Greg Laurie - Hope For The Hurting Hearts (Part 2)

July 16, 2025 | 27:40

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 The Hurting Hearts (Part 2) | July 16, 2025
  • ...
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  • Greg laurie: it's a nightmare, and i'm gonna wake up from it.
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  • I know i will," but i didn't.
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  • You know, when you have someone that you love go to heaven,
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  • You're in pain.
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  • Strangely, in this dark place,
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  • God was there with me, and i sensed his presence.
  • 00:00:13.348 --> 00:00:17.085
  • And i said to god, "you gave him to us,
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  • And i give him back to you."
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  • And i just laid there, and that's all i could do.
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  • ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins ♪
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  • ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins ♪♪
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  • ♪ mountains high, valleys low ♪
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  • ♪ these are the things make us grow ♪
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  • ♪ and all i want to know is if he can hear me ♪
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  • ♪ and all i want to know is ♪
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  • ♪ if you're still listening, god ♪
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  • ♪ and all i want to know ♪
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  • ♪ is if you're still there, god ♪
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  • ♪ so why don't you shine? ♪
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  • ♪ come on, shine on me ♪
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  • ♪ why don't you shine? ♪
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  • ♪ come on, shine on me ♪
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  • ♪ and give me the faith ♪
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  • ♪ i want to believe, believe ♪
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  • ♪ seasons change ♪
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  • ♪ i change, too ♪
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  • ♪ like spring and summer ♪
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  • ♪ and i fall back to you ♪♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Cathe laurie: it was that day i felt robbed.
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  • Greg: when i heard the news that our son had died,
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  • I can say i've been in a place where i felt hopeless.
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  • I read about the blind man seeing and the deaf hearing.
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  • Cathe: i felt as if someone had taken a big eraser
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  • To the chalk board--
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  • Greg: why did this happen?
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  • Cathe: --of my dreams and just erased everything.
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  • It's all gonna be different.
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  • Jeremy camp: it was so hard to watch her
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  • Get weaker and weaker.
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  • Nick vujicic: god, give me arms and legs.
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  • Greg: when i heard the news, i felt like i could
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  • Literally die, because the pain would've stopped.
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  • Nick: i knew god could do it, but he didn't.
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  • Jeremy: i'm not supposed to be visiting the grave of my wife
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  • So young, you know?
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  • It doesn't make sense.
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  • Nick: so, does he love me? does he hear me?
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  • And when i was searching for him, he didn't answer me.
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  • So, i felt alone.
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Dr. james dobson: mourning and grief are natural
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  • And normal ways of dealing with pain and loss.
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  • We read in ecclesiastes that there is a time to mourn,
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  • And sometimes it can be overwhelming.
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  • The writer in psalm 42 expresses his grief when he says,
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  • "day and night i have only tears for food.
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  • My heart is breaking as i remember how it used to be.
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  • Why am i discouraged?
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  • Why is my heart so sad?"
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  • But then he turns to the lord for solace,
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  • And he closes by saying, "i will put my hope in god.
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  • I will praise him again, my savior and my god."
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Announcer: with age, the years run too short,
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  • And the days pass us too quickly.
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  • It's true, the saying,
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  • "don't blink; life goes faster than you think."
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  • Some memories from the past are best left to fall off
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  • Like a fading light.
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  • But then there are those you will never let go of.
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  • Greg and cathe laurie always wanted the best
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  • For their two sons, especially greg,
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  • Always wanting to give them the things of life he never had.
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  • With their first son, christopher,
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  • Greg loved to spoil him.
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  • Topher, as they affectionately called him,
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  • Loved spending time with his dad.
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  • Even at an early age, he knew that whatever it is
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  • He might want, dad always could fix something up better.
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  • Greg often said, "hey, topher, look.
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  • What i have for you is better up here."
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Announcer: christopher grew up in the home of a preacher,
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  • Hearing of god, learning of god,
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  • But yet at times running from god.
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  • As he matured into manhood, he finally grew to know god.
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  • Following his passion and talent for graphic design,
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  • He became lead graphic designer, working at his father's side
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  • In ministry.
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  • God really seemed to be doing a great work,
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  • As though dreams were really coming true.
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  • Now married with a precious little daughter and one
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  • On the way, life seemed almost perfect for the laurie family.
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  • On july 24, 2008, christopher kissed his wife brittany
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  • And baby stella goodbye, as he left for work.
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  • Less than an hour later, he was killed
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  • In an automobile accident.
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  • Cathe: never having lived through any really significant
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  • Tragedies in my life--i had a pretty wonderful childhood,
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  • Wonderful married life, great family.
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  • My feeling was chances are there's nothing wrong.
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  • But when i heard that the pastors were
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  • On their way down, i knew.
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  • I just thought, "oh, god, you know,
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  • What will this be?"
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  • And so we braced ourselves and opened the front door,
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  • And jeff was saying-- didn't waste any words.
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  • He just walked right up and he said,
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  • "christopher has died.
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  • He's gone to be with the lord."
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  • And it was like, wow.
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  • I mean, talk about being unable to process the words
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  • That you just have heard.
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Announcer: it's hard to understand
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  • What god is thinking in times like this--the confusion,
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  • The whys, the anger, the same hopeless questions of doubt
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  • That consumes the store manager, the car salesman,
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  • The lab technician also affects the preacher,
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  • The pastor, the man of god.
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  • Greg and cathe are not immune to pain.
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  • They experienced it just like anyone else would.
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  • Greg: when i heard the news that our son had died,
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  • I went into a state of shock.
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  • I collapsed on the ground.
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  • I couldn't stand.
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  • I couldn't believe it was true.
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  • I couldn't believe it's true.
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  • I thought, "this is a dream.
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  • It's a nightmare, and i'm gonna wake up from it.
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  • I know i will."
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  • But i didn't.
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  • You know, when you have someone that you love go to heaven,
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  • You're in pain.
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  • You don't feel sorry for them.
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  • You feel sorry for you, because you can't talk to them.
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  • You know, the first hours are just so, so hard.
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  • And, of course, the first question that comes
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  • Into your mind is why?
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  • Why did this happen?
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  • Why, why, why?
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  • Why wasn't it not me instead of him?
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  • He was only 33.
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  • He was newly married, a father, another child coming.
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  • Oh, it made no sense.
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  • Cathe: you know, we all project our lives
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  • And what they will look like into the future,
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  • And i felt as if someone had taken a big eraser to
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  • The chalk board of my dreams and just erased everything inside.
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  • It's all gonna be different.
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  • Everything you imagined, your future,
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  • Your life with your children, your grandchildren,
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  • Growing old is gone.
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  • It's not gonna be the way you imagined.
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  • Greg: strangely, in this dark place,
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  • God was there with me, and i sensed his presence.
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  • And i said to god, "you gave him to us,
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  • And i give him back to you."
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  • And i just laid there, and that's all i could do.
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Announcer: tragedies tend to come when we least
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  • Expect them and knock the wind out of us.
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  • They tear at our flesh, and they test our faith.
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  • And our immediate reaction is often,
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  • "jesus, don't you care?"
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  • If you really love me, why won't you make this pain
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  • And sorrow go away.
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  • Change my circumstances.
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  • Restore what i've lost.
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  • Rewind my life.
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  • And i say to those of you who are mourning,
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  • The lord shows us his compassion,
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  • Not always by removing the trials,
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  • But by comforting us, by drawing near to us,
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  • And walking with us through the difficulty.
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  • Jesus suffers alongside of us, consoling our hearts
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  • And giving us hope.
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  • Warren wiersbe, the great prolific
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  • Christian author, sent greg and cathe
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  • A personal message via email after the death
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  • Of their son, christopher.
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  • In it, he said, "as god's children,
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  • We live on promises, not explanations,
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  • And you know them as well as we do.
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  • When we arrive in heaven, we will then hear the explanations,
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  • Understand the whys, accept them and say,
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  • 'may the lord be glorified.'
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  • Meanwhile, we walk by faith, asking god to help us,
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  • Comfort others, lest our own tears be wasted.
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  • Greg: i hit bottom, and god was there.
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  • You know, i went down to the very foundation of my faith.
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  • Cathe: i felt an amazing communion and connection
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  • With the lord that i never felt before.
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  • Greg: our faith was there, because god was there.
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  • Cathe: i found myself in a different place.
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  • I found myself being almost gathered up
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  • Into the heavenlies with the lord.
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  • I could--i had a sense that i was there with the lord.
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  • Every promise that he ever spoke to me,
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  • Everything i'd ever read in the scriptures was real.
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  • Greg: people have asked me, "were you ever tempted
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  • To lose your faith?"
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  • And i'm not trying to sound ultra-spiritual,
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  • But the answer is no, because faith was all i had,
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  • And this is one of the ways i know my faith is real,
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  • Because it was just there, and god was there,
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  • And faith kicked in.
  • 00:11:22.617 --> 00:11:24.285
  • Cathe: i lived in god's word and still do.
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  • I needed his promises to sleep, and i needed his word
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  • When i woke in the night, because your mind is
  • 00:11:33.828 --> 00:11:36.564
  • And your heart is so filled with pain and grief
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  • That i needed god's perspective.
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  • I needed a biblical perspective on how to look at the suffering
  • 00:11:42.070 --> 00:11:45.540
  • And how to go on living.
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ i'm not afraid ♪
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  • ♪ 'cause your love fills broken things ♪
  • 00:12:03.524 --> 00:12:13.000
  • ♪ and i'm not ashamed ♪
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  • ♪ 'cause your love makes me beautiful ♪
  • 00:12:18.005 --> 00:12:24.345
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:12:24.345 --> 00:12:29.183
  • Jeremy: there's hope in god's word.
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  • There's hope in christ and what he's done.
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  • I even shared a scripture earlier where it says, you know,
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  • Hey, you're gonna go through trials.
  • 00:12:36.858 --> 00:12:38.493
  • Don't be alarmed is what he's saying.
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  • Don't be alarmed when you
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  • Face trials of many kinds.
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  • He says, "but i have overcome the world."
  • 00:12:43.965 --> 00:12:45.900
  • So, we have to stop and go, okay, when i feel no hope
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  • And i feel like how's this gonna benefit?
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  • Go back to christ.
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  • Go back to christ and his sufferings.
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  • Cathe: the grief and the pain that we go through is light
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  • And momentary affliction that is working
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  • An eternal weight of glory.
  • 00:13:00.782 --> 00:13:02.517
  • So, i can say ahead is ultimate glory beyond our comprehension.
  • 00:13:02.517 --> 00:13:09.023
  • Nick: and i still have people coming up to me and say,
  • 00:13:09.023 --> 00:13:10.992
  • "how did you get through your depression?
  • 00:13:10.992 --> 00:13:13.628
  • Tell me the secret."
  • 00:13:13.628 --> 00:13:15.163
  • And i'm like, it's jesus.
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  • He is the strength, my joy, in knowing that he's with me.
  • 00:13:17.231 --> 00:13:21.769
  • He knows my heart's desire, and he will give it to me
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  • If it's his will.
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  • And if he says no to something, he's going to give me
  • 00:13:26.340 --> 00:13:28.009
  • Something better.
  • 00:13:28.009 --> 00:13:29.343
  • Why? because i'm his son.
  • 00:13:29.343 --> 00:13:31.512
  • He doesn't love me because of what i do or how many people
  • 00:13:31.512 --> 00:13:34.081
  • I speak to, or how i look, or how smart i am,
  • 00:13:34.081 --> 00:13:37.185
  • Or how effective i am.
  • 00:13:37.185 --> 00:13:38.519
  • It's not about that.
  • 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:39.854
  • He loves me because i'm his little kid.
  • 00:13:39.854 --> 00:13:43.825
  • Cathe: he was there in that hour of desperate need,
  • 00:13:43.891 --> 00:13:47.762
  • That he was really there, and that all those scriptures
  • 00:13:47.762 --> 00:13:51.365
  • Came to mind, and his presence was so tangible, and so sweet,
  • 00:13:51.365 --> 00:13:55.436
  • And so real in the midst of all of the pain.
  • 00:13:55.436 --> 00:13:57.839
  • Nick: i hope people are inspired to see
  • 00:13:57.839 --> 00:13:59.774
  • That you don't need arms and legs to be complete.
  • 00:13:59.774 --> 00:14:02.577
  • You don't need arms and legs to be the hands and feet of god.
  • 00:14:02.577 --> 00:14:05.780
  • All you need is to be complete on the inside
  • 00:14:05.780 --> 00:14:09.150
  • And everything else will change.
  • 00:14:09.150 --> 00:14:12.520
  • ♪ lift your voice ♪
  • 00:14:13.487 --> 00:14:16.557
  • ♪ hallelujah ♪
  • 00:14:16.557 --> 00:14:19.527
  • ♪ everybody sing ♪
  • 00:14:19.527 --> 00:14:22.663
  • ♪ hope is coming closer than you know ♪
  • 00:14:22.663 --> 00:14:28.703
  • ♪ he won't let us go ♪
  • 00:14:28.703 --> 00:14:31.672
  • ♪ oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
  • 00:14:31.672 --> 00:14:38.546
  • Greg: so, what happens when a believer dies?
  • 00:14:41.015 --> 00:14:43.818
  • Well, according to the bible, they go straight to heaven.
  • 00:14:43.818 --> 00:14:47.321
  • In fact, the bible says to be absent from the body
  • 00:14:47.321 --> 00:14:49.891
  • Is to be present with the lord.
  • 00:14:49.891 --> 00:14:52.193
  • Listen to this.
  • 00:14:52.193 --> 00:14:53.661
  • The moment you take your last breath on earth,
  • 00:14:53.661 --> 00:14:55.563
  • You take your first breath in heaven.
  • 00:14:55.563 --> 00:14:58.199
  • Heaven, what is heaven like?
  • 00:14:58.199 --> 00:15:01.335
  • Sometimes people are not so excited about going to heaven,
  • 00:15:01.335 --> 00:15:03.838
  • Because they think it's gonna be
  • 00:15:03.838 --> 00:15:05.273
  • The most boring place imaginable.
  • 00:15:05.273 --> 00:15:07.708
  • Man, i've gotta set you straight about this.
  • 00:15:07.708 --> 00:15:09.810
  • Heaven is far from boring.
  • 00:15:09.810 --> 00:15:12.146
  • Heaven, according to jesus, is a real place, you see.
  • 00:15:12.146 --> 00:15:16.217
  • Jesus said in john 14, "i go to prepare a place for you."
  • 00:15:16.217 --> 00:15:21.923
  • It's interesting that the bible tells us that heaven is a city.
  • 00:15:21.923 --> 00:15:25.393
  • Heaven is a country.
  • 00:15:25.393 --> 00:15:27.428
  • But one of my favorite definitions
  • 00:15:27.428 --> 00:15:29.196
  • Of heaven is heaven is a paradise.
  • 00:15:29.196 --> 00:15:31.532
  • The apostle paul had the unique experience of dying
  • 00:15:31.532 --> 00:15:34.735
  • And going to heaven and coming back to tell us the story.
  • 00:15:34.735 --> 00:15:38.606
  • And paul said, "the things i saw are hard to describe.
  • 00:15:38.606 --> 00:15:42.677
  • The things that i heard, i really can't put into words.
  • 00:15:42.677 --> 00:15:45.980
  • But i'll tell you this much: it was paradise.
  • 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:49.617
  • The word that paul uses there for paradise is a fascinating
  • 00:15:49.617 --> 00:15:52.453
  • Word, because it could be translated "a royal garden."
  • 00:15:52.453 --> 00:15:55.990
  • Now, when you think of a garden, don't just think
  • 00:15:55.990 --> 00:15:57.858
  • Of any old garden.
  • 00:15:57.858 --> 00:15:59.193
  • Think of the garden of a king, a place that's palatial,
  • 00:15:59.193 --> 00:16:03.297
  • A beautiful, manicured garden, maybe a little bit like
  • 00:16:03.297 --> 00:16:06.600
  • The garden that i'm in right now here in maui, hawaii.
  • 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:11.105
  • Now let me tell you this.
  • 00:16:11.105 --> 00:16:12.807
  • There's nothing that this world offers that will satisfy
  • 00:16:12.807 --> 00:16:15.876
  • That deep yearning that you have for god.
  • 00:16:15.876 --> 00:16:19.380
  • C.s. lewis described it as the inconsolable longing.
  • 00:16:19.380 --> 00:16:23.484
  • You see, deep down inside, we're homesick for a place
  • 00:16:23.484 --> 00:16:26.587
  • We've never been to: heaven and then one day the new earth.
  • 00:16:26.587 --> 00:16:31.192
  • The hardship you're going through right now,
  • 00:16:31.192 --> 00:16:33.394
  • The crisis you may be facing, need to know one thing:
  • 00:16:33.394 --> 00:16:36.797
  • If you're a believer in jesus christ,
  • 00:16:36.797 --> 00:16:38.833
  • God is in control.
  • 00:16:38.833 --> 00:16:41.002
  • And the word "oops" is not in his vocabulary,
  • 00:16:41.002 --> 00:16:44.805
  • And he's going to work it together for good.
  • 00:16:44.805 --> 00:16:47.808
  • Scripture promises.
  • 00:16:47.808 --> 00:16:49.477
  • All things work together for good to those that love god
  • 00:16:49.477 --> 00:16:52.046
  • And are the called according to his purpose,
  • 00:16:52.046 --> 00:16:54.215
  • Romans 8:28 tells us.
  • 00:16:54.215 --> 00:16:56.017
  • So, here's the thing you need to know.
  • 00:16:56.017 --> 00:16:57.585
  • It may not be good now.
  • 00:16:57.585 --> 00:16:58.953
  • There are things that happen in life that are just flat out bad.
  • 00:16:58.953 --> 00:17:02.156
  • God doesn't say he'll make bad things good.
  • 00:17:02.156 --> 00:17:04.291
  • He says despite the bad things, he will bring good.
  • 00:17:04.291 --> 00:17:07.395
  • Something will happen in this life, in the before life,
  • 00:17:07.395 --> 00:17:10.765
  • And some of it will be revealed in the afterlife.
  • 00:17:10.765 --> 00:17:14.268
  • But until that day, we need to trust in god,
  • 00:17:14.268 --> 00:17:16.937
  • And we need to have hope, a hope that will sustain us
  • 00:17:16.937 --> 00:17:20.808
  • Through the hardest times of life.
  • 00:17:20.808 --> 00:17:23.477
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:17:23.477 --> 00:17:26.514
  • Dr. dobson: jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses,
  • 00:17:29.817 --> 00:17:33.521
  • Where the lord says, "i know the thoughts
  • 00:17:33.521 --> 00:17:36.624
  • That i think toward you, thoughts of peace,
  • 00:17:36.624 --> 00:17:40.161
  • And not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
  • 00:17:40.161 --> 00:17:44.498
  • Note that god does not say, "i know the thoughts that
  • 00:17:44.498 --> 00:17:48.202
  • I used to think toward you," but rather he says,
  • 00:17:48.202 --> 00:17:52.106
  • "i know the thoughts that i think toward you."
  • 00:17:52.106 --> 00:17:56.610
  • Now, it would be wonderful to realize that god ever thought
  • 00:17:56.610 --> 00:17:59.814
  • About us as individuals, even once.
  • 00:17:59.814 --> 00:18:02.917
  • But it's not something he has merely done in the past.
  • 00:18:02.917 --> 00:18:06.687
  • It's something he is doing in the present
  • 00:18:06.687 --> 00:18:09.623
  • And will continue to do in the future.
  • 00:18:09.623 --> 00:18:12.726
  • Just know this: god is thinking about you right now,
  • 00:18:12.726 --> 00:18:17.965
  • Or when you sleep, or when you're despondent.
  • 00:18:17.965 --> 00:18:21.235
  • He is mindful of you, not just as a member of the human race,
  • 00:18:21.235 --> 00:18:26.040
  • But as an individual, and his thoughts are
  • 00:18:26.040 --> 00:18:29.410
  • To give you a future and a hope.
  • 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:33.180
  • Cathe: i began to think of what i was going through
  • 00:18:37.284 --> 00:18:40.020
  • In proportion to eternity, and gain a better perspective.
  • 00:18:40.020 --> 00:18:46.494
  • And though for me, it was the greatest suffering
  • 00:18:46.494 --> 00:18:49.163
  • I've ever experienced to this day.
  • 00:18:49.163 --> 00:18:51.499
  • I felt that scripture where it says that it is working in us,
  • 00:18:51.499 --> 00:18:56.237
  • It's producing in us an eternal weight of glory.
  • 00:18:56.237 --> 00:18:59.807
  • I felt like god, through this suffering,
  • 00:18:59.807 --> 00:19:03.043
  • Not only would use it in other people's lives,
  • 00:19:03.043 --> 00:19:05.613
  • But in my own heart, that through pain and suffering,
  • 00:19:05.613 --> 00:19:09.216
  • There was something actually happening inside of me.
  • 00:19:09.216 --> 00:19:12.520
  • And i imagine it this way.
  • 00:19:12.520 --> 00:19:15.456
  • I imagine it as if my heart was being broken in order
  • 00:19:15.456 --> 00:19:20.161
  • To make it bigger, in order to embrace the thing
  • 00:19:20.161 --> 00:19:24.765
  • That i couldn't have otherwise.
  • 00:19:24.765 --> 00:19:26.433
  • I know that in eternity, what i'm going through now
  • 00:19:26.433 --> 00:19:30.871
  • Is preparing me to receive that eternal weight of glory
  • 00:19:30.871 --> 00:19:35.142
  • That i wouldn't have been able to process otherwise.
  • 00:19:35.142 --> 00:19:38.612
  • Jeremy: there's hope through his word,
  • 00:19:38.612 --> 00:19:39.947
  • Through his promises, through what he's done.
  • 00:19:39.947 --> 00:19:42.683
  • He's fully aware of what's going on, 100%,
  • 00:19:42.683 --> 00:19:45.586
  • And he has our best interest in mind.
  • 00:19:45.586 --> 00:19:48.055
  • Why?
  • 00:19:48.055 --> 00:19:49.390
  • And the hope is because he loves us.
  • 00:19:49.390 --> 00:19:51.592
  • He loves us more than we'll ever,
  • 00:19:51.592 --> 00:19:54.195
  • Ever understand this side of heaven.
  • 00:19:54.195 --> 00:19:57.831
  • Nick: there is hope.
  • 00:19:57.831 --> 00:20:00.067
  • You may not be able to see it, but faith is believing
  • 00:20:00.067 --> 00:20:04.004
  • And being certain of things that you cannot see.
  • 00:20:04.004 --> 00:20:06.807
  • To people who don't believe in jesus the way i do,
  • 00:20:06.807 --> 00:20:10.911
  • And having a relationship with god,
  • 00:20:10.911 --> 00:20:13.581
  • It seems foolishness.
  • 00:20:13.581 --> 00:20:15.783
  • But when you come and step out in faith,
  • 00:20:15.783 --> 00:20:17.785
  • And you say, "god, in your bible,
  • 00:20:17.785 --> 00:20:20.187
  • You say these promises.
  • 00:20:20.187 --> 00:20:22.690
  • Isaiah 40:31,
  • 00:20:22.690 --> 00:20:24.692
  • 'those who wait upon the lord will renew their strength.
  • 00:20:24.692 --> 00:20:26.727
  • They shall mount up on wings like eagles.'"
  • 00:20:26.727 --> 00:20:28.596
  • I have so many verses that are written
  • 00:20:28.596 --> 00:20:30.531
  • On the tablet of my heart, that i can always go back to.
  • 00:20:30.531 --> 00:20:33.400
  • What do you go back to?
  • 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:35.970
  • Is it a positive attitude?
  • 00:20:35.970 --> 00:20:38.172
  • Some good vibes and attitudes.
  • 00:20:38.172 --> 00:20:40.174
  • Is it friends and family?
  • 00:20:40.174 --> 00:20:42.276
  • Whatever it is, it'll never restore your soul
  • 00:20:42.276 --> 00:20:45.546
  • Like jesus can.
  • 00:20:45.546 --> 00:20:47.681
  • Your heart cannot be healed without the power
  • 00:20:47.681 --> 00:20:50.451
  • Of the holy spirit.
  • 00:20:50.451 --> 00:20:53.020
  • I can't help you.
  • 00:20:53.020 --> 00:20:54.688
  • I can't heal you, but god can,
  • 00:20:54.688 --> 00:20:57.491
  • And he's there with you right now.
  • 00:20:57.491 --> 00:21:00.027
  • Take one step at a time and know there is hope until you give up.
  • 00:21:00.027 --> 00:21:05.332
  • Never give up on god, 'cause god will not give up on you.
  • 00:21:05.332 --> 00:21:09.103
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:21:11.005 --> 00:21:16.677
  • Greg: now here's the big question.
  • 00:21:16.677 --> 00:21:18.579
  • Will you go to heaven when you die?
  • 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:22.983
  • The bible says that one day you and i will stand before god.
  • 00:21:22.983 --> 00:21:27.187
  • You know, the statistics on death are quite impressive.
  • 00:21:27.187 --> 00:21:30.724
  • One out of every one person will die.
  • 00:21:30.724 --> 00:21:34.495
  • The bottom line is this: jesus is the only way to the father.
  • 00:21:34.495 --> 00:21:38.465
  • Because there has never been anyone who has walked this earth
  • 00:21:38.465 --> 00:21:41.535
  • Like jesus.
  • 00:21:41.535 --> 00:21:42.870
  • He was fully god, and he was fully man.
  • 00:21:42.870 --> 00:21:45.472
  • And, you see, jesus lived a perfect life,
  • 00:21:45.472 --> 00:21:48.275
  • Then he died a perfect death and he bore the sin of the world.
  • 00:21:48.275 --> 00:21:52.980
  • He absorbed the wrath of god.
  • 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:55.649
  • He came to pay a debt he did not owe,
  • 00:21:55.649 --> 00:21:58.018
  • Because you owed a debt you could not pay.
  • 00:21:58.018 --> 00:22:01.922
  • But then jesus rose again from the dead 3 days later.
  • 00:22:01.922 --> 00:22:05.025
  • And jesus himself said, "for god so loved the world,
  • 00:22:05.025 --> 00:22:07.928
  • He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him
  • 00:22:07.928 --> 00:22:11.465
  • Should not perish, but have everlasting life."
  • 00:22:11.465 --> 00:22:14.501
  • So, how do you get to heaven?
  • 00:22:14.501 --> 00:22:16.670
  • How do you know for certain that you will go to heaven
  • 00:22:16.670 --> 00:22:20.007
  • When you die?
  • 00:22:20.007 --> 00:22:21.342
  • Jesus told us.
  • 00:22:21.342 --> 00:22:22.676
  • Whoever believes in him should not perish.
  • 00:22:22.676 --> 00:22:25.379
  • To believe means to trust in, to cling to, to rely on.
  • 00:22:25.379 --> 00:22:30.150
  • Have you done that yet?
  • 00:22:30.150 --> 00:22:31.952
  • Do you want to have hope in this life?
  • 00:22:31.952 --> 00:22:34.021
  • Do you want a personal relationship with god?
  • 00:22:34.021 --> 00:22:36.523
  • Here's what you need to do.
  • 00:22:36.523 --> 00:22:38.425
  • You need to admit your sin, because the bible says
  • 00:22:38.425 --> 00:22:40.361
  • We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of god.
  • 00:22:40.361 --> 00:22:44.198
  • You need to be willing to turn from that sin,
  • 00:22:44.198 --> 00:22:46.834
  • And then you need to put your faith in christ
  • 00:22:46.834 --> 00:22:49.336
  • And christ alone.
  • 00:22:49.336 --> 00:22:51.004
  • And i would love to lead you in a prayer right now,
  • 00:22:51.004 --> 00:22:53.674
  • For jesus himself will come and live inside of you.
  • 00:22:53.674 --> 00:22:56.877
  • Jesus says, "behold, i stand at the door, and i knock.
  • 00:22:56.877 --> 00:23:00.147
  • And if you'll hear my voice and open the door,
  • 00:23:00.147 --> 00:23:02.516
  • I'll come in."
  • 00:23:02.516 --> 00:23:04.184
  • You say, "well, how does he come in?"
  • 00:23:04.184 --> 00:23:05.919
  • Listen, through prayer, so if you would allow me
  • 00:23:05.919 --> 00:23:08.689
  • To lead you in a prayer, it could change your life
  • 00:23:08.689 --> 00:23:12.459
  • And certainly change your eternal destination,
  • 00:23:12.459 --> 00:23:14.962
  • So you can know with certainty you go to heaven.
  • 00:23:14.962 --> 00:23:18.031
  • When you die.
  • 00:23:18.031 --> 00:23:19.900
  • If you want jesus to come into your life,
  • 00:23:19.900 --> 00:23:22.136
  • If you want your sin forgiven, pray with me right now.
  • 00:23:22.136 --> 00:23:25.739
  • Pray this prayer out loud, even.
  • 00:23:25.739 --> 00:23:28.542
  • "lord jesus, i know that i'm a sinner,
  • 00:23:28.542 --> 00:23:31.945
  • But i believe that you died on the cross for my sin.
  • 00:23:31.945 --> 00:23:34.815
  • I turn from that sin, and i put my faith in you.
  • 00:23:34.815 --> 00:23:39.052
  • Come into my life.
  • 00:23:39.052 --> 00:23:41.088
  • I choose to follow you from this moment forward.
  • 00:23:41.088 --> 00:23:44.258
  • In jesus's name, i pray, amen.
  • 00:23:44.258 --> 00:23:48.295
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:23:48.295 --> 00:23:52.399
  • Greg: now you have real hope that will last a lifetime
  • 00:23:52.399 --> 00:23:56.503
  • And into eternity.
  • 00:23:56.503 --> 00:23:58.272
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:23:58.272 --> 00:24:02.876
  • Dr. dobson: in one of the last conversations that jesus
  • 00:24:02.876 --> 00:24:05.579
  • Had with his disciples, he said--and it's recorded
  • 00:24:05.579 --> 00:24:09.416
  • In john 16:33, "in this life, you will have tribulation,
  • 00:24:09.416 --> 00:24:15.856
  • But be of good cheer.
  • 00:24:15.856 --> 00:24:17.791
  • For i have overcome the world."
  • 00:24:17.791 --> 00:24:20.861
  • And he says that to us, too.
  • 00:24:20.861 --> 00:24:23.597
  • Pain and suffering will be part of our lives.
  • 00:24:23.597 --> 00:24:27.734
  • But then he also says to us, "be of good cheer."
  • 00:24:27.734 --> 00:24:33.073
  • How can you put those two ideas together?
  • 00:24:33.073 --> 00:24:38.011
  • They seem like a contradiction.
  • 00:24:38.011 --> 00:24:40.347
  • In this life, you're gonna hurt.
  • 00:24:40.347 --> 00:24:42.316
  • You're gonna have sorrow.
  • 00:24:42.316 --> 00:24:44.017
  • You're gonna have pain and eventually death.
  • 00:24:44.017 --> 00:24:47.020
  • But be of good cheer?
  • 00:24:47.020 --> 00:24:49.690
  • And the reason is because he has overcome the world.
  • 00:24:49.690 --> 00:24:56.630
  • And he will walk with us, and he will stand with us,
  • 00:24:56.630 --> 00:25:00.300
  • And he will put his arm around us, and assure us.
  • 00:25:00.300 --> 00:25:04.471
  • And for some in this life, there is healing and recovery.
  • 00:25:04.471 --> 00:25:11.478
  • And for others, ultimate healing will occur on the other side.
  • 00:25:11.478 --> 00:25:19.052
  • But for all of us, there is hope for hurting hearts.
  • 00:25:19.052 --> 00:25:24.825
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:25:25.492 --> 00:25:32.332
  • Greg: there are so many things to be worried about right now,
  • 00:25:36.570 --> 00:25:38.972
  • Aren't there?
  • 00:25:38.972 --> 00:25:40.307
  • We're worrying about terrorism, worry about your personal
  • 00:25:40.307 --> 00:25:43.010
  • Safety, violent crime, the economy.
  • 00:25:43.010 --> 00:25:45.646
  • The list goes on.
  • 00:25:45.646 --> 00:25:46.980
  • Here's what the bible says: "don't worry about anything.
  • 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:50.584
  • Pray about everything.
  • 00:25:50.584 --> 00:25:53.120
  • Turn your panic into prayer."
  • 00:25:53.120 --> 00:25:55.989
  • Jesus said, "come unto me all of you that are laboring and are
  • 00:25:55.989 --> 00:25:59.293
  • Heavy laden.
  • 00:25:59.293 --> 00:26:00.627
  • I will give you rest."
  • 00:26:00.627 --> 00:26:01.995
  • Give your burdens, give your problems, over to god and let
  • 00:26:01.995 --> 00:26:06.333
  • Him give you his peace in your heart.
  • 00:26:06.333 --> 00:26:10.571
  • Let me send for you at no charge, what i call "a new
  • 00:26:10.571 --> 00:26:14.041
  • Believer's bible" to help you grow in a relationship with god
  • 00:26:14.041 --> 00:26:19.413
  • And learn how to turn your panic into prayer
  • 00:26:19.413 --> 00:26:22.683
  • And your worry into worship.
  • 00:26:22.683 --> 00:26:28.522
  • Male announcer: "revelation: a book of promises"
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  • By greg laurie.
  • 00:26:34.561 --> 00:26:35.929
  • Why study revelation?
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  • The word "revelation" means unveiling.
  • 00:26:37.764 --> 00:26:40.767
  • God's desire is to reveal not conceal
  • 00:26:40.767 --> 00:26:43.870
  • And this book unveils pictures of the spirit world,
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  • Great cataclysmic events in store for the planet,
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  • And the coming antichrist.
  • 00:26:49.843 --> 00:26:51.979
  • But as greg laurie explains the primary objective of this book
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  • Isn't to reveal the antichrist.
  • 00:26:55.515 --> 00:26:57.517
  • It's to reveal jesus christ
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  • And his soon coming.
  • 00:26:59.653 --> 00:27:01.154
  • "revelation: a book of promises'' is designed to help
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  • You see jesus as the center piece, the star,
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  • And the focus of revelation.
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  • With this imminently practical guide
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  • You can experience the blessing promised to those who read,
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  • Hear, and keep the words
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  • Of this prophetic book.
  • 00:27:17.170 --> 00:27:19.373
  • After all bible prophecy is not given to inflate our brains
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  • But to enlarge our hearts.
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  • Request "revelation" by greg laurie when you give today.
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