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. In week one, which we're in right now, we're gonna talk about the why of Bible prophecy. Why it is important to talk about this topic.
Why are we not talking about it more, especially in light of what's going on in our world? Week number two. We're gonna talk about Israel and her place in Bible prophecy. Israel is the key to Bible prophecy and the Jewish people. There's a lot of misinformation, a lot of misunderstanding about the Jewish people and about the place of Israel in the prophetic puzzle. Week number three, the rapture. You know, we don't hear enough about the rapture.
It is in the Bible. It is a vital teaching. It will impact you in the way that you live. And then week number four, so what? In other words, so what do we do in light of all of this?
And then finally, week number five, the harvest crusade. Because it is my hope that talking about these things will motivate us to want to share our faith even more and take advantage of this great opportunity at Angel Stadium on July 20th. But today, again, my title is The Future is Written. So I travel quite a bit and when you're getting on a plane or you're walking through an airport, maybe you run into someone you know, you'll usually ask, so where are you headed? Oh, I'm going to Chicago. I'm going to New York. Oh, I'm going to Maui. Or I'm going to Kokomo, Bermuda, Bahama. Come on, pretty mama. I don't know.
That's the lyrics of a song. But you know, you're going somewhere and really when you get down to it, there's no more important question to answer than where are you going? I'll come back to that in a few moments, but we called this series The Future is Written and I want to answer the question, is Jesus coming back again?
The simple answer is yes. And Jesus himself said, I will come again. And I think we need to recognize the fact that we are closer to the return of Jesus in any generation that has ever existed. Just think about that.
We're closer. You can sense the nearness of his return. But the question that is often asked is when will Jesus come again? In fact, people will get really obsessed with the question, when is Jesus coming? And you'll find people that will come along every now and then that will say they've cracked the code and they know the date of the Lord's return. But Jesus did say, no man knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will return. And if you were to go back to the original language and translate that out in modern English, it would say something along the lines of no man knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will return. What it actually means is no one knows. So anyone who says they've cracked the code or they know the date, I'm telling you at the outset they're wrong. There was a book that was very popular in 1988 with the title 88 Reasons Why Christ is Coming Back in 1988.
It's not so popular now. That was quickly dated. There is a Latin term for this. It's called rapturous nuttiness.
That's not a real Latin term, but I mean that's what it is. So instead of focusing on the when, no man knows the day or the hour, let's think instead about the what, as in what should we be doing as we await the Lord's return. You know people get so sidetracked. These are the people that see the end at the end of the film and think it's a sign of the times. I actually had someone come up to me a while ago and say I saw a hamburger on sale for $6.66.
Six, six, six, get it? Is it okay to buy the hamburger? I said yes because once they add tax, it'll be a different number.
However, if they want to put a mark on your right hand or forehead, I would probably not buy it. Well, let's think a little bit about what Bible prophecy is. Bible prophecy is history in advance as revealed by God. And the scripture oozes with the return of Christ. The New Testament contains over 300 references to the return of Jesus. That's one out of every 13 verses. 33% of the Bible is prophecy. More than 10,000 of the 31,102 verses in the Bible pertain to Bible prophecy.
That's no small down payment. Now understand, when God predicts the future, he's not going out on a limb. He's not taking a risk because God is omniscient, which means God knows all things. He remembers all things and he knows all things in the future. Now I figure between my wife and I, we have one complete human brain because I'll remember something and she'll forget it.
And so together we're trying to figure out something and we piece it together. And what's really strange is sometimes I'll be telling this story and my wife will interrupt me, that's not the way it happened. I'll say, you weren't even there.
How would you know? She said, it's different than the way you told it to me the first time. And doggone it, she's right. Yeah, I missed a couple of details, but God doesn't miss details. God is telling us exactly what we can expect because he lives in the eternal realm. And he has given us in the Bible many signs that tell us his coming is near.
What are they? Here's just a few of the signs of the times as identified by scripture. The outbreak of war around the globe.
Jesus said you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. The persecution of Christians. The emergence of China as a superpower. The aggressiveness of Iran and her repeated threats against Israel and attacks against Israel.
Nuclear weapons today are more sophisticated and now are small enough to fit into a suitcase. We have the spread of radical Islam, terrorism, a resurgence of Marxism and communism and the dramatic rise of anti-Semitism. A lot of isms that are all signs of the times. The falling away of spiritual leaders and seemingly strong Christians from the faith.
Also a sign of the times. The explosion of technology including artificial intelligence. Increasing government overreach in our lives seeking more control.
Another sign of the times. A dramatic increase of drug use decimating American cities. International financial instability. Mass shootings. The disintegration of the family. The blatant pushing of immorality on every platform from movies to television to social media.
The redefinition of what a man and a woman are including child gender mutilation. And the aggressive marketing of this to young people. All of these things are signs of the times. And they're telling us Jesus Christ is coming back again. And the Bible says got real quiet in here. And so you don't have to applaud. I'm just telling you what's true.
Applaud or don't applaud. This is reality. And this is an explosion of things happening quickly. The Bible compares the signs pertaining to the return of Christ to labor pains.
So you ladies who have had children know what I'm talking about. As your labor pains get closer together the birth of the baby is soon. Right? And the Bible says when you see these things closer together it seems like every time you turn around it's something. And scary crazy wicked things happening. We say what is going on? They're signs of the times. That's what's going on. The Bible says in the last days there will be satanically energized times and things will go from bad to worse.
And we're seeing that play out in real time right before our eyes. This is stressing a lot of people out. Psychologists have even coined a phrase for this. It's called doomsday anxiety. That includes the fear or worry about the end of the world or life as we know it.
Symptoms include chronic nightmares, an underlying feeling of fear, and an obsession with the news or doom scrolling through online media. Even secular futurologists are sounding the alarms as they see conversing lines of danger and instability around the world. So speaking of all of this Jesus says, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You believe in God, believe also in me. If I go, Jesus says, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also. In my Father's house, yes, in my Father's house are many mansions and I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus also said when you see these things begin to happen, freak out because you are dead.
No. The Bible says when you see these things begin to happen, look up for your redemption is drawing near. I think it is really important to study Bible prophecy.
Let me give you just a few reasons why. If you are taking notes, here is point number one. Understanding Bible prophecy brings hope in a hopeless world. Let me say it again. Understanding Bible prophecy brings hope in a hopeless world. Titus 2 13 says, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of God and our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Blessed hope. And by the way, the word blessed is interchangeable with the word happy. So we can call it a happy hope. If you believe Jesus can come back at any moment, it is a happy, hopeful thing. So if you find yourself unhappy and you find yourself depressed and you find yourself hopeless, you need to look up.
And you need to realize he can come back at any time. I love the statement of Martin Luther and he said this to me personally. No, not really.
Not that old. Martin Luther said, quote, there are two days on my calendar. This day and that day, end quote. And that day that he was referring to was the day of the Lord. The Christian does not need to fear the future because we know who holds the future.
And he has given us a blessed hope. Number two, understanding Bible prophecy unravels the mystery of history. Understanding Bible prophecy unravels the mystery of history. We wonder, why is there so much evil in the world as the believers who are martyred in the book of Revelation say, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth.
They're wanting to have an explanation. And the Bible says that one day God will bring justice and Satan will be judged. Number three, studying Bible prophecy brings sense to our suffering. Studying Bible prophecy brings sense to our suffering. What do you say to someone who has suffered great tragedy? What do you say to someone who is suffering with a disability? What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one?
What do you say to someone who is mourning and weeping from grief? You say this is not God's final plan. Revelation 21, 4 says he will wipe every tear from their eyes and there'll be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. And all these things will be gone forever. We know Jesus Christ is coming back again and he will make every wrong right.
Remember hearing about a guy that loved to study? A lot of delayed applause today. I mean, like, if you're gonna applaud, let's go. Let's go. You're sort of like, okay, you know, commit or don't commit, okay? Let's try it together.
Commit, go. Yeah. Not the other thing you were doing, okay?
We'll do a whole class on applause one day. I don't hear very much of it, so. All right. What was I saying? I've lost my way now.
Okay, yeah. Heard a story about a guy who loved to study the book of Revelation. He wasn't a great academic or intellectual, but he loved Revelation.
And he had some friends who considered themselves theologians. They said, no one can understand the book of Revelation. He says, well, I understand it. You do not understand it, they said. It's an enigma. No one can understand it. This guy says, I understand it. Okay, explain the book of Revelation. He said, okay, here it is.
The book of Revelation. We win in the end. Not bad. Not bad. There we go. Very good.
Much better. I don't know that that story deserved it, but still, thank you. Number four, understanding Bible prophecy brings a specific blessing to us. Revelation is the only book in the Bible with a built-in blessing attached. That's not true of any of the other books in the Bible.
There are 66 books in the Bible in total. Only Revelation has the built-in blessing. Revelation 1, 3 says, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keeps the things that are written in it, for the time is near. So that's why it's a good thing to talk about the Lord's return. We learn about the future to motivate us to live right in the present. What you believe about the end times will affect how you live in these times. So it's a very important thing, and it also motivates us to live a godly life. In fact, over in 2 Peter 3, 11, it says, everything around us is going to be destroyed. So what holy and godly lives we should be living.
Then in 1 John, it says, he that has this hope, that is the hope of the Lord's return, purifies himself even as God is pure. But some say, oh, it's too hard to understand. No one can understand it.
Well, excuse me. The very word revelation means the unveiling. It is God's desire to reveal, not conceal. And Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but to prepare us. And it's interesting that when Jesus is discussing something called the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24, it says, let the reader understand. And then when this topic of the rapture is being addressed by the apostle Paul, he says, let's not be ignorant about these things, brothers. And so we should not be ignorant. We should understand these things together. And they're laid out before us right here in God's word. It's not given to entertain us. It's given to motivate us to personal godliness.
If talking about this topic does not affect you in the way that you live and the decisions you make and the thoughts you think, then something is missing. I heard about a farmer. His name was Jeb. And he had a dog that walked on water.
True story. Probably a Christian dog. There are no Christian cats. There might be a couple. I know a couple of cool cats.
Cat people clap weird. Okay. But anyway, so he has a dog that walks on water. And he has a friend. And his friend, what did I say this guy's name was? Jeb. Jeb, okay.
He had a friend named Clem who wasn't impressed by anything. And by the way, you're listening very well. I was impressed by that. Oh, Jeb. You were just right there, Jeb. Okay, come and listen to a story about a man named Jeb. Does anybody know what I'm quoting right now? Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was looking for some food and up from the ground came a bubbling crude.
Gold, that is. Texas tea. Those are the lyrics to the Beverly Killbillies. How many of you remember that? You're old.
Or you watch reruns. Anyway, Jeb has a dog that walks on water. His neighbor Clem isn't impressed by anything so they go out duck hunting. And he wanted to impress his neighbor so he fires off a shot, duck falls, lands in the middle of the lake. His dog runs across the top of the water, retrieves the duck, brings it back and drops it at his feet. So Jeb looks over at Clem and says, well, Clem, what do you think about that?
Old Clem just kind of kicks the dirt and says, I don't think your dog knows how to swim. Talk about missing the point. So if you study Bible prophecy and it doesn't affect you in the way that you live, you have missed the point. So what should we do in light of all of this?
How should it affect us? That brings us to James 5. I'm going to read verses 7 to 11. Read with me, if you will. Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring.
They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to reap. You too must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don't grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged.
For look, the judge is standing at the door. For examples of patience and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him in the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
We'll stop there. So what are the takeaway truths from this text? Number one, if you're taking notes, be patient. As we await the Lord's return, be patient. Look at what he says in verse 7. Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. The word used here for patience is not speaking of a passive resignation, but rather a patient expectant waiting on the Lord. Sort of like the excitement you feel when you're getting ready to go on a trip and you're very thrilled about that trip. Or maybe the way you used to feel when you were younger on Christmas morning.
You wanted your parents to wake up so you could open the presents under the tree. That's how the Christian should be, filled with patient expectation. The problem is some people are asleep spiritually.
Romans 13, 11 says, understand this present time. The hour has come to wake up out of your slumber because our salvation is near. Then we first believe the night is nearly over.
The day is almost here. You can be asleep and the problem with people who sleep is they won't acknowledge it. Why is it we always deny we're falling asleep?
Sometimes I'm watching something on television and I'll fall asleep and Kathy will say, are you watching? Are you awake? Yes, I wasn't awake, I was sleeping. I was probably snoring, but we deny it. So sometimes the people who are asleep are the last to know.
Are you asleep? Wake up, the Bible says. The day is short. The coming of the Lord is soon. And then he goes on in Romans 13, 12 to say, therefore, let's put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Behave decently as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality or debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Then James likens it to a farmer, verse seven. A farmer who patiently waits for the rains in the fall and in the spring. How many of you are gardeners out there? You're a gardener. Not a lot of gardeners, wow. No wonder California is so brown. Well, I'm not a gardener either.
If there's a such thing as a brown thumb, that's what I have. But there are people who are gardeners and they're farmers and they know a lot about planting crops and irrigation and watering and all of those things. And of course, reaping. Well, we all are farmers, spiritually.
And we are all called to sow seed. And we need to be patient. And sometimes we can be very impatient because we live in a culture where you can get everything so quickly. Is it just me or do microwaves seem slow to you?
I had to microwave something the other day. Two minutes and 20 seconds? That's so long. We don't like to wait for anything. You know, in the old days you would get in the car, drive to the mall, find a parking space, go to your favorite store and hope what you wanted was in stock. Just go to Amazon Prime, you might get it the same day. You want food? Call Uber Eats.
You like a song? Download it now. We don't have to wait for anything and we become impatient. Lord, why have you not returned yet? Christ will return at the appointed time. Just as he came at the appointed time in human history, the first time he will come the second. The Bible says in the book of Galatians, when the time was just right, God sent forth the son born of a woman made under the law to redeem those that are under the law, that we might receive the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father.
When the time is just right, Jesus was born in the manger of Bethlehem. And when the time is just right, Christ will come again. But we've grown patient. Lord, are you looking at this crazy world we're living in?
Things are so dark, why don't you come back? Simple answer, he's waiting for more people to believe. 2 Peter 3, 9 says, the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. Instead he's patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but wanting everyone to come to repentance.
So he's waiting for more to believe. I recently rewatched a film called Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson. I remember when that film was coming out and Mel contacted me and I went and saw a sneak preview of it and we talked together.
I interviewed him at Angel Stadium before the film came out, but it was a wonderful film. And it had a strong faith message in it, and it's a true story of a man named Desmond Doss. And Desmond Doss was a believer in Jesus Christ, but he also felt he should not pick up a rifle and fight. He wanted instead to serve as a medic, and when they were going through basic training, other soldiers mocked him and harassed him and even called him a coward. But then when they were deployed to a place called Hacksaw Ridge, fighting the forces of Japan, Desmond Doss displayed such amazing courage on the battlefield.
So much so that he personally saved 75 men and was given the Medal of Honor by President Truman. There's a powerful scene in the film where all of his platoon have left the spot where the battle is raging, and Doss stayed up there crawling on the ground underneath enemy fire, and he is saying, One more, Lord, give me one more. Then he would save a man and lower him down. Then he went for another. One more, Lord, give me one more.
Then he would go find even another, and on it went. And that's how we should be when we think about people that don't know Jesus. We should be saying, One more, Lord, give me one more.
That's the attitude. You don't want to be in that final day saying, Oh, I should have shared the gospel with my family. I should have shared the gospel with my neighbors. Or I should have told others about Jesus.
Number two, be aware of the afterlife. So as we await the Lord's return, just be aware of the afterlife. Verse 9 says, Or you will be judged, for look, the judge is standing at the door. You see, Christians are going to be judged.
Now let me explain. Non-believers are going to stand at something called the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation chapter 20. The small and the great stand there, and the books, plural, are open, and a book is open, which is the book of life. If your name is not found written in the book of life, you are cast into the lake of fire. That's not for Christians. That's for non-believers. I don't even think Christians will necessarily be present at the Great White Throne Judgment. But then the Bible also says that Christians will be judged, but the judgment that Christians will face is not a judgment as to whether or not we get into heaven. As a matter of fact, this particular judgment happens in heaven.
I want you to think of it more as an awards ceremony, like the Oscars or the Emmys, if you will. And by that I mean you're given rewards for your faithful service to the Lord. The Bible promises various crowns as we faithfully serve God. Jesus said, excuse me, your Father who sees you in secret will one day reward you openly.
So here's the basis of the judgment seat of Christ as it's called, 2 Corinthians 5-10. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. So this is about faithfulness.
Sometimes we tend to think that the more you accomplish, the more successful you are. But God is not looking at success as much as he's looking at faithfulness. Listen, God won't hold me accountable to what he has called you to do. He won't hold you accountable to what he has called me to do. But he will hold each of us accountable to what he has called us to do as individuals. So my whole focus should be on faithfully doing what the Lord tells me to do and responding to the opportunities God sets before me. There are three things that Christians can give to God.
Three things, time, talent, and treasure. First there's your time. The Bible says, redeem the time because the days are evil.
Or a better translation would be, make sacred and wise use of every opportunity. God has given you time. Time is precious.
Don't waste it. Number two, you have your talent. God has given you certain abilities to do certain things well.
Dedicate that talent to the glory of God. Thirdly, there's your treasure. That would be your finances.
Invest them wisely and invest them also in the kingdom of God. So we'll be held accountable for what we've done with our lives and we'll stand at that judgment. Be aware of that. Number three, be courageous. Be courageous. Look at verse eight. Take courage for the coming of the Lord is near. The return of Christ should make us courageous. The New English Bible translates it this way.
Put iron into your soul. Another translation says, be resolute. Be resolute. The same word, by the way, that's used to describe Jesus headed to the cross.
He resolutely set out for Jerusalem. So be resolute. Be courageous.
Number four, be trusting. As I await the return of Jesus, be trusting. And think of the example of Job. Look at verse 11. For instance, you all know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him in the end. For the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. Job is the oldest book in the Bible.
Did you know that? It was written even before the book of Genesis. And as the story begins, we find God in heaven talking about Job to a bunch of angels. And among those angels was Lucifer, also known as Satan. God's literally saying this about Job. Have you considered my servant Job, a perfect and upright man, one that fears God and shuns evil? Satan retorts, let's paraphrase, give me a break. Job follows you just because you give him cool stuff, because you bless him.
You let me have a little time attacking Job and we'll see what he's really made of. And then a series of calamities befell this man of God. He lost his livestock, he lost his children, he lost his health. And yet the Bible says he did not charge God foolishly, but instead said to the Lord, Naked came I into this world, naked go I out, blessed be the name of the Lord. And then Job's wife says, why don't you just curse God and die? And Job probably thought, why didn't I lose you too? Seriously?
That's it. So when I read this story I think, Lord if you're ever, even for a fleeting moment, feeling proud of me, please don't brag about me in front of the devil. Because that was a lot of hard things that came to Job, but he so patiently endured all of those things.
But there's another thing about Job that I love. He had hope in Christ before he even knew his name. Job believed in the resurrection of the body.
Job 19, 35, Job says, I know my redeemer lives and after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God. He had this hope. And we can have that same hope.
So let's wrap this up with one final point. What are we to do as we await the Lord's return? Number one, be patient. Number two, be aware of the afterlife. Number three, be courageous. Number four, be trusting.
Remember the example of Job. And fifth and lastly, look for opportunities to share the gospel. Look for opportunities to share the gospel.
Remember, we're going to give an account of the judgment seat of Christ for what we've done with our lives. Unlike patient farmers, we should be sowing the seeds of the gospel. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3, 6, I planted the seed in your hearts. And Apollos, that's another preacher, watered it. But it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose and both will be rewarded for their own hard work. I love that. So sometimes God calls you to sow a seed.
And what does that mean? Maybe it's a good deed. Maybe you hold a door open for someone. Thank you very much. You're welcome. God bless you. You know, maybe you tip generously and the server says thank you.
You're welcome. Jesus loves you. You know, you just let them know what you do is motivated by your faith. Just sowing a little seed. Sometimes you water a seed someone else has sown.
You engage a person in a conversation. You talk about what Christ has done for you, what he can do for that person. And then sometimes God will have you reap where others have sown and watered. God's the one that converts people, not us. But he chooses to involve us in the process. I remember I was in a restaurant a while ago with a few of our pastors and we're having lunch and the server comes and says, aren't you guys from a church here in town?
Yeah, we're from Harvest. Oh, that's great. What are your service times? And I told her our service times and we're talking a little bit. And it just suddenly occurred to me, I think this girl wants to accept Jesus Christ right now. I'm telling her, come to church on Sunday.
I'm thinking, why wait till Sunday? So I'm just talking with her. I said, let me ask you a question.
And I don't normally do this. But I said, let me ask you a question. Would you like to accept Christ into your life right now? She said yes. And so our worship group is nearby. They came out and they started to play a little song. Someone wheeled a pulpit in front of me.
No, no, none of that happened. So I just prayed with a girl right then and there. Some people are just waiting for someone to literally pop the question. And you have to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I suggest to you that there are opportunities to share your faith before you each and every day. And we just need to tune in and pay attention. It's a good thing to go out witnessing.
I support that. But it's a better thing to just always recognize you should be a witness. And as the Bible says, be on duty at all times. You never know when that moment will arise. But sometimes you just, you know, you just sow the seed. And you start the conversation. You know, the two hardest parts of evangelism are takeoff and landing.
Right? Takeoff and landing. So it's how do you get started? And how do you close the deal? That's where most believers choke. We don't know how to start the conversation. It's not as hard as you may think. Sometimes it's as simple as just, well, offering them a Harvest Crusade invitation.
This is such a great way to start. You say, hey, have you heard about the Harvest Crusade? Yeah, I've seen those bumper stickers. Is that a farming convention? No. Let me tell you what it is. And you talk about it. And I would like you to come as my guest. Oh, well, I've heard about that before.
Has anyone ever told you that there's a God in heaven who loves you? See, this is a way to just start the conversation. And then you carry on from there.
And that's why we're going to encourage you to grab these invitations and use them. But listen, I have an assignment for you. Did you get one of these when you came in today? Did you? Yes? Yes. You're not talking to me anymore. You were so good earlier.
Jeff, now it's like silence. Did you get one of these? Nod if yes. Okay, good. Thank you. Am I going to?
No. Well, let's get you one as you leave. Better yet, just listen to what I'll tell you and you don't even need one. It's a little card, and on the front is James 5, 7 to 8. We just read it. But then on the back, it gives you this week's assignment.
Here it is. Engage someone with the message of the gospel. Engage someone with the message of the gospel. How many of you are willing to follow up in this assignment? Raise your hand.
Not every hand is going up, but a lot are. And what this simply means is I'm going to look for an opportunity. So here's how it goes.
You praise it. Lord, I'm not comfortable doing this. I don't know if I'm going to have all the right answers, but I'm just going to say I'm available. Here I am, Lord.
Send me. Watch out. You're going to start seeing things. You're going to see those openings, those opportunities. They're all around you. The harvest is great. The opportunities are many.
You just need to tune in. And one of the great joys of life is sharing your faith. Let's do that.
And let's take advantage of the opportunity before us at the Angel Stadium. You know, not everybody is called to reach a lot of people. You may only reach a handful of people. That's all Noah reached. Basically his family. But he was called a preacher of righteousness.
Again, it's not about numbers. It's about faithfulness. And who knows that you will not reach one person who will in turn reach another person, who in turn will reach another person that could literally change the world.
And you could trace the spiritual heritage of that person right back to you and your willingness to leave your comfort zone and engage someone with the gospel. We want to be doing this with our time. But let me come back to a question I raised at the beginning of the message. Where are you going? Where are you going? We decide in this life where we will spend the afterlife. The Bible is very clear in this topic. According to the scripture in the afterlife, you will either go to heaven or you will go to hell. Well, there's purgatory. No, there's no purgatory. There's no stopovers on the way. It's a direct flight. Well, I'll work it out with the good Lord, the man upstairs at the judgment seat.
No, you do not want to do that. There are no chances after death, thousands before, none after. The Bible says it's appointed unto a man to die once, then comes the judgment.
You want to have this figured out now. You don't just go down to the airport and board whatever flight you want to board and go. No, you have to get your ticket ahead of time and then wait in long lines and then wait for the flight to be delayed, then eat really awful food.
I'm just describing airport experiences. No, but the truth is you decide ahead of time where you're going to go, and the same is true of our eternal destination. God wants you to join him for all eternity in heaven, and you will if you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. But then there's the other destination, hell. The last thing God wants is for any person made in his image to spend eternity separated from him in this place called hell. That's why he sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sin and pay for every wrong we have ever done and then to rise again from the dead. And Jesus Christ is alive and knocking at the door of our heart, and he is saying if we'll hear his voice and open the door, he will come in. If you want to go to heaven, you must have Christ living in your life.
Have you asked him in yet? If not, I'm going to give you an opportunity to do that right here, right now, as we close in prayer. Let's all pray. Father, speak to the heart of every person listening, wherever they may be. If they do not know you yet, let this be the moment your Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin and convinces them of their need for Jesus.
Help them to believe in you now, we pray. Listen, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, I want you to pray this prayer with me right now. Just pray this simple prayer.
You can pray it out loud if you like. Pray, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now.
I repent of it. I ask you to forgive me, and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Father, we thank you for those that just prayed this prayer, and now we pray that you will give us a passion and a concern to share our faith.
We believe you're coming again. We want to be watching, but we also want to be working, and we don't want to go to heaven alone. So, Lord, we're saying to you right now, here we are, Lord, send us.
Here I am, send me. Open up doors of opportunity for me to engage people with the gospel before this day is over. Help us to sow seeds. Help us to water seeds others have sown, and help us to reap where others have sown and watered. Use us for your glory, and, Lord, bless the Harvest Crusade on July 20th there at Angel Stadium. We pray that stadium will be filled with people, people that we brought that need to hear the gospel. We commit it all to you now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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.
