Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - Hope for America | December 28, 2025
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- Greg laurie: what is on our minds right now is the
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- Assassination of a fellow believer, charlie kirk.
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- People, i think, felt as though they knew him because they saw
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- Him all the time on tiktok.
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- You know, he really had the ear of the young generation.
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- Charlie kirk: well, the practical solution: we don't
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- Have to think.
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- We need to point people to god, and eventually to jesus christ,
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- And that is the solution.
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- Greg: he is--he talked about political issues and what's
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- Going on in the country, but he was very upfront about
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- His faith.
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- Charlie kirk: i don't blame people for saying that i'm a
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- Political guy.
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- That is my day job, right?
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- And so i'm focused on the second most important thing that i
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- Think a human being can focus on.
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- So then, of course, everyone says, what's the first thing?
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- Okay, well, the first thing is winning souls for jesus christ,
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- Most important thing.
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- Well then, charlie, what's the second thing?
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- To make sure you can do the first thing.
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- Male: are you a christian by any chance?
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- Charlie kirk: very, very much so.
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- Male: like, why is that exactly?
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- Charlie kirk: oh, jesus saved my life.
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- I'm a sinner, gave my life to christ, most important decision
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- I ever made.
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- Charlie kirk: one of my favorite verses though is romans 8:28,
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- Which, it says that "god works all things for good for those
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- Who love him."
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- It's a very freeing and liberating verse for those of us
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- That are christians, because we believe that when things can be
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- Really bad, god is working it for his good, his perfect and
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- Pleasing will.
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- Male: thirty seconds left to live.
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- What would you actually want to tell me if i have 30 seconds
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- Left to live?
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- Charlie kirk: boy, you got 30 seconds.
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- In 30 seconds you're about to meet eternal judgment, and
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- There's only one way that you can get bailed out of that.
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- And it's not all the good things you did or the moral scorecard.
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- It's whether or not you have jesus christ as your lord
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- And savior.
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- Male: if you could be associated with one thing, how would you
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- Want to be remembered?
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- Charlie kirk: i want to be, i want to be remembered for
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- Courage from my faith.
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- That would be the most important thing.
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- The most important thing is my faith.
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- Greg: so i wanna talk to you now about your life, because many of
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- You are searching.
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- You're searching for meaning, you're searching for purpose.
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- You know, we have these things we carry around in our pockets
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- Now, these cell phones, and it's almost like it's accelerated so
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- Many of the problems that are in our culture today.
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- Social contagions, depression, a sense of hopelessness is
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- Sweeping gen z, as they're called.
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- And they give them out, you know, they have baby strollers
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- With ipad holders in them now.
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- Is that a good thing to give to a baby?
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- They give them out to dogs.
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- Cats don't want them.
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- But, you know.
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- And our lives are filled with the effect of these phones and,
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- You know, this generation is drowning in entertainment, but
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- It's starving for meaning.
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- Gen z is the highest suicide rate of any previous generation.
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- Forty-two percent of high school students experience
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- Constant sadness.
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- Twenty-two percent of high school students have
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- Contemplated suicide.
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- In fact, right here in utah, the suicide rate is notably higher
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- Than the national average.
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- You say, well, there's things out there that will make
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- Me happy.
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- I'll pursue these things.
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- What if i was famous? then i know i would be happy.
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- Billie eilish, in her song "everything i wanted," sang, and
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- I quote, "i had a dream.
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- I got everything i wanted.
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- Not what you would think.
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- And if i'm honest, it might have been a nightmare," end quote.
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- That's someone who's made it.
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- What about tom brady?
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- He's described as the goat, right?
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- The greatest of all time.
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- Someone said to me the other day, "hey, goat, get out of
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- My way."
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- But i don't think he meant greatest of all time, so.
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- I think he just meant, "actual goat, move out of my way."
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- But brady, who's won a total of seven super bowl rings, said
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- After he had won three, quote, "why do i have three super bowl
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- Rings and still think there's something greater out there?
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- I reached my goal, my dream, but i think, god, there's got to be
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- More than this," end quote.
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- Actor brad pitt said, "we're supposed to care about the car,
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- The condo.
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- If that's true, why does it feel like desperation, loneliness,
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- And isolation?" end quote.
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- And these are people that have it all, and they're telling you
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- That it's all empty.
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- And i'll tell you what you're really looking for right now.
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- It's not gonna be found on a phone.
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- It's not gonna be found in an object.
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- It's not gonna even be found in religion.
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- It's found in a relationship with god through jesus christ.
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- But what is god like, you know?
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- Is god like an angry judge out to ruin our life?
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- Is he like a cosmic boss waiting to fire us?
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- Well, according to jesus, god is like a father who loves us.
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- He's like a father who loves us so much that when we go away
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- From him, he misses us, and he longs for our return.
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- I heard this story about a father and son that went into a
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- Hardware store, and as they were checking out, the hardware store
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- Owner said to the boy, "son, here, grab a handful of candy."
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- He had a big candy jar there.
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- "grab a handful of candy."
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- Little boy just looked up at his father.
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- Hardware store owner said, "son, grab some candy.
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- Go ahead, it's free."
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- Little boy again just looked up at his father.
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- Finally, the father said, "son, grab some candy."
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- He just looked again up at his father in frustration.
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- Dad just reached in, grabbed a big handful of candy, and pulled
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- It out, and they walked out of the store.
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- Then the father asked the son, "buddy, why didn't you grab that
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- Handful of candy?"
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- And his son said, "dad, because your hand is bigger than mine."
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- See, that's god.
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- His hand is bigger than yours, and his plan is better
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- Than yours.
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- The lord says, "i know the thoughts that i think towards
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- You," says the lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to
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- Give you a future and a hope."
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- If god had simply said, "i know the single thought i had
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- Momentarily about you once," i would be happy, but that's not
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- What he says.
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- He says, i know the "thoughts," plural, more than one, "that i
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- Think towards you."
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- But are they good thoughts?
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- No, yeah, absolutely, "thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to
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- Give you a future and a hope."
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- God has a plan for you.
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- And i'm talking to somebody right now that is lonely
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- And empty.
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- And i'm talking to somebody right now that has
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- Contemplated suicide.
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- I'm even talking to someone who has attempted suicide.
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- And i want you to know god loves you, and he has a plan for you,
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- And don't even entertain that thought another day.
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- So what is god like?
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- I heard a story about a little girl that grabbed a piece of
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- Paper and her crayons, and she started drawing something, and
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- Her mom said, "honey, what are you doing?"
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- She says, "i'm drawing a picture of god."
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- Her mother said, "honey, nobody knows what god looks like."
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- She said, "they will when i'm done."
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- What is god like?
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- Well, there's no better person who could tell us than jesus
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- Himself, and he does so in his story we call the parable of the
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- Prodigal son.
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- I'm gonna call it the parable of the prodigal sons, because
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- There's two sons in the story.
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- But as the story goes, jesus says in luke 15: a man had
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- Two sons.
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- And the younger son told his father, "i want my share of your
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- Estate now instead of waiting for you to die."
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- So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
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- A few days later, the younger son packed all of his belongings
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- And took a trip to a distant land.
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- And there he wasted all of his money on wild living.
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- And about that time, the money ran out, and a great famine
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- Swept over the land, and he began to starve.
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- And he persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs,
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- And the boy was so hungry that even the food he was feeding the
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- Pigs looked good to him, but no one gave him anything.
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- So this kid is like a nepo baby, right?
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- He says, "dad, i'm tired of waiting for you to die.
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- Give me my portion of the inheritance now!"
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- Father could have said, "no, son," but the father allowed the
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- Son to exercise his free will even though he was making the
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- Wrong decision.
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- And that boy left town with a spring in his step and an
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- Excitement about what he was going to do and discover
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- And experience.
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- And when that money ran out, his friends ran out with it.
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- Heard a story about two guys that went camping in the forest.
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- As they're getting up in the morning for a cup of coffee,
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- They hear a rustling in the bushes, and suddenly they look
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- At a giant bear is running toward them full speed.
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- One of their friends starts putting his shoes on.
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- His buddy says, "you don't think you can outrun that bear,
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- Do you?"
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- He said, "i don't need to outrun the bear.
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- I need to outrun you."
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- That's how a lot of so-called friends are.
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- They'll abandon you and desert you when things get hard.
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- So here's a boy who ran away from home, and he went to a
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- Distant land, and he came to the end of himself, and he realized
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- That there was nothing out there that he was going to find.
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- So he decides to go home again.
- 00:10:14.594 --> 00:10:17.230
- He says, "i'll just go back home to dad, and say, 'dad, i
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- Messed up.
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- I'm sorry.
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- I'm not even worthy to be called your son.
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- Just, just make me like one of your hired servants because
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- They're better off than i am.'"
- 00:10:28.208 --> 00:10:30.077
- But jesus continues the story, and he says, "while that boy was
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- Still a great ways off, his father saw him and ran toward
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- Him, and he threw his arms around his son."
- 00:10:38.151 --> 00:10:41.088
- And the boy starts his speech, "dad, i'm no longer worthy to be
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- Called your son.
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- Just hire me.
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- Forget about it."
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- New york style--
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- [in brooklyn accent] "forget about it!"
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- He says, "my son who is dead is alive again!
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- He who was lost is found!
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- Let's have a barbecue!"
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- And they began to celebrate.
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- That's how god feels toward you.
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- If you've sinned, if you've failed, if you've fallen short,
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- He will welcome you with open arms.
- 00:11:06.613 --> 00:11:08.548
- By the way, did you know that in this culture it was considered
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- Undignified for an older man to run?
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- That's not to mention that it's harder for an older man to run.
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- I recently had hip replacement surgery, right?
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- And i was in so much pain i could hardly walk, much
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- Less run.
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- But boy, it turned everything around for me, it's great.
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- But the point is, it's not easy to run when you get older.
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- I've had runners say, oh man, i go out and i get the runners
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- High, the endorphins are released.
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- I've never experienced a single endorphin doing any kind
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- Of exercise.
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- Maybe a few were released the last time i had a hamburger, but
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- Not one with running.
- 00:11:50.657 --> 00:11:52.626
- But the father ran to his son and threw his arms around him
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- And welcomed him home, and that's how god feels toward
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- Every one of us.
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- When we return to him again, he will forgive us.
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- But notice something, he didn't make his son clean his life up
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- To come home.
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- He welcomed him as he was, but then he said put a new robe on
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- Him and put a ring in his finger.
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- So listen.
- 00:12:18.018 --> 00:12:19.386
- God accepts you as you are, but he doesn't wanna leave you
- 00:12:19.386 --> 00:12:22.222
- That way.
- 00:12:22.222 --> 00:12:23.890
- Right?
- 00:12:23.890 --> 00:12:28.795
- So you don't need to clean your life up and come to god.
- 00:12:28.795 --> 00:12:31.698
- You come to god and he will clean your life up.
- 00:12:31.698 --> 00:12:35.101
- Jesus says, "come to me, all you who are bending beneath the
- 00:12:35.101 --> 00:12:41.408
- Weight of sin, and i will give you rest."
- 00:12:41.408 --> 00:12:46.813
- But there's another prodigal son in the story.
- 00:12:46.813 --> 00:12:49.583
- There's two.
- 00:12:49.583 --> 00:12:50.917
- The older brother, he was angry when he saw everybody
- 00:12:50.917 --> 00:12:54.254
- Celebrating the return of his brother.
- 00:12:54.254 --> 00:12:56.923
- He's upset, and the father comes to him out on the field, says,
- 00:12:56.923 --> 00:13:00.193
- "son, what's wrong?"
- 00:13:00.193 --> 00:13:01.561
- "what's wrong?
- 00:13:01.561 --> 00:13:02.896
- You're throwing a party for my younger brother.
- 00:13:02.896 --> 00:13:04.664
- He blew our money, and he was involved with prostitutes, and
- 00:13:04.664 --> 00:13:08.902
- You have a celebration for him!
- 00:13:08.902 --> 00:13:10.804
- And i've served you faithfully all these years, and i've kept
- 00:13:10.804 --> 00:13:14.107
- All the rules, and i've done all the right things, and you should
- 00:13:14.107 --> 00:13:17.444
- Be treating me that way!"
- 00:13:17.444 --> 00:13:18.812
- The dad says, "son, i love you.
- 00:13:18.812 --> 00:13:21.481
- But your brother who was lost is alive again."
- 00:13:21.481 --> 00:13:25.552
- See, we'll look at sometimes a good person and a bad person.
- 00:13:25.552 --> 00:13:30.991
- But you can be living a good life and still be separated from
- 00:13:30.991 --> 00:13:34.794
- God just as much as a person who is living a bad life is
- 00:13:34.794 --> 00:13:39.299
- Separated from god.
- 00:13:39.299 --> 00:13:41.034
- See, god sees things differently than we do, and we look on
- 00:13:41.034 --> 00:13:45.572
- The outside.
- 00:13:45.572 --> 00:13:46.907
- God looks on the inside.
- 00:13:46.907 --> 00:13:48.742
- Did you know that $26 billion a year is spent on
- 00:13:48.742 --> 00:13:52.979
- Cosmetic surgery?
- 00:13:52.979 --> 00:13:55.315
- And that's utah alone!
- 00:13:55.315 --> 00:13:56.850
- No, i'm kidding, no.
- 00:13:56.850 --> 00:13:59.052
- That's why you all look so good!
- 00:13:59.052 --> 00:14:00.687
- No.
- 00:14:00.687 --> 00:14:02.022
- Though you do look surprised, some of you.
- 00:14:02.022 --> 00:14:03.690
- I don't know, it's a botox reference.
- 00:14:03.690 --> 00:14:06.293
- I probably should get some myself quickly and stop going to
- 00:14:06.293 --> 00:14:09.896
- Coffee places.
- 00:14:09.896 --> 00:14:11.231
- But, anyway!
- 00:14:11.231 --> 00:14:13.099
- But, you know, we look on the outside.
- 00:14:13.099 --> 00:14:14.501
- I mean, when a picture is taken with you and your friends, you
- 00:14:14.501 --> 00:14:17.671
- Say, "don't post it till i look at it."
- 00:14:17.671 --> 00:14:19.873
- And when you look at that picture of a bunch of people,
- 00:14:19.873 --> 00:14:22.042
- Who do you look at?
- 00:14:22.042 --> 00:14:23.410
- You look at you.
- 00:14:23.410 --> 00:14:24.744
- But god looks on the heart.
- 00:14:24.744 --> 00:14:26.413
- And the heart of this boy looked good, or was--he seemed good on
- 00:14:26.413 --> 00:14:30.717
- The outside, but his heart was separated from his father.
- 00:14:30.717 --> 00:14:35.088
- He lived a good life, he was a good son, but listen, in a way,
- 00:14:35.088 --> 00:14:39.059
- His goodness kept him away.
- 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:41.661
- There's two ways to be lost.
- 00:14:41.661 --> 00:14:43.930
- You can be very bad, or you can be very good.
- 00:14:43.930 --> 00:14:46.900
- See, when you're very bad, maybe you know you're bad, and you
- 00:14:46.900 --> 00:14:50.103
- Know you need to change.
- 00:14:50.103 --> 00:14:51.471
- But when you're very good and you keep all the rules and do
- 00:14:51.471 --> 00:14:54.341
- All the right things, you think, "well, i don't need to change."
- 00:14:54.341 --> 00:14:57.444
- But maybe you do, because it's all about a relationship with
- 00:14:57.444 --> 00:15:02.282
- God through jesus christ.
- 00:15:02.282 --> 00:15:09.522
- Is christ living in your life?
- 00:15:09.522 --> 00:15:12.392
- You'll know if he is.
- 00:15:12.392 --> 00:15:14.627
- Do you know that you'll go to heaven when you die?
- 00:15:14.627 --> 00:15:17.163
- Our friend charlie kirk, tragically killed, but i'll tell
- 00:15:17.163 --> 00:15:21.234
- You, the moment he took his last breath on earth, he took his
- 00:15:21.234 --> 00:15:24.804
- First breath in heaven, and that's where he is now.
- 00:15:24.804 --> 00:15:32.312
- Not because of what he did, not because of what he did, but
- 00:15:32.312 --> 00:15:36.316
- Because of what christ did for him.
- 00:15:36.316 --> 00:15:39.019
- He said in an interview, "i'm nothing without jesus.
- 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:41.654
- I'm a sinner.
- 00:15:41.654 --> 00:15:42.989
- I fall incredibly short of the glory of god.
- 00:15:42.989 --> 00:15:45.558
- We all do.
- 00:15:45.558 --> 00:15:46.926
- But when i gave my life to the lord, i had everything changed,
- 00:15:46.926 --> 00:15:51.297
- And i want to be remembered for my faith."
- 00:15:51.297 --> 00:15:54.067
- And so he put his faith in the lord, and that is the hope that
- 00:15:54.067 --> 00:15:57.771
- We all have if we do the same.
- 00:15:57.771 --> 00:16:00.473
- You know, you can be in church every sunday and still be far
- 00:16:00.473 --> 00:16:04.577
- From god, just like the older brother was keeping the rules
- 00:16:04.577 --> 00:16:08.648
- But he was not in a good relationship with his father.
- 00:16:08.648 --> 00:16:11.718
- Or, you can be like the other brother out there living the
- 00:16:11.718 --> 00:16:14.754
- Crazy life.
- 00:16:14.754 --> 00:16:16.156
- But the good news is, no matter what you've done, god can
- 00:16:16.156 --> 00:16:19.459
- Forgive you of all of your sin.
- 00:16:19.459 --> 00:16:22.295
- Now here's the question: what do you need to do to know
- 00:16:22.295 --> 00:16:26.666
- That you will go to heaven when you die?
- 00:16:26.666 --> 00:16:29.202
- What do you need to do to find what the bible calls a "peace
- 00:16:29.202 --> 00:16:33.773
- That passes all human understanding?"
- 00:16:33.773 --> 00:16:36.776
- What do you need to do to find the meaning and purpose in life
- 00:16:36.776 --> 00:16:40.980
- That you're searching for?
- 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:42.816
- Number one, you have to admit you're a sinner.
- 00:16:42.816 --> 00:16:46.719
- The bible says, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
- 00:16:46.719 --> 00:16:49.522
- Of god."
- 00:16:49.522 --> 00:16:50.890
- And by the way, the word sin means to miss a mark.
- 00:16:50.890 --> 00:16:53.626
- So it's sort of like we're having an archery contest, and i
- 00:16:53.626 --> 00:16:56.996
- Have ten arrows and you have ten arrows.
- 00:16:56.996 --> 00:16:59.599
- So you fire your arrows, and they hit the target.
- 00:16:59.599 --> 00:17:04.137
- None of them hit the bullseye, but you did okay.
- 00:17:04.137 --> 00:17:07.140
- And then i fire my arrows, and i don't even hit the target.
- 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:10.610
- I hit the cow over in the field over here, and it's just a mess.
- 00:17:10.610 --> 00:17:15.615
- But the point is, we both missed the mark.
- 00:17:15.615 --> 00:17:17.951
- Because what is the mark for humanity?
- 00:17:17.951 --> 00:17:20.086
- It's perfection.
- 00:17:20.086 --> 00:17:21.421
- Jesus said, "be perfect as my father in heaven is perfect."
- 00:17:21.421 --> 00:17:25.558
- You say, "well, who can do that?"
- 00:17:25.558 --> 00:17:26.926
- Answer: no one.
- 00:17:26.926 --> 00:17:28.261
- That's where jesus comes in.
- 00:17:28.261 --> 00:17:29.796
- He shed his blood for you on the cross so you could be forgiven
- 00:17:29.796 --> 00:17:34.100
- Of your sin.
- 00:17:34.100 --> 00:17:40.773
- And at the cross, jesus said, "it is finished," which means,
- 00:17:40.773 --> 00:17:45.078
- It is accomplished.
- 00:17:45.078 --> 00:17:46.646
- There's nothing i do to add to that.
- 00:17:46.646 --> 00:17:49.516
- It's a gift that god gives to you if you will put your faith
- 00:17:49.516 --> 00:17:53.486
- In jesus.
- 00:17:53.486 --> 00:17:55.021
- And you can have this relationship, but you have to
- 00:17:55.021 --> 00:17:57.056
- Start by admitting you're a sinner.
- 00:17:57.056 --> 00:18:00.393
- And that boy did that.
- 00:18:00.393 --> 00:18:01.728
- He came home and said, "father, i've sinned.
- 00:18:01.728 --> 00:18:03.263
- I'm no longer worthy to be called your son."
- 00:18:03.263 --> 00:18:07.267
- But a lot of times we wanna blame other people for our
- 00:18:07.267 --> 00:18:09.669
- Problems, blame other people for our sins.
- 00:18:09.669 --> 00:18:13.373
- I read about a gorilla named koko, and what's amazing about
- 00:18:13.373 --> 00:18:17.277
- This gorilla is she understood american sign language and could
- 00:18:17.277 --> 00:18:21.848
- Sign more than 1000 words.
- 00:18:21.848 --> 00:18:24.984
- Pretty impressive for a gorilla.
- 00:18:24.984 --> 00:18:27.287
- And koko liked cats.
- 00:18:27.287 --> 00:18:30.156
- So this koko, this gorilla named koko, had a pet cat.
- 00:18:30.156 --> 00:18:34.761
- And one day something made her angry and she ripped the sink
- 00:18:34.761 --> 00:18:38.431
- Off of her wall.
- 00:18:38.431 --> 00:18:39.766
- That's how strong a gorilla is.
- 00:18:39.766 --> 00:18:41.801
- So they went to koko and they were signing to her, why did you
- 00:18:41.801 --> 00:18:44.904
- Do this?
- 00:18:44.904 --> 00:18:46.272
- And koko signed back "the cat did it."
- 00:18:46.272 --> 00:18:51.244
- So you gotta take responsibility for your own sin.
- 00:18:51.244 --> 00:18:55.815
- You can't say, "oh, the cat did it," or, "it wasn't my fault,"
- 00:18:55.815 --> 00:18:58.918
- "it's my parents' fault," "it's somebody else's fault."
- 00:18:58.918 --> 00:19:02.388
- Number two: you need to repent of your sin.
- 00:19:02.388 --> 00:19:05.391
- The word "repent" means "to turn around."
- 00:19:05.391 --> 00:19:07.594
- See, that boy was sorry for what he had done.
- 00:19:07.594 --> 00:19:10.496
- He was willing to change.
- 00:19:10.496 --> 00:19:11.831
- And the bible says god has commanded people everywhere
- 00:19:11.831 --> 00:19:14.434
- To repent.
- 00:19:14.434 --> 00:19:16.035
- It's a military term that means to do a u-turn in life, so you
- 00:19:16.035 --> 00:19:20.640
- Turn from that old sinful lifestyle.
- 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:23.743
- And then, in addition to that, you must receive christ into
- 00:19:23.743 --> 00:19:28.915
- Your life.
- 00:19:28.915 --> 00:19:30.617
- This is the most important thing.
- 00:19:30.617 --> 00:19:32.619
- Jesus says, "behold, i stand at the door and i knock, and if any
- 00:19:32.619 --> 00:19:36.990
- Men will hear my voice, i will come in."
- 00:19:36.990 --> 00:19:41.561
- Has christ come into your life yet?
- 00:19:41.561 --> 00:19:44.130
- Think of it as a gift, a gift that god gave to you.
- 00:19:44.130 --> 00:19:48.835
- There's nothing you can do to purchase it.
- 00:19:48.835 --> 00:19:51.070
- There's nothing you can do to deserve it.
- 00:19:51.070 --> 00:19:53.306
- He offers you the gift.
- 00:19:53.306 --> 00:19:54.674
- Look, i don't care how you open this gift that god offers
- 00:19:54.674 --> 00:19:57.744
- To you.
- 00:19:57.744 --> 00:19:59.112
- Open it. you receive it.
- 00:19:59.112 --> 00:20:00.446
- There's nothing you do to earn it.
- 00:20:00.446 --> 00:20:02.315
- You say, "lord, thank you for the gift of eternal life bought
- 00:20:02.315 --> 00:20:06.152
- For me by jesus christ when he died on the cross, and i receive
- 00:20:06.152 --> 00:20:10.590
- This gift."
- 00:20:10.590 --> 00:20:11.924
- And that's what can happen for you tonight.
- 00:20:11.924 --> 00:20:16.663
- Then you must do it now.
- 00:20:20.199 --> 00:20:22.168
- The bible says, "today is the day of salvation."
- 00:20:22.168 --> 00:20:25.004
- Tonight is your night.
- 00:20:25.004 --> 00:20:26.939
- You may never have another opportunity like this again.
- 00:20:26.939 --> 00:20:31.678
- The lord, i'm telling you, he brought us here.
- 00:20:31.678 --> 00:20:35.315
- And he brought you here.
- 00:20:35.315 --> 00:20:37.116
- And all of you that are watching, he had you tune in.
- 00:20:37.116 --> 00:20:40.453
- And you that are in an overflow site, you're there because the
- 00:20:40.453 --> 00:20:43.790
- Lord directed you to that place.
- 00:20:43.790 --> 00:20:45.725
- But now you must respond.
- 00:20:45.725 --> 00:20:47.060
- The bible says today is the day of salvation.
- 00:20:47.060 --> 00:20:50.029
- Here's the problem.
- 00:20:50.029 --> 00:20:51.397
- You don't wanna put this off, because your heart can get hard.
- 00:20:51.397 --> 00:20:55.034
- The title of my message is "home before dark."
- 00:20:55.034 --> 00:20:58.471
- Back to my grandparents, when i was living with them,
- 00:20:58.471 --> 00:21:01.107
- They would let us play outside at night.
- 00:21:01.107 --> 00:21:03.409
- It was a lot safer in those days.
- 00:21:03.409 --> 00:21:06.212
- And my grandmother would simply say,
- 00:21:06.212 --> 00:21:08.214
- "greg, get home before dark."
- 00:21:08.214 --> 00:21:10.817
- I knew that's what had to happen,
- 00:21:10.817 --> 00:21:12.485
- And i'm asking you tonight, get home before dark.
- 00:21:12.485 --> 00:21:15.321
- Don't let your heart grow irreparably hardened.
- 00:21:15.321 --> 00:21:18.458
- Because every time you hear the gospel as you're hearing it
- 00:21:18.458 --> 00:21:21.894
- Tonight, you don't--and you don't say yes to it, your heart
- 00:21:21.894 --> 00:21:24.764
- Can get a little more resistant, a little tougher.
- 00:21:24.764 --> 00:21:27.867
- The bible says, "he who is often reproved hardens his heart, and
- 00:21:27.867 --> 00:21:31.537
- He will be cut off without remedy."
- 00:21:31.537 --> 00:21:33.639
- So don't let this opportunity slip by.
- 00:21:33.639 --> 00:21:36.809
- This is your moment.
- 00:21:36.809 --> 00:21:38.211
- Do it now.
- 00:21:38.211 --> 00:21:39.812
- Let me close with a story from my life.
- 00:21:39.812 --> 00:21:43.516
- Jesus said a man had two sons.
- 00:21:43.516 --> 00:21:46.819
- I, too, am a father of two sons.
- 00:21:46.819 --> 00:21:50.056
- You met one of my sons earlier, jonathan.
- 00:21:50.056 --> 00:21:53.359
- And i had an older son.
- 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:55.428
- Yes, had, because he's in heaven.
- 00:21:55.428 --> 00:21:59.732
- Sixteen years ago, my oldest son christopher died in an
- 00:21:59.732 --> 00:22:02.935
- Automobile accident.
- 00:22:02.935 --> 00:22:04.937
- It was the hardest day of my life.
- 00:22:04.937 --> 00:22:06.873
- Now, i know that he's in heaven.
- 00:22:06.873 --> 00:22:09.742
- I know that i'll see him again.
- 00:22:09.742 --> 00:22:12.378
- But i miss him.
- 00:22:12.378 --> 00:22:13.980
- And it was a very hard thing to deal with.
- 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:17.049
- But both my sons went prodigal for a while.
- 00:22:17.049 --> 00:22:21.888
- They both went astray, and made a lot of bad decisions.
- 00:22:21.888 --> 00:22:25.491
- And christopher came around, and he got right with the lord, and
- 00:22:25.491 --> 00:22:30.129
- He married a wonderful young lady named brittany, and they
- 00:22:30.129 --> 00:22:33.199
- Had a daughter named stella, and then they had another daughter
- 00:22:33.199 --> 00:22:37.170
- On the way that they would name lucy, and then christopher is
- 00:22:37.170 --> 00:22:40.673
- Called home unexpectedly to heaven.
- 00:22:40.673 --> 00:22:44.277
- And his brother jonathan was struggling, and he knew he
- 00:22:44.277 --> 00:22:48.848
- Wanted to get out of the lifestyle of partying and drugs
- 00:22:48.848 --> 00:22:51.717
- That he found himself in, and he was talking to his older brother
- 00:22:51.717 --> 00:22:55.154
- Who he looked up to.
- 00:22:55.154 --> 00:22:56.823
- And christopher asked his brother jonathan, "jonathan,
- 00:22:56.823 --> 00:23:00.326
- What's it gonna take?
- 00:23:00.326 --> 00:23:02.094
- What's it gonna take for you to come around?"
- 00:23:02.094 --> 00:23:04.630
- And jonathan determined the next day he was gonna have another
- 00:23:04.630 --> 00:23:09.202
- Conversation with his brother, and then his brother was called
- 00:23:09.202 --> 00:23:12.071
- Home to heaven.
- 00:23:12.071 --> 00:23:13.739
- But god got hold of jonathan, and that was the moment where
- 00:23:13.739 --> 00:23:17.677
- His eyes were open.
- 00:23:17.677 --> 00:23:19.011
- Now look, i will always regard that as the worst tragedy of
- 00:23:19.011 --> 00:23:22.482
- My life.
- 00:23:22.482 --> 00:23:23.816
- But what i'm saying is, despite this horrible tragedy of
- 00:23:23.816 --> 00:23:27.153
- Christopher going to heaven, god brought a wonderful thing by
- 00:23:27.153 --> 00:23:30.623
- Bringing jonathan to faith, and not--right?
- 00:23:30.623 --> 00:23:35.862
- So i think you know where i'm going.
- 00:23:39.699 --> 00:23:42.101
- Not far from where we're sitting,
- 00:23:42.101 --> 00:23:44.504
- Charlie kirk was killed.
- 00:23:44.504 --> 00:23:48.207
- And people ask, "why did that happen?
- 00:23:48.207 --> 00:23:50.376
- Why did god let that happen?
- 00:23:50.376 --> 00:23:51.944
- Why did god let that happen here?"
- 00:23:51.944 --> 00:23:54.180
- "why, why, why?" we ask, but we don't know the answer.
- 00:23:54.180 --> 00:23:57.617
- We don't know why.
- 00:23:57.617 --> 00:23:59.218
- But one of charlie's favorite verses was romans 8:28.
- 00:23:59.218 --> 00:24:02.488
- He mentioned it in that video that we showed, which says, "we
- 00:24:02.488 --> 00:24:06.325
- Know that all things work together for good to those that
- 00:24:06.325 --> 00:24:08.761
- Love god."
- 00:24:08.761 --> 00:24:10.229
- And there's a story in the bible, you probably know it, of
- 00:24:10.229 --> 00:24:12.899
- Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers, and then
- 00:24:12.899 --> 00:24:17.470
- Ultimately he was in a position to have them all executed, had
- 00:24:17.470 --> 00:24:21.107
- He chosen to, but instead he decided to forgive them.
- 00:24:21.107 --> 00:24:26.178
- And he said, "you meant it for evil, but god meant it
- 00:24:26.178 --> 00:24:29.348
- For good."
- 00:24:29.348 --> 00:24:30.716
- Here's the way i see it.
- 00:24:30.716 --> 00:24:32.051
- This is a horrible tragedy, what happened to charlie.
- 00:24:32.051 --> 00:24:34.554
- However, despite this tragedy, god has done amazing things
- 00:24:34.554 --> 00:24:39.158
- Around our nation, and people are asking questions.
- 00:24:39.158 --> 00:24:45.531
- I read that bible sales are up dramatically according to an
- 00:24:49.735 --> 00:24:53.172
- Article in the wall street journal in the aftermath of
- 00:24:53.172 --> 00:24:56.542
- Charlie's death.
- 00:24:56.542 --> 00:24:57.910
- And they're young kids, they're gen z kids, saying, "i want to
- 00:24:57.910 --> 00:25:00.379
- Read the bible.
- 00:25:00.379 --> 00:25:01.747
- I want to know more about this."
- 00:25:01.747 --> 00:25:03.082
- So it was like a wake-up call for all of you, for all of us.
- 00:25:03.082 --> 00:25:07.520
- This is your moment tonight.
- 00:25:07.520 --> 00:25:09.188
- This is your wake up call tonight.
- 00:25:09.188 --> 00:25:11.524
- Don't let it slip by.
- 00:25:11.524 --> 00:25:13.593
- So, what do you need to do to start this
- 00:25:13.593 --> 00:25:15.928
- Relationship with god?
- 00:25:15.928 --> 00:25:17.263
- Number one, admit you're a sinner.
- 00:25:17.263 --> 00:25:19.565
- Realize that christ died on the cross for you.
- 00:25:19.565 --> 00:25:22.501
- Repent of your sin.
- 00:25:22.501 --> 00:25:23.903
- Receive him into your life.
- 00:25:23.903 --> 00:25:25.504
- And lastly, jesus said, "if you will confess me before people, i
- 00:25:25.504 --> 00:25:29.208
- Will confess you before my father and the angels in heaven.
- 00:25:29.208 --> 00:25:32.778
- But if you deny me before people, i'll deny you before the
- 00:25:32.778 --> 00:25:35.881
- Father and the angels."
- 00:25:35.881 --> 00:25:37.984
- When you say to jesus, "i need you," he will come into
- 00:25:37.984 --> 00:25:42.188
- Your life.
- 00:25:42.188 --> 00:25:43.689
- This can happen for you, just as it happened for me, and just as
- 00:25:43.689 --> 00:25:47.159
- It's happened for so many other people.
- 00:25:47.159 --> 00:25:49.695
- Here's the one thing that got my attention when i was not a
- 00:25:49.695 --> 00:25:53.666
- Christian.
- 00:25:53.666 --> 00:25:55.334
- I was listening to what they were saying in one of their
- 00:25:55.334 --> 00:25:58.671
- Meetings, and lonnie frisbee made one statement.
- 00:25:58.671 --> 00:26:02.808
- He said, "jesus said, 'you're for me or against me.
- 00:26:02.808 --> 00:26:06.278
- You're with me or you're opposed to me.'
- 00:26:06.278 --> 00:26:08.614
- So, i ask you, are you for him or against him?"
- 00:26:08.614 --> 00:26:11.617
- To not say yes is to say no.
- 00:26:11.617 --> 00:26:14.286
- ♪♪♪
- 00:26:14.286 --> 00:26:26.632
- Greg: hi, i'm greg laurie. i've got some good news for you.
- 00:26:28.067 --> 00:26:30.770
- God loves you, and god has a plan for your life.
- 00:26:30.770 --> 00:26:34.607
- Here's the problem: we're separated from god by our sin
- 00:26:34.607 --> 00:26:38.077
- Because we've all broken his commandments.
- 00:26:38.077 --> 00:26:41.013
- But the good news is that 2,000 years ago, god sent
- 00:26:41.013 --> 00:26:44.483
- His son, jesus christ, to die on the cross for your sin,
- 00:26:44.483 --> 00:26:48.888
- And then to rise again from the dead.
- 00:26:48.888 --> 00:26:51.290
- The same jesus who died and rose is alive and ready
- 00:26:51.290 --> 00:26:54.593
- To come into your life right now.
- 00:26:54.593 --> 00:26:57.129
- Would you like your sin forgiven?
- 00:26:57.129 --> 00:26:59.198
- Would you like to know that when you die you will go to heaven?
- 00:26:59.198 --> 00:27:02.068
- If so, pray this simple prayer with me right now.
- 00:27:02.068 --> 00:27:05.371
- Just say, "lord jesus, i know i'm a sinner, but i believe
- 00:27:05.371 --> 00:27:09.075
- You're the savior, who died on the cross for my sin.
- 00:27:09.075 --> 00:27:12.545
- I turn from my sin now, and i choose to follow you
- 00:27:12.545 --> 00:27:16.048
- From this moment forward."
- 00:27:16.048 --> 00:27:18.417
- Did you just pray that prayer with me?
- 00:27:18.417 --> 00:27:20.252
- If you did, god in heaven has heard you.
- 00:27:20.252 --> 00:27:23.122
- And let me be the first to say to you,
- 00:27:23.122 --> 00:27:25.324
- Congratulations, and welcome to the family of god.
- 00:27:25.324 --> 00:27:25.324
