S1: Hey there. Thanks for listening to the Greg Laurie podcast,
S1: a ministry supported by Harvest Partners. I'm Greg Laurie. Encouraging
S1: you If you want to find out more about Harvest
S1: Ministries and learn more about how to become a harvest partner,
S1: just go to harvest. Org. How many of you believe
S1: in the name of Jesus? Yes.
S2: All right.
S1: Let's all pray together. Father, we're so glad here to
S1: be here today because we believe in the name of
S1: Jesus and all that he has done for us. And now,
S1: as we open your word, we pray that you will
S1: speak to our hearts, because you've told us in Scripture
S1: that you come and the volume of your book. So
S1: as we open the book that's inspired by you, that's
S1: breathed by you, we know Jesus will come to us
S1: and speak to us, and we want to hear from you, Lord, today.
S1: So we commit this time of Bible study to you. Now,
S1: in Jesus name we pray. Amen. You can all be seated.
S1: Welcome to church, everybody. Hello to harvest Orange County. Harvest
S1: at home watching at Harvest Dawg as well. Now let's
S1: turn at our Bibles to John chapter 11. And the
S1: title of my message is Power over Death. John 11.
S1: So my grandchildren used to have a bunch of rabbits
S1: and there was they had different names, a fuzzy and
S1: cotton one name one was named Chubby Cutie, which is
S1: funny because that's what my wife calls me. But so
S1: back to Fuzzy and Cotton. They were a couple that
S1: let's say they had they're very successful at bringing more
S1: rabbits into the world. And my granddaughter Ali came to
S1: me one day and she was in tears and she said,
S1: Papa Fuzzy, the rabbit died. And then she said, It's
S1: not fair. And I assured her that Fuzzy had lived
S1: a very long life. He had many offspring that he
S1: left behind. We counted around 80 bunnies that were left
S1: from Fuzzy. And so I actually saw Fuzzy using Tinder
S1: on his phone one time. But that's another story for
S1: another day. But, you know, I just said, hey, you know,
S1: this happens. And of course, we wonder, will we see
S1: our pets again in heaven? Well, I think it's pretty
S1: simple answer All dogs go to heaven. No cats do. Simple. No, no.
S1: None of that's true. But will we see them? I
S1: don't know. Who knows? It's possible that you might see
S1: your pet on the other side somewhere, but we don't
S1: have certainty of that. But we know that when heaven
S1: comes to earth and what we call the new Earth,
S1: that there will be animals with us. And we read
S1: about a little child leading a lion, which would be
S1: the ultimate pet, a lion. That's one cat I can
S1: get behind, right? A lion. And so we don't know
S1: about these things. But Ali raised a good issue. And
S1: it's simply this death is not fair. Death is harsh.
S1: It's mean. And it rips people that we love away
S1: from us. Sometimes expectedly, we know it's coming. Other times unexpectedly,
S1: we're all still reeling by this horrific act of pure
S1: evil against these innocent people On this Christian school campus
S1: in Nashville, Tennessee, six people died altogether. Three of them
S1: were precious little children and one was the daughter of
S1: the pastor there, Pastor Scruggs. And another little girl was
S1: trying to pull the fire alarm to warn the other children,
S1: Our hearts just break because it's so hard for us
S1: to wrap our minds around the death of a child.
S1: You know, we know that grandparents are going to definitely
S1: die and then parents and time and even us and time,
S1: but nobody plans or thinks through the death of a
S1: child or doing a funeral service for your child. Just
S1: last Saturday. Yesterday, our son Christopher had his birthday. He's
S1: in heaven. He's been in heaven for 14 years now,
S1: and he is 48 years old. I could say he
S1: would have been 48, but I believe he's very much alive.
S1: So I'll say he is 48, though I don't know
S1: that they count years in heaven like we do on Earth,
S1: and we know we will see him again. And Cathy
S1: and I and our son Jonathan went to his grave
S1: and we reflected on his life. And we all prayed
S1: and recommitted ourselves to the calling God has put on
S1: our lives. And and you say, well, that's a really
S1: morbid thing to do. I mean, go to a grave.
S1: And what? Yeah, but it's it's a grounding thing to do.
S1: I'll tell you that. Because it just reminds you one
S1: day I will be here, too. I've told you this
S1: before about a person who was walking through a cemetery
S1: and they saw a tombstone and on it were inscribed
S1: these words. Pause. Now, stranger, as you pass by as
S1: you are now. So once was I, as I am now.
S1: So you will be. So prepare for death and follow me.
S1: And a person reading that was overheard to say to
S1: follow you is not my intent until I know which
S1: way you went. Right. The Christian can look death right
S1: in the face and not be afraid because we know
S1: death is not the end. We know there is life
S1: beyond the grave. Sure. We're realists. You know, people accuse
S1: Christians of being out of touch with reality. I think
S1: other people are out of touch with reality that don't
S1: deal with this topic head on as we ought to,
S1: because only those who are prepared to die are really
S1: ready to live. So we look at death and we say,
S1: I'm not looking forward to it, but I know it's
S1: not the end and I know I'm simply changing my
S1: address from earth to heaven because I've put my faith
S1: in Jesus Christ, and that's how we can view it.
S1: And this is. Not only does the Believer have the
S1: hope that the moment they die, they go immediately into presence,
S1: into the presence of God. But the Bible also teaches
S1: there will be a bodily resurrection. That means the body
S1: that is in the grave now will one day be resurrected.
S1: We will see our loved ones again. But we're so
S1: uncomfortable with this topic. We don't even like to use
S1: the actual words. Instead of saying someone died, we'll say, Well,
S1: they they passed on. Or technically, you might say, Well,
S1: they expired. An undertaker, we call him a mortician. A
S1: coffin is called a casket. A graveyard is a memorial park. Well,
S1: that's whatever you want to call it. It is what
S1: it is. And death is harsh and death is mean
S1: and death is final. And death is real. And death
S1: is not our friend. It is the enemy. In fact,
S1: first Corinthians six, 1526 says the last enemy to be
S1: destroyed is death. And actually, God never wanted us to die.
S1: There was no death in the Garden of Eden before
S1: Adam and Eve, eight of the forbidden fruit. There was
S1: no sickness, there was no aging. There was no need
S1: for police officers or the military or anything of that kind.
S1: There was no suffering at all. It was pure bliss.
S1: But our first parents ate of the forbidden fruit and
S1: sin entered the world and so did death. And this
S1: is a story before us now in John 11 of
S1: three people that were impacted by the death of someone
S1: they loved. We're talking about Mary, Martha and Lazarus. And
S1: we're talking about when Lazarus, the brother, got sick and died.
S1: And by the way, they were inseparable. They were close siblings.
S1: Not all siblings are close. Sometimes we have sibling rivalry.
S1: They're fighting with each other all the time. But other
S1: siblings do everything together. I remember when I first met
S1: my wife, Cathy. She wasn't my wife yet, and she
S1: was at a Bible study with her two sisters. They
S1: went everywhere together. Mary excuse me, Mary Wright, Mary Cathy
S1: and Dodie. And so there they were sitting in front
S1: of me, and I noticed Cathy and I noticed her
S1: because there was a light shining on her. And I
S1: realized later Dottie was holding a flashlight over her head. So.
S1: And I noticed her and I thought, Well, there's something
S1: about this girl. I want to meet her. So I
S1: went up to all of them. Hey, how are you?
S1: I'm Greg. And. And so I said, You want to
S1: go get coffee after church? And we did. And then
S1: another week passed. I saw him again. Hey, you want
S1: to go out after church and get some desserts? Sure.
S1: And we all went. And the third week I said
S1: to Cathy, Hey, you want to go out after church
S1: and get some dessert? She said, Sure, I'll get my sisters.
S1: I said, I don't want your sisters.
S3: I just want you.
S1: And thus our relationship began. But they did everything together,
S1: and so did Mary, Martha and Lazarus, a tight knit family.
S1: So this is sign number seven in our series that
S1: we're calling The Seven Signs of Jesus. The first sign
S1: was turning water into wine at a wedding. The final
S1: sign was a resurrection of a man from the dead.
S1: So we go from a wedding to a funeral, reminding
S1: us that God is in control of all things in
S1: our life. From the beginning to the end. He's there
S1: with us and our joys and our sorrows. But the
S1: ultimate sign of Jesus was not even the resurrection of Lazarus.
S1: As amazing as it was, the ultimate sign of Jesus
S1: was his death and resurrection. Everything was building to this crescendo,
S1: Jesus said. A wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after
S1: a sign, but no sign will be given to them,
S1: but that of the prophet Jonah. And as Jonah was,
S1: three days and three nights and the belly of the
S1: sea monster or the great fish, so will the I,
S1: the son of man Jesus speaking be in the heart
S1: of the earth three days and three nights, Loose paraphrase
S1: Jesus says, You guys want a miracle. You want to sign.
S1: Here it is. I'm going to dine across. I'm going
S1: to bear the sin of the world and I'm going
S1: to rise again from the dead. And we'll celebrate that
S1: next week. But let's see what happened to Lazarus. John
S1: 11 I'm starting in verse one. I'm reading from the
S1: new King James version. Now a certain man was sick.
S1: Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
S1: And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with
S1: fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
S1: brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, the sisters sent to him saying, Behold,
S1: he whom you love is sick. So we'll stop there.
S1: What did we learn from this story? Point number one,
S1: if you're taking notes, life is filled with pain and
S1: sorrow and the death of loved ones. Is that not
S1: the most depressing point of all time? But is it
S1: not true? Sorry that I have to be the one
S1: to break this to you in case you don't know it.
S1: But life is filled with the pain, death and sorrow
S1: of loved ones. Now, when you're younger, this is hard
S1: to wrap your mind around. But you see people dying and.
S1: And it starts to settle in that one day this
S1: will happen to you as well. So this is what
S1: we see. And when tragedy comes in our life or
S1: we lose a loved one, we say, why me? Why
S1: is this happening to me? But it's ultimately going to
S1: happen to everyone, including you. In fact, we're told in
S1: first Peter 412 Don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial,
S1: which will try you as though some strange thing is
S1: happening to you. So we have to accept this fact.
S1: But that brings me to point number two. God loves us.
S1: God loves us. Don't rush over that. Don't misunderstand it.
S1: Let it sink in. God loves you. I want you
S1: to say this out loud. God loves me. Go. It's true.
S1: Do you believe that God loves you? Okay, So no
S1: matter what you're facing right now, don't forget this simple fact. Therefore,
S1: what he does or allows to happen in your life
S1: as his child is motivated by his everlasting love for you.
S1: Let me repeat that. It's on the screen. God loves you. Therefore,
S1: whatever he does or allows to happen in your life
S1: as his child is motivated by his everlasting love for you. Now,
S1: I'm interested in what Mary and Martha do. Now, remember,
S1: Lazarus is still alive, but he's very sick. They know
S1: this is serious. So they send word to Jesus. The
S1: one that you love is sick. In verse three, another
S1: translation of the same statement is, Lord, your dear friend
S1: is very sick. And this is an excellent example of
S1: what we need to do when we are in crisis.
S1: We are not here to tell God what He should do,
S1: but we are here to tell him about our problem
S1: and say, Lord, here's my problem. And they describe it
S1: to Jesus. Call on the Lord. There's nothing wrong with
S1: asking God to help you. Nothing wrong with asking God
S1: to deliver you. In fact, you should do it. Because
S1: in the book of James that says you have not
S1: because you ask, not now. God may deliver you from
S1: your problem and he may simply walk with you through
S1: your problem, but bring it before the Lord when the
S1: Israelites are criticizing and turning against Moses. We read in
S1: Exodus 1525, he cried unto the Lord when Hezekiah received
S1: a threatening letter. We read in Isaiah 37, He spread
S1: it out before the Lord. When John the Baptist was beheaded,
S1: his disciples went and told Jesus, That's what we should do. Christ,
S1: that's it. Go and tell Jesus. Hey, Jesus, I have
S1: a problem. I have a need. I have a burden.
S1: I have this thing that's happening to me right now,
S1: and I'm asking you to help me. Psalm 46 One
S1: reminds us that Jesus is a very present help in
S1: times of trouble. A present help. Now, they could have said, Now, look, Lord,
S1: you owe us. We fed you in your disciples. A
S1: lot of times you see, Jesus and His boys would
S1: often frequent the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Mary,
S1: Martha and Lazarus could legitimately say, Jesus is our friend.
S1: You see, they lived in Bethany, and Bethany is striking
S1: distance from Jerusalem. So as Christ would make his way
S1: into the city, he would just stop by. I wonder
S1: if he came by unannounced. He certainly couldn't text Martha. Hey, Martha,
S1: How's it going? We're on our way into Jerusalem, man.
S1: Are we hungry? And we all know what a great
S1: cook you are. Could you make something for us? Sure.
S1: Come on in, Lord. And then they would all come.
S1: It probably all went into the kitchen together. Why is
S1: it that in our homes everyone wants to hang around
S1: in the kitchen? You might even have a proper living
S1: room that no one ever uses the most. Of this
S1: room in a home, the living room. We all want
S1: to be in the kitchen because that's where the action is, right?
S1: Isn't this making you hungry right now? Because that's where
S1: the food is. And everyone people are leaning up against
S1: the stove and their clothes are catching on fire. But
S1: the food's there. It's good, right? So they could have said, Lord,
S1: we fed you so many times, you kind of owe us.
S1: It's time to reciprocate. But they didn't do anything like that.
S1: They just said, Lord, the one that you love is sick.
S1: They didn't even say the one that loves you is sick.
S1: They said the one that you love is sick. They
S1: weren't even appealing on the basis of their love for him.
S1: They were appealing on the basis of his love for them.
S1: Let's pick the story up, John 11, verse four. When
S1: Jesus heard about it, he said, Lazarus sickness will not
S1: end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God.
S1: So the Son of God will receive glory from this. Now,
S1: don't miss this verse. Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus,
S1: he stayed where he was for the next two days.
S1: I'd underline that actually. Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus,
S1: he stayed where he was for the next two days.
S1: Then he said to his disciples, Let's go back to Judea.
S1: He loved them, so he waited. That doesn't make sense.
S1: We would expect that verses say, because Jesus loved Mary,
S1: Martha and Lazarus. He got on the back of the
S1: fastest horse and rode to them. Or, Hey, in the
S1: case of Christ, he could have just moved there, just boom,
S1: here I am. Or he could have spoken the word.
S1: He didn't even have to go to them. He could
S1: have spoken the word and said, Lazarus, you are healed.
S1: But none of this happened. He delayed his arrival. Why? Listen?
S1: Because he loved Lazarus. Now we think this is a contradiction.
S1: If Jesus really loved Lazarus, why didn't he immediately go
S1: and heal him? And in the same way, when hardship,
S1: tragedy or even death come into our lives, we wonder
S1: if God really loved me? Why did he let this happen? Right?
S1: We've asked this before. If God loved me, why did
S1: he let this happen? It's hard to see through eyes
S1: that are filled with tears. And the point that we
S1: need to see in all of this is not why
S1: it's happened. But remember, God is in control. And also
S1: remember that his delays are not necessarily his denials. A
S1: verse I love. Ecclesiastes 311 says, God has made everything
S1: beautiful in his time. See, we look at the small picture.
S1: God looks at the big picture. We look at the
S1: temporal God looks at the eternal. See, I'm an artist
S1: of sorts. More of a cartoonist, if you want to
S1: call that an artist. I like to think of myself
S1: as an advanced doodler, but I like to draw. If
S1: there's a piece of paper near me and a pen,
S1: I'll start drawing. I can't stop myself. And people will say,
S1: Do a caricature of me now, A caricature by its
S1: very definition is an exaggeration of something. And so someone says,
S1: Draw me. I'll look at them and I see them
S1: in a certain way as something of an artist and
S1: also as someone with a warped sense of humor. And
S1: I might see flaws like, Oh, well, your ears are
S1: quite big. So when the drawing they do of you,
S1: your ears are going to be gigantic. And that's what
S1: a caricature is. That's why I never do caricatures of girls,
S1: because I'll draw a girl and make her perfect, flawless.
S1: So cute and adorable.
S3: Just say I don't look like that.
S1: But, guys, I'm brutal, man. I just. Yeah, I'm going
S1: to go for it. It's meant to make you laugh, right?
S1: So even before I begin to draw, I might start laughing.
S1: You don't see anything in the paper, but I see
S1: it in my imagination. I know what I'm going to do.
S1: So God is drawing a picture of our life. He
S1: does a stroke here, a line there, and we say,
S1: I don't. What is this? I don't see what it's
S1: going to be. Or it says, You're going to like it.
S1: Wait till it's done. We're a work in progress. He's
S1: looking at what he's ultimately going to do in your life. So,
S1: Mary and Martha, I wonder if they bragged on Jesus
S1: a little. Hey, we know Jesus. Look, we've got him
S1: in contacts on our phone. Look right there. Jesus, right there.
S1: I get text him right now. He's over here all
S1: the time. Let me tell you all of his favorite meals.
S1: Let me tell you what's he like in person. Let
S1: me tell you what he's like in person. They might
S1: have said, you see, Jesus will show up. He's our friend.
S1: And not only did Jesus not show up, but he
S1: got there late and even missed the funeral. So Lazarus
S1: has now died. And not only has he died, he's
S1: in the process of decomposition. In fact, it's Martha who
S1: says to Jesus, Lord, by now he stinks. Earth. That's
S1: King James. I like that translation. That's a nice way
S1: to tell someone they don't smell right. Have you used
S1: deodorant lately? I don't know. Why do you ask? Because
S1: by now you stink earth. Think about using that if
S1: you like. It's all yours. But So he shows up late,
S1: He comes into town. The funeral service is over. It's
S1: a complete disaster. What happens next, John? 11 verse 20.
S1: Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming,
S1: went and met him, Mary was sitting in the house
S1: and Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you would have
S1: been here, my brother would not have died. But now
S1: I know that whatever you ask of God, God will
S1: give you. Jesus said, Your brother will rise again. Martha says,
S1: I know he'll rise again in the resurrection. At the
S1: last day Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection
S1: and the life He that believes in me. Though he
S1: were dead. Yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and
S1: believes in me shall never die. I love that statement,
S1: don't you? What a powerful statement of Jesus Christ. But
S1: Martha's effectively saying, Allow me to paraphrase Jesus.
S4: You blew it.
S1: We were bragging on you. We were expecting you to
S1: show up. If you had been here, my brother would
S1: not have died. You miss the opportunity. Jesus says your
S1: brother will rise again. Yeah, I know. In the resurrection. No, Martha.
S1: Read my lips. I am the resurrection. I am the
S1: life he that believes in me. Though he were dead,
S1: yet shall he live? But we've all said things like this.
S1: Maybe to the Lord. Where were you, Lord? Where were
S1: you when my marriage dissolved? Where were you when my
S1: parents divorced? Where were you when my child went astray?
S1: Where were you when my loved one died? And so
S1: there's nothing wrong with telling God how you feel. You know,
S1: I think sometimes people say, you know, never pray a
S1: prayer like that. No, pour your heart out to God.
S1: And if you're hurting, tell God you're hurting. If you're confused,
S1: tell God you're confused. If you don't like what's happening
S1: to you. Go ahead and tell him you don't like
S1: what's happening to you, but cast it on the Lord.
S1: I think the problem is sometimes we withdraw from God
S1: in times of crisis. We don't talk to God. We
S1: don't talk to anybody else. We're in our little cocoon
S1: of depression and misery. No heed. Call out to God. God.
S1: Why did you let this happen? I don't expect an answer.
S1: I think if God told you why things happen, you
S1: wouldn't be satisfied anyway. You know, because how is it
S1: going to make things better? God says, My ways are
S1: above your ways. My thoughts are above your thoughts. We
S1: live on promises, not explanations. So we should not spend
S1: too much time asking why. But I love what Jesus says.
S1: He says, Your brother will rise again and I am
S1: the resurrection and the life. And then, Mary, now comes
S1: we pick the story up. John 11, verse 32. Then
S1: Mary came where Jesus was and saw him and fell
S1: down at his feet saying, Lord, if you would have
S1: been here, my brother would not have died. Therefore, when
S1: Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with
S1: her weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
S1: And he said, Where have you laid him? They said, Lord,
S1: come and see. Now the shortest verse in all of
S1: the Bible, John 1135 Jesus wept. Two words Jesus wept.
S1: And the Jews said, See how he loved him. Point
S1: number two. Because Jesus loves us. He weeps with us
S1: in our times of pain. Because Jesus loves us. He
S1: weeps with us in our times of pain. Yes, Jesus
S1: was God walking among us. But Jesus was also a
S1: man who felt our pain and sorrows. Isaiah 53, says
S1: If Jesus, he was despised and rejected a man of
S1: sorrows and acquainted with the bitterest grief, we turned our
S1: backs on him and looked the other way. When he
S1: went by, he was despised and we did not care.
S1: Yet it was our weaknesses that he carried. It was
S1: our sorrows that weighed him down. Wow, Jesus has walked
S1: in your shoes and then some. He voluntarily put himself
S1: in the way of danger to bear your sorrows on
S1: the cross. He didn't just bear your sins, he bore
S1: your sorrows. You might say God doesn't know what it's
S1: like to live in this earth. Oh, doesn't He? Well,
S1: God doesn't know what it's like to lose a son,
S1: doesn't he? He gave his only begotten son. Well, God
S1: doesn't know what it's like to be misunderstood. Oh, I
S1: think he does. God doesn't know what it's like to
S1: be rejected by people and be betrayed. Oh, he knows that. Well. Well,
S1: he doesn't know what it's like to be lonely. Listen,
S1: Jesus was the loneliest man who ever walked this earth
S1: when he hung on that cross and bore the sins
S1: of the world. And even his father turned his face
S1: away at that moment, causing Christ to say, My God,
S1: my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus understands everything
S1: that you are going through right now, and He cares
S1: and He sorrows with you in that time of sorrow.
S1: Hebrews 217 says it was necessary for Jesus to be
S1: in every respect like us. That's why he had to
S1: enter into every detail of human life. And then when
S1: he came before God, his high priest, to get rid
S1: of people's sins, he would have already experienced it all himself,
S1: all the pain, all the testing, and would be able
S1: to help where help was needed. He knows what you're
S1: going through. Death breaks the heart of God just as
S1: it breaks ours. So we say, then why doesn't he
S1: do something about it? Well, actually, he has. Look at
S1: John 11, verse 33, and then I'll drop down to
S1: verse 38 when Jesus saw her weeping and saw the
S1: other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation
S1: and was deeply troubled. And again, verse 38, he was
S1: deeply troubled. And they came to the grave and there
S1: was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. Now,
S1: this word used here for trouble can be translated. Mad
S1: Jesus was mad. Yes, Jesus had anger. He never lost
S1: his temper like we do. But he had righteous indignation.
S1: He was angry. Why was he angry? Was he angry
S1: at Mary and Martha for doubting him? No. Was he
S1: angry at the people who are mourning the death of
S1: Lazarus again? No. He was angry with the Grim Reaper,
S1: if you will. He was angry with death itself. He
S1: was angry because this was not the way it was
S1: meant to be. And it made him angry. Then he says,
S1: remove the stone. Where this is, Lord. He stinks. Move
S1: the stone. And then he says, Lazarus, come forth. And
S1: Lazarus comes back from the other side. He's still wrapped
S1: up in bandages, so it's not like Lazarus comes out. Hey,
S1: he's more like. Someone unwrapped these things. It's a good thing.
S1: Jesus said Lazarus, come forth. Because if he'd simply said,
S1: Come forth, every body and every grave in every place
S1: would have burst out at that moment. Lazarus in particular,
S1: come forth. And by the way, I feel sorry for Lazarus.
S1: You say, Why? Because he had to die twice. Isn't
S1: it bad enough to die once? This poor guy had
S1: to go twice. You know, when a loved one leaves you,
S1: you want to communicate with them. And sometimes people try
S1: to contact people on the other side. Never do that.
S1: The Bible forbids it. They can't hear you. And any
S1: messages people say are coming from the other side. That's
S1: not true. Okay. But I understand the longing to communicate
S1: with someone that has died. You can't talk to them.
S1: They can't talk to you. So don't try. But you
S1: can talk to the Lord about what you're facing. But
S1: let's just say for the sake of a point that
S1: we can make a phone call. When did this become
S1: the symbol of a phone call? But we all do it, right?
S1: Someone called me a phone. Doesn't look like that. But anyway,
S1: let's just say we could call our loved one in heaven. Hey,
S1: I've missed you so much.
S3: And guess what?
S1: I want you to come back here again. You know what?
S1: What happened? Did hang up on you? What? I want
S1: to go back there. No. Come back. It's so great.
S1: We had the greatest burger. What?
S3: What?
S1: We saw an amazing sunset. I am sure you did.
S1: If they could speak to you. But you're not seeing
S1: what I'm seeing right now. I can't wait till you
S1: join me here. No one in heaven would ever want
S1: to come back to Earth if they were even given
S1: the choice. But having said that, here's Lazarus called from
S1: the other side. Now he has to die again and
S1: face all of the challenges of life. But here's the
S1: big story not just that a man was raised from
S1: the dead, but it's this Death is not the end.
S1: The tomb for the Christian is not the entrance to
S1: death but to life. Heaven is the earthly life of
S1: the believer, glorified and perfected. Okay, so your loved ones,
S1: they're in pure bliss. The reason they don't want to
S1: come back is because it's better where they are. It'd
S1: be like, imagine the most beautiful place you've ever been.
S1: You know, maybe some tropical island looking at the greatest
S1: sunset of all time, eating your favorite food with someone
S1: you love. And dolphins are jumping out and unicorns are
S1: galloping by. I don't know. There's no unicorns, but, you know. Yeah,
S1: it's just a perfect moment. All this is so great.
S1: And then imagine someone saying, we need to leave immediately
S1: and go to the dump. I hear they're burning some
S1: trash right now. Why? Why would I want to go
S1: to the dump when I'm here? And that's what it
S1: would be like to go from heaven to earth. That's
S1: why Paul said, I have a desire to depart and
S1: be with Christ, which is far better. But it's important
S1: for me to stay here with you. Heaven is so
S1: much better. But the real message here is that death
S1: is not the end and God will be with you
S1: and the hardest times of your life and he'll be
S1: with you in the greatest times of your life. He'll
S1: be with you for all of your life. He'll never
S1: abandon you. Jesus said, I will never leave you or
S1: forsake you. One of my favorite verses as Isaiah 43.
S1: When God says, When you go through deep waters and
S1: great trouble, I'll be with you. When you go through
S1: rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk
S1: through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up.
S1: The flames will not consume you. David said in Psalm 23. Yea,
S1: though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
S1: I will fear no evil. Why, David? Because you are
S1: with me. God will be with you in every phase
S1: of your life. Going back to the first miracle water
S1: into wine. Wedding day. Amazing day.
S3: He's there at the birth of a baby. He's there at.
S1: The death of a loved one.
S3: He's there at the.
S1: Beginning of life, the middle of life. And he's there
S1: at the end of life. And then he's.
S3: There to take you to the.
S1: Afterlife. So you don't have to be afraid anymore. It
S1: doesn't mean we want to die. Christians don't just sit
S1: around and say, Hey man, I wish I would die today.
S1: That'd be cool. No, we don't want to die, but
S1: we don't fear death. If this is the day, we say, fine, Lord,
S1: you know, to be absent from the body is to
S1: be present with you, whatever you have in mind. Because
S1: no one loves life more than the Christian right. Hello? Yes,
S1: thank you. I'm not sure about you guys. No one
S1: loves life more than the Christian.
S3: Well, I don't know. I have to think about that
S3: for a moment.
S1: I know you really are responding in your heart. You're just.
S3: You just need to express it a little bit more.
S3: Say amen. That's how you do it. It's every now
S3: and then. Amen.
S1: Okay. Don't give me your fake Amen. So I don't
S1: want him. And don't do him at the wrong point either.
S1: The sermon is now over. Amen. No, not then.
S3: But he will be with you.
S1: You don't have to be afraid. So I want to
S1: close with this statement of Jesus. I just love.
S3: It.
S1: He says, I'm the resurrection and the life he that
S1: believes in me, though he were dead. Yet shall.
S3: He.
S1: Live. And whosoever lives and believes in.
S3: Me shall.
S1: Never die. Then he asked. There you go. You're getting it.
S1: That's good. That was.
S3: Good. Perfect.
S1: We need more of that harvest. Orange County. More of that. Okay.
S1: You guys in Riverside are good. You just stay where
S1: you are. Orange County. Time to up the game with
S1: the aim any. Okay, but don't overdo it. We'll find
S1: the balance together. Whoever lives and believes in him shall
S1: never die. But what does it mean to believe in Jesus?
S1: Does it mean to merely acknowledge a man named Jesus
S1: walked this earth some 2000 years ago and even to
S1: acknowledge he died on a Roman cross, and even to
S1: acknowledge he rose from the dead? Well, that's important. But
S1: it's more than that. It's believing in him. And what
S1: does that mean? It means to put your faith and
S1: trust in Jesus Christ as your savior. I know we
S1: use this phrase a lot, but I think it's accurate, personal,
S1: Lord and savior. He becomes your God. He becomes your Lord.
S1: He becomes your friend. And he comes into your life.
S1: You say, Well, how does that happen exactly? Through prayer.
S1: When I say, Lord, I'm sorry for my sin, I
S1: believe you died on the cross for me and paid
S1: the price for every sin I've committed. And I turn
S1: from my sin. Or as the Bible puts it, I
S1: repent of my sin. I change my direction in life.
S1: And I believe in you. I trust.
S3: You.
S1: And if you do that, God will forgive you of
S1: all of your sin. And you can know with certainty
S1: that you will go to heaven when you die. And
S1: you can find the meaning and purpose of life. You said, Well,
S1: I want that to happen for me now. Will It
S1: can and it will for some of you, because we're
S1: going to pray together and I'm going to extend an
S1: invitation for anyone here, though, wants to ask Jesus Christ
S1: to come into their life and be forgiven of all
S1: of their sin so they can know with certainty they'll
S1: go to heaven when they die, and so they can
S1: find the meaning and purpose of life. Let's all pray. Father,
S1: I ask you to speak to the hearts of all
S1: those that are here, all those that are watching, wherever
S1: they are. If they don't know you, we pray that
S1: your Holy Spirit will convict and convince them of their
S1: sin and their need for Jesus and help them to
S1: come to you and believe right now. Now all our
S1: heads are bowed and we're praying. Maybe there's someone here
S1: that would say, I need Jesus today. I want my
S1: sin forgiven. I'm not sure that I'll go to heaven
S1: when I die, but I want to go to heaven.
S1: I want to find the meaning and purpose of life.
S1: Pray for me if that's your desire. If you want
S1: Christ to come into your life, He if you want
S1: him to forgive you of your sin, if you want
S1: to know that when you die, you will go to heaven.
S1: If you're ready to say yes to Jesus, wherever you are,
S1: I want you to raise your hand up and I'm
S1: going to pray for you. Raise your hand up and
S1: let me pray for you. God bless you. God bless
S1: you and you, wherever you are, raise your hand up.
S1: I'll pray for you. Today. You're saying I want Christ
S1: in my life today. Let me pray for you. God
S1: bless you. Anybody else. If you haven't raised your hand now,
S1: do it. Let me pray for you. God bless you.
S3: And you.
S1: Now there's others watching on screens. You can raise your
S1: hand wherever you are. I can't see you, but that
S1: doesn't matter, does it? The Lord sees you. You say
S1: I need Jesus too. And we'll all pray together. Anybody else?
S1: I'll wait one more moment. If you want Christ in
S1: your life, raise your hand. Let me pray for you.
S3: God bless you.
S1: I'm going to ask every one of you that just
S1: raise your hand to stand to your feet. You heard
S1: me right. Stand up. Maybe you didn't raise your hand,
S1: but you want Christ to come into your life. Stand
S1: up and we're going to pray together. We're going to
S1: settle this right here, right now. Stand to your feet.
S1: By the way, people are standing. Are you one of them?
S1: Do you need to be? Anybody else? Stand wherever you are.
S1: Wherever you're watching me, just stand up. This is a
S1: commitment you're making to Christ. Make it where you are.
S1: Just stand to your feet. I'll wait one more moment.
S1: Anybody else you want Jesus Christ to come into your
S1: life and forgive you of your sin. Stand up and
S1: let me pray with you.
S3: God bless you that are standing now.
S1: I'm going to pray a prayer and I'm going to
S1: ask that you pray it out loud after me. In fact,
S1: I'm going to ask everyone to pray this prayer as
S1: we encourage these folks praying it for the first time.
S1: So as I pray, pray this out loud after me,
S1: let's all pray together. Lord Jesus.
S3: I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that
S3: you're the savior.
S1: Who died on the cross for me. You paid the
S1: price for my sins.
S3: I ask you to forgive me now. I repent of
S3: my sin.
S1: And I choose to follow you. From this moment forward
S1: as my savior and Lord as my God and my friend.
S1: Thank you for hearing this prayer.
S3: In answering this prayer. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
S1: Hey everybody. Thanks for listening to this podcast. To learn
S1: more about Harvest Ministries, follow this show and consider supporting it.
S1: Just go to Harvest.
S3: Org.
S1: And to find out how to know God personally, go
S1: to Harvest Org and click on Know God.