Hope for Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones: Hope that Comes from God

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, to find out how to know God personally go to know God.org KNOW know God.org he would you do me a favor sure this message was someone who needs to hear it live 40 days without three days without water for about there about one second without a home coming up with new beginning. Pastor Greg Morey points out, when we place our hope in our God is hopes for us to take shape. I know the thoughts that I think the Lord their thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future been on me talk about the value of leaning on a friend. We today will see that's God's message to us when our lives circumstances beyond our control circumstances brought on viral mistakes. God is our refuge today on a new beginning.

Pastor Greg Laurie points out after his sons went to heaven. God's compassion was reconfirmed here that reassures understand what I would be sharing with you is not from an ivory tower. This is from the valley of the shadow of death, where I have personally found the hope promised to us in that is where we are going to find the hope that we need to find it in God's word. Let's of the Psalm 119 verse 114 you are my refuge and my shield.

Your word is my only source of hope Romans 15 Ford says such things were written in the Scripture long ago to teach us and they give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises if and said that men could live 40 days without food three days without water. Eight minutes without air and about one second without whole. We all need hope in life to get through what does that mean they have hope. Is it just open all all II just know things will get better.

Will wait you don't know it because things could actually get worse, right. So what is my hope in my whole is in God I have the look to him and here's what God says to us in one of my favorite verses Jeremiah 2911 Lord says I know the thoughts that I think Georgie says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and what hope that's what God is saying to us now, contextually, that statement was given to the Israelites when they were in Babylonian captivity because of their penchant for idolatry.

The Lord banished them to the land of idolatry Babylon for 70 long years they they were no longer worshiping. They said they hung their hearts on the willow tree which means that they sort above put the guitar away in the closet and unplug the M said there were no praise services happily because they felt like God had forgotten about them and God had abandoned them.

So with that backdrop, the Lord says pay everyone listen I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, not to be able to give you a future and a whole God missing Israel listen to me. Your days are not over, I have a future for you and God is saying the same to us. Love of the Lord says I know the thoughts that I think toward you would've been enough about what it said I know the single thought. I once had toward you for a fleeting moment when you be happy to know that God Almighty, the creator of the universe had a single thought about you.

I would, but that's not what the Lord says he says I know the thoughts plural more than one that I think not. Just past tense, but present tense toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future so the thoughts of God are from what you thought what he is thinking and what he still will think they're good thoughts.

The Bible says in Psalm 45. Many are your wonderful words would you have done in your thoughts toward us cannot be counted and what does he mean when he says the future they could better be translated and expected in for another translation would say a ground of hope are things hoped for. In other words, there will be an outcome there will be completion in your life. God will tie up the loose ends because as a Christian I am a work in progress.

You know what a loved one leaves this world, especially when it's unexpected.

It tears us up inside even once expected.

It's very hard to deal with the deep sense of loss because it was a deep love know sometimes people will say we you shouldn't be crying.

You should in the morning there and have it if you're a believer, but even the great apostle Paul talked about the deep sorrow he was feeling. If a friend of his would die in Philippians 225. He says I thought I would send the proper die this back to you is a true brother of people worker, a courageous soldier.

He was your messenger to help me in my need now.

I'm sending them home again, for he is been longing to see you and he was very distressed that you found out he was ill and he surely was built. In fact, he almost died, but God had mercy on him. Listen to this. Paul says, but also on me so I would not have such unbearable sorrow, this is Paul is been a heaven and is come back again this is Paul, who had more faith than anyone you can imagine. And yet Paul himself is a pampered guy. This had died.

I don't know if I could borrow next is that talk and being wondering can I bear this. Can I get through this. When you lose someone you think it can I survive that. Some people say, you know, don't cry.

Get over it.

I want to say something to you that know someone that's morning. The Bible says there's a time to weep and there's a time to mark and don't ever tell a person who's lost someone to get over it, or to stop crying. Who are you to say such a thing be patient with people or morning Penelope say a word to you or morning loss of someone unique perspectives in the perspective Psalm 42. The psalmist writes day and I have only had tears for food while my enemies continually tell me safe, where is this God of yours. My heart is breaking. As I remember how it used to be. I walked among the crowds of worshipers leading a great process in the house of God singing for joy in giving thanks it was a sound of a great celebration but then he corrects himself and he says why am I discouraged, why am I so sad. I will put my hope in God.

I will praise him again. My Savior and my God I know what the psalmist means when he says I've only had tears for food when you have a breakfast lunch and dinner of tears and you lose your appetite and you cry constantly you know my wife said she'd only see me cry. Maybe two or three times in our life together and after the Lord Christopher. I cried every day for hours and in deep crying and so I understand what he's talking about here, but there would be times Robert sort of go into like a black hole. Here's what happened. You're just going about your life and something triggers a memory in so many things can do it. It's ridiculous and you remember this time you were together and then you while your first instinct is to call him or talk to them and you realize they're gone. And then you say they're gone they're gone. I'll never see them on this earth again and then you say I'll never see them again. And why did this happen to me.

You and all these things go through your mind. I'm just being honest with you, you think preachers don't think these things that I'm still just a God okay all these thoughts go through my mind. So here's what I did I say Greg you listen to me now. I start preaching to myself someone watching with think I'm a lunatic maybe I am but I'm a hopeful lunatic.

I'll say Greg you listen to me.

The Bible says you will see your son again and he's in heaven and the Bible says that Jesus is the resurrection of the life and he that believes in him will not die and Greg remain in all remind myself of the promises of God" them out loud to myself, you know what it just sort of lists via from this.

I found myself in and we need to do this out of the psalmist is doing. Amen. All I do is cry day and night wise as I believe I remember the good old days and he says hey hold thou in God, what are you doing any corrects his thinking grave is a lot like wiping out on away. How many of you Sir Fraser hand, we don't have a lot of surface or harvest okay let me restate the question how many of you have ever been out of the ocean and you got caught in the set of waves and got pounded in Whitewater raise her head where we are. See, that's more like me. I would like to say is on a great server but I'm more like the guy floundering in Whitewater. I went out surfing with rivalries a while back and and Rall tells everyone how much he serves and as I recall we did do a lot of wave catching we did more floundering in Whitewater. The two of us together but it sounds good when we say work surface right but I anyway I which you want to avoid is getting caught in this impact zone so when you're out surfing her body surfing or boogie boarding or whatever you're doing, you see a set of waves coming in.

You have to be the very thing you don't want to do, which is toward the wave right you want to run to the shore of you don't do that. So you go toward the way you swim.

Try to go under the way or over the top of the way but you're paddling out in the way picked you up in the worst way to go is words which I've done and then you get so discombobulated you don't know which way is up more than one person is brown because they went the wrong direction. They went down when they should have gone up. They take water that their lungs they go unconscious.

So here's what you need to remember. If you're out surfing and you have your surfboard or your boogie board. Anyone of a leash on a taxi wrinkle. Grab your leash and pull on it and go on the direction of the league why because it's attached to your board and your board is boy and I will be on the service. So, even if it goes against the logic of the moment. Follow your leash to the top right that's very helpful. Guys want to give that will tip anyway so no to contempt so here's the analogy the word of God is like that leash that we pull on and it takes us to the surface where we can get proper perspective on what is really happening because our emotions like Whitewater will get the best of us. I will be overwhelmed, but we hope in God, and we believe the word of God and the corrects us and then we might get caught in another way than another, but we keep hoping again and again and again. Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment. We love to hear stories of how lives have been changed to pastor Grace radio teaching from God's word in my lap but the Lord came to Christ 11 years. Having very a Hearing them on the radio and highly tempting.

What had been helping me today. In between every lay in every part of my company and I'm so grateful. Thank you for your great were so glad to hear that this program is changing lives. If you have a story to tell. I hope you'll contact us today. Tell us your story by calling 86687111446 866-871-1144 today.

Pastor Greg is presenting his most requested message of the past year called hope for those who lost loved ones get a copy of it. Harvest.know what our text on Chapter 11. This is a story of people who are lost hope it's a story of the death of a loved one, amending Lazarus and how his sisters, Mary and Martha reacted.

It's also a story of how Jesus reacts to such circumstances, and how God can be glorified in such to a ship but it's a hopeful message. We see how the Lord deals with these people. Now he deals with us before we read these verses such as point out that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were a tightknit family. There were three siblings that love each other and they had a great home. Everyone knew Martha was a killer chef and Jesus love to come visit shown up on the bondsman since they were here at 12 friends. Is that okay Martha was so hospitable would always make up a fantastic meal for the Lord these guys, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus can legitimately say that Jesus of Nazareth was their personal friend because he frequented their home which was within striking distance from Jerusalem.

There in Bethany, so now tragedy comes even though there, and Lazarus is very very ill. That's of the story starts. John 11 verse one now certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha Davis at Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to them, saying, Lord, behold, a key, whom you love is set so what we learn from this story number one life is filled with pain, sorrow, and the death of loved ones again. Life is filled with pain and sorrow the death of loved ones. I don't know why but some of us may think were going to get a pass for you to somehow make it through life unscathed.

Never having a major tragedy. Never having any kind of illness, never losing a loved one.

I it's it's all going to be great, but then when it comes our way were shocked. Don't be shocked. Peter said in first Peter 412 11 do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing were happening to you, don't. Don't be surprised like why is this happening when he wasn't happening happens to everyone. Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation, so it's going to come your way. It's going to knock at your door. It will probably start with your grandparents dying and then your parents and eventually it could be your spouse. It might be a child they could be a close friend that will remind you of your mortality, but wanted someone close to you like a spouse or a child or a brother as it was for Mary and Martha. It's a whole different thing.

So that's number one.

Life is filled with pain and sorrow in the death of loved ones number two God loves us. God loves us the ruts over that. Don't misunderstand it, let it sink in. God loves you. Listen to this.

Whatever he does or allows to happen in your life is his child is motivated by his everlasting love for you repeat that whatever he does or allows to happen in your life as his child is motivated by his everlasting love for you. God says in his word.

I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with lovingkindness.

I have drawn you he loves you and he loved them. I want you to notice what they said in verse three Lord, the one whom you love is sick.

They knew Jesus love the and by the way, this word that is used here for the one you love is from the Greek word for Leo and for Leo means brother love that's for Philadelphia got their name. The city of brotherly love for Leah Lord your friend that you love like a brother is said that was the word that they send to Jesus you know and that is the perfect thing to do when crisis hits when you're in trouble, bring it to Jesus.

When the Israelites were criticizing and turning against Moses read in Exodus 1525 cry then to the Lord when you're criticized unfairly, take it to the Lord. When Hezekiah received a threatening letter we read that he spread it out before the Lord of your received the letter threatening you, when John the Baptist was beheaded. The disciples went and told Jesus. Matthew 1412 says so that's what we need to do when trouble comes we need to go and tell Jesus out.

I want you to notice the bases for their appeal then say hey Lord, you will iceman we thank you all the time and you and your friends Christ at our house so little love here in healing your body. They didn't see anything like it paid Mary to visit who was there at your feet, anointing them. That was me right. Martha give is that he who makes your favorite meatloaf. They didn't do any of that.

They just said, Lord, the one that you love is sick. Verse three.

They didn't even say Lord we love you so much. So do this for us. They did not base their appeal and their love for God, but rather on his love for them.

That's just what we should do is guess what my love your love. It's fickle and fluctuate God's love for me is consistent and never changing Lord, the one that you love is taken the time to act is now in Jesus.

What in his time and in his way. Verse four and five when Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not of the death, but for the glory of God the son of God may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Therefore, when he heard that the was sick, he states two more days in the place where he wants what he did what it seems like we would've read that when Jesus heard this, because he love Mary Martha and Lazarus.

He found the fastest horse and ran full speed to get to his sick friend. Or we could read that Jesus just appeared there. Oh hello everyone, what's up, how can I help know because he love them. He delayed his arrival. Interesting though different words used are for love Mary Martha C. The one you love for Leo brother love is sick.

The word that is used here is the Greek word agape which speaks of God's all-consuming love in Jesus because he loved him. In this way, did not come when they wanted him to come remember his delays are not necessarily his denials just as surely as God has his will. He has his timing of Ecclesiastes 311 says God is made everything beautiful in his time. So here is what is really happening. Jesus is trying to get Mary and Martha get the big picture guys. I know it seems like I can come there right now, but what I want to do is better than what you're asking me to do, they go above and beyond your request to Greg Ward reassuring insights on the hope we can find in the Lord. There's much more to come as Pastor Greg completes the study are on a new beginning. If you like a CD of the full presentation though. Get in touch and mention the title of the study hope for those who have lost loved ones.

It's our most requested message of the past year. Order online@harvest.org or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24 seven that's 1-800-821-3300 Pastor Greg a year ago, when 20/20 started we were all thinking no brand-new year rainbows and butterflies yes and and then it just seemed to turn to mushroom clouds and murder Hornets. You know the year just disintegrated. Yeah.

Well, as we start 2021. We do have hopes and dreams in spite of last year's tumult, we saw more than 140,000 people made professions of faith through this ministry.

So we have even bigger plans for 2021 wanted to explain some of that to us. Well, we had we had some pretty lofty planter 2020 we came out and said we want to see hundred thousand people come to Christ by the end of the year.

This is before culvert and we have a number of ways are hoping to do this, including the giant Crusade where were doing in the stadium in Los Angeles. Our three night crusading Angel Stadium plus movie called Jesus revolution which is going to be a feature film in the theaters.

Well, everything changed when COBIT 19 showed up theater shut down. We couldn't do our life stadium events so we pivoted online for our weekend program that we call harvest of home which is like church in your home and through that and also our outreach film that we did called a Russell Pope we saw well over 100,000 people make a profession of faith. So we not only meant that goal that we set we exceeded it and I have to give God the glory and I think in this coming year, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think people are really searching right now. There's so much uncertainty in the air and people need answers and we have the answers folks those answers are found in the Bible and there found in a relationship with God that takes place through Jesus Christ we took 30 years of what we have learned in evangelistic crusades and build them into a movie, a movie that presents beautiful stories of lives of the big change for the gospel in a concise, straightforward message from the gospel telling people how to accept Christ, and thousands have responded to that invitation. Imagine you can now have this tool in your hand to play when you want to play it for whoever you want to play it for, and it's a DVD version of our film a rush of hope and I want to get you a copy as quickly as possible. A list of the best I could charge you for did say this is how much you have to pay no were giving it to you for your gift of any size whatever you consent to support our ministry will be used to reach more people with the gospel. So I want to encourage you order your copy of a rush of hope and close a gift.

I hope it's a generous one so we can see more people come to know Jesus Christ. I think you're gonna love it. You absolutely, and we hope you get in touch right away.

And when you send that donation would like to thank you.

With this new DVD of a rush of hope.

Not only are we offering this on a DVD, but there's also a special digital download code. We will provide for you. What that means is to let the DVD that showed where we want to show to but you can downloaded to your phone you can downloaded to your tablet device or to your computer and then watch it or show it when ever you want carried around with you event and you can have an evangelistic crusade in your pocket. Yeah, there's really nothing else like it and again will send it your way to say thank you for your generous donation right now and time is running out. We can only mentioned this a short time longer to get in touch today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 anytime 24 hours a day. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org everybody Greg Laurie here personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a Bible study. It's a worship service. It church in your home, you're not able to get out your church right now.

If so, join us per Harvest at Home people are listening this from around the world listen to this. We have seen thousands of people make a commitment to follow Christ. Join us this weekend Harvest at Home.01 Pastor Greg comes back to wrap up his message called hope for those who have lost loved ones come back to join us next time you're in a new beginning. Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org