Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
#Love
#Fear
#WalkwithGod
#Journey
#FalseProphets
#FalseDoctrines
#Supernatural
#Spirit
#Angels
#Demons
#SpiritualWarfare
#Testing
#Antichrist
#LoveofGod
#LoveyourNeighbor
#GregLaurie
Closed captions
Show Timecode
Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - When Love Moves In Fear Moves Out | April 19, 2026
- ...
- 00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:00.356
- Greg laurie: god has something for you in every stage of life.
- 00:00:04.994 --> 00:00:08.698
- To the child, god says, "i'll never leave you or forsake you."
- 00:00:08.798 --> 00:00:12.368
- To the teen, god says, "you're fearfully and wonderfully made."
- 00:00:12.469 --> 00:00:17.140
- To the young adult, the lord says, "i know the thoughts that
- 00:00:17.240 --> 00:00:18.274
- I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
- 00:00:19.809 --> 00:00:22.846
- You a future and a hope."
- 00:00:22.846 --> 00:00:24.814
- And to the elderly, god says, "even to your old age and gray
- 00:00:24.814 --> 00:00:28.585
- Hairs, i am he--i am he who will sustain you.
- 00:00:28.585 --> 00:00:32.155
- I've made you. i will carry you.
- 00:00:32.155 --> 00:00:34.357
- I will sustain you, and i will rescue you."
- 00:00:34.357 --> 00:00:38.061
- ♪ this is the day, ♪
- 00:00:41.231 --> 00:00:43.600
- ♪ the day when life begins. ♪
- 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:49.038
- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪♪
- 00:00:49.038 --> 00:00:59.048
- Greg: have you ever gotten one of those scam phone calls?
- 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:06.289
- Oh, there's so many of them now, and they'll come from, you name
- 00:01:06.289 --> 00:01:10.493
- It, apple, amazon, the irs, and they're telling you you better
- 00:01:10.493 --> 00:01:16.733
- Pay up or you're in trouble.
- 00:01:16.733 --> 00:01:18.868
- Thirty-three million scam robocalls are made daily.
- 00:01:18.868 --> 00:01:23.439
- And they do work because i read that 60 million americans lost
- 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:28.211
- Over $29 billion to these scam phone calls.
- 00:01:28.211 --> 00:01:34.184
- But there's scam religious things as well, scam
- 00:01:34.184 --> 00:01:38.488
- Counterfeits out there for the real gospel.
- 00:01:38.488 --> 00:01:41.391
- Just as there is the genuine, there is also the counterfeit.
- 00:01:41.391 --> 00:01:45.495
- They claim to be one thing, but they really are another.
- 00:01:45.495 --> 00:01:48.298
- Jesus called them wolves in sheep's clothing.
- 00:01:48.298 --> 00:01:51.434
- In fact, one of the signs of the end times, which i believe we're
- 00:01:51.434 --> 00:01:54.337
- In, is "some will depart from the faith, giving heed to
- 00:01:54.337 --> 00:01:57.707
- Seducing spirits and the doctrines that demons teach."
- 00:01:57.707 --> 00:02:02.946
- And that is why we're told right here in 1 john 4: "don't believe
- 00:02:02.946 --> 00:02:06.749
- Every spirit.
- 00:02:06.749 --> 00:02:08.084
- Test them, because many false prophets have gone out into
- 00:02:08.084 --> 00:02:12.021
- The world."
- 00:02:12.021 --> 00:02:13.356
- Now, what is john referring to when he says "spirits"?
- 00:02:13.356 --> 00:02:16.826
- How do we test a spirit?
- 00:02:16.826 --> 00:02:19.195
- Well, basically he's talking about angelic beings.
- 00:02:19.195 --> 00:02:21.898
- There's a supernatural realm.
- 00:02:21.898 --> 00:02:24.033
- Just as we live in a physical world, there is a spiritual
- 00:02:24.033 --> 00:02:28.371
- World, and in this spiritual world there, of course, is god
- 00:02:28.371 --> 00:02:31.841
- And satan, but also angels and fallen angels, also known as
- 00:02:31.841 --> 00:02:37.280
- Demons, and they're actively at work.
- 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:39.315
- The good news is we have more angels on our side than the
- 00:02:39.315 --> 00:02:42.986
- Devil has on his side.
- 00:02:42.986 --> 00:02:45.455
- And angels are constantly doing the work of god, sort of working
- 00:02:45.455 --> 00:02:49.692
- Behind the scenes.
- 00:02:49.692 --> 00:02:51.060
- They just show up, do what they're there to do, and go.
- 00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:53.463
- They're sort of like seal team 6, you know?
- 00:02:53.463 --> 00:02:56.566
- You don't even know they were there, but they're doing the
- 00:02:56.566 --> 00:02:58.568
- Work of god.
- 00:02:58.568 --> 00:02:59.936
- The bible says: "the angel of the lord encamps around those
- 00:02:59.936 --> 00:03:03.473
- That fear him."
- 00:03:03.473 --> 00:03:05.241
- And it also tells us that they're ministering spirits sent
- 00:03:05.241 --> 00:03:08.911
- To minister to those who are the heirs of salvation.
- 00:03:08.911 --> 00:03:12.515
- That would be us.
- 00:03:12.515 --> 00:03:14.183
- Sometimes angels guide us; occasionally they speak to us.
- 00:03:14.183 --> 00:03:18.354
- They often protect us.
- 00:03:18.354 --> 00:03:20.690
- And they're actively at work in our life.
- 00:03:20.690 --> 00:03:22.925
- But then there are fallen angels, also known as demons,
- 00:03:22.925 --> 00:03:26.362
- Doing the work of the devil.
- 00:03:26.362 --> 00:03:28.765
- I mentioned last time that the purpose of demons seems to be
- 00:03:28.765 --> 00:03:32.735
- Twofold: they seek to hinder the purposes of god and extend the
- 00:03:32.735 --> 00:03:37.940
- Power of satan.
- 00:03:37.940 --> 00:03:40.376
- Now, they come in different ways.
- 00:03:40.376 --> 00:03:41.744
- We always think of something demonic as dark and sinister and
- 00:03:41.744 --> 00:03:45.548
- Evil, and it can be that, of course, but it can also come
- 00:03:45.548 --> 00:03:48.685
- Through the guise of something that seems virtuous and good,
- 00:03:48.685 --> 00:03:52.188
- Even religious.
- 00:03:52.188 --> 00:03:53.823
- Don't forget that satan, also known as lucifer, was once an
- 00:03:53.823 --> 00:03:58.361
- Angel of light.
- 00:03:58.361 --> 00:03:59.762
- I mean, what is more virtuous than going and getting a
- 00:03:59.762 --> 00:04:03.399
- Wonderful education at one of our ivy league universities?
- 00:04:03.399 --> 00:04:08.204
- But my question is, what is going on in these universities
- 00:04:08.204 --> 00:04:11.741
- Today like harvard and yale?
- 00:04:11.741 --> 00:04:15.011
- Did you know that the mission statement of harvard university
- 00:04:15.011 --> 00:04:18.648
- When it was founded back in 1646 went as follows: "let every
- 00:04:18.648 --> 00:04:24.620
- Student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to
- 00:04:24.620 --> 00:04:28.391
- Consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know
- 00:04:28.391 --> 00:04:33.162
- God and jesus christ, which is eternal life."
- 00:04:33.162 --> 00:04:37.100
- Mission statement of harvard.
- 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:39.035
- So how are they doing in that?
- 00:04:39.035 --> 00:04:41.537
- And then of course there's yale, very similar.
- 00:04:41.537 --> 00:04:44.474
- Their mission statement is, quote, "every student shall
- 00:04:44.474 --> 00:04:47.677
- Consider the main end of this study, to wit, to know god in
- 00:04:47.677 --> 00:04:52.081
- Jesus christ and answerably to lead a godly, sober life."
- 00:04:52.081 --> 00:04:57.153
- Wow, what happened in our universities?
- 00:04:57.153 --> 00:05:00.289
- They've become centers of confusion, promoting woke
- 00:05:00.289 --> 00:05:03.693
- Ideology, anti-american sentiment.
- 00:05:03.693 --> 00:05:07.163
- Worst of all, anti-christian sentiment, and they're a hotbed
- 00:05:07.163 --> 00:05:11.134
- Of anti-semitism.
- 00:05:11.134 --> 00:05:13.836
- So you see the challenges that are there, and i believe there's
- 00:05:13.836 --> 00:05:18.775
- A spiritual dynamic behind all of this.
- 00:05:18.775 --> 00:05:21.310
- I believe this is a spiritual battle that we're seeing right
- 00:05:21.310 --> 00:05:26.149
- Now and that's why we should not believe every spirit.
- 00:05:26.149 --> 00:05:29.318
- We need to be discerning and we need to be informed
- 00:05:29.318 --> 00:05:32.355
- And educated.
- 00:05:32.355 --> 00:05:33.723
- So that brings us to 1 john chapter 4, history lesson over.
- 00:05:33.723 --> 00:05:38.094
- "dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by
- 00:05:38.094 --> 00:05:41.364
- The spirit.
- 00:05:41.364 --> 00:05:42.698
- You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from god.
- 00:05:42.698 --> 00:05:47.870
- For there are many false prophets in the world.
- 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:51.607
- This is how we know if they have the spirit of god.
- 00:05:51.607 --> 00:05:54.410
- If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that jesus
- 00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:57.613
- Christ came in a real body, that person has the spirit of god.
- 00:05:57.613 --> 00:06:02.218
- If somehow they claim to be a prophet but does not acknowledge
- 00:06:02.218 --> 00:06:05.421
- The truth about jesus, that person is not from god.
- 00:06:05.421 --> 00:06:09.459
- Such a person has a spirit of the antichrist, which you heard
- 00:06:09.459 --> 00:06:13.830
- Is coming into the world and indeed is already here."
- 00:06:13.830 --> 00:06:18.201
- Point number one if you're taking notes, we are in a
- 00:06:18.201 --> 00:06:21.137
- Spiritual war.
- 00:06:21.137 --> 00:06:22.872
- John speaks of the antichrist and antichrists, plural.
- 00:06:22.872 --> 00:06:28.744
- The antichrist, a coming world leader, will emerge on the
- 00:06:28.744 --> 00:06:33.182
- Scene, and when he comes, he'll bring temporary peace.
- 00:06:33.182 --> 00:06:37.353
- He'll help the jews rebuild their temple, and then he will
- 00:06:37.353 --> 00:06:40.423
- Desecrate that rebuilt temple with what is called the
- 00:06:40.423 --> 00:06:43.526
- Abomination of desolation, spoken of in matthew 24
- 00:06:43.526 --> 00:06:47.830
- By jesus.
- 00:06:47.830 --> 00:06:49.765
- And this is where the antichrist will erect an image of himself
- 00:06:49.765 --> 00:06:53.102
- And command people to worship him.
- 00:06:53.102 --> 00:06:55.605
- So in effect, he'll show his true colors.
- 00:06:55.605 --> 00:06:58.608
- So this is the coming world leader, the antichrist.
- 00:06:58.608 --> 00:07:01.177
- But then there's antichrists that john refers to.
- 00:07:01.177 --> 00:07:05.748
- And remember, the prefix "anti" doesn't just mean against,
- 00:07:05.748 --> 00:07:09.619
- Though it includes that, but it also means instead of.
- 00:07:09.619 --> 00:07:12.889
- So john is saying in the last days you're going to see a lot
- 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:16.125
- Of instead of christs or fake christs or someone pretending to
- 00:07:16.125 --> 00:07:22.732
- Be christ or representing him.
- 00:07:22.732 --> 00:07:25.234
- And so this is something we need to be aware of.
- 00:07:25.234 --> 00:07:28.704
- So john is refuting a teaching of that time that was
- 00:07:28.704 --> 00:07:32.875
- Called gnosticism.
- 00:07:32.875 --> 00:07:34.810
- It's from the greek word "kenosis," which means to know.
- 00:07:34.810 --> 00:07:38.781
- So gnostics believed that salvation came through this
- 00:07:38.781 --> 00:07:42.552
- Hidden spiritual knowledge.
- 00:07:42.552 --> 00:07:45.354
- They did not believe that jesus christ was the son of god
- 00:07:45.354 --> 00:07:48.324
- Walking this earth.
- 00:07:48.324 --> 00:07:49.825
- They believed you had to get this hidden spiritual knowledge,
- 00:07:49.825 --> 00:07:53.262
- And then you would know, that's kenosis.
- 00:07:53.262 --> 00:07:55.965
- You would know.
- 00:07:55.965 --> 00:07:57.333
- So it's a funny thing: john takes their word from them and
- 00:07:57.333 --> 00:08:00.303
- Uses it to show how we can know god and he uses the word
- 00:08:00.303 --> 00:08:04.073
- "kenosis" 30 times in his epistle.
- 00:08:04.073 --> 00:08:07.176
- You can know this for sure.
- 00:08:07.176 --> 00:08:08.978
- You don't need the secret password.
- 00:08:08.978 --> 00:08:11.113
- You don't need the hidden knowledge.
- 00:08:11.113 --> 00:08:12.748
- But then he lays down this litmus test, if you will, as to
- 00:08:12.748 --> 00:08:17.853
- How to know whether or not something is really true.
- 00:08:17.853 --> 00:08:22.091
- Here it is, 1 john 4:2: "if a person claiming to be a prophet
- 00:08:22.091 --> 00:08:26.429
- Acknowledges that jesus christ came in a real body, that person
- 00:08:26.429 --> 00:08:30.666
- Has the spirit of god."
- 00:08:30.666 --> 00:08:32.034
- Listen to this: to be a christian, you must believe that
- 00:08:32.034 --> 00:08:35.438
- Jesus was born of a virgin, supernaturally conceived in
- 00:08:35.438 --> 00:08:40.710
- Her womb.
- 00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:42.044
- The virgin birth is an essential.
- 00:08:42.044 --> 00:08:43.946
- And then you must believe that he was fully god and fully man,
- 00:08:43.946 --> 00:08:48.050
- Walking among us.
- 00:08:48.050 --> 00:08:49.585
- And then you must believe that he died on the cross and bodily
- 00:08:49.585 --> 00:08:53.055
- Rose again from the dead three days later and that he's
- 00:08:53.055 --> 00:08:55.925
- Coming back again.
- 00:08:55.925 --> 00:08:57.426
- These are non-negotiables that every christian should believe.
- 00:08:57.426 --> 00:09:01.864
- You say, "well, everyone believes that.
- 00:09:01.864 --> 00:09:03.466
- In fact, every religion teaches that."
- 00:09:03.466 --> 00:09:05.301
- No, actually, they don't.
- 00:09:05.301 --> 00:09:07.269
- If you are to take even a quick look at the major religions of
- 00:09:07.269 --> 00:09:11.240
- The world, you would see they have very different views on the
- 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:14.644
- Person of jesus.
- 00:09:14.644 --> 00:09:16.512
- As an example, hinduism teaches jesus may be admired as a wise
- 00:09:16.512 --> 00:09:21.617
- Teacher or a holy man, possibly as a god among many other gods,
- 00:09:21.617 --> 00:09:28.524
- But it does not show him to be the one true god or the
- 00:09:28.524 --> 00:09:33.863
- Exclusive savior.
- 00:09:33.863 --> 00:09:35.264
- Okay, well, jesus said, "i'm the way, the truth and the life, and
- 00:09:35.264 --> 00:09:37.933
- No man comes to the father but by me," and he said, "i and the
- 00:09:37.933 --> 00:09:41.671
- Father are one," so that's clearly a different view than
- 00:09:41.671 --> 00:09:46.175
- What the bible teaches about christ.
- 00:09:46.175 --> 00:09:48.077
- Buddhism teaches jesus is not divine.
- 00:09:48.077 --> 00:09:52.081
- He's sort of an enlightened teacher, maybe a moral example,
- 00:09:52.081 --> 00:09:56.218
- But they have no real belief in a personal god in most
- 00:09:56.218 --> 00:10:00.189
- Buddhist schools.
- 00:10:00.189 --> 00:10:01.524
- Now mormonism, which will often present itself as a form of
- 00:10:01.524 --> 00:10:05.461
- Christianity, has a whole different view.
- 00:10:05.461 --> 00:10:08.664
- They teach jesus is the son of god.
- 00:10:08.664 --> 00:10:11.067
- He was created by god the father, but he's not equal with
- 00:10:11.067 --> 00:10:14.336
- The father.
- 00:10:14.336 --> 00:10:15.705
- Jesus said, "i and the father are one," claiming equality, but
- 00:10:15.705 --> 00:10:18.774
- They say he's not equal with the father, and they teach that
- 00:10:18.774 --> 00:10:22.178
- Jesus and satan are spirit brothers, and they deny
- 00:10:22.178 --> 00:10:26.415
- The trinity.
- 00:10:26.415 --> 00:10:27.783
- The jehovah's witnesses teach that jesus is not god, but
- 00:10:27.783 --> 00:10:31.854
- Rather he's the archangel michael in human form.
- 00:10:31.854 --> 00:10:35.891
- They deny the trinity and they deny the bodily resurrection
- 00:10:35.891 --> 00:10:39.295
- Of christ.
- 00:10:39.295 --> 00:10:40.629
- Now here's another thing, mormons and jehovah's witnesses
- 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:43.699
- Teach that they're the only way to god.
- 00:10:43.699 --> 00:10:47.036
- And so when a mormon says, "well, i'm a christian too," if
- 00:10:47.036 --> 00:10:49.739
- They're honest, they would say, "but we have our prophet, joseph
- 00:10:49.739 --> 00:10:54.176
- Smith, and we have our extra books that you don't have that
- 00:10:54.176 --> 00:10:57.246
- Are equal to the scripture, and you have to come this way if you
- 00:10:57.246 --> 00:11:01.050
- Want a relationship with god."
- 00:11:01.050 --> 00:11:02.451
- So the reason i tell you all this is i'm looking at the
- 00:11:02.451 --> 00:11:05.354
- Litmus test of 1 john.
- 00:11:05.354 --> 00:11:07.723
- And all of these are contrary to what john says.
- 00:11:07.723 --> 00:11:12.061
- These are sort of like modern versions of gnosticism.
- 00:11:12.061 --> 00:11:16.165
- And what is john emphasizing?
- 00:11:16.165 --> 00:11:17.967
- He's saying, "listen, i want you to know god."
- 00:11:17.967 --> 00:11:21.504
- In fact, in 1 john 5:13, he says, "we wrote these things to
- 00:11:21.504 --> 00:11:25.341
- You that believe in the name of the son of god so you may
- 00:11:25.341 --> 00:11:28.511
- Gnosko, so you may know you have eternal life."
- 00:11:28.511 --> 00:11:33.682
- You can know this for sure.
- 00:11:33.682 --> 00:11:35.684
- He repeats it again, 1 john 2:3: "by this we know that we
- 00:11:35.684 --> 00:11:40.222
- Know him."
- 00:11:40.222 --> 00:11:41.557
- And then in 1 john 3:14: "we know we have passed from death
- 00:11:41.557 --> 00:11:45.694
- To life," so he's focusing on this and emphasizing it.
- 00:11:45.694 --> 00:11:49.865
- It's no secret.
- 00:11:49.865 --> 00:11:51.734
- Anyone has access to it.
- 00:11:51.734 --> 00:11:53.235
- You don't need a secret password.
- 00:11:53.235 --> 00:11:55.204
- You probably heard this story before, but there's a man named
- 00:11:55.204 --> 00:11:58.908
- Stefan thomas, a german-born programmer who lives in
- 00:11:58.908 --> 00:12:02.945
- San francisco.
- 00:12:02.945 --> 00:12:04.313
- He was given over 7000 bitcoins back in 2011 as payment for
- 00:12:04.313 --> 00:12:09.385
- Making a video that explains how cryptocurrency works, and at
- 00:12:09.385 --> 00:12:14.790
- That time bitcoin was worth very little, but all of a sudden it
- 00:12:14.790 --> 00:12:19.562
- Was worth a lot more.
- 00:12:19.562 --> 00:12:20.896
- In fact, it was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but this
- 00:12:20.896 --> 00:12:25.201
- Individual took that bitcoin and he put it in a digital wallet.
- 00:12:25.201 --> 00:12:29.872
- I'm not even sure what that is exactly.
- 00:12:29.872 --> 00:12:32.741
- But to get the money, to access the bitcoin, you had to have the
- 00:12:32.741 --> 00:12:36.712
- Password which he wrote down on a piece of paper and then
- 00:12:36.712 --> 00:12:40.716
- Lost it.
- 00:12:40.716 --> 00:12:42.051
- I'm not laughing at his misfortune, but really you have
- 00:12:42.051 --> 00:12:44.753
- That much money in a account, you lost the password?
- 00:12:44.753 --> 00:12:48.224
- So--and i wonder what passwords he tried.
- 00:12:48.224 --> 00:12:50.726
- "password," that's a good password.
- 00:12:50.726 --> 00:12:52.995
- Or the name of your pet.
- 00:12:52.995 --> 00:12:54.363
- Oh, none of these.
- 00:12:54.363 --> 00:12:55.698
- He couldn't remember his password.
- 00:12:55.698 --> 00:12:57.867
- He tried eight times to get in.
- 00:12:57.867 --> 00:13:00.369
- He has two times left, and if he doesn't come up with a proper
- 00:13:00.369 --> 00:13:04.173
- Password, he will never have access to all that money.
- 00:13:04.173 --> 00:13:07.509
- And that's sort of how it can seem in this relationship
- 00:13:07.509 --> 00:13:09.845
- With god.
- 00:13:09.845 --> 00:13:11.180
- You don't have the password.
- 00:13:11.180 --> 00:13:12.548
- Here's the good news.
- 00:13:12.548 --> 00:13:13.883
- Jesus already took care of all of these things for you.
- 00:13:13.883 --> 00:13:16.852
- You don't have to worry about them at all.
- 00:13:16.852 --> 00:13:19.054
- You don't need secret codes or anything else.
- 00:13:19.054 --> 00:13:22.291
- Jesus entered your password.
- 00:13:25.928 --> 00:13:27.630
- He paid the price, and he has given you open access to god.
- 00:13:27.630 --> 00:13:32.401
- Point number two, god is bigger and greater than everyone and
- 00:13:32.401 --> 00:13:37.873
- Everything else.
- 00:13:37.873 --> 00:13:39.541
- God is bigger and god is greater than everyone and
- 00:13:39.541 --> 00:13:42.878
- Everything else.
- 00:13:42.878 --> 00:13:44.546
- Look at 1 john 4:4: "but you belong to god, my dear children.
- 00:13:44.546 --> 00:13:48.017
- You've already won a victory over these people because," and
- 00:13:48.017 --> 00:13:51.120
- I love this verse, "greater is he that is in you than he that
- 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:55.157
- Is in the world."
- 00:13:55.157 --> 00:13:57.192
- Memorize that verse.
- 00:13:57.192 --> 00:13:59.361
- "greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."
- 00:13:59.361 --> 00:14:02.765
- Here are three biblical examples of god's people overcoming their
- 00:14:02.765 --> 00:14:07.136
- Adversary: moses at the red sea.
- 00:14:07.136 --> 00:14:10.973
- Wow, he's at the brink of this massive body of water he can't
- 00:14:10.973 --> 00:14:15.744
- Get across.
- 00:14:15.744 --> 00:14:17.179
- Behind him in hot pursuit is the egyptian army.
- 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:20.015
- He's literally between a rock and a hard place, and he calls
- 00:14:20.015 --> 00:14:24.520
- Out to god.
- 00:14:24.520 --> 00:14:26.221
- And god says, "i will fight from you.
- 00:14:26.221 --> 00:14:28.324
- You only need to be still," and the red sea parted.
- 00:14:28.324 --> 00:14:31.760
- You know the story.
- 00:14:31.760 --> 00:14:33.095
- And so all of israel passed through the dry bed of the red
- 00:14:33.095 --> 00:14:37.399
- Sea, and the waters were piled up on each side.
- 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:40.035
- You ever been to one of those really nice aquariums like the
- 00:14:40.035 --> 00:14:42.705
- Monterey aquarium?
- 00:14:42.705 --> 00:14:44.239
- They have these giant tanks with all these exotic creatures.
- 00:14:44.239 --> 00:14:47.943
- Imagine walking through the red sea going, "whoa, whoa, whoa,
- 00:14:47.943 --> 00:14:50.546
- That's cool.
- 00:14:50.546 --> 00:14:51.880
- Get my camera, hurry."
- 00:14:51.880 --> 00:14:53.649
- And meanwhile moses is going, "keep walking, keep walking.
- 00:14:53.649 --> 00:14:55.985
- Let's go, let's go, let's go."
- 00:14:55.985 --> 00:14:57.686
- They get to the other side.
- 00:14:57.686 --> 00:14:59.021
- The last israeli gets over and the waters close on the pursuing
- 00:14:59.021 --> 00:15:03.192
- Egyptian army.
- 00:15:03.192 --> 00:15:05.427
- Think of david facing goliath.
- 00:15:05.427 --> 00:15:07.396
- What an adversary, 9 feet, 6 inches of solid muscle.
- 00:15:07.396 --> 00:15:12.735
- Yet david trusted in the lord and said, "you have defied the
- 00:15:12.735 --> 00:15:17.773
- Armies of israel," and he attacked him, and goliath
- 00:15:17.773 --> 00:15:20.776
- Was defeated.
- 00:15:20.776 --> 00:15:22.111
- Think of the disciples on the sea of galilee.
- 00:15:22.111 --> 00:15:24.947
- A violent storm hits and they're pitching about in that little
- 00:15:24.947 --> 00:15:28.784
- Boat and jesus stands up and rebukes the sea and
- 00:15:28.784 --> 00:15:31.754
- Says, "peace!
- 00:15:31.754 --> 00:15:33.088
- Be still."
- 00:15:33.088 --> 00:15:34.456
- Jesus was bigger than that storm.
- 00:15:34.456 --> 00:15:36.592
- Point number three: if you really know god, you will
- 00:15:36.592 --> 00:15:40.763
- Love others.
- 00:15:40.763 --> 00:15:42.531
- If you really know god, you will love others.
- 00:15:42.531 --> 00:15:45.334
- 1 john 4:7: "dear friends, let us continue to love one another.
- 00:15:45.334 --> 00:15:51.540
- To love comes from god.
- 00:15:51.540 --> 00:15:52.975
- Anyone who loves is a child of god and knows god, but anyone
- 00:15:52.975 --> 00:15:57.212
- Who does not love does not know god, for god is love."
- 00:15:57.212 --> 00:16:03.352
- I love this.
- 00:16:03.352 --> 00:16:04.686
- Earlier, we identified the three major themes of 1 john.
- 00:16:04.686 --> 00:16:08.357
- Number one, god is light.
- 00:16:08.357 --> 00:16:10.793
- 1 john 1:1: "this is the message we've heard from the beginning,
- 00:16:10.793 --> 00:16:15.431
- And declare to you that god is light and in him there is no
- 00:16:15.431 --> 00:16:18.467
- Darkness," so god is light.
- 00:16:18.467 --> 00:16:20.502
- Number two, god is love, reinforced right here before us.
- 00:16:20.502 --> 00:16:24.673
- "and he does not love, does not know god."
- 00:16:24.673 --> 00:16:27.076
- And thirdly, god is life.
- 00:16:27.076 --> 00:16:29.511
- 1 john chapter 5, "he that has the son of god has life.
- 00:16:29.511 --> 00:16:33.715
- He who does not have the son of god does not have life."
- 00:16:33.715 --> 00:16:36.819
- Light and love are inseparable, sort of like grace and truth,
- 00:16:36.819 --> 00:16:41.223
- Light and love.
- 00:16:41.223 --> 00:16:42.591
- So, you know, light shows you what's really going on.
- 00:16:42.591 --> 00:16:46.595
- You ever lose something in your car?
- 00:16:46.595 --> 00:16:48.063
- It's really dark.
- 00:16:48.063 --> 00:16:49.531
- You gotta get it out of the garage, you gotta get some light
- 00:16:49.531 --> 00:16:52.201
- In there and then you find it.
- 00:16:52.201 --> 00:16:53.669
- Oh, that's where that burrito went that i lost one year ago.
- 00:16:53.669 --> 00:16:58.640
- No wonder there was an odd smell in the car.
- 00:16:58.640 --> 00:17:02.444
- So light exposes things.
- 00:17:02.444 --> 00:17:04.113
- So maybe the light shines into a person's life.
- 00:17:04.113 --> 00:17:07.683
- Maybe it's a friend of yours, the light of scripture, the
- 00:17:07.683 --> 00:17:10.352
- Light of truth, and you see they're doing something they
- 00:17:10.352 --> 00:17:13.288
- Should not be doing.
- 00:17:13.288 --> 00:17:14.690
- That's where love comes in.
- 00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:16.058
- The light shows the problem, but the love wants to help the
- 00:17:16.058 --> 00:17:18.527
- Person in the problem, right?
- 00:17:18.527 --> 00:17:21.363
- So the bible says if a brother or a sister is overtaken in a
- 00:17:21.363 --> 00:17:25.634
- Fault, you who are spiritual should kick them when they're
- 00:17:25.634 --> 00:17:28.937
- Down and tell as many people as possible, preferably on
- 00:17:28.937 --> 00:17:33.408
- Social media.
- 00:17:33.408 --> 00:17:35.310
- You know that verse, right?
- 00:17:35.310 --> 00:17:37.146
- Yeah, it's not in the bible.
- 00:17:37.146 --> 00:17:39.014
- What it really says is "if a brother or a sister is overtaken
- 00:17:39.014 --> 00:17:42.417
- In a fault or stumbles in sin, you who are spiritual should
- 00:17:42.417 --> 00:17:46.555
- Restore such a person in a spirit of meekness and take heed
- 00:17:46.555 --> 00:17:51.293
- Lest you also be tempted."
- 00:17:51.293 --> 00:17:53.629
- So what it's truly saying is if someone's down, help them up
- 00:17:53.629 --> 00:17:56.498
- Because one day you may be down.
- 00:17:56.498 --> 00:17:59.401
- And you may need someone to help you up.
- 00:17:59.401 --> 00:18:02.104
- See, that's light and love.
- 00:18:02.104 --> 00:18:03.605
- Light shows the problem.
- 00:18:03.605 --> 00:18:05.440
- Love brings the solution, and god is love.
- 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:10.979
- Jesus said, "by this shall all men know that you are my
- 00:18:10.979 --> 00:18:14.416
- Disciples, that you have perfect doctrine."
- 00:18:14.416 --> 00:18:18.620
- Well, we should have perfect doctrine as much as we can.
- 00:18:18.620 --> 00:18:21.957
- We should believe the right things, but actually he didn't
- 00:18:21.957 --> 00:18:24.126
- Say that.
- 00:18:24.126 --> 00:18:25.460
- "by this shall all men know you are my disciples, that you have
- 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:28.797
- Love one for another."
- 00:18:28.797 --> 00:18:31.266
- You know, one of the things that drew me to christ was the love
- 00:18:31.266 --> 00:18:35.938
- Of christians demonstrated toward each other.
- 00:18:35.938 --> 00:18:39.808
- I looked at them and i thought, "these people are weird.
- 00:18:39.808 --> 00:18:42.044
- They seem to actually love each other."
- 00:18:42.044 --> 00:18:44.813
- And i don't know what kind of home you were raised in, but i
- 00:18:44.813 --> 00:18:48.016
- Wasn't raised in what you call a loving home.
- 00:18:48.016 --> 00:18:51.420
- I know my mom loved me in her way, but she never told me.
- 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:55.857
- She never affirmed me in that way, so i never heard it.
- 00:18:55.857 --> 00:18:58.694
- She never hugged me, so i was kind of a sort of a broken
- 00:18:58.694 --> 00:19:04.433
- Person when i first showed up at church and some girl comes up to
- 00:19:04.433 --> 00:19:07.736
- Me i'd never seen before, throws her arms around me, and says,
- 00:19:07.736 --> 00:19:11.773
- "god bless you.
- 00:19:11.773 --> 00:19:13.108
- I love you, brother," and i'm like, "uh."
- 00:19:13.108 --> 00:19:16.912
- You know, not everyone's a hugger.
- 00:19:16.912 --> 00:19:19.715
- Some people say, "i'm a hugger."
- 00:19:19.715 --> 00:19:21.383
- I'm like, "oh, no.
- 00:19:21.383 --> 00:19:24.152
- How long is this gonna take?"
- 00:19:24.152 --> 00:19:27.823
- But you know, some people don't know how to do that.
- 00:19:27.823 --> 00:19:31.326
- I was one of those people.
- 00:19:31.326 --> 00:19:33.328
- Reminds me about a scene, or reminds me of a scene from "star
- 00:19:33.328 --> 00:19:36.665
- Wars" when princess leia says to han solo, "i love you," and in
- 00:19:36.665 --> 00:19:42.237
- The original script he was supposed to say, "i love you
- 00:19:42.237 --> 00:19:45.540
- Too," but harrison ford, who played han solo, said, "han
- 00:19:45.540 --> 00:19:48.644
- Wouldn't say that."
- 00:19:48.644 --> 00:19:50.045
- So they rewrote the scene and it went as follows: princess leia
- 00:19:50.045 --> 00:19:53.815
- Says, "i love you."
- 00:19:53.815 --> 00:19:55.183
- Han says, "i know.
- 00:19:55.183 --> 00:19:58.654
- That's good."
- 00:19:58.654 --> 00:19:59.988
- That's me.
- 00:19:59.988 --> 00:20:01.323
- "i love you, brother."
- 00:20:01.323 --> 00:20:02.858
- "yeah, i know.
- 00:20:02.858 --> 00:20:04.993
- Okay, can you stop hugging me now, please?"
- 00:20:04.993 --> 00:20:09.831
- It's taken me a long time to learn how to love, to learn how
- 00:20:09.831 --> 00:20:14.102
- To say, "i love you," and to accept love from others, but
- 00:20:14.102 --> 00:20:18.307
- That is a mark of a real christian.
- 00:20:18.307 --> 00:20:20.475
- Be known for your love, be known as a bridge builder, not a
- 00:20:20.475 --> 00:20:24.446
- Bridge burner.
- 00:20:24.446 --> 00:20:26.348
- Be known as someone who builds people up, not as someone who
- 00:20:26.348 --> 00:20:29.251
- Tears people down.
- 00:20:29.251 --> 00:20:31.286
- Be a loving person, be a forgiving person, as i've often
- 00:20:31.286 --> 00:20:35.724
- Said--i forgot what i often have said.
- 00:20:35.724 --> 00:20:40.595
- Oh, yes, and that brings me to my next point in a moment.
- 00:20:40.595 --> 00:20:45.701
- When you forgive a person, you set a prisoner free: yourself.
- 00:20:45.701 --> 00:20:50.839
- Point number four, god's love is greater than our worst fears.
- 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:56.078
- God's love is greater than our worst fears.
- 00:20:56.078 --> 00:20:59.614
- 1 john 4:18: "god demonstrated this love to us by sending his
- 00:20:59.614 --> 00:21:03.785
- Only begotten son.
- 00:21:03.785 --> 00:21:05.387
- Such love has no fear, for perfect love expels all fear."
- 00:21:05.387 --> 00:21:11.460
- King james translation: "perfect love casts out all fear."
- 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:15.931
- If we are afraid, it is for the fear of punishment, and it shows
- 00:21:15.931 --> 00:21:19.935
- We have not fully experienced his perfect love.
- 00:21:19.935 --> 00:21:23.672
- I find this verse interesting.
- 00:21:23.672 --> 00:21:25.974
- You might think john would say courage is better than fear, or
- 00:21:25.974 --> 00:21:29.611
- Faith is better than fear, and that's all true.
- 00:21:29.611 --> 00:21:33.014
- But instead john says, "perfect love casts out all fear."
- 00:21:33.014 --> 00:21:38.353
- And the word that he uses for cast out or expel is a strong
- 00:21:38.353 --> 00:21:42.424
- Action-oriented word that means to drive out, to throw out
- 00:21:42.424 --> 00:21:47.662
- With force.
- 00:21:47.662 --> 00:21:49.030
- Fear and love are mutually exclusive.
- 00:21:49.030 --> 00:21:51.400
- If you are living in fear, especially the fear of judgment,
- 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:54.736
- You have not yet grasped what it is to be loved by god.
- 00:21:54.736 --> 00:21:59.174
- Please know this: you are loved by god.
- 00:21:59.174 --> 00:22:02.677
- God is not mad at you.
- 00:22:02.677 --> 00:22:05.547
- God is mad about you.
- 00:22:05.547 --> 00:22:08.183
- And he loves you with the deepest love, and that evicts
- 00:22:08.183 --> 00:22:12.421
- Fear because if you walk around with a concern that, oh man, god
- 00:22:12.421 --> 00:22:16.591
- Doesn't love me and god's gonna judge me, then john is saying,
- 00:22:16.591 --> 00:22:20.729
- "man, listen, when you know the love of god, it drives that fear
- 00:22:20.729 --> 00:22:25.267
- Away, and he's never going to stop loving you."
- 00:22:25.267 --> 00:22:28.503
- Number five point: romans 8:38 reinforces this when it says,
- 00:22:28.503 --> 00:22:33.475
- "i'm convinced that nothing can separate us from god's love,
- 00:22:33.475 --> 00:22:37.646
- Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons nor our fears
- 00:22:37.646 --> 00:22:41.349
- For today or worries about tomorrow, even the powers of
- 00:22:41.349 --> 00:22:45.020
- Hell cannot separate us from god's love."
- 00:22:45.020 --> 00:22:48.990
- And you know, our fears change with the passing of time.
- 00:22:48.990 --> 00:22:53.829
- When we're little kids, we have little kid fears.
- 00:22:53.829 --> 00:22:56.865
- I hope you don't still have those fears.
- 00:22:56.865 --> 00:22:59.634
- You're afraid of the dark, you're afraid of the monster
- 00:22:59.634 --> 00:23:02.737
- Under the bed.
- 00:23:02.737 --> 00:23:04.439
- You're afraid of abandonment.
- 00:23:04.439 --> 00:23:05.974
- That's why divorce is so devastating, especially
- 00:23:05.974 --> 00:23:08.810
- For children.
- 00:23:08.810 --> 00:23:10.145
- I remember that well.
- 00:23:10.145 --> 00:23:11.513
- As you get older, maybe your early teens, you have
- 00:23:11.513 --> 00:23:14.182
- Different fears.
- 00:23:14.182 --> 00:23:15.550
- You have the fear of not fitting in.
- 00:23:15.550 --> 00:23:17.352
- Not being liked or accepted, not being good enough.
- 00:23:17.352 --> 00:23:20.922
- Then you become a young adult and you have new fears.
- 00:23:20.922 --> 00:23:23.725
- Now your fear is, am i going to find a career?
- 00:23:23.725 --> 00:23:26.495
- Am i going to find someone to love me?
- 00:23:26.495 --> 00:23:28.029
- Am i going to find a spouse?
- 00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:30.398
- Or maybe you find yourself comparing yourself to others on
- 00:23:30.398 --> 00:23:33.401
- Social media.
- 00:23:33.401 --> 00:23:34.769
- Then one day you wake up and you're an old person.
- 00:23:34.769 --> 00:23:38.340
- And they have different fears too.
- 00:23:38.340 --> 00:23:40.742
- How do you know when you're an old person?
- 00:23:40.742 --> 00:23:43.645
- There are telltale signs.
- 00:23:43.645 --> 00:23:45.447
- You know you're getting old when you sink your teeth into a
- 00:23:45.447 --> 00:23:48.016
- Steak, and they stay there.
- 00:23:48.016 --> 00:23:53.855
- You know you're getting old when you have a party and your
- 00:23:53.855 --> 00:23:56.324
- Neighbors don't even know it.
- 00:23:56.324 --> 00:23:59.160
- You know you're getting old when your back goes out more than
- 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:02.430
- You do.
- 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:04.299
- You know you're getting old when you drop something and you bend
- 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:07.035
- Down to pick it up and you wonder what else you can do
- 00:24:07.035 --> 00:24:09.938
- While you're down there.
- 00:24:09.938 --> 00:24:12.641
- "i don't want to come down here again.
- 00:24:12.641 --> 00:24:14.910
- Is there anything else that needs to be cleaned or
- 00:24:14.910 --> 00:24:18.046
- Picked up?
- 00:24:18.046 --> 00:24:19.414
- Let's get it over with."
- 00:24:19.414 --> 00:24:20.982
- Signs of getting old.
- 00:24:20.982 --> 00:24:23.451
- But the good news is, is god has something for you in every stage
- 00:24:23.451 --> 00:24:27.088
- Of life.
- 00:24:27.088 --> 00:24:28.456
- To the child, god says, "i'll never leave you or forsake you."
- 00:24:28.456 --> 00:24:32.027
- To the teen, god says, "you're fearfully and wonderfully made."
- 00:24:32.027 --> 00:24:36.798
- To the young adult, the lord says, "i know the thoughts that
- 00:24:36.798 --> 00:24:39.467
- I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
- 00:24:39.467 --> 00:24:42.504
- You a future and a hope."
- 00:24:42.504 --> 00:24:44.472
- And to the elderly, god says, "even to your old age and gray
- 00:24:44.472 --> 00:24:48.243
- Hairs, i am he--i am he who will sustain you.
- 00:24:48.243 --> 00:24:51.813
- I've made you. i will carry you.
- 00:24:51.813 --> 00:24:53.982
- I will sustain you, and i will rescue you."
- 00:24:53.982 --> 00:24:57.552
- I love that.
- 00:24:57.552 --> 00:25:03.758
- All the old people are clapping...
- 00:25:03.758 --> 00:25:07.429
- Clear! ...
- 00:25:07.429 --> 00:25:08.930
- "i'm back," okay.
- 00:25:08.930 --> 00:25:11.933
- So he has something for all of us.
- 00:25:11.933 --> 00:25:14.736
- You know, when you get older, you don't want to lose your
- 00:25:14.736 --> 00:25:19.407
- Mobility, you don't want to lose your mental sharpness.
- 00:25:19.407 --> 00:25:22.877
- You want to remember things.
- 00:25:22.877 --> 00:25:24.245
- That's very important.
- 00:25:24.245 --> 00:25:27.682
- Um, anyway, i--that was a joke.
- 00:25:27.682 --> 00:25:29.484
- I meant it that time.
- 00:25:29.484 --> 00:25:30.819
- The other time i really did forget.
- 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:32.220
- This time, that was the joke, like, oh, you lose your mental
- 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:36.057
- Sharpness and i forgot something, see?
- 00:25:36.057 --> 00:25:38.059
- Okay, last point: our love for god is a response to god's love
- 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:44.633
- For us.
- 00:25:44.633 --> 00:25:46.301
- Our love for god is a response to god's love for us.
- 00:25:46.301 --> 00:25:49.404
- Why do we love god?
- 00:25:49.404 --> 00:25:50.739
- 1 john 4:19: "we love him because he first loved us."
- 00:25:50.739 --> 00:25:57.646
- I mean, when we just think about the fact that god loves us,
- 00:25:57.646 --> 00:26:01.249
- It's overwhelming.
- 00:26:01.249 --> 00:26:03.184
- You know, the bible says it's the goodness of god or the
- 00:26:03.184 --> 00:26:06.354
- Kindness of god that brings us to repentance.
- 00:26:06.354 --> 00:26:09.758
- His love wore down our rebellion.
- 00:26:09.758 --> 00:26:13.128
- One day we just realize, "why am i fighting with him?
- 00:26:13.128 --> 00:26:16.197
- Why am i running from him?
- 00:26:16.197 --> 00:26:18.466
- He loves me," and so i respond in love.
- 00:26:18.466 --> 00:26:22.470
- Greg: hi, i'm greg laurie. i've got some good news for you.
- 00:26:26.608 --> 00:26:29.310
- God loves you, and god has a plan for your life.
- 00:26:29.310 --> 00:26:33.148
- Here's the problem: we're separated from god by our sin
- 00:26:33.148 --> 00:26:36.618
- Because we've all broken his commandments.
- 00:26:36.618 --> 00:26:39.554
- But the good news is that 2,000 years ago, god sent
- 00:26:39.554 --> 00:26:43.024
- His son, jesus christ, to die on the cross for your sin,
- 00:26:43.024 --> 00:26:47.429
- And then to rise again from the dead.
- 00:26:47.429 --> 00:26:49.831
- The same jesus who died and rose is alive and ready
- 00:26:49.831 --> 00:26:53.134
- To come into your life right now.
- 00:26:53.134 --> 00:26:55.670
- Would you like your sin forgiven?
- 00:26:55.670 --> 00:26:57.739
- Would you like to know that when you die you will go to heaven?
- 00:26:57.739 --> 00:27:00.608
- If so, pray this simple prayer with me right now.
- 00:27:00.608 --> 00:27:03.912
- Just say, "lord jesus, i know i'm a sinner, but i believe
- 00:27:03.912 --> 00:27:07.615
- You're the savior, who died on the cross for my sin.
- 00:27:07.615 --> 00:27:11.086
- I turn from my sin now, and i choose to follow you
- 00:27:11.086 --> 00:27:14.589
- From this moment forward."
- 00:27:14.589 --> 00:27:16.958
- Did you just pray that prayer with me?
- 00:27:16.958 --> 00:27:18.793
- If you did, god in heaven has heard you.
- 00:27:18.793 --> 00:27:21.663
- And let me be the first to say to you: congratulations and
- 00:27:21.663 --> 00:27:25.567
- Welcome to the family of god.
- 00:27:25.567 --> 00:27:27.535
