Hey there, thanks for listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast, a ministry supported by Harvest Partners. I'm Greg Laurie, encouraging you, if you want to find out more about Harvest Ministries and learn more about how to become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org. What a great night it's been so far, and we still have a lot more to come, but. I want to talk to you about your life and the direction your life is taking. The title of my message is, What's It Going to Take?
Now, you might think, that I was raised in a Christian home.
Well, the very opposite was the case. I was raised in a home where there was no mention of Jesus, there was no church, there were no Bibles. My mother was living her La Vida Loca life. Going from husband to husband, from marriage to marriage. She was married and divorced seven times and Had a lot of boyfriends in between.
She was also a raging alcoholic.
So I spent part of my childhood living with my grandparents when I was a little boy. And because of this, I felt, well, alone. I felt abandoned. And I felt like, what is my life even about? I don't think anyone really wants me.
And at night, I would pull the covers over my head after my grandparents had gone to bed. And I would talk to an imaginary character I came up with and I called him Mr. Nobody. The sad thing is, I was 30 years old when I did this. No, not really, but.
Mr. Nobody. And I would talk to this. person that wasn't really there and I'd kind of pour my little heart out to him. And then my life took its own course in the wrong direction.
I got into partying, I got into drinking and drugs and so forth. But at the age of 17, I heard about Jesus Christ, and suddenly it dawned on me, Mr. Nobody had a name, and his name was Jesus, you see. That's who I really was searching for.
So coming back to my grandparents' home, they had a portrait of Jesus hanging on the wall. And as a little boy, I would just stare at that portrait of Christ. And I would think, wow, I wish I could have met Jesus. I thought of him merely as a historical figure that lived and died, and I didn't really know much more of that story. But I thought about Jesus, and think how cool it would be if you could sit down with Jesus and have a cup of coffee.
Would Jesus drink coffee? I don't know. But just imagine for a moment we're going to go out and get a cup of coffee with Jesus. I'd order a cappuccino. I don't like all these syrups and things people put into coffee.
You go into like a Starbucks now and people say, I love a venti iced mocha, chocolate, frappuccino with six pumps of toffee nut syrup. Just go to 31 flavors. That's not even coffee. I don't know. Would Jesus drink coffee?
Maybe, maybe a matcha, maybe some tea, herbal tea, perhaps. Who knows? But just imagine sitting across the table from Jesus. You could ask him anything, you could tell him anything. I think younger people would want questions to the big.
Issues of life like why am I here? What is my purpose in life? What is the meaning of my life? The older folks might want to know more about. their life if it really mattered and they would want to know what happens when they die.
Because deep down inside, we're all searching for meaning. Because you see, in effect, we're born with a hole in our heart. It's sort of like a spiritual void. That cannot be filled with anything this world has to offer, you know, as a kid. I was more interested not in what happens after I die as much as I was interested in.
What happens when I live? In other words, not is there life after death, but is there life during life? I was looking for a meaningful life, a purposeful life. And a lot of people are. You probably are yourself.
But you think, oh, if I just had success, if I just had fame, then I know I would be happy. Jim Carrey once said, and I quote, I think everyone should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that is not the answer, end quote. Very true. You know I'm glad Jim Carrey got some applause tonight. L that's we're good.
We're good. But you can get everything on demand now. We carry these little computers in our pockets. We call them smartphones. You can order a car on your phone.
You can have dinner delivered by drone. You can break up with someone with an emoji. We're drowning in entertainment and we're starving. for meaning. And we get people started early.
You know, I noticed that they come out now with iPad holders and strollers. Have you seen that? An iPad holder in a stroller. They give. Smartphones out to dogs now, even cats.
The cats won't take them, they don't want them. Too disinterested. But think about Generation Z. They have more information than any generation ever, and yet they've been described as the hopeless generation. 72% of them use AI companions regularly instead of human interaction because they have no one else to talk to.
Generation Z has the highest suicide rate of any generation in American history. Then you have high school students. 42% of high school students experience constant sadness. 22% of high school students have contemplated suicide. Is that a description of someone I've talked to?
talking to right now, you're a hopeless person. You're constantly sad. You've even contemplated suicide. Billie Eilish and her song Everything I Wanted saying, quote, I had a dream, I got everything I wanted, not what you'd think, and if I'm honest, it might have been a nightmare, end quote.
Now that's coming from a young girl that's made it. She's had success. Fame didn't satisfy her. Your soul isn't craving applause, it's craving a relationship with God. That's what you want.
And that's what you need. Lady Gaga said, quote, Amidst all these flashing lights, I pray the fame won't take my life. Comedian Kevin Hart said, the biggest drug is fame, and if you can't handle it, the consequences attached are severe. Then there's Tom Brady. He's so successful, they call him the goat.
The greatest of all time.
Someone called me the goat the other day. They said, hey, goat. I said, you mean the greatest of all time? He said, no, old goat, get out of my way. Oh, sorry.
But Tom Brady, despite all of his success, made this statement. He said, I have three Super Bowl rings, and I think there's something greater out there. I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, God, it's got to be more than this. It is.
Brad Pitt. Who's starring in the film F1 right now said, We're supposed to care about the car, the condo, but if that's true, why does it all feel like desperation, loneliness, and isolation? Good question, Brad Pitt. You're searching for God. That's what we all want deep down inside.
Listen, I don't know you necessarily, but I know a few things about you, even if I've never met you. I know that everybody is empty inside. I know that everyone is lonely inside. I know that everyone is guilty inside. And I know that everyone is afraid to die.
Doesn't matter where you're from. Doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. Doesn't matter if you're young or old or if you're rich or you're poor. Your life feels like one long scroll. And no matter how far you swipe, you're still empty inside.
What you're looking for isn't found on a screen or an AI voice that speaks to you and flatters you. It's found in a living God who has a plan and a purpose for your life tonight. But we talk about God and we ask, well, what is God like? Is God sort of like a cosmic boss waiting to fire you when you mess up? Is God like an angry judge holding a lightning bolt?
According to Jesus, God is like a father. Who loves you? Deeply and misses you when you are away from him. I heard a story about a father and son that went into a hardware store. And as they were checking out, there was a large Jar of candy there.
And the hardware store owner said to the young boy, Go ahead, son, grab a handful of candy. And the little boy just looked up at his father. The hardware store owner again said, son, go ahead, grab a handful of candy. It's free, no charge. Again, the little boy just looked up at his father.
The hardware star said it to the little guy again. Finally, the father just reached in, grabbed a big handful of candy, and they walked out. And as they got in the car, the dad asked his son, son, why didn't you grab a handful of candy? The little boy said, Dad, because your hand is bigger than mine. God's hand is bigger than yours.
God's plan for your life is better than your plan for yourself. The Bible promises that God is able to do exceedingly above and beyond that which you could ask or think. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is where the Lord says in Jeremiah 29, 11, I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. God has a future for you. There's hope for you.
And it's found in a relationship with him through Jesus Christ. We're in a big crowd right now. Angel Stadium. Stadium is full to the brim. There's even people outside Others are watching as well.
We're thankful for that. You're very excited about being a large crowd, aren't you? But What I wanted to say was, despite the fact that it's a large crowd. God sees you as an individual. He sees you right now.
He knows all about you. You see? The Bible even says the very hairs of our head are numbered. In my case, that's not a big deal. There's like one, two, three, four, but.
Some of you have beautiful full heads of hair. Like my wife, Kathy Laurie, she has the greatest hair of all time. Doesn't she have beautiful hair? But you see, he has a plan for you, a purpose for you. And I want to talk to you about.
a story that Jesus told. That shows us what God is like. We often call it the parable of the prodigal son. It's found in the Gospel of Luke chapter 15.
So Jesus is basically saying, you don't want to know what God is like. Here's what God is like: God is like a father. who had two sons. And the younger son told his father, I want my share of the estate now instead of waiting until you die.
So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons and a few days later his younger son packed all of his belongings and took a trip to a distant land. And there he wasted all of his money on wild living. And about the time his money ran out, others ran out with it. And a great famine swept over the land. and he began to starve.
He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs and the boy became so hungry that even the food he was feeding the pigs looked good to him, but no one gave him anything.
So this kid, he's like a Nepo baby. His parents are very wealthy. They had servants. They had everything you could want, but this kid was binging on too many fast and furious movies. He wanted to go out and have his own personal adventures.
He was tired of the rules and regulations of his dad.
So effectively, he says, look, Dad, I know you're going to drop dead one day, and I'll get an inheritance. I'd rather not wait. Can you just give it to me now? And off that boy went. And as soon as the money ran out, his friends ran out with it.
Minds you have a story I heard of two guys that were out camping in the forest. is they're getting up in the morning. Uh they heard a rustling. in the bushes and suddenly they look and a large bear is running at them full speed. One of the friends is putting on his running shoes.
His buddy says, you don't think you can outrun that bear, do you? He says, I don't need to outrun the bear. I need to outrun you. See that's That's how some friends are. They run out when things get hard.
And you think you have certain friends, but boy, you'll find out fast. Especially if you give your life to Jesus Christ. You know. When I became a Christian at age 17 on my high school campus, I had a bunch of. friends I used to hang out with and we did drugs together.
And they hadn't seen me for a while since I'd become a believer in Jesus. And so, as I was walking across our campus, someone saw me and recognized me from a little Bible study that we had there, and they said, Brother Greg, Brother Greg, I'm like, and what? Brother Greg, I'm thinking, I'm not your brother unless it's a brother from another mother. Who are you? Bro, yes?
You don't have a Bible yet. I saw you became a Christian. Yeah, I did. You need a Bible, bro.
Okay. Here's the Bible and he gives me this Bible and it was maybe the ugliest Bible I've ever seen. It was all beat up and thrashed, and it had two popsicle sticks glued together in the shape of a cross. It's the word of God, bro. Start reading it.
I'm like, okay. Bye. And I was embarrassed by this Bible. And so I'm trying to shove it into the pocket of my jacket and I even ripped it to hide it. And I thought, I haven't seen my friends for a while.
I'll go over and see what they're up to.
So I go over and walk in the door, and they're all sitting around. They said, Lori, where have you been? I said, nowhere. Laurie, what have you been up to? I said, nothing.
Really? Hey, you want to get high? I said, no, you don't? No. And see, one thing I forgot to tell you is when I went into my friend's house, I was embarrassed that they would see the Bible, so I pulled it out of my pocket and put it in the bushes in front of his house.
So I'm in this room, not admitting that I've become a Christian, not wanting to tell them what had happened to me, and suddenly the front door bursts open and this guy's mother is standing there holding my Bible. And she says, who does this belong to? Every eye in the room went to the Bible and then they all went to me. Like they knew there was a connection. I said, oh, that's mine.
One of them said, What is that, Craig? I said, It's a Bible. No, a what? It's a Bible. A what a Bible.
And I grabbed it. And then one of my friends said, oh, are we going to be... Christians now and follow Jesus? I said, No, I'm going to hit you in the mouth. That's what I'm going to do.
See, I hadn't read 1 Corinthians 13 or anything else yet. I just thought, what's going on? And all my friends turned on me right there on the spot. And I realized these guys are not going to be my friends anymore. They start to mock me, and I walked out of there realizing I need to get some new friends.
Listen, you want to be a real revolutionary today? People talk about revolution. You want to really stand up from the crowd. You want to be a real rebel. You want to be punk rock for real?
Follow Jesus Christ. That's the most radical thing you can do. That's so counterculture. Because our whole culture is not oriented toward God. It's oriented against him.
It takes courage to follow Christ. But I'm going to call you in a few moments to get up out of your seat and do what thousands of people have done over the last 35 years. I'm going to ask you to come down to this field and make a public stand to follow Jesus Christ and find the meaning and purpose of life.
So this boy runs away from his father. All of his money runs out. And he hits bottom. And he says, this This is horrible, this sucks, right? What am I doing?
I got it better back home. In fact, even the guys that just worked for my dad have it better than me. I mean, here I am literally. Thinking about eating the food, I'm feeding the pigs. And the boy says, I'm just going to go home.
I'm going to say, Dad, look, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Just make me like one of your hired hands. Just so I get three square meals a day and have a place to sleep. I'm going to go home again.
So the boyball, the boybull, there is no boibble.
Okay, so the boy.
So the boy's making his way home. He's reciting his little speech that he's going to say to his father what he's going to do. And then I love the story as Jesus tells it. He says that as the boy was a long ways off, the father saw him. and began to run toward him.
He was so excited to see his son return again. And the boy said, Dad, I failed. I've sinned. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father wasn't even listening.
He says, Let's have a party. Let's have barbecue. Let's rejoice because my son who is dead is alive again and he who is lost is found. What is God like? God is like a father who misses his son.
who misses his daughter. who longs for the return, who will welcome you if you come to him tonight. You know, the boy stunk, don't forget he was hanging out with pigs. But the father didn't say, take a bath and maybe I'll give you a hug. He accepted him as he was.
Sometimes he will say, I need to clean my life up and come to God. No, you need to come to God and he'll clean your life up. You come as you are. You come with your sins. You come with your addictions.
You come with your problems. You come as you are and Christ will change you tonight, but you must come to him. And I love how the father ran to the son. You know that in this culture it was considered undignified for an older man to run? Not to mention it's harder for an older man to run.
I know this from experience. You know, I hear people say that when they run, they get the runners high. There's a release of endorphins. Man, I get that runner's high. I think maybe if I've experienced the eater's high, you know.
My food arrives. Oh, I'm excited. But runners, I know. But the father. Was willing to lose his dignity, if you will, to get to a son as quickly as possible.
So you asked Greg How do I come into this relationship with God? How can I know for certain that when I die, I will go to heaven? How can I have all of my sin forgiven? Here's what you need to do. You need to, number one, admit you are a sinner.
The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The word sin means to cross a line. The Bible speaks of trespass in sin.
Sort of like when you see the sign in the park where the grass has been planted and it says, no trespassing.
So Sin is when you break a commandment, but sin is also falling short of a mark. It means you're not perfect. None of us are. That's where Jesus comes in. That's why he died on the cross for you 2,000 years ago and took God's judgment in your place.
Jesus came to pay a debt he did not owe because you owed a debt you could not pay.
So, you have to admit you're a sinner. But a lot of people say, well, no, I believe if I just live a good life, I'll get to heaven. Really? Do you think you've lived a good enough life to get to heaven? Let me say something that might shock you.
There's going to be some bad people in heaven, and there's going to be some good people in hell. You say, Well, you lost me there, preacher. What do you mean by that? There's going to be some bad people in heaven. Think about that man we call the thief on the cross.
Remember him? When Jesus was crucified, there were Men on each side of him. We call them thieves, but the word used in the original language means they were guilty of a greater crime. They were probably murderers. Probably insurrectionists.
And yet here they are crucified next to Jesus and both of them join the chorus of mockery coming from the crowd saying he saved others, let him save himself if he's really the son of God. Then Jesus gives the first of seven statements from the cross. And their first statement was, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And suddenly, like a flash, one of those criminals believed on the spot. and turned to Jesus and said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
And Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
So a bad person made it to heaven. I think of my friend Michael Franzis that. Started our evening. He was a member of the Colombo crime family. He was a mobster.
Part of the mafia. A good fella. And he was arrested for his crimes and was sent to prison. But he came to Christ there in prison.
So no matter what you've done, God can change you. But then I think of another friend. His name is Chad Bianco, and he's the sheriff of Riverside County. And he's here tonight, too.
So you see, Michael Francis needs Jesus, Chad Bianco needs Jesus, every man, every woman needs Jesus. Everybody needs to come and say, I am a sinner, because heaven is not for good people, heaven is for forgiven people. You must be forgiven. You need to admit you're a sinner, but then there's going to be good people in hell. Oh yes, hell is real.
Jesus spoke more about hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together.
Well, how could a God of love send people to hell? God doesn't send people to hell. We send ourselves there by rejecting his gracious offer of forgiveness. You see? The last thing God wants is for any man or woman.
uniquely made in his image to spend eternity separated from him in a place called hell. That's why Jesus died on the cross for you. But you say, how could there be a good person in hell? A person who depended on their own religious works to get them to heaven. Jesus said, in that final day, people will come to me saying, Lord, Lord.
Did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not do miracles in your name? Others might say, did we not get baptized in your name or receive communion in your name? And Jesus says, and I will say to them, depart from me, I never knew you. It's not enough to know about God.
You need to know God and ask him to come into your life, you see. Jesus said, You must be born again. You say, well, look, I'm a Christian, but I'm not one of those born-agains. You must be born again to be a Christian and to go to heaven. To be born again means you have a spiritual rebirth when Christ comes to live inside of you.
And that's the next thing you must do. You must receive Christ into your life. Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and I knock. And if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in. He's knocking.
And you know what's interesting? Is when you're younger, you hear that knock a little bit louder. Most people come to Christ before the age of 17. But then you get a little bit older and he's still knocking, but you don't hear him as well, perhaps, as you did when you were younger. Then you get a little bit older and that knock grows fainter.
And then you get a little bit older and you can't hear the knock anymore. It's not that Christ isn't knocking, it's that you aren't listening. And the Bible warns about getting a hardened heart. The Bible says, He who is often reproved hardens his heart, and he will be cut off, and that without remedy. Don't harden your heart because the Bible warns.
of the unforgivable sin. It's called the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. You say, what is that? The work of the Holy Spirit is to make you aware of your need for Jesus, like He's doing right now. I'm talking to somebody right now that's saying, I need to do this.
I need Jesus in my life. I need to ask for his forgiveness, but just saying, oh no, but what would my friends think? And this might be hard, and I don't want to give certain things up, so you're resisting.
Some of you are even thinking of leaving soon. Don't do that. Don't harden your heart. Open your heart. And receive Christ into your life tonight.
The Bible says, for as many as received Him, He gave them the power to become children of God. You see, you must receive him. into your life. and he'll come and forgive you of all of your sins. And then he must do it now.
The Bible says today is the day of salvation. Don't let this opportunity slip by. The story that Jesus told began with these words: A man had two sons. I too am a man with two sons. One is named Christopher.
The other is named Jonathan. Both of my sons were Raised in the church, as Jonathan said a few moments ago. And we raise them to know the Lord. Read Bible stories to them, we prayed with them. But both of my sons, for a time, became prodigals.
They were still. wonderful sons, but they were just out there. living their lives. wanting to see what this world and this culture had to offer. Thankfully, my older son Christopher.
After being a prodigal for a number of years, he made a recommitment to Christ. He got married to a young lady named Brittany. They had a little baby girl that's here tonight. She's going to be 18 years old. Her name is Stella.
And another one on the way named Lucy. who's a young lady as well. But he was walking with the Lord. He was actually working for us at the church as a graphic designer. But Jonathan, who you already met a little bit earlier, was still struggling.
He was still resisting. But he admired his older brother, and one day they were having a conversation, and Christopher said to Jonathan, Jonathan, what's it gonna take for you to get right with God? That's why I called this message tonight. What's it going to take? What's it gonna take?
Jonathan didn't know what to say. Because Jonathan was using drugs at that time and as I said, being a prodigal.
Well the next day Our son Christopher. died tragically in an automobile accident. And he's been in heaven now 18 years in a few days from right now. And so Jonathan was at work and they... came to his workplace and said, you need to go home right now.
And they brought him to our house, and there we were. We had heard the news that Christopher was gone. And Jonathan realized I need to get right with God because he had wanted to talk to his brother about this.
Now, I'm not saying that Christopher died.
So Jonathan would make a recommitment. I'm saying the tragic thing is Christopher died, but he's in heaven and we'll see him again because he's not just a part of our past, but also a part of our future. But those words resonated in Jonathan's heart. What's it going to take? What's it going to take?
And Jonathan made a recommitment. to Christ right after that. And now it's been serving the Lord for many years and he's a... pastor at our church and God got hold of him. My question.
My question for you tonight is: what's it going to take? What's it going to take to wake you up? We all think, oh, I'll just live forever. You know, I'm young, I've got my whole life in front of me.
Well, maybe you do, and I hope you do. But my son was only 33 years old. But the good news is, I do know he went to heaven. I do know I'll see him again. But the Bible says, prepare to meet your God.
Are you prepared to meet God? Tonight? What happens after you die? That's up to you. According to the Bible, you have two options: heaven or hell.
Life or death. And if you want to go to heaven, you must, as I said, admit you're a sinner. Turn from that sin. Ask Christ to come into your life. And one last thing.
One last thing. You need to do it publicly. And in a moment, I'm going to ask you that want Christ to come into your life to get up out of your seat and walk down to this field behind this stage. And when you all get down here, I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Why do I ask you to come publicly?
Because everyone that Jesus calls, he calls openly and publicly. And Jesus said, if you will confess me before people, I will confess you before my Father and the angels in heaven. But he also says But he also says, if you deny me before people, I'll deny you before the Father and the angels in heaven. Over the years, we've seen over 600,000 people make this public stand to follow Christ. And I pray we'll see many more do it tonight.
Listen. You may never have another moment like you have right now. This is the time. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, now. The Bible says now, today is the day of salvation.
God is speaking to your heart. You know, you need Jesus. You know, this is what you've been looking for. You had an appointment with God tonight, and you didn't even have it on your calendar, but you do. Don't miss this appointment.
Don't miss this opportunity. Don't scroll by and look at something else. This is it. Jesus is ready to change your life. and forgive you of all of your sins.
And give you A new hope for your future and purpose and meaning in life. But you must come to Him.
So we're going to pray together. then I'm going to invite you. to make your public stand for Christ. Let's pray. Father, I pray that you will speak to every person here and people watching too.
Because they too need you. And I pray that your Holy Spirit will work on their hearts and that they will not harden their heart, but instead open their heart. to you. and come to Jesus. tonight.
We commit each one to you now. And we ask this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You want your sin forgiven?
Do you want Christ to come into your life? Do you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven? Do you want to fill that hole and void in your heart? Do you want to find hope instead of hopelessness, life instead of death? meaning instead of meaninglessness.
That I'm going to ask you right now, wherever you are, to get up out of your seat and step into the nearest aisle and start making your way down to the field here. And when you get here, I'm going to lead you in a word of prayer to accept Jesus Christ into your life. I'm going to lead you in a prayer. It's a simple prayer. I'm going to ask you to just mean it from your heart and it's what you're asking.
God to forgive you. and you're asking Christ to come into your life.
So as I pray, I want you to pray this out loud after me, okay? Let's all bow our heads. Pray this out loud after me now, wherever you are. Lord Jesus. I know that I'm a sinner.
But I know that you're the Savior. Who died on the cross? and rose again from the dead. I repent of my sin. I choose to follow you, Lord.
From this moment forward. As my Savior and Lord. is my garden friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. in answering this prayer.
Thank you that I am now a child of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. God bless all of you. God bless you.
Hey, everybody, thanks for listening to this podcast. To learn more about Harvest Ministries, follow this show and consider supporting it. Just go to harvest.org. And to find out how to know God personally, go to harvest.org and click on Know God. Mm-hmm.
