No One is Beyond the Reach of God - Part 2 of 2

Guest (Male): Is Christianity just another religion? Pastor Greg Laurie says no. He explains a key difference between Christianity and other religions of the world.
Greg Laurie: If you were to sum up religion in one word, it would be the word 'do'. Do this and you'll reach Nirvana. Do this other thing and you might get to heaven. If you were to sum up Christianity in one word, it would be the word 'done'. It's done, it's finished, it's completed because of the death of Christ on the cross.
Guest (Male): In spite of the fact that eternal life is a free gift from God, paid for by Jesus' death at Calvary. Some accept that gift, and some don't. That's startling to believers. Heaven or hell, take your pick. Yeah, I just don't think heaven's the right fit for me. Well, today on A New Beginning, we'll take a look at that choice and how people each make the choices that lead to life or death. Pastor Greg is presenting an enlightening series in the book of Acts, called 'The Upside Down Life'.
Greg Laurie: I want to look at two men in the Bible that are placed side by side: Saul of Tarsus and Simon the Magician. One had a real conversion, the other did not. And this is a reminder that time will tell if a person is really a believer. Acts chapter 9, definitely one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Verse one, Saul was uttering threats with every breath, and he was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest, who requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for the cooperation and the arrest of any followers of 'the way'. Underline that phrase 'the way'. He found there, he wanted to bring them, both men and women, to Jerusalem in chains. This guy was heartless. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light fell from heaven and it suddenly shown down around him, and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. The voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you'll be told what to do." But the men who were with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one. We'll stop there. Don't you love that story? So here's Saul. He's like a wild animal. Verse one says he was uttering threats. And this is an interesting phrase. It means he was ravaging people to destroy them. He was just filled with fury. In fact, Paul said in Acts 26:11 when giving his testimony, "A raging fury obsessed him." And if you were to have told Saul, "Hey buddy, before you get to the end of this trip, you're going to be a Christian." He would have laughed in your face. I love this description of the first-century Christians in verse two. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues asking for the cooperation in the arrest of any followers of 'the way', of 'the way'. I mentioned to you before that the Christians did not get together and decide to call themselves Christians. They were called followers of the way. They called themselves followers of the way. No doubt, based on the statement of Jesus in John 14:6, where he said, "What? I am the..." That's right. "The way, the truth, and the life." So they were followers of the way. They believed that Jesus was the way to God as we believe today. Well, most of us, or some of us. How many of you believe Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God? Raise your hand, okay? That's good, because this is a non-negotiable. And I bring this up because it's now controversial to say that. To say that there's only one way to a relationship with God, and that is through Jesus Christ. Some would say, "Well, that's not right." I read recently that 70% of born-again Christians were polled and they said they did not believe that Jesus is the only way to God. My response is, are you sure you're a born-again Christian? How can you say that because it's so clear in scripture how this is a non-negotiable truth. Why do I believe Jesus is the only way to the Father? Because Jesus said so. Now, it really comes down to that, are we going to believe the Bible or not? I know it seems very open-minded of you, maybe even compassionate of you, to say, "Well, all roads really lead to God." And really, when you get down to it, all religions really teach the same thing, which is your way of saying, "I don't know what the heck I'm talking about." Because if you take an honest look at the great religions of the world, you will see they clearly do not all teach the same thing. In fact, if you were to sum up religion in one word, it would be the word 'do'. Do. Do this and you'll find inner peace. Do that and you'll reach Nirvana. Do this other thing and you might get to heaven. If you were to sum up Christianity in one word, it would be the word 'done'. It's done, it's finished, it's completed because of the death of Christ on the cross. So you have a choice. You can go with 'done' or you can go with 'do'. Do and do. Acts 4:12 says there's salvation in no one else. There's no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. They were people of 'the way', not 'a way', or 'a better way'. They were people of 'the only way'. So it's afternoon, the sun's probably shining. Saul's on his way to kill Christians. It's a good day in the mind of Saul of Tarsus. Verse three says a light fell from heaven and it shone around him and he fell to the ground, and the voice says, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" I love Saul's response, "Who are you, Lord?" "Who are you?" And I know that Saul's probably thinking, "Don't say Jesus." Don't say Jesus. "Who are you, Lord?" "I am Jesus." That's echo. "Who you are persecuting." And Saul said, "D'oh!" Obscure Homer Simpson reference in case you missed it. He realized that the very God he thought he was serving, he was, in fact, opposing. And it's also interesting how Jesus says, "Why do you persecute me?" Jesus identifies with his people. When someone raises their hand against us, they are, in fact, raising a hand against Christ himself. So if you're hurting, I want you to know Jesus knows. He's more than aware. Fascinating verse, verse five. Jesus says, "It's hard for you to kick against the goads." Now that's a statement that is hard for us to understand. What does that even mean? A goad was basically a sharpened stick. So back in the first century, instead of putting the pedal to the metal, you put the goad to the ox, okay? A goad was a sharpened stick. You want the ox to go faster, you want to shift into second gear, you give him a poke, right? So this is a picture Jesus uses. You're kicking against the goad. So I'm prompting you to believe, I'm convicting you, you're fighting with me, you're kicking against that. So what would these goads, so-called, be? I think the arguments, life and death of Stephen was one of them, the way he died, as I pointed out. I think the spread of the gospel and the response of the believers were goads as well. Saul probably wondered, "How can these people suffer and die if it's all a lie?" So, Saul believes and we're going to have to put that in freeze frame and we'll come to that later because now we're going to shift gears and look at the other character in our story. We have one who was converted, Saul of Tarsus. Now we have another who appears to be converted, but in fact, he is a poser, because things are not always as they appear. I was with Chuck Smith years ago, and uh, we did a TV show together. And afterwards, we went into the little back room and they had a whole bunch of sushi out there. So, there was some wasabi. You know what wasabi is? So you take a little bit of wasabi, you mix it up in the soy sauce, and you dip your sushi in the wasabi, right? Well, so I'm there with Chuck Smith. He's looking at all this food, and he was getting, he's filling his plate with sushi. I said, "Wow, Chuck, I didn't know you love sushi." He says, "I love sushi." Great. And then he takes a big ball of wasabi, a big ball, and he pops it in his mouth. I'm like, and he turns bright red. And tears are starting to come out of his eyes, and he just stands there. And then he finally swallows it and I said, "Chuck, you're not supposed to eat that." And Chuck says, "I thought it was guacamole." Oh man, it's brutal. But a great story! Thank you, Pastor Chuck. Things are not always as they appear. That's certainly the case with Simon. Simon the sorcerer.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey, everybody, Greg Laurie, and I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours, and I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience. It actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way. It's a vacation with a purpose. And we're going to be taking a tour of Israel April 6th to 15th, 2027. You can find out more at israel.harvest.org. Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land, April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at israel.harvest.org. Well, Pastor Greg has been focusing on the life of Saul of Tarsus. And now he contrasts it with the story of Simon the Magician, or Simon the Sorcerer.
Greg Laurie: Little backdrop on his story before we read about it. Philip was in town and he was praying for people, and miracles were happening. And uh, it's a great time. Enter Simon the Sorcerer. Acts chapter 8, verse 9. We're going back now, back to Acts 8, verse 9. A man named Simon had been a sorcerer for many years, amazing the people of Samaria, and claiming to be someone great. Everyone from the least to the greatest often spoke of him as "the great one, the power of God." They listened closely to him because for a long time he astounded them with his magic. But now the people believed Philip's message of the good news concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed at the signs and great miracles Philip performed. So at first glance, it looks like this guy, Simon, became a believer. So Simon the Magician. He was probably steeped in occultism, but he probably had some pretty cool magic tricks up his sleeve that were nothing more than slight of hand and trickery. We have a professional magician that attends our church over on Maui. His name is Warren. I went to one of his shows. It's incredible. And Warren's a Christian, and he uses his magic, and it's not literal magic, but he uses illusion to make spiritual points. It's very convincing. And I asked him after I saw a show, "Tell me how you did this." He wouldn't reveal how he did it. And uh, but I just tell you this, when someone comes and wants to do a card trick, I hate card tricks, okay? Pick a card, any card. Just stop, I don't want to pick a card. Go away with your cards, okay? But whatever Simon did, it was very impressive, it was very convincing. So it might have been a combination of trickery, illusion, and devilish power on display. But whatever it was, he had the people eating out of his hand. He was very popular. He was even called "the great one". "You're the great one." Well, he enjoyed that. Well, along comes Philip and Philip wrecks everything. And he preaches the gospel and real power is now on display because there's no power that can compete with the power of the gospel, because it's the power of God unto salvation. So Simon had no magic trick to match this. So we read in verse 13, he believed and was baptized. Now, was he converted? Well, I don't know. I kind of tend to doubt it for this reason, because if you drop down to verse 20, we see that Peter showed up in town along with John, and they were performing miracles by the hand of God. And Simon said, "Listen, I want to buy this trick, this thing you guys are doing. I want this in my repertoire. So, how much to buy this ability?" Well, that didn't play well. Peter says in verse 20, "May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God's gift can be bought. You have no part in this and your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you of your evil thoughts, for I can see you're full of bitter jealousy and held captive by sin." Wow. So it's a super serious charge that Peter is leveling at Simon when he says, "May your money be destroyed with you." But wait, it says he believed and was baptized. Doesn't that mean he was a Christian? Not necessarily. It is my belief that he was not a believer at all. You know, in a technical sense, you could say the demons believe. And by that, I don't mean that I think they're followers of Jesus, the very opposite of that. But yet James 2:19 says, "You believe there's one God? You're right. Even the demons believe that and tremble." Oh, foolish man, don't you know faith without works is dead? Let's say I interviewed a demon. That'd be freaky, wouldn't it? Let's say I interviewed Lucifer himself, the devil. If I were to ask Satan, say, "Let me ask you a question. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?" What do you think his answer would be? Yes. How do I know that? Because in the temptation in the wilderness, he said to the Lord, "Since you're the Son of God, why don't you turn this rock into a piece of bread?" He was not questioning that. Satan believes Jesus is the Son of God. If I were to ask the devil, "Do you believe that the Bible is the word of God?" What do you think his answer would be? Yes, he knows it. As we already read in that verse, the demons believe and tremble. He knows it's true, but obviously he's in rebellion against it. See, Simon, I think, was faking a conversion because it was something he really wanted. But the Bible leaves the story open-ended. He was told to repent. Did he repent later? I don't know, hopefully he did. But this much is true, you can say you're a Christian and not be a Christian. In John 2, we read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, "Many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did." But then this statement, "But Jesus did not commit himself to them, for he knew all men." Wait, what? "Many believed in him when they saw the signs, but Jesus did not commit himself to them." You could translate it this way, "Many believed in him, but he didn't believe in them." That's John 2. Right on the heels of that is John 3. Amazing insight. And what do we read in John 3? "Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night." And what happened with him? Well, he believed. We know that later Nicodemus became a believer. But he had this conversation with Christ. So that's a contrast. Hey, many appeared to be believing, but they were not believers. But here's this guy, the most unexpected guy, Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees, who actually did become a believer. We have that same picture in the story before us. Here's a man who did not want to become a believer. The last thing he wanted was Jesus. His name was Saul. He became a true Christian. Here's a man that appeared to want to be a believer, but he really did not. His name was Simon. If you're a real believer, you need to repent of your sin. That's what Peter said. He said, "You need to repent of this." And repentance doesn't just mean being sorry, it means being sorry enough to stop. In closing, I wonder if I'm talking to someone that's been kicking against the goads. And by that, I mean, you're kicking against the Holy Spirit. You're you're resisting the convicting work of the Spirit who's trying to draw you to himself. Why? Well, we get this idea that, being a Christian, such a drag. Rules, regulations, absolutes. I want to just do what I want to do and go where I want to go and live the way I want to live and hang out with the people I want to hang around with. And then you go down that path and you see how empty that is. And meanwhile, Jesus is still calling you. Did it ever occur to you that God's plan for you is far better than your plan for yourself? I love that verse that I quote often, Jeremiah 29:11. It says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Reminds me of a story I heard about a guy who was being pursued by an attorney. And this man was certain that that attorney wanted to serve him with a subpoena. So this guy made it his mission in life to evade the attorney. This went on for 13 years and that attorney was never able to make contact with this man. Well, the man got very sick and he was actually dying and he was in the hospital. And lo and behold, they wheeled that attorney in right next to him. He was sharing the room with the attorney. The man turned to the attorney and said, "Go ahead, serve me the subpoena. I don't even care now. I'm going to die." The attorney said, "Subpoena? I have a written document telling you that you had inherited $45 million." See, that's us running from God. "Oh, I don't want God." Well, God wants to bless you. God wants to forgive you. God wants to guide you. God wants to use you. God wants to put supernatural gifts in your life and use you to change the world. What are you running from? What are you afraid of? You should be running to him, not away from him. And you could do that right now. There might be somebody that is caught in a cycle of addiction. And you've tried so many times to break free. This can be your moment where everything changes because of Jesus. Maybe there's somebody here that has been fighting with God and fighting with Christians. And that, by the way, is a losing proposition. Don't get in a fight with God. You're going to so lose. Right? As it's been said, "Your arms are too short to box with God." Just submit to God. His plan for you is good. He's not trying to serve you with a subpoena. He's trying to give you an inheritance. He's trying to bless you. He's trying to get you on the right course. And maybe somebody here needs to get on that course. Jesus died on the cross for your sin, paid the price for every sin you've ever committed, and he will forgive you right here, right now, in a moment, if you will turn to him. Not a fake conversion like Simon, a real conversion like Saul. Let's all pray. Father, we thank you for your word to us. We know it's true. And I know there are people here that need to get right with you. And I'm praying that at this very moment your Holy Spirit will convince them of their need for Jesus and bring them to yourself. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer. And if you'd like to make a change in your relationship with the Lord today, Pastor Greg will help you with that in just a moment before this edition of A New Beginning concludes. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions each day via email? If not, let's take care of that right now. You can sign up today, free of charge, at harvest.org. And you'll receive a daily inspirational thought from God's word each day in your inbox. Again, go to harvest.org. Well, Pastor Greg, you spoke today about having a relationship with the Lord. Someone can enter into that kind of relationship with God right now, can't they?
Greg Laurie: Yeah, they really can. That's the amazing thing. I think people are surprised that it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months, it doesn't take weeks, it doesn't take days. It doesn't even take hours. You can believe on the spot. There's a story in the book of Acts of a jailer who cruelly mistreated the Apostle Paul and also Silas. And there was a moment where he saw his need for Jesus Christ and he asked this question, "What do I need to do to be saved?" Paul said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." And right there that man believed. It can happen in seconds. Would you like it to happen to you? Would you like to have Christ live inside of you? Would you like to know with assurance that when you die, you will go to heaven? I'll tell you what, it can happen right now because God, he's only a prayer away. And I would like to lead you in a prayer where you can ask for his forgiveness, a prayer where you can receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord. So if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want a second chance in life, if you want to go to heaven when you die, stop what you're doing and pray this prayer with me. In fact, if you like, you could even pray it out loud. As I pray, you pray after me, these words. Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I'm sorry for my sin. And I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as Savior and Lord, as God and friend. Thank you for loving me and calling me and forgiving me, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Guest (Male): Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed those words with Pastor Greg, the Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin. The Bible says Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we'd like to send you some materials to help you begin to live this new life. Foremost in this packet of material is Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. It's a Bible with scores of helps for those who are new to the faith. Let it help you build a solid foundation for your walk with God. Just ask for it, and we'll send it to you free of charge if you've prayed for the first time today with Pastor Greg. Just give us a call anytime at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words 'Know God'. You know, 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.
Greg Laurie: That's right.
Guest (Male): And we hope our listeners might pray about making an investment so these studies can continue.
Greg Laurie: Yeah, it's really true, Dave. You know, and even a little bit helps. You know, 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. And I'm so passionate about it, and I'm called to do it, and I'm thankful for it. But I can't do it alone. So I'm going to ask folks that are listening that 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're someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving, and that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us. So, thanks for that.
Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And we really are thankful for your partnership. You can reach us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, Pastor Greg points out that we're living in a time when we can literally take the gospel to everyone on the planet. We'll talk about doing that. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.