Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
#Hope
#Hurting
#Heart
#PersonalStory
#Testimony
#Trials-HardTimes
#Pain
#Suffering
#HandofGod
#PresenceofGod
#Doubt
#LoveofGod
Closed captions
Show Timecode
Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - Hope For The Hurting Hearts (Part 2) | July 16, 2025
- ...
- 00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:00.736
- Greg laurie: it's a nightmare, and i'm gonna wake up from it.
- 00:00:01.503 --> 00:00:02.971
- I know i will," but i didn't.
- 00:00:03.105 --> 00:00:05.707
- You know, when you have someone that you love go to heaven,
- 00:00:05.807 --> 00:00:07.776
- You're in pain.
- 00:00:07.876 --> 00:00:08.143
- Strangely, in this dark place,
- 00:00:10.345 --> 00:00:13.348
- 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,
- 00:00:17.085 --> 00:00:20.722
- And i give him back to you."
- 00:00:20.722 --> 00:00:22.691
- And i just laid there, and that's all i could do.
- 00:00:22.691 --> 00:00:27.396
- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins ♪
- 00:00:31.366 --> 00:00:38.106
- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins ♪♪
- 00:00:38.173 --> 00:00:45.747
- ♪ mountains high, valleys low ♪
- 00:00:49.518 --> 00:00:53.855
- ♪ these are the things make us grow ♪
- 00:00:53.855 --> 00:00:57.826
- ♪ and all i want to know is if he can hear me ♪
- 00:00:57.826 --> 00:01:06.835
- ♪ and all i want to know is ♪
- 00:01:06.835 --> 00:01:10.739
- ♪ if you're still listening, god ♪
- 00:01:10.739 --> 00:01:16.044
- ♪ and all i want to know ♪
- 00:01:16.044 --> 00:01:19.748
- ♪ is if you're still there, god ♪
- 00:01:19.748 --> 00:01:25.353
- ♪ so why don't you shine? ♪
- 00:01:26.521 --> 00:01:29.291
- ♪ come on, shine on me ♪
- 00:01:29.291 --> 00:01:33.728
- ♪ why don't you shine? ♪
- 00:01:36.164 --> 00:01:38.767
- ♪ come on, shine on me ♪
- 00:01:38.767 --> 00:01:43.872
- ♪ and give me the faith ♪
- 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:49.578
- ♪ i want to believe, believe ♪
- 00:01:49.578 --> 00:01:55.250
- ♪ seasons change ♪
- 00:01:56.985 --> 00:01:59.521
- ♪ i change, too ♪
- 00:01:59.521 --> 00:02:01.857
- ♪ like spring and summer ♪
- 00:02:01.857 --> 00:02:04.459
- ♪ and i fall back to you ♪♪
- 00:02:04.459 --> 00:02:09.464
- ♪♪♪
- 00:02:12.801 --> 00:02:18.773
- Cathe laurie: it was that day i felt robbed.
- 00:02:20.375 --> 00:02:23.145
- Greg: when i heard the news that our son had died,
- 00:02:23.145 --> 00:02:26.781
- I can say i've been in a place where i felt hopeless.
- 00:02:26.781 --> 00:02:29.184
- I read about the blind man seeing and the deaf hearing.
- 00:02:29.184 --> 00:02:32.053
- Cathe: i felt as if someone had taken a big eraser
- 00:02:32.053 --> 00:02:33.855
- To the chalk board--
- 00:02:33.855 --> 00:02:35.190
- Greg: why did this happen?
- 00:02:35.190 --> 00:02:36.525
- Cathe: --of my dreams and just erased everything.
- 00:02:36.525 --> 00:02:38.660
- It's all gonna be different.
- 00:02:38.660 --> 00:02:40.095
- Jeremy camp: it was so hard to watch her
- 00:02:40.095 --> 00:02:41.696
- Get weaker and weaker.
- 00:02:41.696 --> 00:02:43.031
- Nick vujicic: god, give me arms and legs.
- 00:02:43.031 --> 00:02:44.366
- Greg: when i heard the news, i felt like i could
- 00:02:44.366 --> 00:02:45.834
- Literally die, because the pain would've stopped.
- 00:02:45.834 --> 00:02:48.870
- Nick: i knew god could do it, but he didn't.
- 00:02:48.870 --> 00:02:51.873
- Jeremy: i'm not supposed to be visiting the grave of my wife
- 00:02:51.873 --> 00:02:53.875
- So young, you know?
- 00:02:53.875 --> 00:02:55.710
- It doesn't make sense.
- 00:02:55.710 --> 00:02:57.045
- Nick: so, does he love me? does he hear me?
- 00:02:57.045 --> 00:03:00.715
- And when i was searching for him, he didn't answer me.
- 00:03:00.715 --> 00:03:04.319
- So, i felt alone.
- 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:06.254
- ♪♪♪
- 00:03:06.321 --> 00:03:10.458
- Dr. james dobson: mourning and grief are natural
- 00:03:10.458 --> 00:03:12.661
- And normal ways of dealing with pain and loss.
- 00:03:12.661 --> 00:03:16.531
- We read in ecclesiastes that there is a time to mourn,
- 00:03:16.531 --> 00:03:20.869
- And sometimes it can be overwhelming.
- 00:03:20.869 --> 00:03:24.472
- The writer in psalm 42 expresses his grief when he says,
- 00:03:24.472 --> 00:03:29.010
- "day and night i have only tears for food.
- 00:03:29.010 --> 00:03:32.914
- My heart is breaking as i remember how it used to be.
- 00:03:32.914 --> 00:03:37.185
- Why am i discouraged?
- 00:03:37.185 --> 00:03:39.588
- Why is my heart so sad?"
- 00:03:39.588 --> 00:03:42.757
- But then he turns to the lord for solace,
- 00:03:42.757 --> 00:03:46.127
- And he closes by saying, "i will put my hope in god.
- 00:03:46.127 --> 00:03:51.032
- I will praise him again, my savior and my god."
- 00:03:51.032 --> 00:03:55.370
- ♪♪♪
- 00:03:55.370 --> 00:04:05.413
- Announcer: with age, the years run too short,
- 00:04:06.314 --> 00:04:09.317
- And the days pass us too quickly.
- 00:04:09.317 --> 00:04:13.755
- It's true, the saying,
- 00:04:13.755 --> 00:04:15.090
- "don't blink; life goes faster than you think."
- 00:04:15.090 --> 00:04:17.726
- Some memories from the past are best left to fall off
- 00:04:19.227 --> 00:04:21.963
- Like a fading light.
- 00:04:21.963 --> 00:04:23.365
- But then there are those you will never let go of.
- 00:04:23.365 --> 00:04:26.234
- Greg and cathe laurie always wanted the best
- 00:04:28.670 --> 00:04:31.573
- For their two sons, especially greg,
- 00:04:31.573 --> 00:04:34.109
- Always wanting to give them the things of life he never had.
- 00:04:34.109 --> 00:04:37.178
- With their first son, christopher,
- 00:04:37.178 --> 00:04:38.747
- Greg loved to spoil him.
- 00:04:38.747 --> 00:04:40.615
- Topher, as they affectionately called him,
- 00:04:40.615 --> 00:04:42.517
- Loved spending time with his dad.
- 00:04:42.517 --> 00:04:45.720
- Even at an early age, he knew that whatever it is
- 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:49.291
- He might want, dad always could fix something up better.
- 00:04:49.291 --> 00:04:52.827
- Greg often said, "hey, topher, look.
- 00:04:52.827 --> 00:04:55.597
- What i have for you is better up here."
- 00:04:55.597 --> 00:04:57.866
- ♪♪♪
- 00:04:57.866 --> 00:05:04.439
- Announcer: christopher grew up in the home of a preacher,
- 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:07.242
- Hearing of god, learning of god,
- 00:05:07.242 --> 00:05:09.277
- But yet at times running from god.
- 00:05:09.277 --> 00:05:13.782
- As he matured into manhood, he finally grew to know god.
- 00:05:13.782 --> 00:05:18.753
- Following his passion and talent for graphic design,
- 00:05:18.753 --> 00:05:21.589
- He became lead graphic designer, working at his father's side
- 00:05:21.589 --> 00:05:25.460
- In ministry.
- 00:05:25.460 --> 00:05:26.961
- God really seemed to be doing a great work,
- 00:05:26.961 --> 00:05:29.331
- As though dreams were really coming true.
- 00:05:29.331 --> 00:05:31.700
- Now married with a precious little daughter and one
- 00:05:31.700 --> 00:05:34.669
- On the way, life seemed almost perfect for the laurie family.
- 00:05:34.669 --> 00:05:39.207
- On july 24, 2008, christopher kissed his wife brittany
- 00:05:39.274 --> 00:05:43.478
- And baby stella goodbye, as he left for work.
- 00:05:43.478 --> 00:05:48.049
- Less than an hour later, he was killed
- 00:05:48.049 --> 00:05:50.318
- In an automobile accident.
- 00:05:50.318 --> 00:05:52.987
- Cathe: never having lived through any really significant
- 00:05:53.054 --> 00:05:55.023
- Tragedies in my life--i had a pretty wonderful childhood,
- 00:05:55.023 --> 00:05:59.060
- Wonderful married life, great family.
- 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:03.465
- My feeling was chances are there's nothing wrong.
- 00:06:03.465 --> 00:06:07.235
- But when i heard that the pastors were
- 00:06:07.235 --> 00:06:08.870
- On their way down, i knew.
- 00:06:08.870 --> 00:06:11.139
- I just thought, "oh, god, you know,
- 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:13.608
- What will this be?"
- 00:06:13.608 --> 00:06:15.643
- And so we braced ourselves and opened the front door,
- 00:06:15.643 --> 00:06:20.782
- And jeff was saying-- didn't waste any words.
- 00:06:20.782 --> 00:06:23.284
- He just walked right up and he said,
- 00:06:23.284 --> 00:06:25.787
- "christopher has died.
- 00:06:25.787 --> 00:06:27.322
- He's gone to be with the lord."
- 00:06:27.322 --> 00:06:28.656
- And it was like, wow.
- 00:06:28.656 --> 00:06:30.158
- I mean, talk about being unable to process the words
- 00:06:30.158 --> 00:06:35.130
- That you just have heard.
- 00:06:35.130 --> 00:06:37.165
- ♪♪♪
- 00:06:37.165 --> 00:06:47.175
- Announcer: it's hard to understand
- 00:06:47.175 --> 00:06:48.510
- What god is thinking in times like this--the confusion,
- 00:06:48.510 --> 00:06:51.413
- The whys, the anger, the same hopeless questions of doubt
- 00:06:51.413 --> 00:06:55.917
- That consumes the store manager, the car salesman,
- 00:06:55.917 --> 00:06:59.020
- The lab technician also affects the preacher,
- 00:06:59.020 --> 00:07:02.424
- The pastor, the man of god.
- 00:07:02.424 --> 00:07:04.993
- Greg and cathe are not immune to pain.
- 00:07:04.993 --> 00:07:07.929
- They experienced it just like anyone else would.
- 00:07:07.929 --> 00:07:11.065
- Greg: when i heard the news that our son had died,
- 00:07:11.065 --> 00:07:16.871
- I went into a state of shock.
- 00:07:16.871 --> 00:07:18.573
- I collapsed on the ground.
- 00:07:18.573 --> 00:07:20.508
- I couldn't stand.
- 00:07:20.508 --> 00:07:23.111
- I couldn't believe it was true.
- 00:07:23.111 --> 00:07:25.413
- I couldn't believe it's true.
- 00:07:25.413 --> 00:07:27.582
- I thought, "this is a dream.
- 00:07:27.582 --> 00:07:29.517
- It's a nightmare, and i'm gonna wake up from it.
- 00:07:29.517 --> 00:07:31.486
- I know i will."
- 00:07:31.486 --> 00:07:32.821
- But i didn't.
- 00:07:32.821 --> 00:07:34.155
- You know, when you have someone that you love go to heaven,
- 00:07:34.155 --> 00:07:36.925
- You're in pain.
- 00:07:36.925 --> 00:07:39.194
- You don't feel sorry for them.
- 00:07:39.194 --> 00:07:40.929
- You feel sorry for you, because you can't talk to them.
- 00:07:40.929 --> 00:07:44.933
- You know, the first hours are just so, so hard.
- 00:07:44.933 --> 00:07:48.837
- And, of course, the first question that comes
- 00:07:48.837 --> 00:07:50.939
- Into your mind is why?
- 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:52.373
- Why did this happen?
- 00:07:52.373 --> 00:07:54.476
- Why, why, why?
- 00:07:54.476 --> 00:07:56.711
- Why wasn't it not me instead of him?
- 00:07:56.711 --> 00:07:59.380
- He was only 33.
- 00:07:59.380 --> 00:08:00.949
- He was newly married, a father, another child coming.
- 00:08:00.949 --> 00:08:05.820
- Oh, it made no sense.
- 00:08:05.820 --> 00:08:07.622
- Cathe: you know, we all project our lives
- 00:08:07.622 --> 00:08:09.157
- And what they will look like into the future,
- 00:08:09.157 --> 00:08:11.326
- And i felt as if someone had taken a big eraser to
- 00:08:11.326 --> 00:08:14.395
- The chalk board of my dreams and just erased everything inside.
- 00:08:14.395 --> 00:08:19.133
- It's all gonna be different.
- 00:08:19.133 --> 00:08:20.802
- Everything you imagined, your future,
- 00:08:20.802 --> 00:08:22.504
- Your life with your children, your grandchildren,
- 00:08:22.504 --> 00:08:25.507
- Growing old is gone.
- 00:08:25.507 --> 00:08:28.376
- It's not gonna be the way you imagined.
- 00:08:28.376 --> 00:08:32.013
- Greg: strangely, in this dark place,
- 00:08:32.013 --> 00:08:35.149
- God was there with me, and i sensed his presence.
- 00:08:35.149 --> 00:08:39.187
- And i said to god, "you gave him to us,
- 00:08:39.187 --> 00:08:42.624
- And i give him back to you."
- 00:08:42.624 --> 00:08:45.126
- And i just laid there, and that's all i could do.
- 00:08:45.126 --> 00:08:49.163
- ♪♪♪
- 00:08:49.163 --> 00:08:56.671
- Announcer: tragedies tend to come when we least
- 00:08:56.671 --> 00:08:58.973
- Expect them and knock the wind out of us.
- 00:08:58.973 --> 00:09:02.744
- They tear at our flesh, and they test our faith.
- 00:09:02.744 --> 00:09:06.080
- And our immediate reaction is often,
- 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.917
- "jesus, don't you care?"
- 00:09:08.917 --> 00:09:11.352
- If you really love me, why won't you make this pain
- 00:09:11.352 --> 00:09:14.422
- And sorrow go away.
- 00:09:14.422 --> 00:09:16.758
- Change my circumstances.
- 00:09:16.758 --> 00:09:18.960
- Restore what i've lost.
- 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:20.929
- Rewind my life.
- 00:09:20.929 --> 00:09:23.464
- And i say to those of you who are mourning,
- 00:09:23.464 --> 00:09:26.467
- The lord shows us his compassion,
- 00:09:26.467 --> 00:09:29.070
- Not always by removing the trials,
- 00:09:29.070 --> 00:09:32.674
- But by comforting us, by drawing near to us,
- 00:09:32.674 --> 00:09:36.311
- And walking with us through the difficulty.
- 00:09:36.311 --> 00:09:39.581
- Jesus suffers alongside of us, consoling our hearts
- 00:09:39.581 --> 00:09:44.018
- And giving us hope.
- 00:09:44.018 --> 00:09:47.488
- Warren wiersbe, the great prolific
- 00:09:51.292 --> 00:09:53.428
- Christian author, sent greg and cathe
- 00:09:53.428 --> 00:09:56.130
- A personal message via email after the death
- 00:09:56.130 --> 00:09:58.700
- Of their son, christopher.
- 00:09:58.700 --> 00:10:00.435
- In it, he said, "as god's children,
- 00:10:00.435 --> 00:10:03.304
- We live on promises, not explanations,
- 00:10:03.304 --> 00:10:06.841
- And you know them as well as we do.
- 00:10:06.841 --> 00:10:08.876
- When we arrive in heaven, we will then hear the explanations,
- 00:10:08.876 --> 00:10:12.847
- Understand the whys, accept them and say,
- 00:10:12.847 --> 00:10:16.317
- 'may the lord be glorified.'
- 00:10:16.317 --> 00:10:18.586
- Meanwhile, we walk by faith, asking god to help us,
- 00:10:18.586 --> 00:10:22.123
- Comfort others, lest our own tears be wasted.
- 00:10:22.123 --> 00:10:25.493
- Greg: i hit bottom, and god was there.
- 00:10:26.894 --> 00:10:30.264
- You know, i went down to the very foundation of my faith.
- 00:10:30.264 --> 00:10:36.037
- Cathe: i felt an amazing communion and connection
- 00:10:36.037 --> 00:10:39.307
- With the lord that i never felt before.
- 00:10:39.307 --> 00:10:41.743
- Greg: our faith was there, because god was there.
- 00:10:41.743 --> 00:10:44.746
- Cathe: i found myself in a different place.
- 00:10:44.746 --> 00:10:48.149
- I found myself being almost gathered up
- 00:10:48.149 --> 00:10:50.885
- Into the heavenlies with the lord.
- 00:10:50.885 --> 00:10:52.887
- I could--i had a sense that i was there with the lord.
- 00:10:52.887 --> 00:10:58.860
- Every promise that he ever spoke to me,
- 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:01.095
- Everything i'd ever read in the scriptures was real.
- 00:11:01.095 --> 00:11:03.665
- Greg: people have asked me, "were you ever tempted
- 00:11:03.665 --> 00:11:05.833
- To lose your faith?"
- 00:11:05.833 --> 00:11:07.168
- And i'm not trying to sound ultra-spiritual,
- 00:11:07.168 --> 00:11:09.604
- But the answer is no, because faith was all i had,
- 00:11:09.604 --> 00:11:15.443
- And this is one of the ways i know my faith is real,
- 00:11:15.443 --> 00:11:18.646
- Because it was just there, and god was there,
- 00:11:18.646 --> 00:11:22.617
- And faith kicked in.
- 00:11:22.617 --> 00:11:24.285
- Cathe: i lived in god's word and still do.
- 00:11:24.285 --> 00:11:28.256
- I needed his promises to sleep, and i needed his word
- 00:11:28.256 --> 00:11:33.828
- 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
- 00:11:36.564 --> 00:11:39.167
- That i needed god's perspective.
- 00:11:39.167 --> 00:11:42.070
- 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.
- 00:11:45.540 --> 00:11:48.042
- ♪♪♪
- 00:11:48.042 --> 00:11:58.086
- ♪ i'm not afraid ♪
- 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.524
- ♪ 'cause your love fills broken things ♪
- 00:12:03.524 --> 00:12:13.000
- ♪ and i'm not ashamed ♪
- 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:18.005
- ♪ '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.
- 00:12:29.183 --> 00:12:32.019
- There's hope in christ and what he's done.
- 00:12:32.019 --> 00:12:34.021
- I even shared a scripture earlier where it says, you know,
- 00:12:34.021 --> 00:12:36.858
- Hey, you're gonna go through trials.
- 00:12:36.858 --> 00:12:38.493
- Don't be alarmed is what he's saying.
- 00:12:38.493 --> 00:12:40.294
- Don't be alarmed when you
- 00:12:40.294 --> 00:12:41.629
- Face trials of many kinds.
- 00:12:41.629 --> 00:12:43.965
- 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
- 00:12:45.900 --> 00:12:48.236
- And i feel like how's this gonna benefit?
- 00:12:48.236 --> 00:12:51.239
- Go back to christ.
- 00:12:51.239 --> 00:12:52.974
- Go back to christ and his sufferings.
- 00:12:52.974 --> 00:12:54.842
- Cathe: the grief and the pain that we go through is light
- 00:12:54.842 --> 00:12:58.646
- And momentary affliction that is working
- 00:12:58.646 --> 00:13:00.782
- 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.
- 00:13:15.163 --> 00:13:17.231
- 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
- 00:13:21.769 --> 00:13:25.006
- If it's his will.
- 00:13:25.006 --> 00:13:26.340
- 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"
- 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:34.561
- By greg laurie.
- 00:26:34.561 --> 00:26:35.929
- Why study revelation?
- 00:26:35.929 --> 00:26:37.764
- 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,
- 00:26:43.870 --> 00:26:46.873
- Great cataclysmic events in store for the planet,
- 00:26:46.873 --> 00:26:49.843
- And the coming antichrist.
- 00:26:49.843 --> 00:26:51.979
- But as greg laurie explains the primary objective of this book
- 00:26:51.979 --> 00:26:55.515
- Isn't to reveal the antichrist.
- 00:26:55.515 --> 00:26:57.517
- It's to reveal jesus christ
- 00:26:57.517 --> 00:26:59.653
- And his soon coming.
- 00:26:59.653 --> 00:27:01.154
- "revelation: a book of promises'' is designed to help
- 00:27:01.154 --> 00:27:04.524
- You see jesus as the center piece, the star,
- 00:27:04.524 --> 00:27:07.961
- And the focus of revelation.
- 00:27:07.961 --> 00:27:10.030
- With this imminently practical guide
- 00:27:10.030 --> 00:27:12.332
- You can experience the blessing promised to those who read,
- 00:27:12.332 --> 00:27:15.602
- Hear, and keep the words
- 00:27:15.602 --> 00:27:17.170
- Of this prophetic book.
- 00:27:17.170 --> 00:27:19.373
- After all bible prophecy is not given to inflate our brains
- 00:27:19.373 --> 00:27:22.943
- But to enlarge our hearts.
- 00:27:22.943 --> 00:27:25.879
- Request "revelation" by greg laurie when you give today.
- 00:27:25.879 --> 00:27:29.082