Greg Laurie's Notes from "A New Beginning" for the Week of Monday, 17 February 2014

Greg Laurie's Notes from "A New Beginning" for the Week of Monday, 17 February 2014

UPCOMING PROGRAMS:

The Greatest Stories Ever Told

"Show Me Your Glory!"

SHOW ME YOUR GLORY

Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”

2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 He received what they handed him, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.”

6 They rose up early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

9 Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

11 Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring[a] as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring,[b] and they shall inherit it forever.’”

14 Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.

15 Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tables.

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of war in the camp.”

18 He said, “It isn’t the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear.” 19 As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. 20 He took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”

22 Aaron said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ 24 I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them take it off:’ so they gave it to me; and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 When Moses saw that the people had broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on Yahweh’s side, come to me!”

All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 He said to them, “Yahweh says, the God of Israel, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” 28 The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to Yahweh, yes, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may give you a blessing today.”

30 On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.”

31 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”

33 Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 Yahweh struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

33: Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people that you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring.[c]’ 2 I will send an angel before you; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 3 to a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”

4 When the people heard this evil news, they mourned: and no one put on his jewelry.

5 Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go up into the middle of you for one moment, I would consume you. Therefore now take off your jewelry from you, that I may know what to do to you.’”

6 The children of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it “The Tent of Meeting.” Everyone who sought Yahweh went out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 When Moses went out to the Tent, that all the people rose up, and stood, everyone at their tent door, and watched Moses, until he had gone into the Tent. 9 When Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, stood at the door of the Tent, and spoke with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, and all the people rose up and worshiped, everyone at their tent door. 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn’t depart from the Tent.

12 Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people:’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your way, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight: and consider that this nation is your people.”

14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 He said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here. 16 For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”

17 Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

18 He said, “Please show me your glory.”

19 He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim Yahweh’s name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” 20 He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.” 21 Yahweh also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Footnotes:

a. Exodus 32:13 or, seed

b. Exodus 32:13 or, seed

c. Exodus 33:1 or, seed

There really is nothing like the relationship between good friends. They can share openly with each 

other, without fear of reprisal. They can lower their guard and be themselves.

Here in Exodus, we see the friendship that God had with Moses. Exodus 33:11 says that the Lord 

spoke to Moses face-to-face like a friend. This allowed Moses to make a request that would seem 

unthinkable—to see God in His glory. Not only did the Lord welcome this request, but it is 

something we can do too.

PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES

1. God’s direction (Exodus 33:13). The first thing that Moses sought was an indication of God’s intentions. He wanted to know what God would have him do. God’s response is beautiful: “My

 Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Verse 14). Moses and Israel didn’t have to worry. They could rest in the knowledge that the Lord was with them. Instead of worrying about

 the future and things that are out of our control, we should be resting too, trusting in God’s presence with us.

2. God’s confirmation (Exodus 33:15-16). This might sound like a lack of faith on Moses’ part, but his request was more like, “Lord, I don’t want to make this journey without You. I need your

 assurance.” This should be our desire in every situation, that He would be with us wherever we go. God’s loosely paraphrased response is, “Hey Moses, you’re my friend. Of course, I will.”

3. God’s glory (Exodus 33:18). Having received positive responses to his first two requests, Moses goes for the gold here. In essence, it wasn’t about getting something from God anymore; Moses simply wanted God’s glory. Similarly, there comes a point when our prayers stop being about what we want from God, but about wanting God’s will in our lives. It’s about letting God take the controls of your life.

RELEVANT REMINDERS

One important reason why Moses could make such a bold request of God was because he had shown his maturity in the wake of Israel’s golden calf “incident” in Exodus 32. Rather than watch God destroy Israel as punishment, Moses stood in the gap and interceded for the people, willing to sacrifice his hope of heaven to save them. God was looking for Moses to rise to the occasion, and he did.

APPLICABLE ACTIONS

Jesus’ death on the cross gives us an even closer relationship with God than Moses had (Hebrews 10:19-20). We as Christians are friends of God too, and we can come to Him with our requests, so 

let us seek His will and desire to have Him at the center of our lives. If you aren’t a Christian, why not come to Him now and enter into a friendship with Him.

MONDAY, 17 February 2014

Show Me Your Glory! — III

Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”

2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 He received what they handed him, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.”

6 They rose up early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

9 Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

11 Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring[a] as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring,[b] and they shall inherit it forever.’”

14 Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.

15 Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tables.

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of war in the camp.”

18 He said, “It isn’t the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear.” 19 As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. 20 He took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”

22 Aaron said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ 24 I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them take it off:’ so they gave it to me; and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 When Moses saw that the people had broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on Yahweh’s side, come to me!”

All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 He said to them, “Yahweh says, the God of Israel, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” 28 The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to Yahweh, yes, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may give you a blessing today.”

30 On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.”

31 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”

33 Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 Yahweh struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Pastor Greg Laurie says, "Prayer is not about getting stuff from God, it's about getting God." Lessons on a productive, rewarding prayer life, listen in as we learn to follow the example of Moses in Pastor Greg's series, "The Greatest Stories Ever Told."

The Greatest Stories Ever Told

"What God is Like?"

WHAT GOD IS LIKE

Numbers 6:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

5 “‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled, in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation to God [a] is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahweh.

9 “‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day. 12 He shall separate to Yahweh the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh, one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, and one ram without defect for peace offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before Yahweh, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering. 17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering, and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation; 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. This is holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

24 ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.

25     Yahweh make his face to shine on you,

    and be gracious to you.

26 Yahweh lift up his face toward you,

    and give you peace.’

27 “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Footnotes:

a. Numbers 6:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

When the apostle Paul visited Athens in Acts 17, one of the things he picked up on was the fact that 

the people had temples and altars to every conceivable god in Greek and Roman culture. It even 

included an altar that had been dedicated “To An Unknown God.”

That is how it is for a lot of people. They think of God and they have a big blank. It is question 

mark. To them, God is unknown.

But that is one of the reasons for the Bible. It was written to tell us what God is like. And in 

Numbers 6, we get a glimpse into what God is like, and the blessing He wants to give all of us.

PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES

1. God loves to bless us. Scripture uses the word “blessing” as a term for God’s favor. Jesus spent a significant amount of time blessing people, from the children who were brought to Him, to the disciples as He ascended into heaven. God wants to bless us, to put His favor upon us.

2. God will keep you. It is easy to worry about safety and security, until you realize that God does not forget the ones He loves. He protects His investment, and He is going to keep us safe until it is time for us to go home. Just as Satan couldn’t do anything to Job without God’s permission, God has a hedge of protection around all believers (2 Thessalonians 3:3; Jude 1:24).

3. God smiles on you. Many people have this image of God as a stern taskmaster who is perpetually disappointed with us. The reality is that He knows everything about us, from our thoughts to our actions, but He still smiles when we come to Him, like a grandparent’s face lights up when they see their grandchild.

4. God is gracious to us. An easy way to define grace is to compare it to justice and mercy in God’s

 eyes. Justice is getting what you deserve (death for our sins). Mercy is not getting what you

 deserve (Jesus dying on the cross in our place). Grace is getting what you don’t deserve (eternal

 life and a place in heaven).

5. God is attentive to you. Simply put, you always have His full attention. He is always thinking

 about you. Even when you are in times of trial or suffering, His eyes are always on you and He

 will keep us from harm until that period of testing or learning is complete.

6. God wants to give peace to you. When you are worried about something, it can feel impossible to get to sleep at night. Conversely, it is easy to sleep when you know that everything is taken care of. Knowing all of the other things that God does for us, we can have peace, the kind that only God can give.

RELEVANT REMINDERS

What does it mean to be blessed? One of the most well-known uses of the word “blessed” comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Interestingly, the word used by Jesus for “blessed is derived from the Greek word makarios, a reference to the Mediterranean island of Cypress. Because of its geographical location, balmy climate, fertile soil, the Greeks believed that if you lived on this island, you had everything that you needed. It was all there. It was a self-contained state of bliss, or makarios. 

The idea here is that God wants to bless you, and that His blessing is independent of your circumstances. You are blessed by God when things are going well, but you are also blessed by Him 

when you’re in a trial or suffering. If you are a believer, you are always blessed by God, no matter what.

APPLICABLE ACTIONS

Just as people visit the ATM or go online to check the balance in their bank account, it is good for Christians to check their spiritual balance too. 

Sometimes, we feel as if God is upset with us, that He has it out for us. We feel like God doesn’t want to bless us at all.

When that happens, go check out your spiritual balance. You’ll find that it is just as it has always been—filled to the brim and overflowing. Not only that, but you’ll discover than there’s no way to deplete. You will always have more than you need. 

So start drawing on this account and know that you serve a blessing God, a loving God, a smiling God, an attentive God, a keeping God, a gracious God that is going to be with you, no matter what you will face today.

TUESDAY, 18 February 2014

What God is Like? — I

Numbers 6:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

5 “‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled, in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation to God [a] is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahweh.

9 “‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day. 12 He shall separate to Yahweh the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh, one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, and one ram without defect for peace offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before Yahweh, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering. 17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering, and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation; 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. This is holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

24 ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.

25     Yahweh make his face to shine on you,

    and be gracious to you.

26 Yahweh lift up his face toward you,

    and give you peace.’

27 “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Footnotes:

a. Numbers 6:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

Happiness can come and go. It ebbs and flows depending on what kind of day we're having. But Pastor Greg Laurie says the blessings of God are constant and dependable. Pastor Greg brings us a revealing look at God and His mercies.

WEDNESDAY, 19 February 2014

What God is Like? — II

Numbers 6:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

5 “‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled, in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation to God [a] is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahweh.

9 “‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day. 12 He shall separate to Yahweh the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh, one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, and one ram without defect for peace offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before Yahweh, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering. 17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering, and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation; 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. This is holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

24 ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.

25     Yahweh make his face to shine on you,

    and be gracious to you.

26 Yahweh lift up his face toward you,

    and give you peace.’

27 “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Footnotes:

a. Numbers 6:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

Pastor Greg Laurie brings us good insight on a familiar phrase in Scripture: "God will keep us." Within those four short words is a promise that can hold us securely in any storm!

THURSDAY, 20 February 2014

What God is Like? — III

Numbers 6:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

5 “‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled, in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his separation to God [a] is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahweh.

9 “‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day. 12 He shall separate to Yahweh the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh, one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, and one ram without defect for peace offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before Yahweh, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering. 17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering, and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the head of his separation; 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. This is holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows, and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

24 ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.

25     Yahweh make his face to shine on you,

    and be gracious to you.

26 Yahweh lift up his face toward you,

    and give you peace.’

27 “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Footnotes:

a. Numbers 6:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

God's blessings are within easy reach. So what's keeping us from them? Pastor Greg Laurie says it's a simple act of our will . . . we haven't yet made the right choice! Pastor Greg brings important insight on the power of personal choice from his series "The Greatest Stories Ever Told."

The Greatest Stories Ever Told

"It's All How You Look at Things"

IT’S ALL HOW YOU LOOK AT THINGS

Numbers 13:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”

3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh. All them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 These were their names:

Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.

21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. 22 They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there. 25 They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 26 They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. 29 Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.”

30 Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!”

31 But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” 32 They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the Nephilim,[a] the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim.[b] We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Footnotes:

a. Numbers 13:33 or, giants

b. Numbers 13:33 or, giants

What is your view of God? The way you view God will determine how you view life and the choices you make. This is especially true when we are facing trials or crises in our lives. If you have a big view of God, then your problems will seems small in comparison. If you have a small view of God, then your problems will be large in comparison.

As Israel approached the Promised Land, they sent spies to scout the land. Ten of the 12 returned with reports of obstacles and troubles ahead, but two saw past the potential problems and saw 

God-given opportunities. It was all in how they looked at things.

PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES

1. They focused on the obstacles instead of the objective (Numbers 13:28-29). The other spies focused on the imposing people in Canaan and their fortified cities. When you take your eyes off the goal, you will inevitably fixate on the problems and let them overwhelm you. On the other hand, when you look at the obstacles in the light of God, you begin to see them as they really are—insignificant compared to Him.

2. Everything is affected when you allow fear to grip you (Numbers 14:2, 4). Faith cannot coexist with fear. When fear enters in, faith goes. For the Israelites, their fear convinced them that they were better off as oppressed slaves in Egypt. Fear makes you lose your bearings, forgetting what God has done in your life. The Christian life is a battlefield, not a cakewalk. Don’t let obstacles make you forget God’s promises.

3. God does not want you to run from our giants, but to attack them (Numbers 14:9). Joshua and Caleb’s response to the imposing Canaanites was simple: “The Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” Rather than shrink in fear or look for a way around, they wanted to attack head-on. That should be our mindset as Christians. Be like David and run toward the enemy, ready to take it on in the strength of the Lord.

RELEVANT REMINDERS

In 1 Corinthians 10, the apostle Paul draws a parallel between Christians today and the Israelites of Moses’ day. Moses delivered them from the bondage of slavery. Jesus Christ delivered us from the bondage of sin. They were given a Promised Land; we have been promised heaven. Like the Israelites, we have a choice to make. We can follow Christ as Lord, taking on the difficulties and the blessings, or we can live in a self-imposed wilderness of struggle and half-hearted living.

APPLICABLE ACTIONS

Are you following God with all of your heart, ready to take on life’s challenges? Or are you living in a self-imposed wilderness of struggle and compromise? You can live the Christian life as it was meant to be lived. Come out of the wilderness and into the light.

FRIDAY, 21 February 2014

It's All How You Look at Things — I

Numbers 13:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”

3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Yahweh. All them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 These were their names:

Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.

21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. 22 They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there. 25 They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 26 They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. 29 Amalek dwells in the land of the South. The Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country. The Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along the side of the Jordan.”

30 Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!”

31 But the men who went up with him said, “We aren’t able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” 32 They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the Nephilim,[a] the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim.[b] We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Footnotes:

a. Numbers 13:33 or, giants

b. Numbers 13:33 or, giants

What problems are standing in your way today? Pastor Greg Laurie says, no matter how big the problem, God is bigger still. Listen in for a reassuring look at how God cares for His children. We'll study one of "The Greatest Stories Ever Told."

~~~~~~~

Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie

P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000

Phone: 1-800-821-3300

~~~~