How to Live a Meaningful Life - Part 1 of 2

Greg Laurie: We must run to win in the race of life. Run for first place, not for honorable mention. There are winners and losers in a race, and there are winners and losers in the race of life. We should go for the gold. Silver's good, so is bronze, but definitely give it your best effort. Run in such a way that you will win.
Dave: Coming up today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how this life is compared to a race, and we need to do our very best to give it our all until the very end. In any gym, there are people there who are just getting it done. A certain number of reps, a certain duration of time, and then they are out of here. Then there are others who push themselves and they give it their all. And it shows. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out this life is too important to muddle through. The Lord wants us to run this race with endurance and to run this race to win. We will learn more about how to do that in Acts.
Greg Laurie: Now we are in Paul's third missionary journey. God is using him powerfully. Miracles are happening. Acts 19:11 says, "God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles when handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled." The emphasis is unusual miracles. These are not your normal miracles. Actual garments that have touched Paul are now being used by God to heal people. There was no healing power in something Paul wore, but it seems that in the minds of the people, there was sort of a faith release where they thought, "If I just touch this shirt that Paul wore, this robe, or whatever it would be, I too will be healed." We see a similar situation in the story of the woman with a medical condition causing her to constantly bleed. She reasoned, "If I can touch the very edge of the garment of Jesus, I will be healed." Jesus did not say that. He did not promise that, but she thought that. Sure enough, he is walking through a crowd of people. She reaches her hand through, she touches his robe, and suddenly the healing power of God is released in her life, and she is healed right there on the spot. It is interesting to note how Jesus healed different people. Sometimes they touched him, like the woman I mentioned. Other times he touched them. Other times he spoke the word, and they were healed. On one occasion, a person was blind. He spit in the dirt and wiped the dirt with his spit in the guy's eye. What would you think if you came and asked me for prayer, and I spit on the dirt? You would say, "You are not going to pray for me that way, are you?" The point is that the techniques varied so people would realize it is not in the technique, it is not in the garment, and it is not in the touch. It is from God himself. God is still in the healing business. When we need a touch from the Lord, we should call out to the Lord and ask him to heal us. Whenever God is at work, the devil will be there to oppose. The devil effectively enters the scene through a group of guys identified as the seven sons of Sceva. This man Sceva has seven sons, and they fancy themselves to be exorcists. They think they can cast demons out of people, but they were not the magnificent seven; they were the foolish seven. They thought the name of Jesus was like some kind of an incantation or magic word that, if uttered, would heal people. Acts 19:13. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in their incantation, saying, "I command you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches to come out." The evil spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?" Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence they fled from the house naked and battered. Do not mess with demons. There are three takeaway truths from this story. Number one: Satan is real and powerful. Demons are real and powerful. People can still be possessed by demons today. It is interesting that this man who was possessed by the demon had supernatural physical strength. He takes on seven dudes, and they leave the house stripped of their clothing and running for their lives. We see this same thing illustrated in that man who was demon-possessed who lived at the graveyard, and at night he would walk around shrieking and howling, and they put him in chains, and he broke the chains. The devil is powerful. Never take the devil on in your own strength. The Bible says in Ephesians 6, "Stand in the Lord and in the power of his might." Number two: The power of Jesus is much stronger than the power of Satan. It is scary to think how powerful the devil can be, but it is really encouraging to know that Jesus is way more powerful. Jesus said, "All power has been given to me in heaven and in earth." We serve an all-powerful God. The third thing is the best defense is a good offense. The Bible says, "Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." The problem with the sons of Sceva is they had no relationship with God. They just said, "In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches." The demon's response is almost humorous. "Jesus I definitely know, Paul I know, but who are you?" It reminds us that the devil knows those who are a threat to his kingdom. He knows that person, that man, that woman, they are a problem. They are a threat. I am going to focus my energies on them. Remember when Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, Simon, Satan has been asking excessively for you that you would be taken out of the care and protection of God." Wouldn't that freak you out if Jesus said that to you? You are just hanging out, and all of a sudden he turns to you and says your name twice. "Satan has been asking for you by name." Maybe he paused for a moment. Peter was shaking in his sandals. Then the Lord adds these words: "But I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail." The devil may come asking, but Jesus is going to answer the door. Do not worry about it. If you are a threat to the kingdom of Satan, the demons will be aware of you as they were in this story. After this, Paul is preaching a sermon. He is going pretty long. He is preaching until midnight. Do not ever complain about me going nine minutes too long. It is midnight and he is still going. There is some guy named Eutychus on the third floor of the building Paul was in, sitting on the windowsill. Eutychus nodded off and fell out of the window to his death. Someone says, "Paul, this Eutychus just died. He fell out of the window." Paul said, "He is okay. He is just sleeping. Take me to him." They go over. Eutychus is dead. Paul raises him from the dead. Then, like any self-respecting preacher, what does Paul do after that? He finishes his sermon. He still had a few more points to cover.
Dave: 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.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg, I just watched the Jesus Revolution movie you sent me and, wow, I loved it. It reminded me of the time I made it to one of the Calvary Chapel beach baptisms in 1972 to watch all the newly saved people come and be baptized. I drove there in my VW Bug Jesus Van and ended up handing out hundreds of the Living Water tracts from Maranatha Publishers. For the past 54 years, I have been and will always be a Jesus freak.
Dave: Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email and let him know? Send it to [email protected]. Again, that is [email protected]. You are joining us today for Pastor Greg's study in Acts called How to Live a Meaningful Life. Let's continue now.
Greg Laurie: Now we shift gears in the story as we come to Acts chapter 20. Paul is saying goodbye to these leaders. It is worth noticing that this is the only teaching sermon in the book of Acts. All the other sermons that were preached were evangelistic in nature. In this particular message given to the elders at Miletus, a little seaport there, he is giving final words to followers of the Lord. Acts 20:17. "When we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church of Ephesus asking them to come and meet him. When they arrived, he declared, 'You know from the day I set foot in this province of Asia until now, I have done the Lord's work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike: the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God and having faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.'" "Now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. None of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Five categories Paul identifies that we are in, things that we are doing. First of all, Paul compares himself to a runner in a race. "I want to finish this race with joy," he says. This was a favorite analogy of the apostle, the idea of running a race. He used it many times in his writings. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, he reminded us that we must run to win in the race of life. He said, "In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You should run in such a way that you will win." Run to win. Run for first place, not for honorable mention. In schools today or in athletic events, they will give participation trophies. This is not good. There are winners and losers in a race, and there are winners and losers in the race of life. We should go for the gold. Silver is good, and so is bronze, but definitely give it your best effort. Run that race to win. Then he also warns us about getting off track in the race of life when he writes to the believers in Galatia. In Galatians 5:7, he says, "You guys were running a good race. Who cut in on you from obeying the truth?" When we are running this race, try to run with people that have the same passion that you have. Hang around with godly people and do godly things. Do not hang around with ungodly people, which will lead you to do ungodly things. Psalm 1 says, "Happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in God's word." There are godless people, scornful people, people that will slow you down in the race of life. It is a good thing to periodically evaluate relationships you are engaged in. This is a big one for you guys that are single. When you are looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with, look for a godly man or a godly girl, someone who inspires you. Years ago, I told my wife before we were married—she was not even my girlfriend yet, but we were getting close—I said this really romantic thing to her. I said, "Kathy, if you ever get in the way of my relationship with God, you are out of here." You are thinking that was the craziest thing you could have said, Greg. The fact of the matter is that was the best thing I could have said to Kathy Martin. She said, "I was looking for a guy who had conviction, a guy who knew where he was going in life. I was not looking for a guy that I could manipulate." Ah, admission. Sometimes girls manipulate guys; it happens. She was looking for a godly man. Spend your time with people that will encourage you. Here is sort of a way to think about it: of this relationship, of this pursuit you are involved in, is it a wing or is it a weight? Does it help you go faster like a wing, or does it slow you down like a weight? Do not let someone else cut in on you. Paul also warns in Philippians 3 about looking back in the race of life. You have to look forward. It is a bad idea to look over your shoulder; that half of a second could cost you the race. When you are driving on the freeway, have you ever noticed that if there's a cop, a CHP driving ahead of you, you always slow down? No one wants to pass the CHP. Even if they are under the speed limit, you go under the speed limit. If they slow down to 20, we will all slow down to 20. Sometimes I think they do that just to mess with us. The problem is sometimes if you are driving and you look in your rearview mirror and you see a police officer driving behind you, you get focused on that and you are not paying attention to where you are going. In the race of life, you have to always be looking forward and not looking backward because the first step to going back is looking back. Remember Jesus said, "Remember Lot's wife." Why should I remember Lot's wife? Because after she was delivered by the angel of the Lord from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife, along with Lot and their children, were warned, "Do not look back." She deliberately looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt. Jesus said, "No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." In the race of life, keep looking forward, not looking backward. Paul says, "I want to finish this race with joy" in verse 23. I love that. Not just finish the race, finish the race with joy. I have never felt joy when I am running. I have only felt pain. But he goes, "I want to finish this with joy." I have been running this race for over 50 years now, and I am going to tell you a little secret: it is a joyful thing to serve God. I love it. Do not lose your joy. After he sinned, David said in Psalm 51, a Psalm of confession, "Restore unto me the joy of my salvation, and then sinners will be converted to you." Isaiah 55 says, "You shall go out with joy, you'll be led forth with peace, and the mountains and the hills will break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Then we are also told in Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Do you have joy? Do other people see that joy in your life? It is really important. David said, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, then sinners will be converted to you." A nonbeliever sees you having joy, not just when things are going well, but when things are going badly. That is a powerful testimony. Paul also points out that as we run the race of life, we need to play by the rules. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, "I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I discipline my body like an athlete training it to do what it should. Otherwise, my fear is after I've preached to others, I'd be a hypocrite and I would be disqualified." When you enter into a race or whatever it is, there are rules. Do you agree to play by the rules? I read about one guy that entered a marathon, and he agreed to play by the rules. They noticed that when the race was coming to a close, this guy comes across the finish line. No sweat. He was just acting like he had not done anything. He won the bronze, and someone complained. They found out the guy had started the race, ran through the forest, got on a bus, went to the place where the race ends, got off the bus, and then ran across the finish line. Needless to say, he was disqualified. We have to play by God's rules. That is the way to do it. We want to run all the way because it is not just starting this race well, it is finishing this race well. I have found that the best way to run well in the race of life is to have a good motivation. Why am I doing it? What is my objective? The author of Hebrews tells us the secret. He says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, so let's lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily besets us and run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and now has sat down at the right hand of God. That is how you look to Jesus. I do not run this race for people. I do not run it for applause. I do not run it for likes on my social media. I do not run it for any of those things. I started it this way and I hope to end it this way: I am doing it for Jesus, and that is what will keep you going no matter what you are facing. People will let you down. People will disappoint you. Circumstances will overwhelm you. Just keep your eyes on the prize and specifically keep your eyes on the Lord. In fact, that is what kept Jesus going because it says for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross. What was the joy set before Jesus? The apostles were pretty much in hiding. John was present at the cross, but most of the others were hiding in the shadows. Peter even denied him. The crowds were jeering him, insulting him. But something kept Jesus going. It was a joy set before him. The joy was you. It was me, it was us. It was knowing that our salvation would be purchased through his death on the cross. We are a runner in a race.
Dave: Great encouragement to keep us going in our Christian life. Pastor Greg Laurie with our studies in Acts chapters 19 and 20 today here on A New Beginning. Given the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, as Pastor Greg said, it is what motivated Jesus to keep going. Given that, how have you responded? Because of what Jesus did, he extends his free gift of eternal life to each of us. Pastor Greg, someone can enter into that kind of relationship today, can't they?
Greg Laurie: They can, and it is so simple. I think because it is so simple people think it cannot be that easy. Look, Jesus did all the heavy lifting. He carried the cross for you. He died on that cross that he carried. This is not about what you do; it is about what he has done. The Bible says, "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Let's just say that you are caught in a rip tide out in the ocean and you need help, and there's a lifeguard at the stand and they see you. You have to call out to them and let them know you need saving. The same is true when it comes to eternal life. Jesus is ready to save you. Will you call out to him? You do it through prayer. Prayer is just talking to God. I would like to lead you in a simple prayer. If you pray this prayer after me, I believe God will hear it and answer it, and Christ will come to live inside of you. Thousands of people have prayed a prayer like this over the years that we have been doing this radio broadcast and have seen their life change. There is no power or magic in a prayer. It is all about your commitment to Christ, but this is a way to call on the name of the Lord. If you want Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you will go to heaven when you die, just pray these words if you would. 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. I am sorry for my sin and I turn from it now. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my Savior and my Lord, be my God and my friend. Thanks for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. If you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know that God has heard you and has answered it. The Bible says, "These things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life." That you may know. It is yours now. God has given it to you because it is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Congratulations and welcome to the family of God.
Dave: That is right. We want to help you get started in this new relationship with the Lord. Would you let us send you something? It is free of charge. It is Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. Millions have read this edition of God's Word. New believers love the study helps written just for them, and they appreciate that it is in an easy-to-understand translation. We will send it to you today. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can call anytime, 1-800-821-3300. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org. Pastor Greg, we hear from people all the time who tell us how these daily studies have impacted their lives. So many have found the Lord and been encouraged through this teaching. We hope our listeners might pray about making an investment so these studies can continue.
Greg Laurie: It is really true, Dave. Even a little bit helps. People need to hear the gospel so badly. They need to hear the teaching of the Word of God. It changes everything because it changes us. I am so passionate about it and I am called to do it and I am thankful for it, but I cannot do it alone. I am going to ask folks that are listening if you think more people need to hear the gospel, if you believe more people need to hear the teaching of the Word of God, then prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries and maybe even become a Harvest Partner, which means you are someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving and that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us. Thanks for that.
Dave: We really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-821-3300. That is 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org. Next time, we will return to Acts chapter 20 for more insight on how we can live a meaningful life. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.