Life's Most Dangerous Word | Classic Crusade Message

Everybody Greg Laurie here.

You're listening to the Grigori podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights and faith culture and current events.

From a biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry. Just go to our website harvest.org so thanks for joining me for this podcast thinks all the amazing artists that we've had here tonight and I know what you're thinking. Oh no here comes the preacher all the fun ends now were going to hear a sermon will yes you are going to hear what I like to call on his I have something really important to tell you guys tonight.

I want to tell you that the last thing I ever expected to be was a preacher.

Some of some of you that overtly would say we never thought you should be one either.

I didn't even plan to becoming a Christian I thought Christians were crazy people.

I thought they were delusional. But one day I just stop and listen to what they had to say. I would ask you to set aside your biases and preconceived notions. Just listen with your heart a little bit as I want to share something that could change your life that could bring hope and do a hopeless life. Something that can bring the light in the darkness, something that can carry an CDU that when you die.

Yes, my friend, you will die. You can know with certainty that you will go to heaven. So please listen to what I'm about to say this is not my message. I did make it up. I'm just a delivery boy, I'm just delivering the good news to you tonight at harvest America that I like to start with the word of prayer. If you would please let's all pray wherever you are. Father now. I pray that you will speak to us for many here that have joined us that do not yet know you help them to see the words that I'm sharing are true, there your message there.

Good news there.

The gospel so speak your hearts and change lives.

We pray now in Jesus name we ask it, they met. I had to grow fast as a kid because, for all practical purposes I never had a dad and I really didn't have a mom because she was a raging alcoholic and she like to get married and divorced. The married and divorced, and she ended up marrying and divorcing seven time in between my mother's flings.

I was conceived while and so I was raised in this crazy environment. I live with my mom I be sent to military school. I live with my grandparents and I began searching. As a young kid.

I don't what is the meaning of my life because it was no one of my adult world that I respected, knowing that I could look up to, and I thought, is this all there is. By the time I reached the ripe old age of 17 I felt like I was 70 because I watch the course my mom's life and taken as a reckless alcoholic.

I watch the course my own life was taken. As I got into drinking and partying and taking drugs.

I was getting high. Pretty much every day taking LSD on the weekends. My life was a wreck and I was going downhill fast. But I was in high school and there was a group of very outspoken Christians and my friends even warmly stay away from the Jesus freaks Greg and I said you can count on one thing Greg Laurie will never be, Jesus free. Here I am over 45 years later and I guess I'm silly Jesus free.

I'm a believer because Christ changed my life one day I was walking across my high school campus. I saw the Christians singing their songs about God and by the way their music wasn't nearly as good as Christian music is today, and I've saw them sing these songs and and having a little Bible study.

I thought these people are so sad they're so pathetic I feel so sorry for them within is a look at them I thought.

But I have to admit they look for a happy they look like they have some kind of peace and I try to phone number, size, I'd never considered what if the Christians are right will I quickly dismiss that that's impossible. There's no way this could be right, but then I tried the thought of again. What if it's right.

What if it's true Christ can really change a life in the company could never change me I'm too cynical and too hard.

But then the guy got up to speak and I don't remember most of what he said but one statement get home with me.

He said Jesus said you either for me or against me. I look around at the Christians, I thought, well, I'm not one of them does that mean I'm against Jesus said, I always respected Jesus I'd seen all of this movies and I like them, but I never really went to church. I knew nothing about it and then this guy was speaking says if you want to become a Christian.

Right now I want to walk forward and pray about all my high school campus in front of the kids. There's no way I'm going to do that next thing I knew I was up there.

Pray I didn't plan on it, but it happened that's going happen for some of you right here in this stadium tonight and it's going to happen to some of you watching on social media right now some of you in a whole side in churches large and small in theaters in front rooms.

Just think about us having a little conversation together telling you about how your life can be changed.

You know, I think that today in our culture, we think, if only I could be rich and famous. I know I would be happy for sure. Jim Carrey famously said, quote I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of. So they can see it's not the answer. This week alone. Look at what happened to well-known celebrities took their own lives. Designer Kate Spade and television personality Anthony Bourdain Kate Spade was a fashion icon.

Yet she killed herself by hanging in a beautiful New York home.

I guess despite all those positive slogans and bright colors and work displayed. She found herself despond it in hopeless and ultimately willing to take our own line right on the heels of this is a suicide of Anthony Bourdain. He won two Emmy and a very successful so-called parts unknown but earlier in his life were being got heavily into drugs and he said in a quote. The food along an open stupid and self-destructive search for the next thing, whether it was sex or drugs or some other sensation. Will he search the travel the world experience so many things that are out there and there was an emptiness in them. Even was quoted to say your body is not a temple it's an amusement park. So enjoy the ride will doesn't sound like a right turned out so well. He tragically took his own life, you know, Anthony Bourdain would sit down and try meals in exotic places with different people and he would ask him all this question, what makes you happy.

They would give their answers but apparently he never found that happiness last year Chris canal up front man for Soundgarden took his own life.

The front end of a very successful band of the top of his game on the heels of that, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, who was a close friend of Chris also committed suicide on the birthday of his friend by hanging themselves. Did you know that suicide rates in America are up 25% right now. 45,000 Americans took their lives. Last year, though antidepressant use is up. It doesn't seem to be helping wash an expert on television the other night and he himself had suicidal tendencies and wanted to find some answers so he traveled the world interviewing people that could help them who were experts on the subject. Here are the conclusions he came up with.

He said we have not trickled natural physical needs. We need food, water, shelter, he says if you take these away were in trouble really fast and then he says there's equally strong evidence that people are very strong psychological needs. He says people need to feel they belong. They need to feel that their life has meaning and purpose. They need to feel that people see and value them and he says finally. People need to have a future that makes that a son I want you to know tonight that there is someone who loves you that someone who values you.

It is called Jesus Christ and he's here with us right now and he'll give you a future and give you a future worth living. God says one of my favorite verses Jeremiah 2911.

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope to hope tonight you find yourself in a hopeless state bottom-line theme and well that soon all the things this world has offered drugs, drinking, sex, etc. will not make you happy.

Jesus told the story of a man with a lot of stuff that get so much stuff you did build bigger rooms to put all the stuff in and then a one day as he was storing up his stuff God said to full this night your soul is required of you and then he left. He died and you know when you leave this world you leave everything as I've said before, you've never seen our hers, pulling a U-Haul trailer everything is left behind in this life and then comes eternity begin of a guy who had it all.

I just recently did a film in a book on the life of Steve McQueen iconic actor and guy.

He was called the King of cool and McQueen was so successful in his films that he literally had an airplane hangar full of cars and motorcycles and planes and things like that.

It was the ultimate man cave for sure. He was a number one movie star in Hollywood women threw themselves at Steve McQueen when he found himself empty and searching, so he disconnected from Hollywood and moved away in and found himself in a little community in California called Santa Paula and there he came in the context of the men with strong faith in Jesus Christ and Steve. The number one movie star found what he was looking for. He didn't find it on a soundstage in Hollywood, he found it in the balcony of a church on a Sunday morning and many of you are going to find what you're looking for here in the stadium or in a front room or wherever you are tonight so that was the king of cool.

I want to talk you about another king not the king of gold with the king of Babylon. His name was King Nebuchadnezzar. The Bible tells us he was a very wicked man. He came into Israel and the gall of the Jewish people captive back to Babylon.

He was so cruel that he forced the king of Israel to watch as his own sons were put to death and then he gouged the king of Israel's eyes out. So this man had a very hard heart and we visited the very peak of his power and one night he had a really scary dream.

I don't get was because a pizza because there was no pizza back then.

But in his dream. Nebuchadnezzar saw a mighty tree filled with all kinds of birds and everyone was eating up its fruit in an angel comes down from heaven to chops down the tree and all that was left was a stop to it. Freak Nebuchadnezzar out. What is that dreaming so.

Yet all of these advisors on his payroll astrologers and astronomers and fortunetellers so he said bring in your Ouija board to bring in your crystal balls bring in the Jumanji game.

Bring everything in it.

Someone explain this to me and none of them could a says that phenomena put you all of that was. It turns out the prophet Daniel was one of King Nebuchadnezzar's advisors and so they said the king's going to kill all of you because no one can tell them what his dream was Daniel Salome pray about that the Lord showed Daniel, the king's dream and the Lord gave to Daniel B interpretation as well, and he told the king what his dream wasn't what I meant and the king acknowledge that came from God would get nothing changed in Impact even got worse.

See one of the easiest places to get a hardened heart. Listen to me is in the church because if you hear the message of the gospel and who Jesus is and you don't respond to it. Your heart can get harder the same sound that softens the wax hardens the clay and there's a lot of people know about God, but they don't know God.

Nebuchadnezzar knew that God was there but but he never put his faith in him. Or at least he did not up to this point role popular thing for people to say today as well.

I'm not into organized religion. Oh what are you into that disorganized chaos. I'm not here tonight to talk to you about religion, I'm here tonight to talk to you about our relationship up friendship with God that you can begin the to experience the Christ and fill the big hole that is in your heart right now so here's my question.

Is Jesus Christ the son of God living inside of you right now some of you would say yes, some of you would say well I think so you think so do you think of someone moved into your house in the middle of the night you would be aware of it, especially if there were cooking something really smelly in the morning on your stove. I'm not comparing God about my point is, if someone came in your house you would know, don't you think if God Almighty Creator of the universe is taken residence in your heart you would know there's my point.

If you don't know that he lives inside of you that can change the night I want to leave this place knowing that Jesus Christ is living in your heart and knowing that your sin is forgiven and knowing that you will go to heaven when you die, so Daniel the prophet, he had to deliver the bad news to the king yet to tell them the truth.

You know well like to deliver good news. No one wants to deliver bad news like a doctor. He runs a series of tests on someone finds out they have cancer.

It's very hard to say that to a patient, but if it's a responsible doctor here she will do that with the patient's welfare so they can hopefully be a course of treatment.

I heard a story the other day on television about a doctor that was watching the young lady on a reality show.

You may have seen the story and he noticed a strange kind of lump on her neck.

In this particular Dr. Dr. Voigt is an ear nose and throat surgeon so he was an expert in this out try to contact the girl. But he couldn't so I tried to find her on Facebook so just posted a message with a screenshot of the girl I just said, please contact me and she did and it was cancer but they were able to treated and she's on the road to recovery.

Thanks to that Eagle eye Dr. Missy so sometimes people resent being preached to you know if you start to talk to someone about Jesus as a commando preach to me will be the second.

Let's say we were on a plane and we were going to have to make some kind of a crash landing and I was going to tell you where the emergency exits were when we landed there.

Here they don't preach to me. I think you want to know where the emergency exits are. I'm trying to warn you and help you so you can get on the road you need to get on. So here's the mess out. I've come to Texas to give to you tonight.

It's called the gospel gospel means good news. But before you can fully appreciate the good news. You have to first know the bad news is about, you're a sinner by the way, when I point one finger and you we have three pointing back at me are all sinners. We've all fallen short of God's glory. There's nothing we can personally do to make this right. And because of our sin, we will face judgment. One day, but the good news is, God loved us so much that he sent his son Jesus Christ on a rescue operation. The planet Earth. Jesus was born in the manger of Bethlehem. Then he lived the perfect life and then he lived the prayer and then he died. The perfect death and then he rose again from the dead, and he's here with us right now standing at the door of your life, and he is knocking anything up you'll hear his voice and open the door he will come in before you can appreciate the good news yet another bad news. Then he went to the king, and said so King Nebuchadnezzar got some bad news that tree in your dream that you and the kingdom of Babylon getting chopped down that you getting chopped down being you're going to lose your sanity and you can end up in the field eating grass like a cow.

So basically what I'm telling you king is you're going to be moving out of this palace soon and I know this is an outer same knobs are embedded look on the want to milk this thing but I'm just saying it's going to be bad king, but it's interesting he tells him what can happen but then he says in Daniel 427. Listen to my advice.

King stopped sending a break from the past.

In other words, this doesn't have to happen. God tells us judgment can come and I like what he says look I don't want this. I love you.

That's why put this judgment on my son, Jesus Christ 2000 years ago when he died in your place. The title of my message tonight is life's most dangerous word. What you think life's most dangerous word is diet.

No exercise again. No life's most dangerous word is tomorrow.

Tomorrow, tomorrow sounds so innocent but it's life's most dangerous work. Tomorrow is the road that leads to the town called number tomorrow is the Barden bolted toward that shuts people out of heaven. Tomorrow is the devils were so many have been ripped off by a strategy. What I'm saying is you say will okay I hear what you're saying. Bald guy from California but listen, I'll think about this tomorrow I'll look into this tomorrow know the Bible says today is the day of salvation tonight is your night. Don't live another day without Jesus Christ, because that statistics show that 82% of all people to become Christians do so by age 19 or younger, I came to faith in 17 that's 10 years ago plus a lot more years.

Some of your older and stable. Is it too late for me don't talk too late for you. God will forgive you, no matter what you've done but don't put this off another day. Will Nebuchadnezzar had a full beard to get his act together a full year to repent is blue.

This often one day. Sure enough, the Bible says that he was standing on his balcony checking out is awesome kingdom.

It's a man look at Babylon. This incredible place that I have built. The Bible says were the words were still in his mouth, a voice came from heaven, and the boy said the King Nebuchadnezzar, O King Nebuchadnezzar you're no longer ruler of the kingdom and he lost his mind and he went on the field in the grass like a cow just like Daniel said he would.

But God was gracious to Nebuchadnezzar the return to his senses and then he believed in the Lord and he told his entire kingdom be set up on social media was on his Facebook page on his twitter page on his Instagram page everywhere. He told everyone I believe in the Lord now God could reach a wicked man like that.

Surely he can reach and change a person like you right now tonight I mentioned that Nebuchadnezzar was like a tree that was chopped down with any group back again. The three love the stone even say pull up the stone little shoots of growth came out of the stump and he came back to life and I told you my mom was very good, or seven times, so she married one guy named Oscar Lori, who was the best guy she never married them. He adopted me and I had the privilege of going back to the East Coast and reconnecting with him when I was older I my mom pulled me away from him and it was a young boy and I have the privilege also of leaving the father who adopted me to Jesus Christ and he'll walk with the Lord to the end of his life. He's in heaven now he's in heaven with my mother who came to faith, one month before she died but tell my dad. Oscar told me about our family tree goes back to Scotland and sorted via slogan of our family crest is whirlpool a lot whirlpool a lot some interesting words. It means it but suppressed the settler tears. Her coat of arms. Greg and here on this coat of arms is a tree stump with a little bit of growth coming back in the idea of it is life comes back after it's been shot down. Life comes again and I thought that's my life.

It was cut down, but life came out added to get out through it again and listen. Your life may be cut down shop down no hope given to Jesus Christ can change the narrative of your story, and he concedes the end of your story tonight no matter what you've done because the Bible says if any man be in Christ are as a believer in Jesus all things are passed away. Behold, everything becomes fresh and new.

You don't have to be crippled by your past, you can put up behind you to be changed tonight by Jesus Christ. I want to mention one other King, not the king of cool Steve McQueen, not King Nebuchadnezzar, but the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar's name was Belshazzar. Belshazzar did listen to what his grandpa said he went out of his way to mock God. He went out of his way to shake his fist at God. So when they gave the order they bring all those little goblets and things that the Jewish people use for worship.

Let's fill them with wind.

Let's toes the false gods of Babylon. This would be fun and everybody got their little wineglasses out and they were worshiping false gods while they were doing this.

The Bible says I hand began to write on the wall just to hand in that freak you out the handwriting on the wall. Nebuchadnezzar Tuesday bosons are looking at that he doesn't know what it sold.

Daniels brought in these a lot older now as well. You should listen to your grandpa. He knew the Lord. He believed the Lord, and you have not believed in.

This is what the messages say many, many technical parson which means you been waiting God's balances and you been found lacking.

See when we would get on a scale. We want to weigh less, not more right when you get on God scales you want to way more, not less. Don't want to be a spiritual lightweight I was in the gym the other day. I know it's hard to believe I go to a gym but I do. I was eating a donut and a guy said to me you want to get on our scale. It was a very fancy scale. I said okay and then he said how tall you I said I'm 510 says, let me measure you.

Then he says actually are 595 pump identities is your five not get on the scale I got of the skill. He says you way more than you should is a great so not only am I bald and fat. But I'm shrinking as I would you're telling me that's exactly what he was telling me.

But Belshazzar got a God scales nothing there that was the end for him. You know you don't know when the end is going to come but the writing was on the wall folks.

I believe Jesus Christ is coming back again. How many of you believe that all around us right now. The writing is on the wall.

The regret of the regathering of the Jewish people in their homeland of Israel, the hostility toward them from other nations around the world. The explosion of technology. The explosion of horrific violent crime. The conflicts all the things that are happening. These are signs of the times God is giving us a warning. He's telling us our time is short.

Listen, I don't know when the end of the world is the end of your world or my world to come sooner than expected. Don't be a full like Nebuchadnezzar put it off. Don't be even a greater full like Belshazzar blow it off.

This is your moment.

This is your night you can come to faith in Jesus, God's finger rolled amount wall and you know there was another time that God's finger wrote in the sand is one of my favorite stories from the Bible story of a woman who was caught in sexual sin and they brought her before Jesus and they threw her on the ground and all those religious people says the law says we should stone her what you say Jesus looked up at a mall and started writing in the sand and he stood up and he said that him that is among you who is without sin cast the first stone.

Then he went down the road in the sense of war when you think he wrote I don't think he was playing tic-tac-toe here to remove.

No wrote something significant because the Bible says they left from the eldest of the youngest son. All of these guys are gone. This trembling woman caught in sin looks at Jesus and he says ma'am. I talked to the word use in the Byron King James, this is woman but the better translation would be, ma'am, or lady kind of an interesting, respectful term to use a girl in her state ma'am lady where your accusers Jesus, I have none.

Lord, he says neither do I condemn you go and sin no more.

He changed her life.

He can change your life. You just have to be willing to turn from your sin and asked Jesus Christ to be your savior and your Lord is a will you keep saying that how do you even do it all right listen I'm almost done given listen anything else I've said tonight. Please listen now if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to know that when you die, you go to heaven if you want a big hole in your heart filled number one you need to just admit you've sent you for a great I'm a good person. I don't dispute that there's a lot of good people out there but you're not good enough because heaven is not for good people.

Heaven is for forgiven people.

You need to be forgiven of your sin.

The Bible says if you offend in one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it too much it will not. The better known as red as that guy over there but God doesn't grade on the curve degrades on the cross so you send enough to keep what I have anything a great I'm a pretty good person. Well, Jesus said, you heard that it has been said, you shall not murder but I say to you of your hatred in your heart toward someone at the same thing. Have you ever hated anybody. Let me restate the question. Have you ever driven on the freeway.

Jesus says you've heard that it has been said, you shall not commit adultery but I sand you if you look on the woman or man with lust in your heart. It's the same thing we broken these commandments we fallen short. Admit you are a sinner, you're not as good as you think you are number two. Realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you know sometimes people will ask you why is where you Christian so obsessed with the cross. Always talking about the cross, Jesus died on the cross, he shed his blood on the cross.

The cross is the blood that you guys are freaks men what you would assess on that. I'll tell you why because the dynamite plate because I was separated from God by my sin and God's righteous demands needed to be satisfied. So Jesus stepped in the gap for me. Jesus was fully God and fully man was uniquely qualified to do this and with one hand he took hold of the holy father over the other hand, he took hold of sinful humanity and spikes were driven for those hands that he died for me.

He died for you and he shed his blood for you and he will forgive you tonight if you'll turn from your sin and follow you. I love how the apostle Paul said he loved me and he gave so for me this and he did a free to he loves you. Thirdly, you need to repent of your sin admit you're a sinner realize Christ died for you.

Thirdly, repent of your sin.

The word repent is an interesting word. It's a military term means about faith.

I went to military school. I learned what that meant you that have served in our military and thank you for that. Know what that means. So to repent means to change your direction. It doesn't mean they just be sorry for what you've done to me to be sorry enough to stop the Bible says godly sorrow produces repentance, so I'm walking away from God not going to turn around and about faith in him, and to walk toward got a minute thing a U-turn in the road of life repent. The Bible says repentance and be converted in times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord. The first word that Jesus said when he began his public ministry was repent the kingdom of God is there. So you have to turn from your sin and then you must receive Christ into your life. Being a Christian is not just following a creed. It's not just reading a Bible. Being a Christian is ebbing Christ himself, take residence in your heart.

The Bible says, for as many as received him, to give them the power to become sons and daughters of God. So there has to be the moment we as a all right Lord I want you in my life.

I want you to forgive me of my sin and he'll do that for you. He's just a prayer away, then you must do it publicly. That's why in a few moments I meant to ask you that one Jesus Christ to come in your life you want him to forgive you of your sin. I would ask you to get up to receive and come down here on the field at AT&T Stadium. Then when y'all get down here I'm in the lead you in a prayer of commitment to Christ is a really is it that simple.

Actually it is go back to the woman caught in the act of sexual sin noticed that she sick sent in response to the Lord to stupid like you argument a mutual dislike is your see in this why these are HD screens. This why is going down but is knocking to stop me from finishing my message. By the way, the name Beelzebub. Another name for the devil means Lord of the flies that fly did distract me from my point I'm trying to recall right now. But you must do it publicly. We were here couple of years ago, literally thousands of people came down in this field, and prayed a prayer asking Jesus into their life.

But why do it publicly as a Greg it's a it's a long ways down from these top stanza. I'd rather just do it on my seat. You can do that would here's why ask you to come publicly. Jesus said if you will acknowledge me before people, I will acknowledge you before my father and the angels in heaven with any ads.

If you deny me before people all deniable for the father and the angels, to ask you to make a public stand to follow Jesus Christ will be glad that you did. And lastly and lastly, you must do it now. Do it now is already said the Bible says today is a day of salvation, the desk, the devil whispers in your ear tomorrow leader not now, the Holy Spirit whispers in your ear, now today tonight here. I know I know what it feels like what am I getting myself into this not what you're getting yourself into its use. Getting himself into. You Jesus Christ taking residence in your heart you'll never be alone in life again and you'll know that you go to heaven when you die that is amazing. That's the good news that can be. The good news in your life right now some of you have thought about suicide some of you have even tried it or someone watching me right now that's at the end of the rope or to store the other day about a man who was so angry at the way of life is gone. He decided he was going to first kill his wife and kill himself get it all planned out the ended up going to service that I was speaking at any heard the good news about Jesus Christ and gave his life to the Lord, will he change his plans is been married many years now and as children of God change the course of his life. I don't know where you're at, but I know that Christ is everything you're looking for and I know that you don't understand all this and I know you have some lessons and that's okay but I'm in a ask you to come with those questions that come with your doubts come just as you are and believe in Jesus. This is going to be the greatest moment of your life.

He won't say no to you but you must come in a moment were going to pray, then I'm going to invite you to come to Jesus wherever you are.

You guys are watching on the screen somewhere in the church sanctuary or in the theater or in a whole I'm in ask you to pray this prayer with me will give you some specific instructions on all you folks here in the great AT&T state AT&T Stadium and ask you to come down from those stand to this field. Make your stand for Jesus. But let's pray tell father I pray that your Holy Spirit will speak to every person here convicts them of their sin convince them of their need for Jesus and help them to come see you now, young and old, men and women Boys and Girls Club draw them to yourself. We pray Lord we ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Everybody Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast in the learn more about harvest ministries.

Please subscribe and consider supporting this show.

Just go to harvest.org. By the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God. Go to know God.org that's key NOW GLD.org