul was referring to were his religious credentials and pedigree, which were quite impressive. Yet he was saying, “All that stuff that used to mean so much to me doesn’t mean anything now. It’s garbage. It’s worthless compared to the excellence of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.”

So periodically we should ask ourselves, Is there something or someone that is slowing me down in the race of life? If so, lay them aside. Run from what is dragging you down. And run to what is building you up.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Recipe for a Successful Marriage

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And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13

Can a man and a woman fall in love, be married, and live “happily ever after”? Or is that just a fairy tale?

With the divorce rate at roughly 50% in the US today, one wonders. For a second marriage, the rate rises to 60%. And for a third marriage, it rises even higher to 73%.

Is it possible to have a happy and fulfilling relationship after you have been married?

I know it’s possible—even probable—and totally viable. But I must tell you, it will not happen by default or accident. If a marriage is strong and thriving, that is because two people have done their part.

There are multiple ingredients, carefully mixed together, that produce strong marriages. The man has his part and the woman has hers.

My grandmother, Mama Stella, made the most amazing biscuits in human history. They should be in the Smithsonian. There was nothing unusual or mystical about the ingredients she used: buttermilk, self-rising flour, oil. With expert hands, Mama Stella lovingly mixed them and—voilà!—the perfect biscuit.

A recipe for a successful marriage is similar. It depends on what you put into it and just the right amounts. Leave out an ingredient, or use too little of it, and it’s just not the same. For instance, you can’t make a buttermilk biscuit and substitute chocolate milk for buttermilk!

When we bring the proper ingredients to God and place them into His capable hands, just watch and see what He can do in our marriages.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Problem with Complaining

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Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.—Philippians 2:14–15

A man who decided to join a monastery and become a monk had to take vow of silence. But at the end of each year, he was allowed to appear before the abbot and say two words. After being silent for an entire year, he finally was allowed to speak.

So he said, “Bed’s hard.”

Another year went by, and he appeared before the abbot again.

“What would you like to say?” the abbot asked him.

“Food’s cold,” the man answered.

Another year went by, and the man again appeared before the abbot. As before, the abbot asked him, “What do you want to say?”

“I quit,” he told him.

“It is no wonder!” the abbot replied. “All you have done is complain since you got here!”

The Bible tells us, “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:14–15).

Complaining and bickering hinder us in following Jesus. There are times when we have to confront one another, and it is never pleasant. But if you enjoy confrontation, then something is wrong. Some people just want to fight. They are always upset with someone or something. The problem with people like this is they can’t keep it to themselves. They are always stirring up others. That is not the way to live as a Christian.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” We can choose to believe the best of others. Of course, we can’t see another person’s heart. But what a difference it would make if we started blessing others instead of blasting them.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Work It Out

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Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.—Philippians 2:12

During the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, people came to California from all around the world because they had heard there was “gold in them thar hills.” Apparently some people imagined they would arrive and find chunks of gold just lying around in the streets. Well, there was a lot of gold in California back then, but people quickly discovered that the gold wasn’t as plentiful as they’d hoped. Yes, a lot of gold was in the mines, but it was necessary to work hard and stay with it in order to find that mother lode.

This is the idea the apostle Paul was conveying to the saints in Philippi when he wrote, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). We need to work out what God has worked in. We need to discover what God has done for us.

However, we don’t work for our salvation; we work it out. Salvation is a gift from God. We are told in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” So we don’t work for it; we work it out.

Remember, Paul was directing this statement to believers. The idea of working out one’s salvation is referring to living out one’s faith—carrying it out correctly. In fact, the term work out carries the meaning of working to full completion. So we need to carry it to the goal.

As believers, the work of God is in our hearts, but we need to live it out. Like the gold seekers in California’s early days, we need to mine it. That means carrying to the goal and fully completing our own salvation with fear and trembling.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Build on Your Own Foundation

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For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.—Philippians 2:13

Some people are really into exercise. They love to work up a sweat, go on a run, or lift weights. I hate all of it. And I know I’m not alone in that. But the fact of the matter is that we really need to exercise. We can’t hire someone to work out for us. It’s something we have to do for ourselves.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). Paul was in prison when he wrote this epistle. He was writing it from Rome and was experiencing anxiety over the fact that he was separated from these believers.

Effectively Paul was saying, “Look, guys, I can’t be with you right now. I wish I were there to offer you guidance and to be a good example for you, but I can’t do it. But check it out. It is God who works in you, not Paul.”

They may have thought, We can’t live the Christian life without Paul around. Well, actually they could. And if pastors and spiritual leaders are doing their jobs properly, they will get you up on your own feet spiritually so that you are not dependent on them.

Paul was saying, “Guys, keep things in perspective. It is God who is doing the work. Maybe He worked through me, but it’s still God who did the work.”

We can put people on pedestals and think they can do no wrong. And sometimes people will base their relationship with God on someone else’s relationship with God. That isn’t good. We need to get our own faith. We need to build on our own foundation.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Where World History Ends

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On the same day the Lord #made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates. . .”—Genesis 15:18

What on earth is happening in the Middle East? It seems that all we hear about in the news from this region is another outburst of violence—or a threat of one.

In his address at the U.N., then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had threatened once again to eliminate Israel. Also in another speech, he spoke of some Islamic “messiah,” as well as a new world order.

As we look at the attacks on our embassies around the world, and specifically the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, it is now clear that the war on terror has not been won.

When Osama bin Laden was killed, we hoped that might be the end of it. But after Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, were murdered in Libya, there were people rioting in the streets and burning American flags. As they waited for their close-ups from the American media, they chanted together to the cameras, “Take a picture, Obama! We are all Osama!” That pretty much says it all. The message of Osama bin Laden and the terrorists appears to be alive and well.

And what about the so-called Arab Spring? What some thought might be a hopeful sign, perhaps a surge of democracy in the Middle East, has not turned out so well. So what is the explanation of all of this chaos and confusion? What in the world is happening?

The short answer is that Bible prophecy is being lived out in real time before our very eyes. The Bible has predicted the things that are happening in this part of the world. Scripture is very clear in pointing out that the end of the world will be centered in the Middle East. And it has all been foretold in the only book that accurately predicts the future: the Bible.

Thousands of years ago, Hebrew prophets predicted the Jewish people would be scattered across the earth and then later regathered. Jesus, in fact, gave a very specific prediction when He said the temple in Jerusalem that was being rebuilt by Herod at the time would not only be destroyed, but also would be dismantled, stone by stone (see Matthew 24:1).

Did that prediction reach fulfillment? Yes, it did. Because all historians agree that in A.D. 70, Titus and the Roman legions marched into Jerusalem, slaughtered thousands of Jews and dismantled the temple. Why did they dismantle it? Because there was gold in the temple, which had been burned, and they had to dismantle it to extract the melted gold. This fulfilled, to the letter, the prophecy of Christ. Also at this time, the Jews were scattered.

Fast-forward many years to the Holocaust, when Hitler sought to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the earth. Thankfully, the United States, Great Britain, and their allies stopped the Nazi war machine. And what happened in the aftermath of the Holocaust was nothing short of amazing. The Jewish people began to return to their homeland. And on May 14, 1948, a modern miracle happened. The state of Israel was officially declared.

Here was a nation that had been dispersed for centuries, and then it was regathered. This has never happened again in history. And this was a super-sign that started the prophetic clock ticking. The people of Israel were back in their homeland again.

But there was still a problem. Israel did not have control of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem plays a key role in the end-times scenario. Although they had declared their statehood, Jordan was still controlling the old city of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and most of the historic sites. Then, the Six Day War broke out in 1967, in which Israel was attacked. No one expected her to survive. Not only did Israel survive the attack, but she won the war and gained back a lot of the things she had lost, including the old city. And for the first time in more than 2,000 years, the city of Jerusalem was under Jewish control.

Yet to this present day, Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Arab leaders worldwide insisting that Jerusalem and the entire West Bank are rightfully Palestinian territory and ultimately must be given back as a condition of peace.

Of course, I am going to side with God on this issue. God gave Jerusalem to Israel. He said to Abraham in Genesis 15:18, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates. . .” (NKJV). He gave that land to Israel, and the Israelis are not going to give up the city of Jerusalem.

The Bible predicts that the city of Jerusalem will be at the epicenter of it all, and the attention of the planet will be directed toward Israel and toward the city of Jerusalem.

Is this happening now? Yes, it is. All of this is happening just as the Bible predicted it would.

So let’s go over the chronology of events the Bible has predicted: Israel will be scattered. Has this happened? Yes. Israel will be regathered after her people are scattered. Has this happened? Again, yes. Israel will regain the city of Jerusalem. Has this happened? Yes. Israel will be isolated from the other nations of the world and basically will stand alone. Has that happened? Not quite, but it appears to be moving in that direction. Lastly, Israel will be attacked. Has that happened? Not yet, and not on the scale the Bible predicts. This is still in the future, but perhaps the near future.

Scripture specifically tells us that world history, as we know it, will culminate in this part of the world. Some people would assert that it is not important to study Bible prophecy, but I beg to differ. We must study Bible prophecy. The reason we should want to learn about the future is so we will be motivated to live rightly in the present.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – God with Us

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We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.—1 John 1:3

I’ve seen a number of celebrities in person over the years, and they always seem a little smaller or different than what I expected. It’s funny how certain people actually look better in pictures than they do in real life—or look better in real life than they do in pictures. It’s strange the way the camera reads people.

Imagine the disciples walking and talking with Jesus Himself. I wonder if Jesus sometimes woke up in the morning to find all the disciples standing there staring at Him. The apostle John, who spent a lot of time with Christ, said, “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). The phrase John used for “saw . . . with our own eyes” means “to view with attention, to contemplate, to gaze upon as a spectacle.”

John was saying, “We still see Him in our mind’s eye. We still hear the sound of His voice in our ears.” What a privilege! It’s an amazing thing to realize that God incarnate walked among us.

You might think, Oh man, I wish I could have been one of them! But John went on to say, “We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy” (verses 3–4).

John was saying, “This isn’t a privilege only for us. Yes, we walked and talked with Him, but you can know God in an intimate way as well.”

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Question of the Ages

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While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”—Matthew 22:41–42

Without question, Jesus Christ is the most controversial figure who has ever lived. He is loved, worshiped, and followed by some. He is hated, despised, and rejected by others. He is disregarded and ignored by most. But it always will come down to Jesus.

Who is Jesus? Two thousand years ago, Christ Himself asked the question: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42). And to this very day, people are still confused about the answer. Maybe there has never been a time when more people profess faith in Jesus yet at the same time have no clue as to who He really is.

Many will speak with respect about Christ. They will say things like, “I believe that Jesus was a great prophet” or “I believe that Jesus was a messenger sent from God” or “I believe that Jesus was the best of all men.”

Yet the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was the unique Son of God, not a man becoming God. He was God becoming a man. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the second member of the Trinity. And it also teaches that He was supernaturally conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He was not merely a good teacher but the greatest teacher—God in human form.

The Bible teaches that Christ was physically crucified and that He bodily rose from the dead. The Bible also teaches that Jesus was not one god among many but is the only God, equal with the Father and above all others. That is why the death of Jesus, and the death of Jesus alone, meets the righteous requirements of God.

Jesus never became God. He always was God. He walked among us as an ordinary looking man, yet He was God incarnate.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie –The Divine Paradox

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“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”—Luke 14:11

If we have learned nothing else from our culture telling us what we should do to be happy, we have learned this: It is just not true. We have realized where happiness isn’t.

Prior to becoming a Christian, I already knew the answer was not in the world. I knew it wasn’t in my mother’s world of hedonism and drinking and partying. I knew it wasn’t in my world, limited as it was at seventeen years old. So I was wondering where it was. And then I became a Christian.

We have a different paradigm to follow, given to us by God in His Word. We could call it the divine paradox, because in God’s economy, if we want to be great, we must learn to be humble. If we want self-fulfillment, we should seek the fulfillment of others.

Regarding this divine paradox, Malcolm Muggeridge pointed out, “Where, then, does happiness lie? In forgetfulness, not indulgence, of self. In escape from sensual appetites, not in their satisfaction.”

The way to happiness is sadness. By that I mean we are sad over our sinful state, so we turn to God, ask for His forgiveness, and enter into a relationship with Him. Jesus gave us the beautiful beatitude, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Another way to translate this would be, “Oh how happy are the unhappy.” There is no greater example of this upside down life than Jesus Christ Himself.

We want to find our happiness and our joy in the right place, or more specifically, in the right person, which is God. As we come to know and walk with Him, we will find something better than happiness, and that is joy. We will find joy in our circumstances, regardless of what they are.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Our Example to Follow

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Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.—Mark 9:2–3

The miracle of the Transfiguration wasn’t that Jesus shined like the sun; the miracle was that He didn’t shine like the sun all the time. When Jesus came to Earth, He never gave up His deity. But we might say that He shrouded His glory and laid aside the privileges of His deity.

Jesus Christ is God. He is a member of the Trinity, coequal and coeternal with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was God before He was born, and He remained God after He became man. His deity was prehuman, pre-Mary, and pre-Bethlehem.

Jesus laid aside not His deity, but the privileges of deity, to model what it is to be a servant. Paul told the believers in Philippi, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5–7).

We are to follow His example. If Jesus could lay aside the privileges of divinity, then how much more should we, as human beings with sinful hearts, be willing to put the needs of others above ourselves?

This isn’t easy. In fact, we could say that it’s virtually impossible—apart from the power of the Spirit. This is not so much about imitation as much as it is about impartation—Christ Himself living in us and giving us His love and power. It’s the only way we can put the needs of another person above our own, love people whom we really don’t like all that much, or effectively die to ourselves. It seems impossible. But this is the way God has called us to live.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Root of the Problem

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What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? —James 4:1

I think we could safely say that so many of the problems we deal with are because of our selfish human natures. Selfishness is at the root of many sins.

It is amazing how even little children have this trait. Have you ever noticed when two children are playing and one child doesn’t care about a certain toy until the moment the other child picks it up? Suddenly both children want it. They scream and pull, and they will destroy the toy in the process. It’s all because one child wants what the other has. That is just human nature. We are born that way, and we carry this trait with us through life.

James pointed out, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” (James 4:1). That’s really it. We want our own way.

How many problems in our society are because of selfishness? When marriages are falling apart, by and large, it is because of selfishness. People have sex before marriage because of selfishness. At the root of adultery is selfishness. Name a problem, and for the most part you will find selfishness rearing its ugly head.

Paul urged the believers at Philippi, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). So don’t be controlled by selfishness.

Dwight L. Moody once said, “I have more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any other man I’ve ever met.” As Moody recognized, it’s our obsession with ourselves that is at the root of our problems.

We need to constantly ask the Lord to transform and change us. I know I have a long way to go. And guess what? I know you have a long way to go, too. We all do.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Contentment Is a State of the Heart

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want —Psalm 23:1

I heard a story about a wealthy employer who overheard one of his employees remark, “You know what? If I had $1,000, I would be perfectly content.” Knowing that wealth had never brought him contentment, he walked over to that employee and said, “You know, I have always wanted to meet someone who is perfectly content. So I am going to grant your desire.” He pulled out his checkbook, wrote a check for $1,000 and gave it to her. As he walked away, he overheard her say rather bitterly, “Why didn’t I ask for $2,000?”

That is the way it works. It’s called human nature.

Getting more stuff does not bring happiness or contentment. One psychologist who has conducted research on what brings contentment said, “If people strive for a certain level of affluence, thinking it will make them happy, they find that in reaching it, they quickly become habituated to it and are at a point when they are hankering for the next level of income, property, or good health.”

The apostle Paul was someone who found satisfaction, who found inner contentment. And in the book of Philippians, he reveals the secret of happiness and contentment.

Circumstantially, Paul had nothing to be happy about. He wasn’t writing from the luxury of some pleasant surroundings. He probably was writing his epistle to the believers in Philippi as he was chained to a Roman guard. He was under house arrest. He had lost his ability to move about. Yet Paul was an active kind of guy. He was an outdoorsman. He worked with his hands and was someone who liked to get things done. For him to be cooped up in one place would have been very, very difficult. Plus, his future was uncertain. He had appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen, and he was waiting for the time when he actually would be able to see the emperor. He didn’t know what would happen in his future.

To make matters worse, he was a very controversial figure. Even in the church, some believers were against him. Despite all of these difficult circumstances, however, Paul wrote these words: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV). Paul wasn’t speaking on the subject of contentment from some ivory tower or mere theory. He was speaking from the school of life, from the school of hard knocks. Paul had experienced pain and pleasure, health and sickness, weakness and strength, and highs and lows. He was a hero to some and a villain to others. Yet he was saying, “I have found that you can be content.

I read about a man who was very proud of his beautifully groomed lawn. It was absolute perfection. But one year a heavy crop of dandelions came in, and he couldn’t figure out how to get rid of them. He tried everything he knew and still they kept growing and destroying his pristine lawn. So finally he wrote to the school of agriculture at a local university, telling them about all the things he had tried and asking if they had any suggestions. In response, he received a very short reply, which read, “We suggest that you learn how to love them.”

Sometimes we find ourselves asking, “How can I get this problem to go away?” “How can I get this irritating person out of my life?” “How can I change my circumstances?” And sometimes God will get us out of that problem. Sometimes he will take the problem away. But sometimes God will say, “You just have to learn how to love them.”

So what was the secret to Paul’s joy? What was the secret of his contentment? Paul found the secret of contentment is not in what you have; it is in whom you know. And the “whom” to which I am referring is Jesus. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you'” (NLT). It is because God is with us always that we can say, “I have found contentment.” No matter what happens, no one can take that from you. No one can take God’s presence from you. And knowing that, you can face whatever comes your way in life. Maybe it will be the greatest challenge ever that will be difficult and hard. And maybe it will be untold blessings that would turn many a head. But you will be able to keep your balance in all of that, because you recognize that God is the provider.

Happiness and contentment do not come from stuff; they come from a relationship with God.

As David said, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 NKJV). When the Lord is your shepherd, you won’t be in want. And if you are in want, one might ask whether the Lord really is your shepherd.

Contentment is not the state of your accounts; it is a state of heart. Contentment is found in making the most of the least. That is what the apostle Paul was saying.

So despite what adverse circumstances you may be facing, you can have joy and contentment in the midst of a troubled world.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Surprising Reward of Humility

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Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.—Matthew 5:5

We might think of humility as a form of weakness, but it is actually the very opposite. Humility is connected to meekness. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” What is meekness? A literal definition of the word is power under constraint.

For example, if you were to see a person riding a magnificent, powerful stallion, and he is clip-clopping along, that horse has submitted his will to the rider. He has more than enough power to resist the direction of the rider and do what he wants. But because that horse has effectively humbled himself, or has been meek, he’s putting his power under constraint. He’s surrendering his will to the person who is riding him.

In the same way, when the Bible speaks of humility and meekness, it means surrendering our will to the will of God. Philippians 2:3 tells us, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

If you want to experience real joy, then put the acronym JOY into practice: Jesus. Others. Yourself. Put Jesus first. Put others second. Put yourself third. That is the joy we can experience. It is so simple, but I am amazed at the fact that very few people practice this. Many believers find themselves in the doldrums. They are down. They are depressed. They don’t have this kind of joy.

If you want real success, if you want true happiness, if you want to experience a deep and abiding joy instead of the fleeting happiness of this world, it is found in following Jesus and loving others.

Think about someone in need and start doing something for that person. Then watch how joy will appear in your life as a byproduct.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The First Step to Joyful Living

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Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.—Philippians 2:2

Conventional wisdom says that you must always look out for number one and do whatever it takes to succeed. But that is not how the kingdom of God works.

Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose” (Philippians 2:1–2).

The Message puts it this way: “Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

This goes against conventional wisdom about how we are to succeed in life, but this is what the Bible says. Some people may say, “I don’t know what planet you’re from, but that won’t work in my situation. You don’t know what it’s like in the world that I have to live in.”

What we are talking about is the way that a Christian should live. The Bible says the first step to joyful living is to put the needs of others before yourself. Paul said, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:4).

That seems like a recipe for disaster and failure in today’s culture. But here’s what the Bible says: “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:6).

If you want to be a happy person, then you cannot be a self-absorbed person, because a self-absorbed person will be a miserable person.