Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - Lost Boy - Harvest Crusade 2022 | May 26, 2025
- ...
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- Greg laurie: you might say, "i've messed up in life and i'm
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- Gonna clean my life up and try to become more moral and
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- More religious.
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- And then i'll come to god."
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- Listen, don't try to clean your life up and come to god.
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- Come to god and he will clean your life up.
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- You just come as you are.
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- ♪ this is the day. ♪
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- ♪ the day when life begins. ♪♪
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- Greg: who wants to hear a bible story?
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- Raise your hand.
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- Oh good.
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- Good, i have one for you right now.
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- In fact, the title of my message is, "lost boy."
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- And it's gonna be based on a very familiar story
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- In the bible, the story of the prodigal son.
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- Our life, it's like a movie.
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- And of course, we're the star of our own movie.
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- This movie that we're in, this life that we live, has a
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- Beginning, a middle, and an end.
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- A lot of twists and turns, storm clouds and darkness.
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- A lot of things that we don't always understand.
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- And we have questions about this movie we're all in, this life
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- We're all living.
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- Is it a drama?
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- Is it a love story?
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- Maybe it's a comedy or is it a hopeless tragedy?
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- A famous cardiologist wrote in his autobiography, quote, "hope
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- Is the medicine i use more than any other.
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- Hope can cure nearly anything," end quote.
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- And i wonder if you're without hope right now, because you
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- Cannot survive without hope in your life.
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- It's been said, "man can live 40 days without food, 3 days
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- Without water, 8 minutes without air, but not one second
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- Without hope."
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- And i have hope for america tonight.
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- I have hope for california tonight.
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- I have hope for you tonight.
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- And it's a relationship with god.
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- I'll tell you where my hope isn't.
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- My hope is not in politicians.
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- My hope is not in technology.
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- My hope is not in mankind at all.
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- In fact, we're living in frightening times right now.
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- Our world leaders are literally talking about the possibility of
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- A nuclear war.
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- Have you noticed?
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- These are scary times that we're living in.
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- We wonder what is going on in this world.
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- We need hope.
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- Generation z has been described as the hopeless generation.
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- I mean, here's a generation that's the most affluent that
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- Has ever lived, they have all the coolest tech, they have
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- Iphones and they have ipads and all the shiny stuff and i'm
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- Talking about their pets, not even them.
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- This is how good they have it, right?
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- But the thing you're looking for is not a shiny object you hold
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- In your hand, it's not any thing in particular.
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- The thing that you need that will bring you the hope you were
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- Looking for happens in your heart.
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- And i want to start by telling you a story about a lost boy: a
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- Little boy who had a hard life before him, a little boy that
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- Had the cards stacked against him, and that little boy was me.
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- Now, you may think because i'm a preacher, i was raised in a
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- Christian home and i went to sunday school as a kid.
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- The very opposite was the case.
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- In fact, my childhood was not like the ones that you saw on tv
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- At the time.
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- You know, i thought to myself that maybe things would get
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- Better and i escaped to my little imaginary world of
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- Drawing cartoons.
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- My mother in her day was beautiful, a marilyn monroe
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- Look alike.
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- She loved the attention that was showered on her, married and
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- Divorced seven times with a lot of boyfriends in between.
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- She would often drag me along to smoke-filled bars, as i watched
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- Various men try their pathetic pickup lines on my mom.
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- I never knew my biological father.
- 00:04:09.484 --> 00:04:12.587
- As it turns out, i was conceived out of wedlock, the product of a
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- One-night stand.
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- In many ways, i was the adult in the relationship, having to look
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- Out for my mom.
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- So after a night of bar-hopping, she'd be so intoxicated, she
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- Could barely walk.
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- So we'd go home and i'd make her a sandwich, but she would
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- Usually pass out before it was done.
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- I felt alone in the world but of the seven husbands that my
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- Mother married, there was one man named oscar laurie who
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- Adopted me and that name "laurie" has a family motto that
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- Means it buds afresh.
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- And the image on the coat of arms is a tree that is cut down
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- But is growing back again.
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- And that was really my life.
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- It was cut down, but it was growing back again.
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- We made our way eventually to southern california.
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- And i was hoping that my life would get better, but in many
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- Ways, it actually ended up worse.
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- I grew up as a young man and it was the late '60s and the drug
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- Revolution was here in full force and i thought drugs might
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- Have the answer i was searching for.
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- I'd never met an adult i respected.
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- I actually was in rebellion, a rebellion against all adult
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- Figures in my life.
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- And the phrase of the day was "never trust anyone over 30";
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- That actually resonated with me.
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- We blindly followed the pied pipers of our generation that
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- Told us to turn on, tune in, and drop out.
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- But soon these musicians that we looked up to all began to die:
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- Janice joplin, jimi hendrix, jim morrison of the doors, brian
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- Jones of the stones.
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- Ironically, all died at the age of 27.
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- We were told that drugs would make us more aware.
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- And in a way that was true because i became more aware of
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- How empty i was.
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- One night, we drove down to laguna beach to buy a kilo of
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- Marijuana, not to sell but to use ourselves.
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- But as we drove back in the rain, our vehicle began to
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- Careen and spin out of control.
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- And i thought i was going to die and i heard a voice saying to
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- Me, "you're going to die."
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- ♪♪♪
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- Greg: i'm going to die.
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- ♪♪♪
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- [breathing heavily]
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- ♪♪♪
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- Male: get out of the road, man.
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- ♪♪♪
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- [screaming]
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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪♪♪
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- Greg: so that's a scene from my life but i didn't know what the
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- Answer was.
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- I knew the answer was not in drugs.
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- I already found that out from experience.
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- I knew the answer was not in the sometimes affluent lifestyle
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- That my mother lived.
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- So where was the answer?
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- Because as a young man, i was asking the questions: what is
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- The meaning of my life?
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- Why am i here on this earth?
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- Why am i so empty inside?
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- And what's gonna happen to me after i die?
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- Because life goes by so quickly.
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- Someone summed up life this way: number one, you believe in
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- Santa claus.
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- Number two, you don't believe in santa claus.
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- Number three, you become santa claus, and lastly, you look like
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- Santa claus.
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- So i think that's where i am in life right now.
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- But here's my question for you.
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- Your life is going by quickly.
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- Are you a happy person?
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- Are you a content person, or does it seem like if you were a
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- Little bit smarter or a little bit better looking or a little
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- Bit more successful, then you would suddenly be content?
- 00:10:08.977 --> 00:10:12.981
- You know, when you're single, you think, "oh, man, if i was
- 00:10:12.981 --> 00:10:15.817
- Only married then i know i would be happy."
- 00:10:15.817 --> 00:10:19.988
- Then you get married and you say, "huh?
- 00:10:19.988 --> 00:10:24.158
- Uh, okay.
- 00:10:24.158 --> 00:10:28.129
- Maybe i married the wrong person.
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- Maybe if i got remarried i would be happy."
- 00:10:30.665 --> 00:10:33.301
- So you get remarried.
- 00:10:33.301 --> 00:10:35.470
- "okay, well, maybe that's not it.
- 00:10:35.470 --> 00:10:37.639
- Hey, maybe it's kids.
- 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:39.007
- I need kids, if we had children."
- 00:10:39.007 --> 00:10:40.408
- Then you have children.
- 00:10:40.408 --> 00:10:42.210
- And then you're thinking, "how do i get rid of these kids?
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- They're 40 and still living at home, you know."
- 00:10:44.979 --> 00:10:49.217
- It's always just beyond your reach, right?
- 00:10:49.217 --> 00:10:52.654
- "oh, if i had a lot of money, money would make me happy,"
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- You think.
- 00:10:56.624 --> 00:10:57.959
- I heard that the powerball is up to $1.6 billion right now.
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- Can you imagine that?
- 00:11:02.397 --> 00:11:03.998
- "oh, if i had that i would be happy," you think.
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- It reminds me of a story of a wealthy employer who once
- 00:11:06.601 --> 00:11:09.504
- Overheard one of his employees say, "if i had $1000 i would be
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- Perfectly content."
- 00:11:14.175 --> 00:11:16.044
- The employer put out his checkbook and said, "i'll tell
- 00:11:16.044 --> 00:11:18.479
- You what, i've never found contentment from my money, but i
- 00:11:18.479 --> 00:11:21.816
- Want to meet a perfectly content person."
- 00:11:21.816 --> 00:11:23.985
- So he wrote out a check to the person for $1000 and gave it
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- To them.
- 00:11:27.822 --> 00:11:29.157
- As he was walking away, the person was overheard to say,
- 00:11:29.157 --> 00:11:31.225
- "why didn't i ask for $2000?"
- 00:11:31.225 --> 00:11:34.796
- See, that's the way that we are.
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- If i had just a little bit more.
- 00:11:37.165 --> 00:11:39.367
- Take anthony bourdain.
- 00:11:39.367 --> 00:11:41.169
- He had a very successful television show on cnn,
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- "parts unknown."
- 00:11:44.772 --> 00:11:46.107
- He traveled the world, lived a luxurious lifestyle, ate the
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- Finest food.
- 00:11:51.145 --> 00:11:52.513
- He had wealth, he had fame, he had everything.
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- But yet he wrote in a letter to his wife, quote, "i hate
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- My fans.
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- I hate being famous.
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- I hate my job.
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- I'm lonely and i'm living in constant uncertainty,"
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- End quote.
- 00:12:05.993 --> 00:12:07.328
- And tragically, anthony bourdain took his own life.
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- We think, if only i had another life.
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- Or if i had another face or body.
- 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:15.436
- You know, we put so much emphasis today on
- 00:12:15.436 --> 00:12:18.072
- The way that we look.
- 00:12:18.072 --> 00:12:19.807
- $16 billion is spent a year on plastic surgery.
- 00:12:19.807 --> 00:12:25.747
- And that's in newport beach alone.
- 00:12:25.747 --> 00:12:30.852
- Now when you mention botox, nobody even raises an eyebrow.
- 00:12:30.852 --> 00:12:36.824
- These are the jokes, people.
- 00:12:36.824 --> 00:12:39.861
- I heard about a plastic surgery addict support group that
- 00:12:39.861 --> 00:12:42.697
- Meets weekly, there's a lot of new faces in the group
- 00:12:42.697 --> 00:12:45.466
- Every week.
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- Alright.
- 00:12:47.268 --> 00:12:48.870
- All the people who have had botox are saying:
- 00:12:48.870 --> 00:12:50.905
- I don't think that's funny.
- 00:12:50.905 --> 00:12:53.808
- And i can't lower my eyebrows, and i don't know what to do.
- 00:12:53.808 --> 00:12:57.545
- Sorry.
- 00:12:57.545 --> 00:12:59.313
- But listen, it's not a thing you're looking for.
- 00:12:59.313 --> 00:13:02.416
- Here's what you're really looking for deep down inside.
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- You're looking for a relationship with god.
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- There is a god in heaven who loves you, he loves you.
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- Greg: greg laurie here.
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- You know, at harvest ministries we're committing to reaching
- 00:13:23.504 --> 00:13:25.907
- Unexpected people in unexpected places with an
- 00:13:25.907 --> 00:13:29.310
- Unexpected message.
- 00:13:29.310 --> 00:13:30.945
- And thanks to your financial support, we've been able to
- 00:13:30.945 --> 00:13:35.349
- Touch people all over the world with the hope of jesus christ.
- 00:13:35.349 --> 00:13:39.821
- Your gifts today not only help us reach millions across the
- 00:13:39.821 --> 00:13:43.591
- Country through this television program, they also help us to
- 00:13:43.591 --> 00:13:47.795
- Bring hope to people in their biggest need, whether through
- 00:13:47.795 --> 00:13:51.365
- Our evangelistic events or our relief efforts, together we've
- 00:13:51.365 --> 00:13:55.303
- Been able to minister to so many people devastated by the fires
- 00:13:55.303 --> 00:13:59.440
- In lahaina on the island of maui.
- 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.475
- And also, your support has helped us partner to bring
- 00:14:01.475 --> 00:14:04.946
- Medical help in the ongoing conflict in israel.
- 00:14:04.946 --> 00:14:08.216
- So i'm asking you today to continue to support this
- 00:14:08.216 --> 00:14:11.352
- Ministry so we can do everything possible to fulfill the
- 00:14:11.352 --> 00:14:15.623
- 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.
- 00:14:19.994 --> 00:14:21.796
- Greg: now some view god as a perpetually uptight, angry
- 00:14:25.499 --> 00:14:29.036
- Supreme being just waiting to wreak havoc in our life.
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- Nothing could be further from the truth.
- 00:14:33.641 --> 00:14:36.377
- The god who created you loves you and has a plan for you
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- That's far better than any plan you've ever dreamed up
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- For yourself.
- 00:14:44.018 --> 00:14:45.720
- But we think god's angry, god's out to get us.
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- But it's the very opposite.
- 00:14:49.991 --> 00:14:51.359
- If he's out to get us, it's only to throw his arms around us and
- 00:14:51.359 --> 00:14:54.729
- Tell us how much he loves us.
- 00:14:54.729 --> 00:14:57.598
- So what is god like?
- 00:14:57.598 --> 00:14:59.800
- What is god like?
- 00:14:59.800 --> 00:15:01.502
- Well, i can't think of a better source on that topic than jesus
- 00:15:01.502 --> 00:15:04.572
- Christ himself.
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- And jesus told a story we sometimes call the story of the
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- Prodigal son, but it's a beautiful story that always
- 00:15:10.278 --> 00:15:15.082
- Makes sense to pretty much any culture in the world, young
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- Or old.
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- Everyone seems to understand this simple story and jesus told
- 00:15:20.154 --> 00:15:23.991
- Lots of stories so people could understand what he was
- 00:15:23.991 --> 00:15:27.495
- Talking about.
- 00:15:27.495 --> 00:15:28.829
- So here's the story jesus told.
- 00:15:28.829 --> 00:15:30.164
- Maybe you've never heard it before.
- 00:15:30.164 --> 00:15:31.832
- He said a man had two sons.
- 00:15:31.832 --> 00:15:34.335
- The younger son said to his dad, "i want my share of the estate
- 00:15:34.335 --> 00:15:37.805
- Now instead of waiting until you die."
- 00:15:37.805 --> 00:15:40.608
- So the father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
- 00:15:40.608 --> 00:15:44.345
- A few days later, the son packed all of his belongings and took a
- 00:15:44.345 --> 00:15:48.449
- Trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all of his money
- 00:15:48.449 --> 00:15:52.353
- On wild living.
- 00:15:52.353 --> 00:15:53.688
- About this time, his money ran out and a great famine swept
- 00:15:53.688 --> 00:15:56.958
- Over the land and he began to starve.
- 00:15:56.958 --> 00:15:59.794
- And the boy persuaded a local farmer to feed him the food that
- 00:15:59.794 --> 00:16:04.498
- Was being fed to the pigs because the boy was so hungry,
- 00:16:04.498 --> 00:16:08.035
- Even the food he was feeding the pigs looked good to him, but no
- 00:16:08.035 --> 00:16:12.707
- One gave him anything.
- 00:16:12.707 --> 00:16:15.076
- So as his story begins, we have a boy deciding to run away
- 00:16:15.076 --> 00:16:18.546
- From home.
- 00:16:18.546 --> 00:16:19.914
- But really this is a story jesus tells that is a picture of us
- 00:16:19.914 --> 00:16:23.217
- Trying to run away from god.
- 00:16:23.217 --> 00:16:26.153
- Now it looks like he had a pretty good home because as we
- 00:16:26.153 --> 00:16:29.056
- Get to the end of the story, we see the father welcome him with
- 00:16:29.056 --> 00:16:32.460
- Open arms.
- 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:33.794
- So this was an affectionate home, a loving home.
- 00:16:33.794 --> 00:16:36.630
- Also was an affluent home because they had servants.
- 00:16:36.630 --> 00:16:40.067
- I don't know what kind of home you came from.
- 00:16:40.067 --> 00:16:42.470
- Maybe you had loving parents, maybe you had no parents, but
- 00:16:42.470 --> 00:16:46.307
- Regardless of whatever home you've come from, i want you to
- 00:16:46.307 --> 00:16:49.010
- Know that you have a father in heaven who loves you and wants a
- 00:16:49.010 --> 00:16:53.114
- Relationship with you.
- 00:16:53.114 --> 00:16:57.752
- But apparently, this boy thought, "you know, i'm tired of
- 00:16:57.752 --> 00:17:00.087
- Dad's rules.
- 00:17:00.087 --> 00:17:01.455
- I wanna live the way that i wanna live."
- 00:17:01.455 --> 00:17:03.324
- And sometimes people say, "well, i don't wanna live this
- 00:17:03.324 --> 00:17:05.726
- Christian life.
- 00:17:05.726 --> 00:17:07.061
- I don't like all these rules that the bible has."
- 00:17:07.061 --> 00:17:09.163
- Any rule, so to speak, or principle given to us in
- 00:17:09.163 --> 00:17:13.000
- Scripture is there for our own protection.
- 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:16.804
- You know, we think the worst thing that could happen is to
- 00:17:16.804 --> 00:17:18.839
- Put an animal in a cage.
- 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.741
- My grandkids used to have a little rabbit.
- 00:17:20.741 --> 00:17:22.743
- His name was fuzzy.
- 00:17:22.743 --> 00:17:24.078
- And they were very little and they would take him out and play
- 00:17:24.078 --> 00:17:27.782
- With him in a rather rough way and fuzzy didn't like it
- 00:17:27.782 --> 00:17:31.018
- One bit.
- 00:17:31.018 --> 00:17:32.353
- And one day i was taking fuzzy back to his cage and i came to
- 00:17:32.353 --> 00:17:35.256
- Where the cage was and he leapt out of my arms to get back into
- 00:17:35.256 --> 00:17:39.060
- His cage again.
- 00:17:39.060 --> 00:17:41.028
- Because for fuzzy, that was not a cage keeping him inside; it
- 00:17:41.028 --> 00:17:44.832
- Was a cage keeping the grandkids out, right?
- 00:17:44.832 --> 00:17:48.402
- So when i look at god's standards, when he says, "you
- 00:17:48.402 --> 00:17:51.038
- Shall not steal, you shall not lie, you shall not commit
- 00:17:51.038 --> 00:17:54.775
- Adultery, you shall not take the name of the lord in vain," these
- 00:17:54.775 --> 00:17:58.579
- Are standards and truths given for our own protection.
- 00:17:58.579 --> 00:18:03.484
- And with--these rules are there to protect us, not to hurt us.
- 00:18:03.484 --> 00:18:07.121
- But this boy thought, "dad's lame.
- 00:18:07.121 --> 00:18:09.824
- He doesn't know how to live.
- 00:18:09.824 --> 00:18:12.393
- I'm gonna go live my life."
- 00:18:12.393 --> 00:18:13.761
- And the father let him go.
- 00:18:13.761 --> 00:18:15.329
- Listen, god has given you a free will.
- 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:17.998
- He won't force his will on you.
- 00:18:17.998 --> 00:18:21.202
- You don't have to go to heaven if you don't want to.
- 00:18:21.202 --> 00:18:23.971
- Are you running from god tonight?
- 00:18:23.971 --> 00:18:26.674
- He longs for a relationship with you.
- 00:18:26.674 --> 00:18:29.176
- This boy wasted all of his money on wild living.
- 00:18:29.176 --> 00:18:32.980
- I'm sure he had a lot of friends when he hit town, when he had
- 00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:36.150
- Money, when he had resources, when he had a cool car or, in
- 00:18:36.150 --> 00:18:39.620
- His case, a cool chariot or whatever.
- 00:18:39.620 --> 00:18:42.957
- They said, "oh, we're gonna hang out with this guy."
- 00:18:42.957 --> 00:18:45.526
- But then when the money was gone, the friends were gone too.
- 00:18:45.526 --> 00:18:49.296
- He was all alone.
- 00:18:49.296 --> 00:18:50.631
- And the bible says, jesus speaking, "he came to
- 00:18:50.631 --> 00:18:53.901
- His senses."
- 00:18:53.901 --> 00:18:55.236
- And it's an amazing thing.
- 00:18:55.236 --> 00:18:56.971
- Listen, there's nothing i can say here tonight that will make
- 00:18:56.971 --> 00:19:00.407
- You believe in jesus christ.
- 00:19:00.407 --> 00:19:02.409
- But i believe in the power of the gospel and i know how it
- 00:19:02.409 --> 00:19:06.013
- Changed my life and i believe there can come a moment where
- 00:19:06.013 --> 00:19:09.617
- Suddenly the lights go on and you just get it, right?
- 00:19:09.617 --> 00:19:13.554
- You just get it.
- 00:19:13.554 --> 00:19:16.423
- I used to think christians were crazy.
- 00:19:16.423 --> 00:19:18.993
- I made fun of them.
- 00:19:18.993 --> 00:19:20.327
- I laughed at them.
- 00:19:20.327 --> 00:19:21.695
- I thought, "these poor delusional people."
- 00:19:21.695 --> 00:19:24.265
- And it was on my high school campus many years ago that i sat
- 00:19:24.265 --> 00:19:29.203
- Down close enough to where the christians were because they
- 00:19:29.203 --> 00:19:31.939
- Would have bible studies on the front lawn.
- 00:19:31.939 --> 00:19:35.042
- And i sat close enough to hear what they were saying, but not
- 00:19:35.042 --> 00:19:38.479
- Close enough to be seen as one of them.
- 00:19:38.479 --> 00:19:41.615
- And as i watched them, i thought, "these people are
- 00:19:41.615 --> 00:19:43.851
- So sad.
- 00:19:43.851 --> 00:19:45.219
- They're so weird.
- 00:19:45.219 --> 00:19:46.554
- It's so pathetic."
- 00:19:46.554 --> 00:19:47.922
- And then i thought, "yeah, but they're pretty happy,
- 00:19:47.922 --> 00:19:49.256
- Pathetic people."
- 00:19:49.256 --> 00:19:51.725
- And i happened to know a couple of them personally that i used
- 00:19:51.725 --> 00:19:55.396
- To party with and i saw the changes in his life and their
- 00:19:55.396 --> 00:19:59.833
- Life and then i just tried a new thought on for size: what if
- 00:19:59.833 --> 00:20:04.405
- It's all true?
- 00:20:04.405 --> 00:20:05.739
- What if the christians have this right?
- 00:20:05.739 --> 00:20:08.175
- What if there really is a god who loves me and i can have a
- 00:20:08.175 --> 00:20:11.078
- Relationship with him?
- 00:20:11.078 --> 00:20:12.446
- I quickly dismissed it.
- 00:20:12.446 --> 00:20:13.781
- Let me tell you why i dismissed it.
- 00:20:13.781 --> 00:20:16.083
- Because i was a cynical young man, because i had seen things
- 00:20:16.083 --> 00:20:20.387
- No young boy should ever see in my upbringing with my alcoholic
- 00:20:20.387 --> 00:20:24.925
- Mother and all of her escapades.
- 00:20:24.925 --> 00:20:26.827
- Not to mention my own bad lifestyle choices that i myself
- 00:20:26.827 --> 00:20:30.931
- Had made.
- 00:20:30.931 --> 00:20:32.299
- I was cynical.
- 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:33.634
- I thought, "it's too good to be true."
- 00:20:33.634 --> 00:20:35.202
- But then i watched those christians a little bit more and
- 00:20:35.202 --> 00:20:37.338
- I thought, "well, what if it's true?"
- 00:20:37.338 --> 00:20:39.573
- And then i said, "no, it couldn't be true."
- 00:20:39.573 --> 00:20:41.909
- And then that man who was preaching that day, lonnie
- 00:20:41.909 --> 00:20:44.545
- Frisbee, who's portrayed in the film, made a statement that was
- 00:20:44.545 --> 00:20:49.049
- Like a lightning bolt from heaven.
- 00:20:49.049 --> 00:20:50.751
- He said, "jesus said, 'you're for me or against me, you're
- 00:20:50.751 --> 00:20:54.355
- With me or you're opposed to me.'"
- 00:20:54.355 --> 00:20:56.924
- I looked around at the christians and i thought, "well,
- 00:20:56.924 --> 00:20:59.426
- I'm not one of them.
- 00:20:59.426 --> 00:21:00.894
- Does that mean i'm against god?
- 00:21:00.894 --> 00:21:03.163
- I don't want to be against god."
- 00:21:03.163 --> 00:21:05.132
- And then he said, "if you want jesus christ to come into your
- 00:21:05.132 --> 00:21:07.735
- Life, get up and walk forward right now."
- 00:21:07.735 --> 00:21:09.770
- And a bunch of kids got up and walked forward and i thought,
- 00:21:09.770 --> 00:21:12.339
- "there's no way i would ever do that."
- 00:21:12.339 --> 00:21:15.643
- A moment later, i was up there with those kids, praying, and
- 00:21:15.643 --> 00:21:19.046
- That was the day christ came into my life.
- 00:21:19.046 --> 00:21:21.682
- And this can be the night christ comes into your life.
- 00:21:21.682 --> 00:21:26.854
- It can happen for you.
- 00:21:26.854 --> 00:21:29.256
- So this boy finally comes to his senses, says, "you know what?
- 00:21:29.256 --> 00:21:32.960
- I gotta go home."
- 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:34.295
- He realized that everything he was looking for in life was in
- 00:21:34.295 --> 00:21:37.731
- His father's house.
- 00:21:37.731 --> 00:21:40.267
- He says, i'm gonna go home to dad, say, "dad, i'm sorry
- 00:21:40.267 --> 00:21:42.803
- I've sinned.
- 00:21:42.803 --> 00:21:44.138
- I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
- 00:21:44.138 --> 00:21:45.806
- Just give me a job as one of your hired servants."
- 00:21:45.806 --> 00:21:48.676
- And he's repeating this over and over again as he's making his
- 00:21:48.676 --> 00:21:51.612
- Way back home again.
- 00:21:51.612 --> 00:21:54.248
- Now, here's the father, probably sitting on the porch of his
- 00:21:54.248 --> 00:21:58.552
- Ranch house, missing that boy of his, longing for his return.
- 00:21:58.552 --> 00:22:04.625
- And the father looks down the road and recognizes that
- 00:22:04.625 --> 00:22:07.394
- Familiar silhouette of his boy, bowed down now some with age and
- 00:22:07.394 --> 00:22:13.100
- Perhaps the guilt of sin.
- 00:22:13.100 --> 00:22:15.235
- And i love how the story ends because, as the boy is making
- 00:22:15.235 --> 00:22:19.373
- His way home, jesus says this, in luke 15: "while he was still
- 00:22:19.373 --> 00:22:23.477
- A long ways off, his father saw him.
- 00:22:23.477 --> 00:22:26.180
- With his heart pounding, he ran out and embraced him and
- 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:28.749
- Kissed him.
- 00:22:28.749 --> 00:22:30.117
- The son started his speech: 'father, i've sinned against god
- 00:22:30.117 --> 00:22:33.320
- And i've sinned before you.
- 00:22:33.320 --> 00:22:34.655
- I don't deserve to be called your son again.'"
- 00:22:34.655 --> 00:22:36.990
- But jesus says the father wasn't listening.
- 00:22:36.990 --> 00:22:40.094
- "he called to the servants, 'quick,' he says, 'bring out a
- 00:22:40.094 --> 00:22:42.663
- Set of clothes.
- 00:22:42.663 --> 00:22:44.031
- Put the family ring in his finger and sandals on his feet,
- 00:22:44.031 --> 00:22:47.334
- And get out the grain-fed heifer and roast it.
- 00:22:47.334 --> 00:22:49.770
- We're gonna have a feast.
- 00:22:49.770 --> 00:22:51.205
- We're gonna have a wonderful time.
- 00:22:51.205 --> 00:22:53.207
- My son who is dead is alive again.'"
- 00:22:53.207 --> 00:22:57.344
- And they began to have a wonderful time.
- 00:22:57.344 --> 00:23:02.015
- And then jesus says, "and i say unto you, there is joy in heaven
- 00:23:02.015 --> 00:23:08.288
- Over one sinner that comes to repentance."
- 00:23:08.288 --> 00:23:13.160
- You might say, "i've messed up in life and i'm gonna
- 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:15.996
- Clean my life up and try to become more moral and
- 00:23:15.996 --> 00:23:18.966
- More religious.
- 00:23:18.966 --> 00:23:20.300
- And then i'll come to god."
- 00:23:20.300 --> 00:23:21.635
- Listen, don't try to clean your life up and come to god.
- 00:23:21.635 --> 00:23:24.538
- Come to god and he will clean your life up.
- 00:23:24.538 --> 00:23:27.241
- You just come as you are.
- 00:23:27.241 --> 00:23:31.779
- Say, "well, what do i--what am i supposed to do?"
- 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:34.148
- You need to repent of your sin.
- 00:23:34.148 --> 00:23:36.650
- The bible says god has commanded people everywhere to repent.
- 00:23:36.650 --> 00:23:40.754
- What does repent mean?
- 00:23:40.754 --> 00:23:42.156
- It's a military term.
- 00:23:42.156 --> 00:23:43.857
- It means to do an about face.
- 00:23:43.857 --> 00:23:45.192
- So you turn around.
- 00:23:45.192 --> 00:23:47.194
- Instead of running from god, you run to god, like the prodigal.
- 00:23:47.194 --> 00:23:50.531
- He was running from his father.
- 00:23:50.531 --> 00:23:52.399
- Then he realized that was wrong and he ran back to his father.
- 00:23:52.399 --> 00:23:56.170
- Repent of your sin.
- 00:23:56.170 --> 00:23:58.939
- Then you must receive christ into your life.
- 00:23:58.939 --> 00:24:03.043
- Being a christian is not just trying to live by rules
- 00:24:03.043 --> 00:24:07.681
- And regulations.
- 00:24:07.681 --> 00:24:09.049
- Being a christian is not just going to church.
- 00:24:09.049 --> 00:24:12.753
- Being a christian is having christ himself come and take
- 00:24:12.753 --> 00:24:17.391
- Residence in your heart.
- 00:24:17.391 --> 00:24:19.860
- Does jesus live in your heart right now?
- 00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:22.162
- You say, "well, i'm not sure.
- 00:24:22.162 --> 00:24:23.530
- Maybe."
- 00:24:23.530 --> 00:24:24.865
- Wait, hold on.
- 00:24:24.865 --> 00:24:26.233
- If a bunch of people moved into your house in the middle of the
- 00:24:26.233 --> 00:24:28.101
- Night and they were, like, cooking fish at 3 in the
- 00:24:28.101 --> 00:24:30.404
- Morning, do you think you would know?
- 00:24:30.404 --> 00:24:32.506
- I'm not suggesting jesus is like that.
- 00:24:32.506 --> 00:24:34.475
- I'm just saying, if someone moved into your home, would you
- 00:24:34.475 --> 00:24:36.944
- Be aware?
- 00:24:36.944 --> 00:24:38.312
- The answer is yes.
- 00:24:38.312 --> 00:24:39.646
- So if god almighty has taken residence in your heart, i think
- 00:24:39.646 --> 00:24:44.251
- You'll know.
- 00:24:44.251 --> 00:24:45.586
- And if you can't say "i know" with certainty, then maybe he
- 00:24:45.586 --> 00:24:48.589
- Hasn't done that yet.
- 00:24:48.589 --> 00:24:50.457
- The bible says, "for as many as received him, he gave them the
- 00:24:50.457 --> 00:24:54.161
- Power to become sons of god."
- 00:24:54.161 --> 00:24:56.597
- Jesus says, "behold, i stand at the door and i knock and if
- 00:24:56.597 --> 00:25:00.400
- You'll hear my voice and open the door, i will come in."
- 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:05.305
- People, it's not about religion.
- 00:25:05.305 --> 00:25:08.575
- It's about a relationship with god through jesus.
- 00:25:08.575 --> 00:25:18.819
- Greg: have you watched the news lately?
- 00:25:22.689 --> 00:25:24.224
- It seems like the world is coming apart.
- 00:25:24.224 --> 00:25:27.094
- War in the middle east, instability all around us.
- 00:25:27.094 --> 00:25:31.164
- And i'm telling you right now, the bible predicted these things
- 00:25:31.164 --> 00:25:34.535
- Would happen in the last days.
- 00:25:34.535 --> 00:25:36.470
- But here's what you need to remember.
- 00:25:36.470 --> 00:25:38.238
- Jesus said, "when you see these things begin to happen, look up
- 00:25:38.238 --> 00:25:42.476
- For your redemption is drawing near."
- 00:25:42.476 --> 00:25:44.645
- He didn't say, "freak out."
- 00:25:44.645 --> 00:25:46.046
- He said, "look up."
- 00:25:46.046 --> 00:25:48.448
- I want you to know that i've read the last page of the bible
- 00:25:48.448 --> 00:25:51.451
- And we win in the end.
- 00:25:51.451 --> 00:25:53.186
- We need hope in this crazy, hopeless world, in this world of
- 00:25:53.186 --> 00:25:57.124
- Chaos and confusion.
- 00:25:57.124 --> 00:25:58.926
- Jesus christ has everything you're looking for in a
- 00:25:58.926 --> 00:26:02.629
- Relationship with him.
- 00:26:02.629 --> 00:26:05.032
- I encourage you to call out to the lord and ask him to come
- 00:26:05.032 --> 00:26:09.436
- Into your life.
- 00:26:09.436 --> 00:26:10.771
- Let me send you at no charge, a bible to help you get started in
- 00:26:10.771 --> 00:26:15.842
- Your new relationship with christ.
- 00:26:15.842 --> 00:26:21.081
- Greg: greg laurie here.
- 00:26:24.618 --> 00:26:25.986
- You know, at harvest ministries we're committing to reaching
- 00:26:25.986 --> 00:26:28.388
- Unexpected people in unexpected places with an
- 00:26:28.388 --> 00:26:31.792
- Unexpected message.
- 00:26:31.792 --> 00:26:33.427
- And thanks to your financial support, we've been able to
- 00:26:33.427 --> 00:26:37.831
- Touch people all over the world with the hope of jesus christ.
- 00:26:37.831 --> 00:26:42.302
- Your gifts today not only help us reach millions across the
- 00:26:42.302 --> 00:26:46.073
- Country through this television program, they also help us to
- 00:26:46.073 --> 00:26:50.277
- Bring hope to people in their biggest need, whether through
- 00:26:50.277 --> 00:26:53.847
- Our evangelistic events or our relief efforts, together we've
- 00:26:53.847 --> 00:26:57.784
- Been able to minister to so many people devastated by the fires
- 00:26:57.784 --> 00:27:01.922
- In lahaina on the island of maui.
- 00:27:01.922 --> 00:27:03.957
- And also, your support has helped us partner to bring
- 00:27:03.957 --> 00:27:07.427
- Medical help in the ongoing conflict in israel.
- 00:27:07.427 --> 00:27:10.697
- So i'm asking you today to continue to support this
- 00:27:10.697 --> 00:27:13.834
- Ministry so we can do everything possible to fulfill the
- 00:27:13.834 --> 00:27:18.105
- Great commission.
- 00:27:18.105 --> 00:27:19.473
- Let's do this together, and let me say in advance,
- 00:27:19.473 --> 00:27:22.476
- Thank you and god bless you.
- 00:27:22.476 --> 00:27:27.814
