Greg Laurie - The Gift

December 1, 2025 | 27:40

In this heartfelt Christmas message, Pastor Greg Laurie shares the powerful message of the ultimate gift of eternal life given to us by God. Through relatable anecdotes and insightful teachings, he emphasizes the importance of appreciating this gift, giving back to God through worship and service, and sharing the gift with others. With personal experiences and biblical references, Pastor Greg encourages listeners to find joy and happiness in Christ, especially during times of hardship and depression. The narrative weaves together themes of faith, hope, and the transformative power of sharing the gospel to bring comfort and inspiration to all who listen.

#WordofGod #EternalLife #Heart #Gifting/Talent #Justification #Forgiveness #Iniquity #Chosenpeople #Sin #GregLaurie

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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - The Gift | December 1, 2025

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Greg laurie: the greatest gift you can share in this christmas
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Season is a gift of eternal life, and people need to see it
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And hear it.
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And this is how you can have a happy christmas because for
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Some, christmas is not a happy time.
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Some people find themselves depressed in the
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Christmas season.
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Maybe i'm talking to someone that feels down
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And depressed right now.
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Christmas cannot make you happy.
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Only christ can make you happy.
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♪ this is the day, ♪
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♪ the day when life begins. ♪
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♪ this is the day, ♪
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♪ the day when life begins. ♪♪
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Greg: well, i wanna talk to you about the gift.
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First of all, i wanna talk to you about the gift that god has
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Given to us.
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Then i wanna talk about the gift that we can give back to god.
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And thirdly, i wanna talk about the gift
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That we give to each other.
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So let's start with the gift god has given to us.
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Do we really appreciate this gift?
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Now, this gift is not under your christmas tree.
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This gift cannot be purchased with money.
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In fact, if you're a christian, you already carry this gift in
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Your heart.
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And if you don't have this gift, i'm gonna tell you how to
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Receive it in a few moments.
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I'm talking about the gift of christmas, which is the gift of
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Eternal life.
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God has given to every christian the
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Gift of eternal life.
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Romans 6:23 says: "the gift of god which is eternal life
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Through jesus christ."
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That's the greatest gift you have.
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Now, you'll get certain things under the tree, but they'll
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Quickly go out of style or they'll be yesterday's tech.
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You know, you get the new phone and the moment you get it, like,
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A week later, they come out with a new updated version and that
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Drone or new outfit will one day be as dated as a betamax or a
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Mood ring, right?
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But then again, some gifts become more precious with the
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Passing of time.
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And in the same way, this gift that god has given to us, this
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Gift of eternal life, will only grow more valuable to you with
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The passing of time.
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Now it's already valuable, but your appreciation of it is going
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To grow, and especially if you have a better understanding of
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What it actually is.
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What does it mean to receive eternal life?
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What does it mean to receive this gift we're talking about?
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One of the things that's included in this gift is
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Something called justification.
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We hear that word, we may even throw the word around, but do we
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Really know what it means to be justified?
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The bible says in romans 5: "therefore we've been justified
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By faith and we have peace with god through our lord jesus
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Christ, through whom we have access by faith into this grace
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In which we stand."
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Okay, so the word "justify" has a twofold meaning.
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First, it speaks of the forgiveness of sins.
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So let's just start there.
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When you put your faith in jesus christ who died for you on the
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Cross and shed his blood for you, and you turn from your sin,
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God forgives you of every sin you have ever committed,
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Just instantaneously.
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Our god has this big eraser and he wipes it away.
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I love a passage that i came across in micah recently, 7:19:
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"god hurls our sins into the sea and there they sink like
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A stone."
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That's amazing.
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And then we're also told in scripture that god forgives
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Our sins, and he forgets them, jeremiah 31:30, "for,"
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God says, "i'll forgive their iniquity, and their sin
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Will i remember no more."
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So, god not only forgives your sin, he forgets your sin.
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Sometimes we dredge up old sins and we beat ourselves up
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Over them, but god has forgiven you.
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Why would you choose to remember what god has chosen to forget?
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So, god's forgiven your sin, god has forgotten your sin,
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As corrie ten boom once wrote: "god has taken our sins.
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He's thrown them into the sea of forgetfulness and he has posted
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A sign that says, 'no fishing allowed.'"
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So that's what god has done for you.
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God has forgiven you.
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But if that--if that was all he
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Did, that would be more than enough.
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But in the place of that, he has put his righteousness, because
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Justification has a positive side.
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The word "justified" means to put to one's account.
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So he puts the righteousness of christ in your account.
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Acts 13:38 says: "brothers, listen, in this man, jesus
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Christ, there's forgiveness for your sin.
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Everyone who trusts in him is freed from guilt and is
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Declared righteous."
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Listen, i stand before you today as a righteous man.
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You wanna know what a righteous man looks like?
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Here i am.
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You're saying, "i don't know, greg.
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I saw you drive earlier.
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I'm not so sure you're--" i didn't say i always
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Behave righteously.
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But positionally, because i've received the gift of eternal
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Life, i'm declared righteous, as are you.
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I'm a righteous man looking at righteous men and righteous
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Women because of what jesus has done.
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I'm a living breathing saint.
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You wanna know what a saint looks like?
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Here i am.
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You don't have to--well, you don't have to call me
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Saint gregory.
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But i'm looking at saints.
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You're all saints because the word "saint" is used
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Interchangeably in the new testament with the
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Word "believer."
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A believer is a saint and a saint is a believer.
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So this is something god has done for us through the gift of
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Eternal life.
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It's like this.
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Let's say you got carried away with a credit card and you found
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Yourself in debt for $10 million.
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You would never repay this debt, ever.
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And some billionaire heard about your plight and decided to pay
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Your debt off.
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You were so thankful.
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And then that billionaire said, "why don't you go check
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Your balance?"
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And you went down to the bank and found he had put $20 million
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Into your account.
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That's what god has done for you.
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He's not only removed your sin, he's not only forgotten your
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Sin, and of course, forgiven your sin, he has put the
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Righteousness of christ into your account.
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And then there's a hope for the future because it's the gift of
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Eternal life.
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Now, when you're younger, you may not appreciate this as much
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As when you get older.
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Because when you get older, you know, you're closer to the end
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Of your life than the beginning of it and you're gonna enter
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Into the afterlife.
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So knowing that god has given you eternal life,
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Everlasting life.
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Jesus said, "i am the resurrection and the life.
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He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
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And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die."
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This is truly the gift that keeps on giving: the gift of
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Eternal life.
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So that's the gift god has given to us.
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Now let's talk about the gift we give to god.
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If i were to give you a really nice gift after church, you
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Would say, "thank you."
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Then you might say, "oh, hey, i got a gift for you too," when
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You hadn't at all.
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You open up your trunk and there's something you bought for
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Yourself or someone else.
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"i got this for you, greg."
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"this is a woman's dress."
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"oh, for your wife. give it to her."
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I mean, you know, but your inclination is to reciprocate if
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Someone gives you something nice.
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So god gives us this gift of eternal life.
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We think, "can i reciprocate?"
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Short answer, no,
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But there are things i can do for god, things i can
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Give to god.
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David wrote in psalm 116: "what shall i give to the lord for all
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He has given to me?
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I'll offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and i'll call on
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The name of the lord."
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So, hey, why don't you just start with, "thank you"?
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If someone gives you a nice gift, say, "thank you
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Very much."
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When we worship the lord, we're saying, "thank you very
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Much, lord.
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Thank you for this gift of eternal life.
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Thank you for my health.
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Thank you for my family.
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Thank you for my church.
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Thank you for my friends.
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Thank you for everything you've blessed me with.
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I give you the glory for it."
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Listen, there are three things every one of us can give to god:
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Time, treasure, and talent.
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Time, treasure, and talent.
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For sure, there's your time.
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We all have x amount of hours in a given day.
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You give your time to the lord.
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"lord, this is yours to use for your glory.
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I wanna invest it in you."
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The bible says, "redeem the time because the days are evil."
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And the word "redeem" means make sacred, why--and wise use of
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Every opportunity.
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So give your time to the lord.
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Give your talent to the lord.
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You have abilities, you have talents, everyone does, that are
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Given to you by god.
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Give that talent to god.
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"god, how can i serve you?"
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And finally your treasure.
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"lord, you bless me with these finances and i want to invest
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Back into your kingdom."
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And that's something we all can do.
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And one thing we can do is open our treasures to the lord.
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And that brings us to the story before us in scripture, the
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Story of the wise men.
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In matthew 2, verse 9: "the star which they had seen in the east
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Went before them, till it came and stood over where the young
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Child was."
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Notice it's not the baby; the young child.
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This is speaking of jesus.
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"when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly
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Great joy.
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And when they came to the house," not the manger, the
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House, "they saw the young child with mary his mother, and they
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Fell down and worshiped him.
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And when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts
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To him of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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Then, being divinely warned in a dream they should not return to
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Herod, they departed for their own country another way."
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We'll stop there.
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So they came to worship the newborn king.
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This is the message of christmas.
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Not, "let it snow."
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Nor is it, "let us shop."
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It's, "let us worship."
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"we have come to worship him," these wise men, these magi, said
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To king herod, and they opened their treasures, verse 11,
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No leftovers.
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The very best to be given to the king.
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You know, it's interesting that they brought such unusual gifts:
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Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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Come on, what about a stuffed camel, a playstation, an
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Original luke skywalker figure?
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I mean, something.
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Weird gifts to give to a little child.
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But they had an insight into the mission of this child who would
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Be the messiah.
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Gold because he was a king, frankincense or incense because
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He was our high priest that would stand in our stead
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Before god.
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And finally myrrh, which is an embalming element because this
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Little child would die for the sin of the world.
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But they opened their treasures.
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And i think when you've had a true conversion, it will impact
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You in every area of your life, including your finances.
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If a person has really met god, it should affect everything,
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Including their money.
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Martin luther said this and i quote, "there are three
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Conversions necessary: the mind, the heart, and the wallet."
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Some of us have not had the conversion of the wallet yet.
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But there is a connection because the gifts that god has
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Given to us are not to be hoarded.
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They are to be shared.
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That's why the bible says, "don't lay up for yourself
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Treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves
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Break in and steal, but rather lay up for yourself treasures in
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Heaven where neither moth nor rust can corrupt nor thieves
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Break in and steal."
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You can't take it with you but you can send it on ahead.
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So keep this in mind: do your giving while you're living, then
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You're knowing where it's going, right?
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That's something we all should do.
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Why?
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Because wealth comes and goes.
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Proverbs 23:35 says: "in the blink of an eye
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Wealth disappears.
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It will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle."
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Have you ever seen that happen?
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Like, "wait, where did my money go?"
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Just go to disneyland someday and see how fast your
00:12:51.737 --> 00:12:54.640
Money goes.
00:12:54.640 --> 00:12:56.008
"well, i've spent how much on lunch and how much over here?"
00:12:56.008 --> 00:13:00.312
It flies away like a bird.
00:13:00.312 --> 00:13:02.615
That's how wealth can be.
00:13:02.615 --> 00:13:03.949
So we want to invest it.
00:13:03.949 --> 00:13:06.719
And that brings me to point number three.
00:13:06.719 --> 00:13:09.288
When we have this gift that god has given us, we can give it
00:13:09.288 --> 00:13:14.026
To others.
00:13:14.026 --> 00:13:15.361
You can regift.
00:13:15.361 --> 00:13:16.729
In fact, you should regift.
00:13:16.729 --> 00:13:18.564
The greatest gift you can share in this christmas season is the
00:13:18.564 --> 00:13:23.636
Gift of eternal life, and people need to see it and hear it.
00:13:23.636 --> 00:13:29.074
And this is how you can have a happy christmas because for
00:13:29.074 --> 00:13:32.244
Some, christmas is not a happy time.
00:13:32.244 --> 00:13:36.081
Some people find themselves
00:13:36.081 --> 00:13:37.416
Depressed in the christmas season.
00:13:37.416 --> 00:13:39.151
Maybe i'm talking to someone that feels down and depressed
00:13:39.151 --> 00:13:43.589
Right now.
00:13:43.589 --> 00:13:44.957
According to the national institute of health, christmas
00:13:44.957 --> 00:13:47.326
Is a time of year that people experience a high incidence
00:13:47.326 --> 00:13:51.430
Of depression.
00:13:51.430 --> 00:13:53.265
Hospital and police forces report high incidences of
00:13:53.265 --> 00:13:57.136
Suicide and attempted suicide in the holiday time.
00:13:57.136 --> 00:14:01.273
One north american survey reported that 45% of respondents
00:14:01.273 --> 00:14:06.178
Dreaded christmas.
00:14:06.178 --> 00:14:08.747
Why is that?
00:14:08.747 --> 00:14:10.282
Well, for some, it's sad because maybe they don't have a home to
00:14:10.282 --> 00:14:14.420
Celebrate in.
00:14:14.420 --> 00:14:15.754
Their parents are divorced or they themselves have broken up
00:14:15.754 --> 00:14:19.625
With their husband or wife or they lost a loved one and that
00:14:19.625 --> 00:14:24.029
Loved one was with them last christmas and they're not with
00:14:24.029 --> 00:14:26.498
Them this christmas.
00:14:26.498 --> 00:14:27.867
Or something else is going on or maybe it's because they're
00:14:27.867 --> 00:14:31.170
Expecting christmas to make them happy.
00:14:31.170 --> 00:14:34.173
Christmas cannot make you happy.
00:14:34.173 --> 00:14:36.909
Only christ can make you happy.
00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:39.612
So we have to kind of keep our focus.
00:14:39.612 --> 00:14:41.480
It's--right?
00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:46.385
It's not presents under a tree; it's his presence in our life.
00:14:46.385 --> 00:14:52.725
That's the message of christmas.
00:14:52.725 --> 00:14:54.493
You will call his name emmanuel, which means god is with us.
00:14:54.493 --> 00:14:58.797
You're not alone.
00:14:58.797 --> 00:15:00.132
So you find your joy and your happiness in christ himself.
00:15:00.132 --> 00:15:04.837
But if you wanna have a happy christmas, understand this
00:15:04.837 --> 00:15:09.208
Simple biblical principle from jesus when he says, "it's more
00:15:09.208 --> 00:15:13.612
Blessed to give than it is to receive."
00:15:13.612 --> 00:15:17.116
And the word "blessed" is interchangeable with the
00:15:17.182 --> 00:15:19.752
Word "happy."
00:15:19.752 --> 00:15:21.253
So allow me to paraphrase that, jesus speaking: "it's more
00:15:21.253 --> 00:15:24.823
Happy-making to give than it is to receive."
00:15:24.823 --> 00:15:28.861
That's counterintuitive.
00:15:28.861 --> 00:15:30.296
"oh no, it's much better to receive."
00:15:30.296 --> 00:15:31.864
No, actually, it isn't.
00:15:31.864 --> 00:15:34.033
You will be happier giving than you will be receiving.
00:15:34.033 --> 00:15:38.971
And the greatest gift we can give is our love and the
00:15:38.971 --> 00:15:41.573
Gospel itself.
00:15:41.573 --> 00:15:43.075
So i have a ten-step solution for depression.
00:15:43.075 --> 00:15:47.079
If you find yourself depressed, ten steps
00:15:47.079 --> 00:15:50.516
To be free from depression.
00:15:50.516 --> 00:15:51.850
You might want to write these down.
00:15:51.850 --> 00:15:53.852
Step number one: do something for someone else who has greater
00:15:53.852 --> 00:15:58.123
Needs than you.
00:15:58.123 --> 00:15:59.458
Write that down.
00:15:59.458 --> 00:16:00.826
Do something for someone else who has greater needs than you.
00:16:00.826 --> 00:16:03.762
Step number two: repeat step number one, nine more times.
00:16:03.762 --> 00:16:09.234
Now, i know that's oversimplified and i know
00:16:09.234 --> 00:16:15.908
There's a such thing as clinical depression.
00:16:15.908 --> 00:16:18.277
I'm not really dealing with that, but i'm just talking about
00:16:18.277 --> 00:16:20.579
When you get down in the dumps and you wonder what's wrong.
00:16:20.579 --> 00:16:24.249
Maybe you need to get your eyes off of yourself and ask yourself
00:16:24.249 --> 00:16:27.453
The question, "how can i do something for someone else?"
00:16:27.453 --> 00:16:31.256
It's a well-documented fact that volunteering elevates mood in
00:16:31.256 --> 00:16:36.895
Most people.
00:16:36.895 --> 00:16:38.764
And this phenomenon has actually been dubbed the helper's high,
00:16:38.764 --> 00:16:43.702
The helper's high.
00:16:43.702 --> 00:16:45.104
It's been assessed biologically in brain-imaging studies, that
00:16:45.104 --> 00:16:49.475
You will receive a release of endorphins in your life that
00:16:49.475 --> 00:16:54.646
Brings us--bring a sense of wellbeing when you do something
00:16:54.646 --> 00:16:58.083
For someone else.
00:16:58.083 --> 00:16:59.418
The helper's high.
00:16:59.418 --> 00:17:00.786
That's amazing. i've heard of the runner's high.
00:17:00.786 --> 00:17:03.389
I've never experienced a runner's high.
00:17:03.389 --> 00:17:05.524
Is there an eater's high? i think i've had that.
00:17:05.524 --> 00:17:08.460
How about the helper's high?
00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:09.795
You know what i'm talking about.
00:17:09.795 --> 00:17:11.163
When you do something for someone else.
00:17:11.163 --> 00:17:13.732
It can be a simple gesture, holding the
00:17:13.732 --> 00:17:15.934
Door open for someone.
00:17:15.934 --> 00:17:17.269
It can be giving a meal to someone, helping out
00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:21.206
Someone else.
00:17:21.206 --> 00:17:22.541
And this is why i encourage you all to get involved in serving
00:17:22.541 --> 00:17:25.811
Here at harvest because it will be a blessing and a joy to you.
00:17:25.811 --> 00:17:31.050
You know, if you only come to church and it's all about you
00:17:31.050 --> 00:17:33.786
And this is what i need and this is what i want, you're gonna
00:17:33.786 --> 00:17:36.922
Have something less than what you should be experiencing
00:17:36.922 --> 00:17:40.692
In church.
00:17:40.692 --> 00:17:42.027
A mark of maturity in your spiritual life is when you say
00:17:42.027 --> 00:17:45.798
I've received, now i wanna give back.
00:17:45.798 --> 00:17:48.534
I wanna find a place where i can serve others.
00:17:48.534 --> 00:17:50.969
You know, when you walk into this church and you're warmly
00:17:50.969 --> 00:17:53.138
Greeted by someone and someone shows you to your seat or they
00:17:53.138 --> 00:17:56.742
Help you park your car or they're ministering to your
00:17:56.742 --> 00:18:00.212
Children while you're here, or the other things that folks do,
00:18:00.212 --> 00:18:03.549
These are volunteers.
00:18:03.549 --> 00:18:05.617
These are people that are doing this because they
00:18:05.617 --> 00:18:07.786
Love it and they want to.
00:18:07.786 --> 00:18:09.121
And you know what? they're blessed.
00:18:09.121 --> 00:18:11.023
There's a blessing in it, and i want all of you to experience
00:18:11.023 --> 00:18:14.726
That blessing because there's the helper's high.
00:18:14.726 --> 00:18:18.430
So you could say to someone, "hey, you wanna come to church
00:18:18.430 --> 00:18:20.966
With me this sunday and get high?"
00:18:20.966 --> 00:18:23.202
"well, what kind of church is that?"
00:18:23.202 --> 00:18:27.873
"it's a bible-teaching church and it's a helper's high.
00:18:27.873 --> 00:18:31.944
Come and be a part of it."
00:18:31.944 --> 00:18:33.612
So this is something that sometimes we miss out on.
00:18:33.612 --> 00:18:36.748
And one of the greatest joys we can have is sharing the gospel.
00:18:36.748 --> 00:18:41.286
Psalm 126:6 says: "those who go weeping, carrying seed to sow
00:18:41.286 --> 00:18:46.258
Will return with songs of joy, carrying their sheaves
00:18:46.258 --> 00:18:50.729
With them."
00:18:50.729 --> 00:18:52.064
The bible tells us that there is joy in heaven over one sinner
00:18:52.064 --> 00:18:56.502
That comes to repentance.
00:18:56.502 --> 00:18:58.370
So it all comes down to this gift that god has given to us.
00:18:58.370 --> 00:19:02.207
We must fully appreciate it.
00:19:02.207 --> 00:19:04.109
The gift we give back to god, which is our privilege, and then
00:19:04.109 --> 00:19:07.813
The gift that we give to other people.
00:19:07.813 --> 00:19:11.183
This is where you will find the happiness and joy of christmas,
00:19:11.183 --> 00:19:15.487
But just in life in general, because again, as jesus said,
00:19:15.487 --> 00:19:19.791
It's more blessed to give than it is to receive.
00:19:19.791 --> 00:19:23.428
You know, 15 years ago, our son christopher died in a tragic
00:19:23.428 --> 00:19:27.299
Automobile accident.
00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:29.168
It was the worst moment of our life.
00:19:29.168 --> 00:19:31.303
We were devastated, and we entered into a time of deep
00:19:31.303 --> 00:19:35.240
Grief and we mourned for a long time, and i had people say to me
00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:41.079
And my wife cathe and our son jonathan, "just take a vacation
00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:44.683
And get away from it all."
00:19:44.683 --> 00:19:46.018
We actually tried that.
00:19:46.018 --> 00:19:47.386
We went on a vacation, and you can't get away from grief.
00:19:47.386 --> 00:19:51.190
You can't get away from pain.
00:19:51.190 --> 00:19:52.558
I wanna tell you what helped me in that time, because this is
00:19:52.558 --> 00:19:56.261
Very important.
00:19:56.261 --> 00:19:58.597
No thing helped me.
00:19:58.597 --> 00:20:01.033
What i needed was god.
00:20:01.033 --> 00:20:03.769
And one of the things that really encouraged us and lifted
00:20:03.769 --> 00:20:07.706
Us in that difficult time was just coming to church.
00:20:07.706 --> 00:20:10.776
"well, greg, you're a pastor."
00:20:10.776 --> 00:20:12.144
Yeah, i'm still a christian too.
00:20:12.144 --> 00:20:14.446
I needed to hear the word of god.
00:20:14.446 --> 00:20:16.248
I need to--needed to worship the lord, and in the immediate
00:20:16.248 --> 00:20:19.885
Aftermath of our son going to heaven, we had some guest
00:20:19.885 --> 00:20:23.155
Speakers, and we would come to church and we would worship god
00:20:23.155 --> 00:20:26.892
And it was so helpful to us.
00:20:26.892 --> 00:20:29.261
And i'll tell you another thing that helped us.
00:20:29.261 --> 00:20:31.230
It was helping others.
00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:33.131
When we were down the road maybe 6 months or a year, and then we
00:20:33.131 --> 00:20:36.969
Heard of somebody else losing a loved one, specifically a child,
00:20:36.969 --> 00:20:42.140
We were able to minister to them because when you lose a child,
00:20:42.140 --> 00:20:45.911
You feel as though your world just ended, literally, okay?
00:20:45.911 --> 00:20:50.148
I'm just telling you how it really is.
00:20:50.148 --> 00:20:52.718
And you don't know how you're gonna survive such a thing, i
00:20:52.718 --> 00:20:55.254
Don't care how long you've been a christian.
00:20:55.254 --> 00:20:57.656
But when you talk to somebody else who's come through it, they
00:20:57.656 --> 00:21:01.460
Can really help you.
00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:02.794
Like, let's say that you got cancer and you're a cancer
00:21:02.794 --> 00:21:05.330
Survivor and you've come through in the other end and, thankfully
00:21:05.330 --> 00:21:09.501
To god, and then you found out somebody else just
00:21:09.501 --> 00:21:12.104
Found out they got cancer.
00:21:12.104 --> 00:21:13.438
They feel like their world just ended.
00:21:13.438 --> 00:21:14.773
The doctor told them they have cancer and you walked into their
00:21:14.773 --> 00:21:17.242
Life and say, "let me tell you how jesus was with me
00:21:17.242 --> 00:21:20.746
And how he helped me through this."
00:21:20.746 --> 00:21:22.080
You have a unique quality to minister to that person in a
00:21:22.080 --> 00:21:27.019
Capacity that nobody else has, you see?
00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:30.389
So here's the deal.
00:21:30.389 --> 00:21:31.757
We're all gonna have pain in life.
00:21:31.757 --> 00:21:33.592
We're all gonna have setbacks in life.
00:21:33.592 --> 00:21:35.494
We're all going to experience things that don't make
00:21:35.494 --> 00:21:37.963
Sense to us.
00:21:37.963 --> 00:21:39.298
So here's my word of advice.
00:21:39.298 --> 00:21:40.732
Don't waste your pain.
00:21:40.732 --> 00:21:43.001
Use it as a tool.
00:21:43.001 --> 00:21:44.803
Use it as a tool to help other people.
00:21:44.803 --> 00:21:47.039
As paul said, "we comfort with the same comfort that we've been
00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:50.942
Comforted with."
00:21:50.942 --> 00:21:52.444
Because when you preach to hurting people, you'll never
00:21:52.444 --> 00:21:55.280
Lack for an audience, and we live in a world full of
00:21:55.280 --> 00:21:58.750
Hurting people.
00:21:58.750 --> 00:22:00.085
"we don't know the back story.
00:22:00.085 --> 00:22:02.287
We don't know why they're so agitated, why they're so upset."
00:22:02.287 --> 00:22:05.724
They're hurting and they need hope and they need help.
00:22:05.724 --> 00:22:09.027
And most of all, they need jesus.
00:22:09.027 --> 00:22:11.330
And that's the greatest gift we can share with people in this
00:22:11.330 --> 00:22:14.900
Holiday season, to tell them there's hope in a relationship
00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:18.337
With god and tell them about the gift, the gift of eternal life
00:22:18.337 --> 00:22:22.908
That god has offered to them.
00:22:22.908 --> 00:22:24.676
"for god so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that
00:22:24.676 --> 00:22:29.181
Whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have
00:22:29.181 --> 00:22:32.184
Everlasting life."
00:22:32.184 --> 00:22:34.286
Listen to this in closing.
00:22:34.286 --> 00:22:35.620
This gift that god offers us, we either accept it or we
00:22:35.620 --> 00:22:39.624
Reject it.
00:22:39.624 --> 00:22:41.493
There's no neutral ground.
00:22:41.493 --> 00:22:42.828
God says, "i've given you the gift of eternal life.
00:22:42.828 --> 00:22:45.997
I offer it to you at no charge.
00:22:45.997 --> 00:22:48.734
Would you like it?"
00:22:48.734 --> 00:22:50.068
You either say, "yes, thank you very much,"
00:22:50.068 --> 00:22:52.838
Or, "no, i don't want it."
00:22:52.838 --> 00:22:54.172
You say, "well now, greg, i'm not comfortable with either one
00:22:54.172 --> 00:22:56.641
Of those responses.
00:22:56.641 --> 00:22:57.976
I would say, 'let me think about it.'"
00:22:57.976 --> 00:22:59.511
Really?
00:22:59.511 --> 00:23:01.546
So let's say that i took everything that i had and
00:23:01.546 --> 00:23:04.750
Liquidated it and bought you this amazing gift that cannot be
00:23:04.750 --> 00:23:08.120
Returned and offered it to you.
00:23:08.120 --> 00:23:10.088
I got this for you because i love you.
00:23:10.088 --> 00:23:12.124
And you said, "let me think about it."
00:23:12.124 --> 00:23:14.493
Seriously?
00:23:14.493 --> 00:23:15.827
I just offered you this incredible gift, and you're
00:23:15.827 --> 00:23:18.163
Saying, "let me think about it"?
00:23:18.163 --> 00:23:20.732
Can you see how that would be insulting to me?
00:23:20.732 --> 00:23:23.668
So god says, "i've given you the ultimate gift.
00:23:23.668 --> 00:23:26.037
My son died on the cross.
00:23:26.037 --> 00:23:28.306
He was beaten and tortured for your sin.
00:23:28.306 --> 00:23:31.042
But i want you to have the gift of eternal life."
00:23:31.042 --> 00:23:33.278
"oh, wow, nice.
00:23:33.278 --> 00:23:34.880
Hmm. let me think about it."
00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:36.615
What? that is a rejection.
00:23:36.615 --> 00:23:39.985
Jesus said, "you're either for me or against me."
00:23:39.985 --> 00:23:43.155
Have you received this gift yet?
00:23:43.155 --> 00:23:45.023
Do you know that when you die, you will go to heaven?
00:23:45.023 --> 00:23:47.859
Is christ living in your heart?
00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:49.561
If not, he can come in right now.
00:23:49.561 --> 00:23:52.831
Jesus says, "behold, i stand at the door and i knock, and if you
00:23:52.831 --> 00:23:57.035
Hear my voice and open the door, i will come in."
00:23:57.035 --> 00:24:02.507
Greg: there are so many things to be worried about right now,
00:24:06.745 --> 00:24:09.147
Aren't there?
00:24:09.147 --> 00:24:10.482
Worrying about terrorism, worry about your personal safety,
00:24:10.482 --> 00:24:13.885
Violent crime, the economy, the list goes on.
00:24:13.885 --> 00:24:17.088
Here's what the bible says: "don't worry about anything.
00:24:17.088 --> 00:24:20.759
Pray about everything.
00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:23.295
Turn your panic into prayer."
00:24:23.295 --> 00:24:26.164
Jesus said: "come unto me all of you that are laboring and are
00:24:26.164 --> 00:24:29.468
Heavy laden.
00:24:29.468 --> 00:24:30.802
I will give you rest."
00:24:30.802 --> 00:24:32.170
Give your burdens, give your problems, over to god and let
00:24:32.170 --> 00:24:36.508
Him give you his peace in your heart.
00:24:36.508 --> 00:24:40.745
Let me send for you at no charge what i call a new believer's
00:24:40.745 --> 00:24:44.850
Bible to help you grow in a relationship with god and learn
00:24:44.850 --> 00:24:50.255
How to turn your panic into prayer and your worry
00:24:50.255 --> 00:24:53.725
Into worship.
00:24:53.725 --> 00:24:57.362
Greg: hi, i'm greg laurie.
00:25:00.966 --> 00:25:02.300
You know, i've been a pastor for more than 50 years, and i've
00:25:02.300 --> 00:25:05.937
Never seen so much division in our country.
00:25:05.937 --> 00:25:08.673
We're divided pretty much over everything.
00:25:08.673 --> 00:25:11.877
Fifty years ago we were divided as well.
00:25:11.877 --> 00:25:14.746
People were calling for a sexual revolution.
00:25:14.746 --> 00:25:17.148
They were calling for a drug revolution, and god sent a jesus
00:25:17.148 --> 00:25:20.886
Revolution and it changed the course of our country, and i
00:25:20.886 --> 00:25:24.589
Think we need another jesus revolution or a spiritual
00:25:24.589 --> 00:25:28.560
Awakening in america, again.
00:25:28.560 --> 00:25:31.029
Don't you?
00:25:31.029 --> 00:25:32.364
Through harvest ministries, god's doing some amazing things.
00:25:32.364 --> 00:25:34.900
Last year we reached over 1 billion people with the gospel.
00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:40.171
We're broadcasting daily on radio, tv, youtube, the harvest
00:25:40.171 --> 00:25:44.309
Plus app, and we're literally reaching millions and millions
00:25:44.309 --> 00:25:47.712
Of people with the gospel daily.
00:25:47.712 --> 00:25:50.181
We've given away 700,000 free bibles, and this is the big one.
00:25:50.181 --> 00:25:55.887
We have seen over 1 million professions of faith in our
00:25:55.887 --> 00:25:59.591
Ministry's history.
00:25:59.591 --> 00:26:00.926
Frankly, the number is probably much higher than that.
00:26:00.926 --> 00:26:03.795
Our harvest crusades have been so crowded we've had the fire
00:26:03.795 --> 00:26:07.032
Marshals actually lock the stadium doors and turn
00:26:07.032 --> 00:26:10.368
People away.
00:26:10.368 --> 00:26:11.703
These are signs of a spiritual awakening.
00:26:11.703 --> 00:26:13.972
Maybe you've seen our film "jesus revolution," which is a
00:26:13.972 --> 00:26:17.509
Story of how i and my wife came to faith and how god worked at
00:26:17.509 --> 00:26:21.279
The last spiritual awakening in america.
00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:23.949
It was a box office hit and it's been seen by millions of people
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On netflix.
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I believe these are signs that we may be on the cusp of another
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Spiritual awakening, another jesus revolution, but none of
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This would be possible without the financial support of people
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Like you.
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Everything we do is 100% supported by donations.
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So thank you for your support and thank you for helping us
00:26:48.707 --> 00:26:52.644
Fulfill the great commission and let's keep praying for
00:26:52.644 --> 00:26:56.247
Our nation.
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I love 2 chronicles 7:14 that was contextually given to the
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Nation israel, but in principle it applies to any nation,
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Including our own, where god says, "if my people, who are
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Called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my
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Face and turn from their wicked ways, then i will hear from
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Heaven and i'll forgive their sin and heal their land."
00:27:17.669 --> 00:27:21.573
Oh, we're praying, lord, heal our land, but let it start
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With you.
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Let's continue to pray together and work together.
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Thanks.
00:27:29.080 --> 00:27:29.080

Greg Laurie - The Gift

December 1, 2025 | 27:40

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