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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - How Could A God of Love Send Someone To Hell? | November 26, 2024
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- ♪♪♪
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- Greg laurie: c.s. lewis put it this way, and i quote,
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- "there are only two kinds of people in the end:
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- Those who say to god, 'thy will be done,'
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- And those to whom god says, in the end, 'thy will be done.'
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- All are in hell because they choose it.
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- Without that self-choice, there could be no hell.
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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪ this is the day, ♪
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- ♪ the day when life begins. ♪
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- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪♪
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- Greg: hot button issues.
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- The title of my message is, "how could a god of love
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- Send someone to hell?"
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- So, a number of years ago, i was preaching, i was standing at the
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- Back door meeting people, and some guy comes up to me and
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- Shakes my hand and says, "that was a hell of a
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- Message, pastor."
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- I'm like, "okay, is this your first time here?"
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- You know, i was kind of hoping it would be more of a heaven of
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- A message, but, i think, in his way, he was trying to
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- Compliment me.
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- But there's that word, hell, you know, and we sometimes--people
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- Will say, "i don't like these hellfire and
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- Brimstone preachers."
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- Now, if by that, you mean someone standing on a street
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- Corner with a sign with a slogan, "you're going to burn
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- Hell," with flames added for effect, i would be with you.
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- But, frankly, i can't remember the last time i heard a hellfire
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- And brimstone message.
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- And, by that, i mean, i can't remember the last time i heard
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- Someone actually preach on the topic of hell.
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- So, that's what i want to talk about.
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- Now, i'm not suggesting we're gonna do this every sunday--all
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- Hell, all the time at harvest, right--but i'm not gonna run
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- From a subject because it's uncomfortable or because we have
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- A misunderstanding of it.
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- It's worth considering that jesus christ, who was the very
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- Personification of love, spoke more about hell than all the
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- Other preachers in the bible put together, why?
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- Because the last thing god wants is for anyone to go to
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- This place.
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- So i'm gonna answer the question, how could a god of
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- Love send someone to hell?
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- And i'm also gonna answer the question, how can you say, as
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- Christians, that jesus is the only way to god?
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- How can you say that?
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- That's so narrow minded; that's so intolerant; that's so
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- Unloving, and all religions teach the same thing.
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- Okay, we'll address all of those issues together.
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- And this brings me to point number 1: when we come to this
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- Topic--and, really, any topic-- we need to look at it
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- Biblically, not emotionally.
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- For some reason, there are some subjects that we have more of an
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- Emotional reaction to than others, and this probably would
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- Be one of them.
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- So we need to think biblically.
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- A poll by the pew research center revealed that people
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- Define heaven and hell as follows: heaven is a place where
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- People who have lived good lives are eternally rewarded, and hell
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- Is a place where people who have lived bad lives will die and be
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- Eternally punished.
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- That's wrong--so that means the vast majority of people have a
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- False view of heaven and hell.
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- Heaven is not created for people who've lived good lives.
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- Heaven is for forgiven people, not good people, and that's good
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- News for all of us, right?
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- And, even on our best day, we're nowhere close to being good
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- Enough for heaven.
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- It's for forgiven people.
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- And hell is a place where people who've live bad lives will die?
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- Listen, it's a place that's not even created for people.
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- According to jesus, hell was created for the devil and
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- His angels.
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- It's not something that god wants to send any person to--
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- And i'll explain that more in just a few moments.
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- We've made hell a joke when it's no laughing matter.
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- I mean, we punctuate our sentences, as i mentioned
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- Earlier, with references to hell.
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- For instance, if something is going wrong, people will say,
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- "all hell broke loose."
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- If you had a great time, "we had a hell of a good time,"
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- We'll say.
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- If you're mad at someone, "you can just go to hell."
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- Then, the funny thing is, some of the people who tell others to
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- Go to hell, don't believe hell exists.
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- So, what are you really saying?
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- "you can just go to a place that doesn't even exist."
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- Doesn't have quite the impact, now, does it?
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- There's actually a place in michigan named hell, that's the
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- City, hell, michigan.
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- And the way that came about is, in 1841, george reeves, an early
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- Settler, found this little swampy area, and he bought it,
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- And they were going to build a town there, and they said, "what
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- Do you want to name the town?"
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- He says, "i don't care; call it hell if you want."
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- And they did: hell, michigan.
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- So, if you want to go to hell, i guess you could go there.
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- But hell is real, as is heaven, and there is an afterlife.
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- J.i. packer, a theologian, said, quote, "an endless hell can no
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- More be removed from the new testament than an endless
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- Heaven can."
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- Yes, there is an afterlife, and we need to think about it
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- Carefully because we're all gonna enter it, maybe sooner
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- Than we thought.
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- And we decide in this life where we will spend the afterlife.
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- Now, there's a lot of misinformation about hell,
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- Ranging from hell being a big party, being ruled over by a
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- Cartoon caricature called satan.
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- Let me tell you a few things about the devil.
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- He doesn't have red skin; he doesn't have pointed ears; he
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- Doesn't have a tail; he doesn't have a pitchfork; and he doesn't
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- Have hooves.
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- That's a caricature of satan.
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- Here's another thing maybe i don't know if you knew this
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- Or not.
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- The devil does not live in hell.
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- Hell is created for the devil; ultimately, satan is going to be
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- Sent to hell, but he doesn't rule from hell from some
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- Fiery throne.
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- The bible calls him the prince of the power of the air.
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- He's just kind of moving around, as peter describes him, "like a
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- Roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."
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- In the book of job, the angels came to present themselves
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- Before the lord, and satan was among them, and the lord said to
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- Lucifer, "what have you been doing?"
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- He said, "just walking around, roaming around, watching
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- Everything that's going on."
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- In the book of revelation, we're told, "he knows his time
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- Is short."
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- That's why it seems like the devil is working overtime
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- Right now.
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- The bible says, "in the last days there will be satanically
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- Energized times," and we can all see it before our very eyes,
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- Can't we?
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- So, he doesn't rule from hell; he's going to be sent to hell.
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- Now, we hear of demons; where do demons come from?
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- Well, demons are fallen angels.
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- Satan, the devil, lucifer, was once a high-ranking angelic
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- Being, but he rebelled against god, and he took one-third of
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- The angels with him, who now are fallen angels, also known
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- As demons.
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- These are the principalities and powers that the bible tells
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- Us about.
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- So, the devil has limitations.
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- He can only be in one place at one time, in contrast to god
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- Who's omnipresent, who can be everywhere all at once.
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- The devil is not all powerful.
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- He has certain power, considerable power, but
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- It's limited.
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- God is omnipotent, which means he has unlimited power.
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- The devil has certain knowledge, though he doesn't know
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- Everything; he knows some things.
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- God is omniscient, meaning he knows all things.
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- And hell is not a party; it's a place of outer darkness; it's a
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- Place of isolation; it's a place that nobody wants to end up in.
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- You know, more than half of the 40 parables that jesus told deal
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- With eternal judgment and hell.
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- So it's something we should pay attention to.
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- Greg: greg laurie here.
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- You know, at harvest ministries we're committing to reaching
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- Unexpected people in unexpected places
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- With an unexpected message.
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- And thanks to your financial support, we've been able to
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- Touch people all over the world with the hope of jesus christ.
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- Your gifts today not only help us reach millions across
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- The country through this television program, they also
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- Help us to bring hope to people in their biggest need; whether
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- Through our evangelistic events or our relief efforts, together
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- We've been able to minister to so many people devastated
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- By the fires in lahaina on the island of maui.
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- And also, your support has helped us partner
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- To bring medical help in the ongoing conflict in israel.
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- So i'm asking you today to continue to support
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- This ministry so we can do everything possible
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- To fulfill the great commission.
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- Let's do this together, and let me say in advance,
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- Thank you and god bless you.
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- Greg: so this is a description
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- Of the final judgment for all mankind.
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- I would add, only non-believers will be present at the judgment
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- We're going to read about here.
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- Revelation 20, verse 11, john writes, "then i saw a great
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- White throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth
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- And the heaven fled away.
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- And there was found no place for them, and i saw the dead, small
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- And great, standing before god, and the books were opened."
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- You might underline the word books--plural--more than one.
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- "and another book was opened--" you might underline that--
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- "which is the book of life.
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- And the dead were judged according to their works, by
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- The things which were written in the books.
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- The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hades
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- Delivered up the dead that were in them.
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- And they were judged, each one according to his works.
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- Then death and hades were cast into the lake of fire.
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- This is the second death.
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- Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into
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- The lake of fire."
- 00:10:47.390 --> 00:10:48.758
- So we start with a great white throne.
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- It's great because of its awesome power and ultimate
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- Purpose, and the purpose of that great white throne is judgment.
- 00:10:55.965 --> 00:11:02.204
- And here we stand before god.
- 00:11:02.204 --> 00:11:05.875
- Now, what happens to a non-believer when they die?
- 00:11:05.875 --> 00:11:09.512
- A non-believer goes to hades, and, over in luke chapter 16,
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- Jesus told an interesting story.
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- It could be perceived as a parable--a parable is
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- An illustration, not necessarily a true story, but just
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- An illustration built on things people were familiar with;
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- Parables were like earthly stories with heavenly meanings.
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- But, in this particular account, he uses a name in his story; he
- 00:11:31.701 --> 00:11:35.738
- Talks about lazarus and a rich man.
- 00:11:35.738 --> 00:11:38.340
- Therefore, we don't think it's a parable.
- 00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:40.309
- In other words, this is a behind the scenes peak at what happens
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- On the other side.
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- We have two men dying on the same day.
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- One man is lazarus; he's impoverished; he's living off
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- The table scraps of the rich man who is selfish and self-absorbed
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- And is living an evil life.
- 00:11:59.028 --> 00:12:00.763
- So they both die.
- 00:12:00.763 --> 00:12:02.098
- So we have the picture of a believer and a non-believer
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- Dying--and everyone dies; death is no respecter of persons.
- 00:12:05.034 --> 00:12:09.705
- Believers as well as non-believers get cancer; they
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- Have auto accidents; they have heart attacks; they die; we
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- All die.
- 00:12:16.445 --> 00:12:17.780
- But lazarus, the believer, goes straight into the presence of
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- God at death in this story jesus told.
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- Luke 16:22, "so the beggar died and was carried by the angels to
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- Abraham's bosom.
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- The rich man died and was buried."
- 00:12:29.225 --> 00:12:31.961
- So, when a believer dies, in contrast to a non-believer, you
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- Are ushered into the presence of god by an angel.
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- I find that comforting, don't you?
- 00:12:39.535 --> 00:12:42.271
- You wonder, "what happened to my loved one when they died?"
- 00:12:42.271 --> 00:12:44.006
- Angel escorted them to heaven; that's an awesome escort.
- 00:12:44.006 --> 00:12:48.577
- Sixteen years ago, my son left this life and went into the
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- Afterlife after an automobile accident, and i believe that he
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- Was escorted by an angel.
- 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:58.087
- You know, angels are very involved in your life, every
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- Single day, but you're probably not even aware of what
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- They're doing.
- 00:13:03.993 --> 00:13:05.327
- Sometimes people ask, "do we have guardian angels?"
- 00:13:05.327 --> 00:13:07.763
- I don't know with certainty, but i think maybe we do.
- 00:13:07.763 --> 00:13:11.467
- But, if we don't have a guardian angel--maybe we've worn out a
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- Few of them, i don't know--but, if we don't have a guardian
- 00:13:14.804 --> 00:13:17.940
- Angel, we have angels actively involved.
- 00:13:17.940 --> 00:13:20.142
- The bible says, "the angel of the lord surrounds those that
- 00:13:20.142 --> 00:13:23.345
- Fear him."
- 00:13:23.345 --> 00:13:24.713
- Sometimes they guide us; sometimes they stop us; they
- 00:13:24.713 --> 00:13:27.683
- Protect us; they're involved.
- 00:13:27.683 --> 00:13:29.218
- They're sort of like navy seals; you don't know what they did,
- 00:13:29.218 --> 00:13:32.488
- But they just get the job done, right?
- 00:13:32.488 --> 00:13:34.924
- It's angels are sort of like god's secret agents.
- 00:13:34.924 --> 00:13:37.827
- And so, they're guiding us through life; they're
- 00:13:37.827 --> 00:13:40.229
- Protecting us.
- 00:13:40.229 --> 00:13:41.730
- And then one day they fulfill their final task, which is
- 00:13:41.730 --> 00:13:44.533
- Escorting us into god's presence.
- 00:13:44.533 --> 00:13:47.670
- And so lazarus dies and goes into the presence of the lord.
- 00:13:47.670 --> 00:13:51.874
- But now the non-believer dies on the same day; he also goes to
- 00:13:51.874 --> 00:13:56.045
- This place called hades.
- 00:13:56.045 --> 00:13:57.379
- Okay, so, hades--this is all prior to the death and
- 00:13:57.379 --> 00:14:01.317
- Resurrection of jesus--was where all people went, and it
- 00:14:01.317 --> 00:14:04.420
- Had a comfort section and a torment section--or another way
- 00:14:04.420 --> 00:14:09.124
- To put it, smoking and non-smoking, all right?
- 00:14:09.124 --> 00:14:12.761
- So, if you were a believer, you went into the comfort section of
- 00:14:12.761 --> 00:14:15.965
- Hades, into abraham's bosom and the care of abraham.
- 00:14:15.965 --> 00:14:21.570
- And, if you were a non-believer, you went into the
- 00:14:21.570 --> 00:14:24.206
- Torment section.
- 00:14:24.206 --> 00:14:25.708
- And, in this vivid account that jesus gave in luke 16, we see
- 00:14:25.708 --> 00:14:30.346
- The man in the torment section saying, "i wanna cross over.
- 00:14:30.346 --> 00:14:34.583
- Give me--send me some water to cool my tongue."
- 00:14:34.583 --> 00:14:37.386
- It's a really scary scenario laid before us.
- 00:14:37.386 --> 00:14:40.589
- So, once christ died on the cross, he went to heaven.
- 00:14:40.589 --> 00:14:46.629
- And, now, that's where every christian goes.
- 00:14:46.629 --> 00:14:49.865
- Remember when jesus was crucified, and the criminal next
- 00:14:49.865 --> 00:14:53.335
- To him said, "lord, remember me when you come into
- 00:14:53.335 --> 00:14:55.604
- Your kingdom?"
- 00:14:55.604 --> 00:14:56.972
- Jesus said, "truly, truly, i say to you, today you will be with
- 00:14:56.972 --> 00:15:00.209
- Me in paradise."
- 00:15:00.209 --> 00:15:01.577
- So, what happens to a christian when they die?
- 00:15:01.577 --> 00:15:03.746
- Now we go straight to heaven.
- 00:15:03.746 --> 00:15:05.481
- We don't go to the comfort section of hades.
- 00:15:05.481 --> 00:15:08.317
- We go straight to heaven into the presence of god, as the
- 00:15:08.317 --> 00:15:12.021
- Apostle paul says, "to be absent from the body is to be present
- 00:15:12.021 --> 00:15:16.592
- With the lord."
- 00:15:16.592 --> 00:15:18.560
- So the moment you take your last breath on earth, you take your
- 00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:22.097
- First breath in heaven.
- 00:15:22.097 --> 00:15:24.099
- You close your eyes on earth, you open them in heaven--and
- 00:15:24.099 --> 00:15:28.570
- It's just like that, just like a flash.
- 00:15:28.570 --> 00:15:31.840
- And paul writes also, "i wanna depart and be with christ, which
- 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:35.844
- Is far better."
- 00:15:35.844 --> 00:15:37.880
- Far better, heaven's way better than earth.
- 00:15:37.880 --> 00:15:41.750
- And the words that he uses could be translated, "far, far
- 00:15:41.750 --> 00:15:44.787
- Better," or, as they would say in hawaii, "mo better,
- 00:15:44.787 --> 00:15:47.790
- Bra," right?
- 00:15:47.790 --> 00:15:49.358
- It's mo better, way better.
- 00:15:49.358 --> 00:15:52.895
- Think of the purest joy on earth, multiply it 1,000 times,
- 00:15:52.895 --> 00:15:58.300
- And you get a fleeting glimpse of heaven's euphoria.
- 00:15:58.300 --> 00:16:02.838
- Of heaven, the bible says, "in his presence, there is fullness
- 00:16:02.838 --> 00:16:06.108
- Of joy, and on his right hand, there are
- 00:16:06.108 --> 00:16:08.143
- Pleasures forevermore."
- 00:16:08.143 --> 00:16:09.979
- Point number 5, only non-believers will stand at the
- 00:16:09.979 --> 00:16:12.648
- Great white throne judgment.
- 00:16:12.648 --> 00:16:14.550
- So death and hades deliver up the dead that were in them, so
- 00:16:14.550 --> 00:16:18.020
- The non-believer goes to this place of hades, this difficult
- 00:16:18.020 --> 00:16:23.459
- Section--torment section, if you will--and now they come to
- 00:16:23.459 --> 00:16:26.228
- The great white throne judgment.
- 00:16:26.228 --> 00:16:29.298
- And you're judged from the books, plural.
- 00:16:29.298 --> 00:16:32.501
- What are these books?
- 00:16:32.501 --> 00:16:33.869
- No one knows, so i'll just make a bunch of stuff up.
- 00:16:33.869 --> 00:16:36.739
- No, not really; this is based on other scriptures.
- 00:16:36.739 --> 00:16:40.976
- Maybe one of those books is a book of god's law, you know, the
- 00:16:40.976 --> 00:16:45.981
- Commandments of god that we've broken.
- 00:16:45.981 --> 00:16:48.684
- Imagine, if every time you broke a commandment, it was recorded
- 00:16:48.684 --> 00:16:51.820
- In a book; that'd be a big book, right?
- 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:55.224
- And the bible says, "god gave us the law that every mouth would
- 00:16:55.224 --> 00:16:58.560
- Be stopped and all the world would be guilty before god."
- 00:16:58.560 --> 00:17:02.264
- Maybe one of those books is a record of every time you heard
- 00:17:02.264 --> 00:17:06.402
- The gospel and rejected it-- because some people would
- 00:17:06.402 --> 00:17:09.638
- Probably say, "hold on now; i never heard this.
- 00:17:09.638 --> 00:17:12.007
- I never heard someone say i needed to believe in jesus."
- 00:17:12.007 --> 00:17:15.511
- Well, actually you did, and here's a record of all those
- 00:17:15.511 --> 00:17:19.281
- Times you heard it throughout your childhood, and you rejected
- 00:17:19.281 --> 00:17:23.218
- It--i don't know--with any certainty.
- 00:17:23.218 --> 00:17:25.187
- But then, if you're not found written in the book of life,
- 00:17:25.187 --> 00:17:28.991
- You're cast into the lake of fire.
- 00:17:28.991 --> 00:17:31.160
- If you're a christian, your name is written in the book of life.
- 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:36.265
- That's the good news, right?
- 00:17:36.265 --> 00:17:42.337
- But what about these people that don't have their name written in
- 00:17:42.337 --> 00:17:45.407
- The book of life?
- 00:17:45.407 --> 00:17:47.309
- They are sent to ultimate judgment.
- 00:17:47.309 --> 00:17:51.480
- How could a god of love send someone to hell?
- 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.617
- Simple answer: god doesn't send anyone to hell.
- 00:17:55.617 --> 00:18:00.089
- God wants you in heaven, but he's not gonna force you against
- 00:18:00.089 --> 00:18:04.326
- Your will.
- 00:18:04.326 --> 00:18:05.661
- He's not gonna say, "get up to heaven right now, young man.
- 00:18:05.661 --> 00:18:09.498
- I don't care if you like it, you're going to heaven."
- 00:18:09.498 --> 00:18:11.700
- No, if you don't wanna go to heaven, you don't have to go
- 00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:15.838
- To heaven.
- 00:18:15.838 --> 00:18:17.206
- And there are many that don't want to.
- 00:18:17.206 --> 00:18:19.308
- J.i. packer, great theologian, said, "scripture sees hell
- 00:18:19.308 --> 00:18:23.979
- As self-chosen.
- 00:18:23.979 --> 00:18:26.048
- Hell appears as god's gesture of respect for human choice.
- 00:18:26.048 --> 00:18:30.486
- All will receive what they actually choose, to be with god
- 00:18:30.486 --> 00:18:34.857
- Forever worshiping him, or without god forever, worshiping
- 00:18:34.857 --> 00:18:39.695
- Themselves," end quote.
- 00:18:39.695 --> 00:18:42.464
- C.s. lewis put it this way,
- 00:18:42.464 --> 00:18:44.633
- And i quote, "there are only two kinds
- 00:18:44.633 --> 00:18:46.635
- Of people in the end: those who say to god, 'thy will be done,'
- 00:18:46.635 --> 00:18:50.739
- And those to whom god says, in the end, 'thy will be done.'
- 00:18:50.739 --> 00:18:55.177
- All are in hell because they choose it.
- 00:18:55.177 --> 00:18:58.413
- Without that self-choice, there could be no hell," end quote.
- 00:18:58.413 --> 00:19:03.485
- It's your choice, so i don't say god sends people there; you send
- 00:19:03.485 --> 00:19:08.423
- Self there.
- 00:19:08.423 --> 00:19:09.758
- The gates of hell are locked from the inside.
- 00:19:09.758 --> 00:19:12.928
- If you wanna go to heaven, then you choose to follow jesus
- 00:19:12.928 --> 00:19:16.565
- Christ, and he shows you how to do it.
- 00:19:16.565 --> 00:19:19.168
- So i have to tell you what the bible says because, to promise
- 00:19:19.168 --> 00:19:23.672
- Heaven and not warn of hell is not giving the whole gospel.
- 00:19:23.672 --> 00:19:28.610
- You say, "well, what if i wanna spend eternity in heaven?"
- 00:19:28.610 --> 00:19:31.413
- Well, then go the way god tells you to go.
- 00:19:31.413 --> 00:19:34.049
- Let's say that you said, "hey, greg, i wanna go visit
- 00:19:34.049 --> 00:19:37.052
- Harvest riverside."
- 00:19:37.052 --> 00:19:38.420
- Okay, great.
- 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:39.788
- "how do i get there?"
- 00:19:39.788 --> 00:19:41.156
- All right, well, you get on the 55, you get on the 91, and then
- 00:19:41.156 --> 00:19:45.227
- You go up to riverside, and there's a little off-ramp
- 00:19:45.227 --> 00:19:47.629
- Called adams.
- 00:19:47.629 --> 00:19:48.964
- You pull off on adams, and you'll wait there for maybe 10
- 00:19:48.964 --> 00:19:51.099
- Minutes--because, i don't know why, it's a really long light,
- 00:19:51.099 --> 00:19:54.269
- And then it goes green, and it's red again, yeah, so--then you
- 00:19:54.269 --> 00:19:59.942
- Keep going up, and it intersects with arlington, adams
- 00:19:59.942 --> 00:20:03.845
- And arlington.
- 00:20:03.845 --> 00:20:05.180
- That's where our church is; you can't miss it.
- 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:07.082
- "yeah, you know, i don't really agree with that."
- 00:20:07.082 --> 00:20:09.718
- What do you mean?
- 00:20:09.718 --> 00:20:11.053
- "i don't agree.
- 00:20:11.053 --> 00:20:12.521
- I think all roads lead to harvest."
- 00:20:12.521 --> 00:20:14.756
- What, are you insane?
- 00:20:14.756 --> 00:20:16.758
- I just told you how to get there.
- 00:20:16.758 --> 00:20:18.560
- "no, i think it's in san diego."
- 00:20:18.560 --> 00:20:20.662
- Actually, it isn't.
- 00:20:20.662 --> 00:20:22.097
- "well, we're gonna go to san diego and look for it."
- 00:20:22.097 --> 00:20:24.066
- Have fun there; you're not gonna find what you're looking for.
- 00:20:24.066 --> 00:20:27.970
- Or it'd be like buying an electric car.
- 00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:30.339
- And so you pull into the gas station--and people have done
- 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:35.944
- This; i've seen videos of people trying to put gas in teslas; i'm
- 00:20:35.944 --> 00:20:40.983
- Not making this up.
- 00:20:40.983 --> 00:20:42.784
- And so, you're looking for a place to put the gas; there's
- 00:20:42.784 --> 00:20:46.688
- Nowhere to put it.
- 00:20:46.688 --> 00:20:48.023
- First of all, that's dangerous because that could be on fire,
- 00:20:48.023 --> 00:20:53.028
- How do i say it, okay?
- 00:20:53.028 --> 00:20:54.596
- So, "well, i don't agree with that.
- 00:20:54.596 --> 00:20:57.466
- I don't think that this should run on electricity or a battery.
- 00:20:57.466 --> 00:21:01.236
- I think it should run--" well, think whatever you want.
- 00:21:01.236 --> 00:21:04.139
- It was designed to be plugged in and charged and run on a
- 00:21:04.139 --> 00:21:07.776
- Battery, and this is the way you do it.
- 00:21:07.776 --> 00:21:10.345
- But then we'll come to god, and we'll say, "well, i don't
- 00:21:10.345 --> 00:21:13.682
- Believe that jesus is the only way to god.
- 00:21:13.682 --> 00:21:15.917
- Why do you christians say jesus is the only way to god?"
- 00:21:15.917 --> 00:21:19.588
- Well, technically, it was jesus that said it, so we're simply
- 00:21:19.588 --> 00:21:24.960
- Repeating what he said.
- 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.262
- And jesus said--i think all of us know this verse, john 14:6--
- 00:21:27.262 --> 00:21:31.266
- We can say it together, i'm sure, "i am the way, the truth,
- 00:21:31.266 --> 00:21:35.370
- And the life.
- 00:21:35.370 --> 00:21:36.705
- And no man comes to the father but by me--or through me."
- 00:21:36.705 --> 00:21:41.009
- The bible says, "there's one god, one mediator between god
- 00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:44.379
- And man, and it's a man, christ jesus."
- 00:21:44.379 --> 00:21:47.582
- Peter preached and said, "there is salvation found in no other
- 00:21:47.582 --> 00:21:51.553
- Name under heaven by which a man can be saved."
- 00:21:51.553 --> 00:21:55.457
- So, there it is; why do we say it?
- 00:21:55.457 --> 00:21:58.060
- Because jesus said it.
- 00:21:58.060 --> 00:22:00.028
- Seventy percent of americans believe many religions can lead
- 00:22:00.028 --> 00:22:03.865
- To eternal life, and strangely-- and wrongly--56% of so-called
- 00:22:03.865 --> 00:22:09.971
- Evangelical christians say there are many paths to god apart from
- 00:22:09.971 --> 00:22:15.577
- Jesus christ.
- 00:22:15.577 --> 00:22:16.912
- Okay, they're wrong.
- 00:22:16.912 --> 00:22:18.980
- A biblical christian who understands what scripture says
- 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:22.617
- Would go with what jesus said.
- 00:22:22.617 --> 00:22:24.286
- "well, that's so intolerant.
- 00:22:24.286 --> 00:22:26.188
- That's so narrow-minded.
- 00:22:26.188 --> 00:22:28.123
- I believe all roads lead to god.
- 00:22:28.123 --> 00:22:30.425
- I believe all religions teach the same thing."
- 00:22:30.425 --> 00:22:33.428
- If someone says that to you, that's their way of saying, "hi,
- 00:22:33.428 --> 00:22:37.199
- I'm completely ignorant."
- 00:22:37.199 --> 00:22:41.002
- Because any look, even a casual glance, at the religions of the
- 00:22:41.002 --> 00:22:45.807
- World would clearly show they don't all teach the same thing
- 00:22:45.807 --> 00:22:50.379
- At all.
- 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:51.713
- As an example, christians believe in a personal god.
- 00:22:51.713 --> 00:22:53.882
- Buddhists are pantheistic, denying the existence of
- 00:22:53.882 --> 00:22:57.753
- A personal god.
- 00:22:57.753 --> 00:22:59.654
- So, the views just are different in every one.
- 00:22:59.654 --> 00:23:02.591
- So don't say all religions teach the same thing.
- 00:23:02.591 --> 00:23:05.394
- And then there's this one, "we're all children of god."
- 00:23:05.394 --> 00:23:10.132
- No, you aren't; you're not all children--i know, i'm gonna
- 00:23:10.132 --> 00:23:13.468
- Offend someone; i told you, right?
- 00:23:13.468 --> 00:23:14.870
- Didn't i say that?
- 00:23:14.870 --> 00:23:16.238
- You're not all children of god.
- 00:23:16.238 --> 00:23:17.773
- "how dare you say that, greg?"
- 00:23:17.773 --> 00:23:19.574
- Well, where in the bible does it say we're all children of god?
- 00:23:19.574 --> 00:23:23.378
- Here's what the bible says, "for as many as received him, to them
- 00:23:23.378 --> 00:23:27.949
- He gave the power to become sons of god."
- 00:23:27.949 --> 00:23:31.987
- I am a child of god because i believed in jesus, and i was
- 00:23:31.987 --> 00:23:36.691
- Adopted into his family.
- 00:23:36.691 --> 00:23:39.327
- I'm adopted, right?
- 00:23:39.327 --> 00:23:45.834
- I was adopted by a man named oscar laurie; he made me his
- 00:23:45.834 --> 00:23:50.105
- Son legally.
- 00:23:50.105 --> 00:23:51.540
- So that's a privilege; i now can take his last name, though i
- 00:23:51.540 --> 00:23:55.911
- Didn't like it as a child, quite frankly, but i'm fine with
- 00:23:55.911 --> 00:24:00.048
- It now.
- 00:24:00.048 --> 00:24:01.383
- But, you know, it is a girl's name, after all, isn't it?
- 00:24:01.383 --> 00:24:03.485
- So--but i am adopted, and the same is true when you become
- 00:24:03.485 --> 00:24:07.856
- A believer.
- 00:24:07.856 --> 00:24:09.224
- Now, i think we could say, we're all created by god; we're all
- 00:24:09.224 --> 00:24:12.727
- Made in the image of god; we're all loved by god.
- 00:24:12.727 --> 00:24:17.165
- But we're not all children of god.
- 00:24:17.165 --> 00:24:19.434
- You become a child of god by believing in the son of god who
- 00:24:19.434 --> 00:24:23.905
- Died on the cross for your sin and rose from the dead.
- 00:24:23.905 --> 00:24:26.908
- You see, jesus is the only way to god because there's never
- 00:24:26.908 --> 00:24:30.312
- Been anyone like jesus before.
- 00:24:30.312 --> 00:24:33.081
- He wasn't a prophet; he wasn't a guru.
- 00:24:33.081 --> 00:24:36.651
- He was fully god and fully man, and he walked among us, and he
- 00:24:36.651 --> 00:24:41.056
- Lived a perfect life.
- 00:24:41.056 --> 00:24:42.457
- Then he died a perfect death.
- 00:24:42.457 --> 00:24:44.493
- And, with one hand, he took hold of sinful humanity, and, with
- 00:24:44.493 --> 00:24:47.929
- The other hand, he took hold of a holy god, and nails were
- 00:24:47.929 --> 00:24:51.500
- Pounded into those hands, and he died for our sin.
- 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:55.170
- That's why christ--and christ alone--is the only one who can
- 00:24:55.170 --> 00:24:58.840
- Connect us to the father in heaven.
- 00:24:58.840 --> 00:25:01.109
- That's god's way; this is god's lifeline.
- 00:25:01.109 --> 00:25:07.549
- Let's summarize.
- 00:25:07.549 --> 00:25:09.551
- How could a god of love send someone to hell?
- 00:25:09.551 --> 00:25:11.520
- He doesn't.
- 00:25:11.520 --> 00:25:13.021
- Hell was not created for people; it was created for the devil and
- 00:25:13.021 --> 00:25:16.391
- His angels.
- 00:25:16.391 --> 00:25:17.726
- You have a choice in the matter.
- 00:25:17.726 --> 00:25:19.194
- If you reject god's provision and offer of forgiveness and end
- 00:25:19.194 --> 00:25:22.764
- Up in hell, you have no one to blame but yourself.
- 00:25:22.764 --> 00:25:26.167
- The gates of hell are locked from the inside.
- 00:25:26.167 --> 00:25:29.538
- Issue number 2, how can you say jesus christ is the only way
- 00:25:29.538 --> 00:25:32.674
- To god?
- 00:25:32.674 --> 00:25:34.042
- To be technical, it was jesus who said it.
- 00:25:34.042 --> 00:25:36.044
- He's the only one uniquely qualified to bridge the gap
- 00:25:36.044 --> 00:25:39.080
- Between a holy god and sinful humanity.
- 00:25:39.080 --> 00:25:41.950
- He died for our sins; he atoned for our sins; he rose again from
- 00:25:41.950 --> 00:25:46.421
- The dead; and he himself said, he was the way, the truth, and
- 00:25:46.421 --> 00:25:50.425
- The life, and no man comes to the father but by him.
- 00:25:50.425 --> 00:25:55.797
- Greg: hi, my name is greg laurie.
- 00:25:59.601 --> 00:26:00.969
- I started searching for god at a very young age.
- 00:26:00.969 --> 00:26:05.140
- And my search led me into a lot of wrong directions, including
- 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:08.777
- Drug use, and i almost destroyed my life completely.
- 00:26:08.777 --> 00:26:12.614
- But someone told me about jesus christ, and it changed
- 00:26:12.614 --> 00:26:17.052
- My life forever.
- 00:26:17.052 --> 00:26:18.420
- And i want you to know that, whatever course your life is on
- 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.156
- Right now, it can change if you realize there's a god in heaven
- 00:26:21.156 --> 00:26:24.960
- Who loves you; he has a plan for your life.
- 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:28.830
- I prayed this prayer to ask jesus into my life at the age of
- 00:26:28.830 --> 00:26:32.534
- 17, but here i am at the age of 70, and i can tell you, i made
- 00:26:32.534 --> 00:26:37.238
- The best choice i ever could make.
- 00:26:37.238 --> 00:26:39.140
- You can make that same choice yourself.
- 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:41.443
- You could just say, "jesus help me, forgive me of my sin.
- 00:26:41.443 --> 00:26:45.280
- I wanna go to heaven when i die.
- 00:26:45.280 --> 00:26:47.182
- I want a relationship with you."
- 00:26:47.182 --> 00:26:49.918
- If you would pray a prayer like that, god will hear you and
- 00:26:49.918 --> 00:26:53.021
- Answer you.
- 00:26:53.021 --> 00:26:54.556
- ♪♪♪
- 00:26:54.623 --> 00:26:58.193
- Female announcer: jesus says that where two or three are
- 00:27:00.462 --> 00:27:02.864
- Gathered in my name, there i am in the midst of them.
- 00:27:02.864 --> 00:27:07.302
- We are all different.
- 00:27:07.302 --> 00:27:08.670
- We have different interests, different personalities,
- 00:27:08.670 --> 00:27:11.806
- Different upbringings, and different ways we do life,
- 00:27:11.806 --> 00:27:15.744
- But here, we have a deep connection,
- 00:27:15.744 --> 00:27:19.280
- And you are welcome here.
- 00:27:19.280 --> 00:27:23.385
- This is harvest.
- 00:27:23.385 --> 00:27:27.088
