Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie - Hope For America (Utah)

July 20, 2026 | 27:30

Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.

#Politics #Government #Death #Glory #Faith #Purpose #Sin #Forgiveness #GregLaurie

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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - Hope For America (Utah) | July 20, 2026

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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 have
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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: see, he talked about political issues and what's
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Going on in the country, but he was very upfront
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About his faith.
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Charlie: i don't blame people for saying that i'm
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A 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.
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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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♪♪♪
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Male: you a christian by any chance?
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Charlie: very, very much so.
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Male: like, why is that exactly?
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Charlie: oh, jesus saved my life.
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I'm a sinner, gave my life to christ.
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Most important decision i ever made.
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Charlie: one of my favorite verses, though, is romans 8:28,
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Which says that god works all things for good for those who
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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 wanna tell me if i have 30 seconds
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Left to live?
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Charlie: boy, you got 30 seconds--in 30 seconds you're
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About to meet eternal judgment and there's only one way that
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You can get bailed out of that.
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It's not all the good things you did or the moral scorecard, it's
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Whether or not you have jesus christ as your
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Lord and savior.
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Male: if you could be associated with one thing, how would you
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Wanna be remembered?
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Charlie: i wanna be remembered for courage for my faith.
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That would be the most important thing.
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Most important thing is my faith.
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Greg: so i wanna talk to you now about your life because many
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Of you are searching.
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You're searching for meaning.
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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--they have baby strollers with ipad
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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, but, you know--and our lives are filled
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With the effect of these phones and, you know, this generation
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Is drowning in entertainment, but it's starving for meaning.
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Gen z has 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?
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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, not what you would think.
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And if i'm honest, it might have been a nightmare."
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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 times.
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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 gotta be
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More than this.'"
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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?"
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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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[audience applauding]
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But what is god like?
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You know, is god like an angry judge out to ruin our life,
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A way--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.
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In frustration, dad just reached in, grabbed a big handful of
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Candy, and pulled 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,
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To 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--absolutely.
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"thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and
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A hope."
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God has a plan for you, and i'm talking to somebody right now
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That is lonely and empty and i'm talking to somebody right now
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That has contemplated suicide.
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I'm even talking to someone who has attempted suicide; and i
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Want you to know god loves you, and he has a plan for you.
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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'mma call it the parable of the prodigal sons 'cause there's two
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Sons in the story.
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But as the story goes, jesus says in luke 15 a man had two
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Sons and the younger son told his father, "i want my share of
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Your 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 to--a trip to a distant land and there he wasted all of
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His money on wild living, and about that time the money ran
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Out and a great famine swept over the land and he began to
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Starve, and he persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed
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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."
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But the father allowed the son to exercise his free will, even
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Though he was making the 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 about--a story about two guys that went camping in
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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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And 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, 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 so he
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Decides to go home again.
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He says, "i'll just go back home to dad, say, 'dad, i 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 make me like one of your hired servants 'cause they're
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Better off than i am.'"
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But jesus continues this story, and he says while that boy was
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Still a great ways off, his father saw him and ran
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Toward him.
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And he threw his arms around his son, and the boy starts his
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Speech, "dad, i'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
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Just hire me."
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"forget about it."
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New york style, forget about it.
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He says, "my son who was 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.
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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 less
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Run, but, boy, it turned everything around for me.
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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
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Runner's high.
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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.
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But the father ran to his son and threw his arms around him
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And welcomed him home.
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That's how god feels toward 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.
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He didn't make his son clean his life up 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.
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God accepts you as you are, but he doesn't wanna leave you that
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Way, right?
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So you don't need to clean your life up and come to god.
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You come to god and he will clean your life up.
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Jesus says, "come to me, all you who are bending beneath the
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Weight of sin, and i will give you rest."
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But there's another prodigal son in the story.
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There's two.
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The older brother, he was angry.
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When he saw everybody celebrating the return of his
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Brother, he's upset, and the father comes to him out on the
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Field, says, "son, what's wrong?"
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"what's wrong?
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You're throwing a party for my younger brother.
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He blew our money and he was involved with prostitutes and
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You have a celebration for him, and i've served you faithfully
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All these years and i've kept all the rules and i've done all
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The right things.
00:13:12.101 --> 00:13:13.536
You should be treating me that way."
00:13:13.536 --> 00:13:15.204
The dad says, "son, i love you, but your brother who was lost is
00:13:15.204 --> 00:13:20.409
Alive again."
00:13:20.409 --> 00:13:21.944
See, we'll look at sometimes a good person and a bad person,
00:13:21.944 --> 00:13:27.416
But you can be living a good life and still be separated from
00:13:27.416 --> 00:13:31.253
God just as much as a person who is living a bad life is
00:13:31.253 --> 00:13:35.724
Separated from god.
00:13:35.724 --> 00:13:37.459
See, god sees things differently than we do.
00:13:37.459 --> 00:13:40.963
And we look in the outside, god looks on the inside.
00:13:40.963 --> 00:13:45.167
Did you know that $26 billion a year is spent on
00:13:45.167 --> 00:13:49.371
Cosmetic surgery?
00:13:49.371 --> 00:13:51.740
And that's utah alone.
00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:53.242
No, i'm kidding.
00:13:53.242 --> 00:13:54.610
No.
00:13:54.610 --> 00:13:55.945
That's why you all look so good.
00:13:55.945 --> 00:13:57.313
No.
00:13:57.313 --> 00:13:58.647
Though you do look surprised, some of you.
00:13:58.647 --> 00:14:00.115
I don't know.
00:14:00.115 --> 00:14:01.450
It's a botox reference.
00:14:01.450 --> 00:14:02.818
I probably should get some myself quickly and stop going to
00:14:02.818 --> 00:14:06.322
Coffee places, but anyway.
00:14:06.322 --> 00:14:09.525
But, you know, we look on the outside.
00:14:09.525 --> 00:14:10.926
I mean, when a picture is taken with you and your friends,
00:14:10.926 --> 00:14:13.796
You'll say, "don't post it till i look at it."
00:14:13.796 --> 00:14:16.332
And when you look at that picture of a bunch of people,
00:14:16.332 --> 00:14:18.500
Who do you look at?
00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:19.835
You look at you.
00:14:19.835 --> 00:14:21.170
But god looks on the heart, and the heart of this boy looked
00:14:21.170 --> 00:14:25.341
Good or was--he seemed good on the outside, but his heart was
00:14:25.341 --> 00:14:30.012
Separated from his father.
00:14:30.012 --> 00:14:31.547
He lived a good life, he was a good son; but listen, in a way,
00:14:31.547 --> 00:14:35.451
His goodness kept him away.
00:14:35.451 --> 00:14:38.087
There's two ways to be lost.
00:14:38.087 --> 00:14:40.356
You can be very bad.
00:14:40.356 --> 00:14:41.857
You can be very good.
00:14:41.857 --> 00:14:43.292
See, when you're very bad, maybe you know you're bad and you know
00:14:43.292 --> 00:14:46.729
You need to change; but when you're very good and you keep
00:14:46.729 --> 00:14:49.732
All the rules and do all the right things, you think, "well,
00:14:49.732 --> 00:14:52.401
I don't need to change."
00:14:52.401 --> 00:14:53.869
But maybe you do because it's all about a relationship with
00:14:53.869 --> 00:14:58.707
God through jesus christ.
00:14:58.707 --> 00:15:03.879
Is christ living in your life?
00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:06.749
You'll know if he is.
00:15:06.749 --> 00:15:08.984
Do you know that you'll go to heaven when you die?
00:15:08.984 --> 00:15:11.520
Our friend charlie kirk tragically killed, but i'll tell
00:15:11.520 --> 00:15:15.591
You the moment he took his last breath on earth, he took his
00:15:15.591 --> 00:15:19.161
First breath in heaven, and that's where he is now not
00:15:19.161 --> 00:15:27.102
Because of what he did, not because of what he did but
00:15:27.102 --> 00:15:30.706
Because of what christ did for him.
00:15:30.706 --> 00:15:33.342
He said in an interview, "i'm nothing without jesus.
00:15:33.342 --> 00:15:36.045
I'm a sinner.
00:15:36.045 --> 00:15:37.379
I fall incredibly short of the glory of god.
00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:39.915
We all do.
00:15:39.915 --> 00:15:41.283
But when i gave my life to the lord, i had everything changed,
00:15:41.283 --> 00:15:45.654
And i wanna be remembered for my faith."
00:15:45.654 --> 00:15:48.424
And so he put his faith in the lord, and that is the hope that
00:15:48.424 --> 00:15:52.127
We all have if we do the same.
00:15:52.127 --> 00:15:54.964
You know, you can be in church every sunday and still be far
00:15:54.964 --> 00:15:58.934
From god, just like the older brother was keeping the rules
00:15:58.934 --> 00:16:03.038
But he was not in a good relationship with his father, or
00:16:03.038 --> 00:16:06.208
You can be like the other brother out there living the
00:16:06.208 --> 00:16:09.078
Crazy life.
00:16:09.078 --> 00:16:10.546
But the good news is no matter what you've done, god can
00:16:10.546 --> 00:16:13.816
Forgive you of all of your sin.
00:16:13.816 --> 00:16:16.652
Now, here's the question.
00:16:16.652 --> 00:16:18.354
What do you need to do to know that you will go to heaven when
00:16:18.354 --> 00:16:22.558
You die?
00:16:22.558 --> 00:16:23.892
What do you need to do to find what the bible calls a peace
00:16:23.892 --> 00:16:28.163
That passes all human understanding?
00:16:28.163 --> 00:16:31.133
What do you need to do to find the meaning and purpose in life
00:16:31.133 --> 00:16:35.337
That you're searching for?
00:16:35.337 --> 00:16:37.172
Number one, you have to admit you're a sinner.
00:16:37.172 --> 00:16:41.076
The bible says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
00:16:41.076 --> 00:16:43.912
Of god."
00:16:43.912 --> 00:16:45.280
And by the way, the word "sin" means to miss a mark.
00:16:45.280 --> 00:16:47.983
So it's sort of like we're having an archery contest and i
00:16:47.983 --> 00:16:51.387
Have ten arrows and you have ten arrows.
00:16:51.387 --> 00:16:53.956
So you fire your arrows and they hit the target.
00:16:53.956 --> 00:16:58.494
None of them hit the bull's eye, but you did okay.
00:16:58.494 --> 00:17:01.497
And then i fire my arrows and i don't even hit the target.
00:17:01.497 --> 00:17:05.234
I hit every--i hit the cow over in the field over here, and it's
00:17:05.234 --> 00:17:09.171
Just a mess.
00:17:09.171 --> 00:17:10.506
But the point is we both missed the mark.
00:17:10.506 --> 00:17:12.307
'cause what is the mark for humanity?
00:17:12.307 --> 00:17:14.443
It's perfection.
00:17:14.443 --> 00:17:15.778
Jesus said, "be perfect as my father in heaven is perfect."
00:17:15.778 --> 00:17:19.915
You say, "well, who can do that?"
00:17:19.915 --> 00:17:21.283
Answer: no one.
00:17:21.283 --> 00:17:22.618
That's where jesus comes in.
00:17:22.618 --> 00:17:24.153
He shed his blood for you on the cross so you could be forgiven
00:17:24.153 --> 00:17:28.424
Of your sin.
00:17:28.424 --> 00:17:29.958
[audience applauding]
00:17:29.958 --> 00:17:32.995
And at the cross jesus said, "it is finished," which means it
00:17:32.995 --> 00:17:37.533
Is accomplished.
00:17:37.533 --> 00:17:38.901
There's nothing i do to add to that.
00:17:38.901 --> 00:17:41.703
It's a gift that god gives to you if you will put your faith
00:17:41.703 --> 00:17:45.674
In jesus and you can have this relationship, but you have to
00:17:45.674 --> 00:17:49.244
Start by admitting you're a sinner, and that boy did that.
00:17:49.244 --> 00:17:53.682
He came home and said, "father, i've sinned.
00:17:53.682 --> 00:17:55.451
I'm no longer worthy to be called your son."
00:17:55.451 --> 00:17:59.455
But a lot of times we wanna blame other people for our
00:17:59.455 --> 00:18:01.857
Problems, blame other people for our sins.
00:18:01.857 --> 00:18:05.527
I read about a gorilla named koko, and what's amazing about
00:18:05.527 --> 00:18:09.465
This gorilla is she understood american sign language and could
00:18:09.465 --> 00:18:14.002
Sign more than 1,000 words.
00:18:14.002 --> 00:18:17.172
Pretty impressive for a gorilla.
00:18:17.172 --> 00:18:19.475
And koko liked cats, so this koko--this gorilla named koko
00:18:19.475 --> 00:18:25.380
Had a pet cat, and one day something made her angry and she
00:18:25.380 --> 00:18:29.084
Ripped the sink off of her wall.
00:18:29.084 --> 00:18:31.820
That's how strong a gorilla is.
00:18:31.820 --> 00:18:33.956
So they went to koko and they were signing to her, "why did
00:18:33.956 --> 00:18:36.859
You do this?"
00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:38.193
And koko signed back, "the cat did it."
00:18:38.193 --> 00:18:43.432
So you gotta take responsibility for your own sin.
00:18:43.432 --> 00:18:47.970
You could say, "oh, the cat did it," or, "it wasn't my fault.
00:18:47.970 --> 00:18:51.140
It's my parents' fault.
00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:52.541
It's somebody else's fault."
00:18:52.541 --> 00:18:54.576
Number two, you need to repent of your sin.
00:18:54.576 --> 00:18:57.579
The word repent means to turn around.
00:18:57.579 --> 00:18:59.781
See, that boy was sorry for what he had done.
00:18:59.781 --> 00:19:02.651
He was willing to change, and the bible says god has commanded
00:19:02.651 --> 00:19:05.687
People everywhere to repent.
00:19:05.687 --> 00:19:08.223
It's a military turn that means to do a u-turn in life, so you
00:19:08.223 --> 00:19:12.828
Turn from that old sinful lifestyle.
00:19:12.828 --> 00:19:15.931
And then in addition to that, you must receive christ into
00:19:15.931 --> 00:19:21.103
Your life.
00:19:21.103 --> 00:19:22.804
This is the most important thing.
00:19:22.804 --> 00:19:24.806
Jesus says, "behold, i stand at the door and i knock.
00:19:24.806 --> 00:19:28.710
And if any man will hear my voice, i will come in."
00:19:28.710 --> 00:19:33.749
Has christ come into your life yet?
00:19:33.749 --> 00:19:36.318
Think of it as a gift, a gift that god gave to you.
00:19:36.318 --> 00:19:41.023
There's nothing you can do to purchase it.
00:19:41.023 --> 00:19:43.258
There's nothing you can do to deserve it.
00:19:43.258 --> 00:19:45.494
He offers you the gift.
00:19:45.494 --> 00:19:46.862
Look, i don't care how you open this gift that god offers
00:19:46.862 --> 00:19:49.932
To you.
00:19:49.932 --> 00:19:51.300
Open it. you receive it.
00:19:51.300 --> 00:19:53.001
There's nothing you do to earn it.
00:19:53.001 --> 00:19:55.337
You say, "lord, thank you for the gift of eternal life bought
00:19:55.337 --> 00:19:58.340
For me by jesus christ when he died on the cross, and i receive
00:19:58.340 --> 00:20:02.744
This gift."
00:20:02.744 --> 00:20:04.079
And that's what can happen for you tonight.
00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:06.748
[audience applauding]
00:20:06.748 --> 00:20:10.385
Then you must do it now.
00:20:10.385 --> 00:20:12.487
The bible says, "today is a day of salvation."
00:20:12.487 --> 00:20:15.324
Tonight is your night.
00:20:15.324 --> 00:20:17.259
You may never have another opportunity like this again.
00:20:17.259 --> 00:20:21.997
The lord, i'm telling you, he brought us here and he brought
00:20:21.997 --> 00:20:26.335
You here.
00:20:26.335 --> 00:20:27.703
And all of you that are watching, he had you tune in.
00:20:27.703 --> 00:20:30.772
And you that are in an overflow site, you're there because the
00:20:30.772 --> 00:20:34.109
Lord directed you to that place, but now you must respond.
00:20:34.109 --> 00:20:37.346
The bible says today is a day of salvation.
00:20:37.346 --> 00:20:40.382
Here's the problem.
00:20:40.382 --> 00:20:41.750
You don't wanna put this off because your heart can get hard.
00:20:41.750 --> 00:20:45.387
The title of my message is "home before dark."
00:20:45.387 --> 00:20:48.857
Back to my grandparents when i was living with them, they would
00:20:48.857 --> 00:20:51.760
Let us play outside at night.
00:20:51.760 --> 00:20:53.729
It was a lot safer back in those days.
00:20:53.729 --> 00:20:56.565
And my grandmother would simply say, "greg, get home
00:20:56.565 --> 00:20:59.601
Before dark."
00:20:59.601 --> 00:21:01.303
I knew that's what had to happen.
00:21:01.303 --> 00:21:02.938
And i'm asking you tonight, get home before dark.
00:21:02.938 --> 00:21:05.741
Don't let your heart grow irreparably hardened because
00:21:05.741 --> 00:21:09.311
Every time you hear the gospel as you're hearing it tonight,
00:21:09.311 --> 00:21:12.714
You don't--and you don't say yes to it, your heart can get
00:21:12.714 --> 00:21:15.717
A little more resistant, a little tougher.
00:21:15.717 --> 00:21:18.420
The bible says he who is often reproved hardens his heart and
00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:22.057
He will be cut off without remedy.
00:21:22.057 --> 00:21:24.159
So don't let this opportunity slip by.
00:21:24.159 --> 00:21:27.329
This is your moment.
00:21:27.329 --> 00:21:28.730
Do it now.
00:21:28.730 --> 00:21:30.332
Let me close with a story from my life.
00:21:30.332 --> 00:21:34.036
Jesus said a man had two sons.
00:21:34.036 --> 00:21:37.372
I too am a father of two sons.
00:21:37.372 --> 00:21:40.575
You met one of my sons earlier, jonathan.
00:21:40.575 --> 00:21:43.879
And i had an older son; yes, had because he's in heaven.
00:21:43.879 --> 00:21:50.252
Sixteen years ago, my oldest son christopher died in an
00:21:50.252 --> 00:21:53.455
Automobile accident.
00:21:53.455 --> 00:21:55.457
It was the hardest day of my life.
00:21:55.457 --> 00:21:57.392
Now, i know that he's in heaven, i know that i'll see him again,
00:21:57.392 --> 00:22:02.864
But i miss him, and it was a very hard thing to deal with.
00:22:02.864 --> 00:22:07.569
But both my sons went prodigal for a while.
00:22:07.569 --> 00:22:12.407
They both went astray and made a lot of bad decisions.
00:22:12.407 --> 00:22:16.011
And christopher came around and he got right with the lord, and
00:22:16.011 --> 00:22:20.682
He married a wonderful young lady named brittany and they had
00:22:20.682 --> 00:22:23.819
A daughter named stella and then they had another daughter on the
00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:28.056
Way that they would name lucy and then christopher was called
00:22:28.056 --> 00:22:32.327
Home unexpectedly to heaven.
00:22:32.327 --> 00:22:34.796
And his brother jonathan was struggling, and he knew he
00:22:34.796 --> 00:22:39.368
Wanted to get out of the lifestyle of partying and drugs
00:22:39.368 --> 00:22:42.237
That he found himself in and he was talking to his older brother
00:22:42.237 --> 00:22:45.674
Who he looked up to, and christopher asked his brother
00:22:45.674 --> 00:22:49.511
Jonathan, "jonathan, what's it gonna take?
00:22:49.511 --> 00:22:52.614
What's it gonna take for you to come around?"
00:22:52.614 --> 00:22:55.150
And jonathan determined the next day he was gonna have another
00:22:55.150 --> 00:22:59.688
Conversation with his brother and then his brother was called
00:22:59.688 --> 00:23:02.591
Home to heaven.
00:23:02.591 --> 00:23:04.259
But god got hold of jonathan, and that was the moment where
00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:08.230
His eyes were open.
00:23:08.230 --> 00:23:09.564
Now, look, i will always regard that as the worst tragedy of my
00:23:09.564 --> 00:23:13.168
Life, but what i'm saying is despite this horrible tragedy of
00:23:13.168 --> 00:23:17.672
Christopher going to heaven, god brought a wonderful thing by
00:23:17.672 --> 00:23:21.176
Bringing jonathan to faith and not--right?
00:23:21.176 --> 00:23:26.014
[audience applauding]
00:23:26.014 --> 00:23:30.252
So i think you know where i'm going.
00:23:30.252 --> 00:23:32.621
Not far from where we're sitting, charlie kirk was
00:23:32.621 --> 00:23:37.259
Killed, and people ask, "why did that happen?
00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:40.896
Why did god let that happen?
00:23:40.896 --> 00:23:42.464
Why did god let that happen here?"
00:23:42.464 --> 00:23:44.699
Why, why, why we ask.
00:23:44.699 --> 00:23:46.101
We don't know the answer.
00:23:46.101 --> 00:23:48.136
We don't know why.
00:23:48.136 --> 00:23:49.738
But one of charlie's favorite verses was romans 8:28, he
00:23:49.738 --> 00:23:53.141
Mentioned it in that video that we showed, which says we know
00:23:53.141 --> 00:23:56.978
That "all things work together for good to those that
00:23:56.978 --> 00:23:58.780
Love god."
00:23:58.780 --> 00:24:00.916
There's a story in the bible, you probably know it, of joseph
00:24:00.916 --> 00:24:03.819
Who was sold into slavery by his brothers and then ultimately he
00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:08.723
Was in a position to have them all executed had he chosen to
00:24:08.723 --> 00:24:12.561
But instead he decided to forgive them, and he said,
00:24:12.561 --> 00:24:17.666
"you meant it for evil, but god meant it for good."
00:24:17.666 --> 00:24:20.669
Here's the way i see it.
00:24:20.669 --> 00:24:22.270
This is a horrible tragedy, what happened to charlie.
00:24:22.270 --> 00:24:25.073
However, despite this tragedy, god has done amazing things
00:24:25.073 --> 00:24:29.678
Around our nation and people are asking questions.
00:24:29.678 --> 00:24:34.850
[audience applauding]
00:24:34.850 --> 00:24:37.018
I read that bible sales are up dramatically according to an
00:24:37.018 --> 00:24:40.455
Article in "the wall street journal" in the aftermath of
00:24:40.455 --> 00:24:43.825
Charlie's death, and there are young kids, there are gen z kids
00:24:43.825 --> 00:24:46.962
Saying, "i wanna read the bible.
00:24:46.962 --> 00:24:48.697
I wanna know more about this."
00:24:48.697 --> 00:24:50.198
So it was like a wake-up call for all of you, for all of us.
00:24:50.198 --> 00:24:54.769
This is your moment tonight.
00:24:54.769 --> 00:24:56.471
This is your wake-up call tonight.
00:24:56.471 --> 00:24:58.807
Don't let it slip by.
00:24:58.807 --> 00:25:00.976
Here's the one thing that got my attention when i was not
00:25:00.976 --> 00:25:04.813
A christian.
00:25:04.813 --> 00:25:06.515
I was listening to what they were saying in one of their
00:25:06.515 --> 00:25:10.018
Meetings, and lonnie frisbee made one statement.
00:25:10.018 --> 00:25:14.022
He said jesus said, "you're for me or against me.
00:25:14.022 --> 00:25:17.425
You're with me or you're opposed to me."
00:25:17.425 --> 00:25:19.828
So i ask you, are you for him or against him?
00:25:19.828 --> 00:25:22.864
To not say yes is to say no.
00:25:22.864 --> 00:25:25.834
Greg: have you watched the news lately?
00:25:29.704 --> 00:25:31.239
It seems like the world is coming apart.
00:25:31.239 --> 00:25:34.109
War in the middle east, instability all around us.
00:25:34.109 --> 00:25:38.179
And i'm telling you right now, the bible predicted these things
00:25:38.179 --> 00:25:41.550
Would happen in the last days.
00:25:41.550 --> 00:25:43.485
But here's what you need to remember.
00:25:43.485 --> 00:25:45.253
Jesus said, "when you see these things begin to happen, look up
00:25:45.253 --> 00:25:49.491
For your redemption is drawing near."
00:25:49.491 --> 00:25:51.660
He didn't say, "freak out."
00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:53.061
He said, "look up."
00:25:53.061 --> 00:25:55.397
I want you to know that i've read the last page of the bible
00:25:55.463 --> 00:25:58.466
And we win in the end.
00:25:58.466 --> 00:26:00.201
We need hope in this crazy, hopeless world, in this world of
00:26:00.201 --> 00:26:04.139
Chaos and confusion.
00:26:04.139 --> 00:26:05.941
Jesus christ has everything you're looking for in a
00:26:05.941 --> 00:26:09.644
Relationship with him.
00:26:09.644 --> 00:26:12.047
I encourage you to call out to the lord and ask him to come
00:26:12.047 --> 00:26:15.784
Into your life.
00:26:15.784 --> 00:26:17.786
Let me send you at no charge, a bible to help you get started in
00:26:17.786 --> 00:26:23.191
Your new relationship with christ.
00:26:23.191 --> 00:26:25.827
Female announcer: jesus says that "where two or three are
00:26:29.998 --> 00:26:32.667
Gathered in my name, there i am in the midst of them."
00:26:32.667 --> 00:26:36.771
We are all different.
00:26:36.771 --> 00:26:38.173
We have different interests, different personalities,
00:26:38.173 --> 00:26:41.309
Different upbringings, and different ways we do life.
00:26:41.309 --> 00:26:45.080
But here we have a deep connection and you are
00:26:45.080 --> 00:26:50.852
Welcome here.
00:26:50.852 --> 00:26:52.887
This is harvest.
00:26:52.887 --> 00:26:55.790
Greg: you know, i've heard people describe a trip to israel
00:26:59.928 --> 00:27:02.330
As seeing the bible actually come to life.
00:27:02.330 --> 00:27:05.166
And having been to israel many times,
00:27:05.166 --> 00:27:07.469
I can say that's absolutely true.
00:27:07.469 --> 00:27:09.638
Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that jesus
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Walked on, there's something that's enriching to your faith.
00:27:13.108 --> 00:27:16.945
It's not just a travel experience;
00:27:16.945 --> 00:27:19.047
It actually energizes your study of the bible.
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Think of it this way:
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It's a vacation with a purpose,
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And you can find out more at israel.harvest.org.
00:27:25.186 --> 00:27:28.990

Greg Laurie - Hope For America (Utah)

July 20, 2026 | 27:30

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