Hope for Our Nation | 2022 Harvest Crusade

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. A lot of twists and turns, storm clouds and darkness, a lot of things that we don't always understand. And we have questions about this movie we're all in, this life we're all living. Is it a drama? Is it a love story?

Maybe it's a comedy. Or is it a hopeless tragedy? A famous cardiologist wrote in his autobiography, quote, Hope is the medicine I use more than any other. Hope can cure nearly anything, end quote. And I wonder if you're without hope right now, because you cannot survive without hope in your life.

It's been said man can live 40 days without food, three days without water, eight minutes without air, but not one second without hope. And I have hope for America tonight. I have hope for California tonight. I have hope for you tonight.

And it's a relationship with God. I'll tell you where my hope isn't. My hope is not in politicians. My hope is not in technology.

My hope is not in mankind at all. In fact, we're living in frightening times right now. Our world leaders are literally talking about the possibility of a nuclear war. Have you noticed? The leader of Russia, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and of course even our own president.

I'll talk about that a little bit more tomorrow night. But these are scary times that we're living in. We wonder what is going on in this world.

We need hope. Generation Z has been described as the hopeless generation. I mean here's a generation that's the most affluent that has ever lived. They have all the coolest tech. They have iPhones and they have iPads and all this shiny stuff. And I'm talking about their pets, not even them.

This is how good they have it, right? But the thing you're looking for is not a shiny object you hold in your hand. It's not anything in particular. The thing that you need that will bring you the hope you were looking for happens in your heart. Now I'm going to start by telling you a story about a lost boy. A little boy who had a hard life before him. A little boy that had the cards stacked against him. And that little boy was me. Now you may think because I'm a preacher I was raised in a Christian home and I went to Sunday school as a kid. The very opposite was the case. In fact, my childhood was not like the ones that you saw on TV at the time.

You know, I thought to myself that maybe things went better and I escaped on my little imaginary world of drawing cartoons. My mother in her day was beautiful. A Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

She loved the attention that was showered on her. Married and divorced seven times with a lot of boyfriends in between. She would often drag me along to smoke filled bars as I watched various men try their pathetic pick up lines on my mom. I never knew my biological father. As it turns out I was conceived out of wedlock. The product of a one night stand. In many ways I was the adult in the relationship having to look out for my mom. So after a night of bar hopping she would be so intoxicated she could barely walk.

So we would go home and I would make her a sandwich which she would usually pass out before it was done. I felt alone in the world. But of the seven husbands that my mother married there was one man named Oscar Laurie who adopted me. And that name Laurie has a family motto that means it buds afresh. And the image on the coat of arms is a tree that is cut down but is growing back again. And that was really my life.

It was cut down but it was growing back again. We made our way eventually to Southern California and I was hoping that my life would get better but in many ways it actually ended up worse. I grew up as a young man and it was the late 60s and the drug revolution was here in full force.

And I thought drugs might have the answer I was searching for. I never met an adult I respected. I actually was in rebellion against all adult figures in my life and the phrase of the day was never trust anyone over 30 that actually resonated with me. We blindly followed the Pied Pipers of our generation that told us to turn on, tune in, and drop out. But soon these musicians that we looked up to all began to die. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Brian Jones of The Stones.

Ironically all died at the age of 27. We were told that drugs would make us more aware and in a way that was true because I became more aware of how empty I was. One night we drove down to Laguna Beach to buy a kilo of marijuana.

Not to sell but to use ourselves. But as we drove back in the rain our vehicle began to careen and spin out of control. And I thought I was going to die.

And I heard a voice saying to me, you're going to die. But I didn't know what the answer was. I knew the answer was not in drugs.

I already found that out from experience. I knew the answer was not in the sometimes affluent lifestyle that my mother lived. So where was the answer? Because as a young man I was asking the questions, what is the meaning of my life? Why am I here on this earth? Why am I so empty inside? And what is going to happen to me after I die?

Because life goes by so quickly. Someone summed up life this way. Number one, you believe in Santa Claus. Number two, you don't believe in Santa Claus. Number three, you become Santa Claus. And lastly, you look like Santa Claus. So I think that is where I am in life right now.

But here is my question for you. Your life is going by quickly. Are you a happy person? Are you a content person?

Or does it seem like if you were a little bit smarter or a little bit better looking or a little bit more successful then you would suddenly be content? You know when you are single you think, oh man, if I was only married then I know I would be happy. Then you get married and you say, huh, uh, ok. Maybe I married the wrong person. Maybe if I got remarried I would be happy. So you get remarried.

Ok, well, maybe that is not it. Hey, maybe it is kids. I need kids. And we have children. Then you have children. And then you are thinking, how do I get rid of these kids?

They are 40 and still living at home. It is always just beyond your reach. Oh, if I had a lot of money, money would make me happy you think.

I heard that the Powerball is up to 1.6 billion dollars right now. Can you imagine that? Oh, if I had that I would be happy you think. It reminds me of a story of a wealthy employer who once overheard one of his employees say, if I had a thousand dollars I would be perfectly content. The employer put out his checkbook and said, I will tell you what, I have never found contentment from my money but I want to meet a perfectly content person. So he wrote out a check to the person for a thousand dollars and gave it to them. As he was walking away the person was overheard to say, why didn't I ask for two thousand dollars?

See that is the way that we are. If I had just a little bit more, take Anthony Bourdain. He had a very successful television show on CNN, Parts Unknown. He traveled the world. Lived a luxurious lifestyle.

Ate the finest food. He had wealth. He had fame.

He had everything. But yet he wrote in a letter to his wife, quote, I hate my fans. I hate being famous. I hate my job.

I am lonely and I am living in constant uncertainty. End quote. And tragically Anthony Bourdain took his own life. We think if only I had another life or if I had another face or body. You know we put so much emphasis today on the way that we look. Sixteen billion dollars is spent a year on plastic surgery.

And that is in Newport Beach alone. Now when you mention Botox nobody even raises an eyebrow. These are the jokes people. I heard about a plastic surgery addict support group that meets weekly.

There are a lot of new faces in the group every week. All the people who have had Botox are saying, I don't think that is funny. And I can't lower my eyebrows and I don't know what to do. Sorry. We always want what someone else has. Have you ever noticed when you go to a restaurant with friends that whatever they order looks better than what you order.

Right. So you know you are trying to lose weight and you say I will have some salad. A kale salad and your friend orders a big juicy burger with french fries. And then you say could I have one of your french fries. Why is it that someone else's french fry is so good. You eat it. It is the best french fry you have ever had in your entire life. Then you order a side of fries and they are not as good. Why is that? It is always just beyond my reach.

I am never quite there. You know sometimes when we go out to a restaurant my wife will order and she will say to the server, well I will have a salad and I will just eat a little of my husband's meal. I will say no no. I don't want to share my food. Ok.

I love you. I will buy you whatever you want to eat. But don't make me share my burger or whatever. I just want one little bite. No.

And by the way ladies I have got to just tell you right now. Men don't like to share their food. Guys am I right.

They don't like it. You ever see a dog eating his food. That is a man when food is put in front of him. You pet the dog's head. He growls at you.

You say you are wrong Greg. My husband shares food with me. Yeah he may but I told you he doesn't like it.

He just doesn't. Ok. And so you know I will be eating something. I am down to that last bite.

I am so looking forward to it. And my wife will say, can I have the last bite. I am like.

It is always just beyond our reach. If I had this. If I had that. Then I would be happy.

But listen. It is not a thing you are looking for. Here is what you are really looking for deep down inside. You are looking for a relationship with God. There is a God in heaven who loves you. He loves you. Now some view God as a perpetually uptight angry supreme being just waiting to wreak havoc in our life.

Nothing can be further from the truth. The God who created you loves you and has a plan for you that is far better than any plan you have ever dreamed up for yourself. But we think God is angry. God is out to get us.

But it is the very opposite. If He is out to get us it is only to throw His arms around us and tell us how much He loves us. So what is God like?

What is God like? Well I can't think of a better source on that topic than Jesus Christ Himself. And Jesus told a story we sometimes call the story of the prodigal son. But it is a beautiful story that always makes sense to pretty much any culture in the world. Young or old everyone seems to understand this simple story. And Jesus told lots of stories so people could understand what He was talking about. So here is the story Jesus told.

Maybe you have never heard it before. He said a man had two sons. The younger son said to his dad, I want my share of the estate now instead of waiting until you die. So the father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

A few days later the 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. About this time his money ran out and a great famine swept over the land and he began to starve. And the boy persuaded a local farmer to feed him the food that was being fed to the pigs. Because the boy was so hungry even the food he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. So as the story begins we have a boy deciding to run away from home.

But really this is a story Jesus tells that is a picture of us trying to run away from God. Now it looks like he had a pretty good home. Because as we get to the end of the story we see the father welcome him with open arms. So this was an affectionate home. A loving home also wasn't a fluent home.

Because they had servants. I don't know what kind of home you came from. Maybe you had loving parents. Maybe you had no parents. But regardless of whatever home you have come from I want you to know that you have a father in heaven who loves you.

And wants a relationship with you. But apparently this boy thought, you know I am tired of dad's rules. I want to live the way that I want to live. And sometimes people say, well I don't want to live this Christian life. I don't like all these rules that the Bible has.

Any rule so to speak or principle given to us in Scripture is there for our own protection. You know we think the worst thing that can happen is to put an animal in a cage. My grandkids used to have a little rabbit. His name was Fuzzy. And they were very little.

And they would take him out and play with him in a rather rough way. And Fuzzy didn't like it one bit. And one day I was taking Fuzzy back to his cage and I came to where the cage was. And he leapt out of my arms to get back into his cage again. Because for Fuzzy that was not a cage keeping him inside. It was a cage keeping the grandkids out.

Right? So when I look at God's standards when He says, You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. These are standards and truths given for our own protection.

And these rules are there to protect us. Not to hurt us. But this boy thought, Dad is lame. He doesn't know how to live. I am going to go live my life. And the Father let him go. Listen. God has given to you a free will. He won't force His will on you. You don't have to go to heaven if you don't want to. You don't have to have your sins forgiven if you don't want to. In a few moments I am going to extend an invitation for you to do what thousands of people have done over the years. I am going to ask you to come down on this field behind this stage and stand with me there and pray a prayer where you ask Jesus Christ to come into your life to forgive you of all of your sins. But you don't have to do that.

But you can. And I think there are some of you here that want to do that tonight. I love that scene from the Jesus Revolution film where Lonnie says to Greg, Greg you don't have to run anymore. Are you running from God tonight?

He longs for a relationship with you. This boy wasted all of his money on wild living. I am sure he had a lot of friends when he hit town. When he had money. When he had resources.

When he had a cool car or in his case a cool chariot or whatever. They said, we are going to hang out with this guy. But then when the money was gone the friends were gone too. It reminds me of a story of two friends that went camping out in the forest. And they were getting up in the morning having their first cup of coffee. They heard a rustling in the trees. And suddenly they looked and running toward them at full speed was a very large bear.

One of the friends began to put his running shoes on. His buddy said, are you crazy? Do you think you can outrun that bear? He says, I don't need to outrun the bear.

I need to outrun you. See. That is how some so-called friends are. They run out when trouble comes. That is what happened to the prodigal. All of his friends left him.

He was all alone. And the Bible says Jesus speaking he came to his senses. And it is an amazing thing. Listen there is nothing I can say here tonight that will make you believe in Jesus Christ. But I believe in the power of the gospel. And I know how it changed my life. And I believe there can come a moment where suddenly the lights go on and you just get it. Right?

You just get it. I used to think Christians were crazy. I made fun of them. I laughed at them. I thought these poor delusional people. And it was on my high school campus many years ago that I sat down close enough to where the Christians were because they would have Bible studies on the front lawn. And I sat close enough to hear what they were saying.

But not close enough to be seen as one of them. And as I watched them I thought these people are so sad. They are so weird. It is so pathetic. And then I thought yeah but they are pretty happy pathetic people. And I happened to know a couple of them personally that I used to party with. And I saw the changes in his life and their life.

And then I just tried a new thought on for size. What if it is all true? What if the Christians have this right?

What if there really is a God who loves me and I can have a relationship with Him? I quickly dismissed it. Let me tell you why I dismissed it. Because I was a cynical young man. Because I had seen things no young boy should ever see in my upbringing with my alcoholic mother and all of her escapades.

Not to mention my own bad lifestyle choices that I myself had made. I was cynical. I thought it is too good to be true. But then I watched those Christians a little bit more and I thought well what if it is true? And then I said no it couldn't be true. And then that man who was preaching that day Lonnie Frisbee who is portrayed in the film made a statement that was like a lightning bolt from heaven. He said Jesus said you are for me or against me.

You are with me or you are opposed to me. I looked around at the Christians and I thought well I am not one of them. Does that mean I am against God?

I don't want to be against God. And then he said if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life get up and walk forward right now. And a bunch of kids got up and walked forward. And I thought there is no way I would ever do that. A moment later I was up there with those kids praying. And that was the day Christ came into my life. And this can be the night Christ comes into your life.

It can happen for you. So this boy finally comes to his senses and says you know what I have got to go home. He realized that everything he was looking for in life was in his father's house. He says I am going to go home to dad and say dad I am sorry I have sinned. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

Just give me a job as one of your hired servants. And he is repeating this over and over again as he is making his way back home again. Now here is the father. Probably sitting on the porch of his ranch house. Missing that boy of his. Longing for his return. The father looks down the road and recognizes that familiar silhouette of his boy.

Bow down now some with age and perhaps the guilt of sin. And I love how the story ends. Because as the boy is making his way home Jesus says this in Luke 15. While he was still a long ways off his father saw him.

With his heart pounding he ran out and embraced him and kissed him. The son started his speech. Father I have sinned against God and I have sinned before you. I don't deserve to be called your son again.

But Jesus says the father wasn't listening. He called to the servants. Quick he says bring out a set of clothes. Put the family ring in his finger and sandals on his feet.

And get out the grain fed heifer and roast it. We are going to have a feast. We are going to have a wonderful time. My son who is dead is alive again. And they began to have a wonderful time. And then Jesus says. And I say unto you there is joy in heaven over one sinner that comes to repentance.

What a beautiful story this is. Notice that the father welcomed the son as he was. The boy was dirty. The boy smelled like the company he was keeping which would be pigs. And the father didn't say well clean yourself up boy.

I am down wind of you. You smell horrible. He threw his arms around his son. But what did he do then?

He said give him some new clothes and put a ring in his finger. Listen you might say I have messed up in life and I am going to clean my life up and try to become more moral and more religious and then I will come to God. Listen don't try to clean your life up and come to God.

Come to God and He will clean your life up. You just come as you are. Jesus said come to me all you that are laboring and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. The Bible says and the Spirit and the bride say come. Let him that is thirsty come and let him drink of the water of life freely. You just come. Come as you are. Come with your sins. Come with your problems.

Come with your addictions and you watch what God will do for you. I love how the father ran to the son. By the way in this culture it was considered undignified for an older man to run. Not to mention the fact that it is harder for an older man to run.

I speak from experience. I like to walk but I don't run much anymore. It hurts. People will say keep running man.

The runner is high. The endorphins will be released. I have never met a single endorphin. If there is an endorphin here tonight please introduce yourself to me later.

Maybe I have experienced endorphins being released when I eat food but never when I am exercising. But this father according to Jesus was willing to lose his dignity if you will to get as quickly as he could to his son. What does it look like to come to Jesus Christ? It is as simple as this. You admit you are a sinner.

You turn from your sin and you put your faith in Jesus Christ. Listen. Jesus did not say admire me.

He said follow me. This is an either or proposition. This is a yes or no answer. Is Jesus Christ the son of God who died on the cross through your sin and rose again from the dead? If so then you should believe in Him and follow Him.

If He isn't then don't. But it is not enough to just acknowledge these things are true. It has to be that moment of commitment. So listen very carefully. If you want to have a relationship with God. If you want to find the meaning of your life.

If you want to fill that hole deep inside of you here is what you need to do. Number one you need to realize you are a sinner. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are so quick to blame everyone and everything for the things that we do that are wrong.

But it is time to just own it. The prodigal son said I will say to my father I have sinned. Every one of us have broken God's commandments. Every one of us have fallen short of God's glory. And the Bible says if you offend in one point of the law you are guilty of all of it.

You say hey Greg come on man. I am not as bad as some people. But one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. So admit you are a sinner. But then number two realize that Jesus Christ the son of God died on the cross for you. Why did Jesus come to this earth and die on a cross? Nails were driven through his hands and his feet. A crown of thorns was pressed in upon his forehead. This was after they had broken his back open with a Roman whip.

Why? He came to die for the sin of the world. He came to die for your sin and for mine. Jesus said for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Realize Jesus died on that cross for you.

It wasn't nails that held Christ to that cross 2,000 years ago. It was love for you. He loves you and wants a relationship with you.

Say well what am I supposed to do? You need to repent of your sin. The Bible says God has commanded people everywhere to repent. What does repent mean?

It is a military term. It means to do an about face so you turn around. Instead of running from God you run to God like the prodigal. He was running from his father.

Then he realized that was wrong and he ran back to his father. Repent of your sin. Then you must receive Christ into your life. Being a Christian is not just trying to live by rules and regulations. Being a Christian is not just going to church.

Being a Christian is having Christ himself come and take residence in your heart. Does Jesus live in your heart right now? You say well I am not sure maybe.

Wait hold on. If a bunch of people moved into your house in the middle of the night and they were like cooking fish at three in the morning do you think you would know? I am not suggesting Jesus is like that. I am just saying if someone moved into your home would you be aware?

The answer is yes. So if God Almighty has taken residence in your heart I think you will know. And if you can't say I know with certainty then maybe he hasn't done that yet. The Bible says for as many as received him he gave them the power to become sons of God. Jesus says, Behold I stand at the door and I knock and if you will hear my voice and open the door I will come in. People it is not about religion.

It is about a relationship with God through Jesus. Then you must do it publicly. Many years ago as a young man I got up publicly and I walked forward. Other people on my high school campus could see I am going to ask you to make a public stand for Christ. There is a story of a man who was blind named Bartimaeus. Someone told him Jesus was headed his direction. So Bartimaeus cried out as loudly as he could, Jesus son of David have mercy on me. People told him, shhh don't yell.

He yelled even louder. Jesus son of David he cried have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and touched him. Listen Jesus Christ is passing by so to speak right now. He is here.

Will you call out to him? The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. And I am going to give you that opportunity to come into this relationship with God. To have your sin forgiven. To know with certainty that when you die you will go to heaven. Because listen the afterlife is coming. And we decide in this life where we will spend the afterlife. Are you prepared for the next life? If you put your faith in Christ you do not have to be afraid. Because a believer has the confidence they will go to heaven.

But friend I have to warn you. There is also a hell. Hell is as real as heaven is. And the last thing that our loving father in heaven wants is for any person made in his image to spend eternity separated from him in this horrible place called hell. Hell was not prepared for people. It was created for the devil and his angels Jesus said. God wants you to go to heaven. That is why you must put your faith in Christ. And you can change your eternal address from hell to heaven tonight by coming to Jesus. It can happen for you right here right now. Make the right decision.

You will not regret it. Let's pray. Father I pray now for everybody here.

I pray for everybody watching and listening wherever they may be in this world. If they don't have a relationship with you yet. If they don't have the confidence that their sin is forgiven. Let this be the moment they believe. Let this be the moment they say yes to Jesus. And have their eternal address changed. We commit them to you now. We ask you to touch them. And bring them to yourself. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Listen to this. If you want your sin forgiven. If you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven.

If you want to fill that hole in your life. Or maybe you have fallen away from the Lord and you need a second chance. You want to come back to Christ again like the prodigal son did. You were raised in the church.

You believed as a child. I don't know what happened. Maybe a tragedy in your life that made no sense. Maybe something else that caused you to question God so you walked away from God. Maybe you ran away from God.

You have been living your life without Him and you miss Him. You remember that sweetness of fellowship. What it was like to pray. What it was like to not live under the burden of guilt.

Trying to numb it with alcohol or drugs or something else. You can come back. You can come back home tonight. Your Father in heaven. He loves you. He longs for your return. He welcomes you with open arms as our story shows us.

But you must come. The Bible says, Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let Him return to our God who will abundantly pardon. You can return to God.

Come back to the Lord. I am going to ask you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is a prayer where you are asking Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and your Lord.

Right? So you just mean it from your heart. There is no magic in this prayer. But it is you just saying, Jesus forgive me of my sin.

I choose to follow You as my Savior and Lord right now. So I will pray this prayer. Remember that scene from the film. Well it is just like that.

Right? But this is for real. So as I pray this prayer. You pray it with me.

Let's all bow our heads right now. Pray this out loud after me. Lord Jesus. I know that I am a sinner. But I know that you are the Savior.

Who died on the cross. And paid for my sins. I turn from that sin now.

I choose to follow You Jesus. From this moment forward. As my Savior and my Lord. As my God and my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. God bless all of you. God bless you guys.