Hope for Hurting Hearts - I

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. Maybe my verse of the stuff you worry about what will the real review of the other 15% when the word slowly goes up when you hear the worst news. Much of the bowl and wonder if you can survive in the Bible shows God is not given as our love sound mind. Pastor Greg Laurie helps us put that do not be hopeless no matter what you're facing is shown when listening to a new beginning is just received the toughest news of their life diagnose a court order and eviction pink slip phone call from a phone call what you do when you don't know what to do today. Pastor Greg Laurie reassured God knows God see God cares God has power bigger than this crisis. You can make away when there seems to be no why don't we grab our Bible and turned to John chapter 11. The title of my message is hope for hurting hearts it's a day like any other day go to bed you dress your breakfast couple coffee.

Check your emails maybe hopefully you read your Bible before that and then it happened that phone call out of the blue from a police officer or a friend delivering bad news or a note on your counter from your spouse say they want out of the marriage a new pain in your body. You never noticed before a call from your doctor saying he's concerned about it because that was just done on you and he wants to do some more tests. Crisis hits fast. It's hard and it takes no prisoners. Pain is knocked on your front door it's moved in without her permission and it refuses to leave in this crisis that you've experienced an altar the course of your life dramatically affect you wouldn't even wish it your worst enemy but yet it's happening to you for Joe. This whole world came crashing down and him and one day for Joseph. It was a betrayal by his brothers that changed the course of his life for Jesus. It was a religious leaders and one of his own friends who actually betrayed him and for you it might be something else you feel like you're in unexpected overpowering storm in your little ship is starting to capsize in your even beginning to lose hope. It's been said, quote men can live 40 days without food three days without water, but not even minutes without hope. We all need hope in our life and that they happen to me on July 24, 2008 when we heard the news. No parent wants to hear that our son Christopher had left this world and I've gone on to the next one that he was now in heaven. He was killed in an automobile accident just seen a bill like that is devastating this. It's an understatement it's it's life altering. I felt like all the air was sucked out of the room I was in an immediate state of shock. I collapsed to the ground. I thought if I could die from hearing something I literally could physically die from that information that was given to me and somehow I survived it and does so as I was dealing with this new reality that he did not want to face. I had peoplehood gone through it say you should keep a journal. While I've never really had a journal. You know when I think of journal I think is something a little kid has maybe the little lock on it or something. Journal that's I started opening up Word documents and just kind of typing my thoughts the way I was feeling each day and then they begin to sort of take shape in and I read some other books on sudden loss in and I thought you know I want to share this with other people. So it turned into a little book that became known as hope for hurting hearts over the years I've written 70 books. I didn't see anyone is read them. I just said Everett okay and this is probably the most important book I've ever written for the simple reason I've heard so many stories from people who told me how to help them in an hour of crisis and I wrote it from the Valley exit dispatch from the valley of the shadow of death. It's not theoretical it's real because it's close to when it happened in real time and basically the book talks about what happens when pain or hardship comes in my case it was a loss of my son and then the hope that I found from Scripture the hope that I found from my relationship with God the hope that is assisting me all these years and continues to sustain me as other hardships come my way in this hope is here for all of us right here right now. You do not have to be hopeless no matter what you're facing at this particular moment, we have a generation that's been done. The hopeless generation that's generation Z born from 1995 to 2008. The hopeless generation is also the most depressed generation. In fact, this generation for them and I the presence of the best-selling pharmaceuticals and they also have the highest suicide rate.

Listen, I am whole for the hopeless generation. I have hope for the millennial's I have hope for the baby boomers I have hope for the greatest generation. That's the whole of her relationship with God through Jesus Christ that I want to share that hope the as an anchor.

Hebrews 619 says we have this hope is an anchor for the sole firm and secure and we need this hope because I tell you when you're going to hardship. The thing that helps you are not pious platitudes. The thing that will help you is the word of God. Some 3815. The psalmist says in you will Lord I whole you will hear, O Lord my God, someone 30 verse like I'm counting on the Lord.

I put my hope in his word that server to find the hope from God and from his word. I just finished a three-part series.

As you know, called God's answer to fear, anxiety and worry, one of the points I made was 85% of the stuff you worry about will never happen. You okay so why stress out over that stuff. Today I want to talk about the other 15% when that thing that you feared actually does happen to you when the worst-case scenario takes place when you hear the worst news imaginable and you wonder if you can survive it. The answer is yes yes you can for me. At first I wasn't getting through the day.

It was getting to the next five minute I felt like I had the weight of the world on the iPhone almost of physical weight on my chest and I'll tell you what help me was reading Scripture, see living in grief and grieving is a little bit like wiping out a way. How many of you ever been on the serpent and been thrown over the falls of the way raise your hand gets most of you.

Some of you what you don't go in the ocean when it seems to happen to everyone eventually that I can get time driving out there and you know what a big set is coming in by big sentiment about the waves and the one after the one coming is even bigger in the get bigger and bigger.

Your inclination is to turn around and fallow toward sure as fast as possible. That's a bad decision is any good to get hit in the impact zone. What you need to do is travel out toward the waves try to go wonder them before they break. Keep going keep going. If you get to Catalina, you've gone too far, but I can get time drive gone over the falls as they say it so you're like to stomach this washing machine of Whitewater in your and you can actually lose direction more than one person is gone down when they should go up. So if you have a boogie board or some kind of a flotation device. If you it's probably attached to your leg so here's what you do if you're caught in Whitewater.

This is a tip for summer. You might think me later if you're caught in Whitewater and you have a boogie board or something. Grab your lease and pull on it going the direction of the lease will always take you to the surface. Okay, so here's our work for us only dealing with grief. We don't know which way is up were losing perspective.

The Bible is the least you need, you grab the word of God and you pull on give-and-take city Jesus, you get your head above water. Take a big gulp of burning at all anymore waves, and I got to go under them and under what the point is the word of God is what helps us in those times of need. Read more will have the second half of this message just a moment. We love hearing from our listeners, whether it's a short word were telling us what's going on.

We read every word dear Pastor Greg appreciate how you make your sermon so realistic and applicable. I believe that's how the Lord uses you to reach the hurting in the last without a doubt, they can relate to your situation, your hard life is sometimes people need to hear. Keep preaching and reaching such a blessing to hear from listeners who take time to express their appreciation would you share your story. If so, leave us a message at 1-866-871-1144. That's a special number 1-866-871-1144 today. Pastor Greg is offering full strength, encouragement to those times when the bottom drops out of our lives must work together.

Now God's word will hear before us in John 11 is a story of a loved one dying.

It's a story of severe grief that accompanies the death of someone you love.

It's also a story of how Jesus reacts in such situations and it tells us how God can actually be glorified through difficult circumstances. But it's also a hopeful message so we will remember that no matter what were going through. God is going to be with you and give you the strength you need in your hour of need not necessarily before, never after you give you what you need when you need it.

This is a story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Now these people were personal friends of Jesus Christ. They have cell phones in those days they would had his number they would had a text read constantly going Jesus like to hang out at their house. They lived in Bethany, and he would go to their home in Bethany when he would be going into Jerusalem and everyone in the Jerusalem. There was conflict there was drama, there were things going on so I go hang out with his friends first.

And by the way, Martha was a killer cook and I'm sure you love your food as it is called buddies he took with him everywhere he went, so he did show up a Martha would whip him up a feast and Jesus like to spend time in their home and they can be accurately said that Mary her sister Martha and their brother Lazarus were personal friends of Jesus Christ. I think that's an important thing to know and so is her story picks up hardship is come their way.

Sickness is invaded their home. John 11 know a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

It was then 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 him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick supper. So do we learn from this point number one life is filled with pain and sorrow in the death of loved ones as I love the most depressing point ever seriously, but it's true. Unfortunately, life is filled with pain and sorrow in the death of loved ones no you don't know this so much when you're young you get older you start seeing loved ones pass.

It usually starts with the grandparents than your parents all very significant stages of life. But then it might be an unexpected love one dying like a spouse or a child that affects you in a dramatic way. So these things do happen, you don't know when it's going to got mother, but to remind you of your own mortality.

This is just a reality of life. Point number two despite the hardships of life we must remember that God loves us despite the hardships of life we must remember that God loves us.

You know, shortly after my son went to be with the Lord. Pastor Chuck came to visit me.

Chuck Smith, we sat on the steps of my home in front. Chuck looked at me and said Greg never trade what you know for what you don't know never trade what you know for what you don't know because when prices hit your mind is filled with wife. Why is this happening to me why why why it's not fair that other people don't suffer like this. Why, that's what I don't know don't strain what I know for what I don't know okay what do I know, I know that God loves me right you know that I know that God is in control of my life. I know that when a believer dies they go to heaven.

Therefore, I know that the moment my son left this world. He entered the next one and he's there in the presence of God. I know that I will see him again.

As David said when his job died, he cannot come to me, but I will go to him so you can spend all of your time asking the why question the what you don't know stuff would go to what you do know and replace what you don't know with thoughts about what you do know God loves you know this is very interesting because Lazarus is sick, and they just send a message to Jesus saying basically Lord, your body is sick. Please paraphrase your friend Lazarus is sick didn't tell them what to do. They do said he sent to figural take care of it.

I think they were assuming Jesus would heal him and he could do that. He healed many people.

He never touched any two people the same way, though I've ever known set.

Sometimes it speak to a person they be healed.

Another time someone would touch the hem of his garment, they would be healed. Another time he would just speak the word and the person would be healed and on one occasion, a guy who was blind. Had Jesus spit on the ground, wipe his spit in the dirt and put it in the guys I there's mud your buddy that was a weird way to see someone healed. Can you imagine coming for prayer.

Pastor, would you prefer me sure: I'm sorry that that's what he did so he could heal people. He didn't even need to be there probably thought it just say the word Lazarus a pop out of bed. Martha would whip up a great meal and everything would be wonderful again. Yes, you love them.

But then, here's an interesting little twist on the story they say Lord, the one that you love is sick first three and then he's basically the ladies his arrival.

Look at verse four when Jesus heard that he was said. He said, this sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God that the son of God may be glorified through it like it is now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Therefore, therefore, when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was hung. Why when he heard he was sick because he loved him. He stayed two more days in the place where he was know that doesn't make any sense at all to us in the same way when hardship gets were, say, Lord. Where were you wanted to doing something a wire to engaged here. Don't you even care. While I don't know that I can answer why Jesus delayed his arrival but here's one little thought.

Jesus knew. Ultimately, the Lazarus is going to die and so by the time he arrives in Bethany, Lazarus is been dead a number of days but where did Lazarus go when he got his. Anyone know the answer.

He went to have the Old Testament version of heaven, if you will notice Abraham's bosom, a place of comfort and bliss. So hey, Lazarus was good. Maybe Jesus said the guy enjoyed for a little while will be back here soon enough and he will be happy when I bring her back either.

And then there was a plot afoot to kill Lazarus because of religious leaders reinjury he got resurrected by Jesus. So they wanted to kill a man that's miserable is that it so baby just wanted him to enjoy a little bit longer. You don't have a little fun, like when the kids are in the pool and it's time to go and you say, let's call little stale cake and a five more minutes to write. Jesus is the commitment of a little enjoyment of their life is going to get hard enough for him.

Soon, but now here is Jesus waiting because he has a purpose in mind, you know, one of my favorite hope versus is Jeremiah 2911, where God says, 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 whole that phrase of future could be translated and expected in prison. Another translation puts it a ground of hope for things hoped for. Basically, God is saying there's going to be an outcome and ultimately it will be good some of your say hold on now Greg. What possible future that I have with my love one who was God. Here's the answer that they died with faith in Jesus Christ. They're not just a part of your past. There are also a part of your future because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We will be reunited with loved ones again, and God will tidy up loose ends and somehow somehow he's going to make this up to you on the others. You know, we see the small picture God sees the big picture. We see the temporal he sees the eternal, and he has bigger plans afoot than what you're thinking about right now that will all be made clear to you in that final day. So in the meantime you have to just have whole civil Greg actually what is hope.

One person defined it this way in this acronym HOPE holding on with patient expectation open, just holding on.

Only not knowing that God is ultimately going to accomplish his purposes. Greg Laurie pointing out where to find hope in a time of true hopelessness good encouragement today here on a new beginning in Pastor Greg has more to come in this message, he mentioned his helpful book hope for hurting hearts so many of found encouragement in this resource referred from scores of people you can find out more about the book and order it online@store.harvest.org. Just search for hope for hurting hearts Pastor Greg evangelism is really the heartbeat of this ministry and our mission statement is knowing him and making him known.

That's right, we seen hundreds and thousands of people make commitments to the Lord.

Over the years, but we don't just ask them to come forward. We help them go forward. Yes, and you have a brand resource that really servers that need budget yes I do and it's a it's a title you've heard before, but this is as a see of those commercials new and improved. Now when they say new and improved. Sometimes it just means the packaging is newer maybe the added one more ingredient to soap that you're buying but this is different. This is literally rebuild from ground up. It's the latest addition of. Are you ready for it. Drumroll please the new believer by so I wrote this many years ago I as a resource to give to someone who is new in the faith that would help them to get grounded, spiritually, and Davidson amazing thing to think that over 10 million copies of the new believers Bible have sold over the years so we decided to go back to the drawing board and build it up from scratch, so there are elements from the original new believers Bible certainly serve the temple. We had the beginning is still there, but I wrote many many new notes and I re-edited the notes out already written and not to make it more complex.

Listen I wanted to make it even simpler even easier to understand.

Let me explain. In some ways, calling it a new believers Bible is misleading and I say this for this reason, it's really for all believers.

It is great for new believer, I don't deny that. But the fact is this is a great resource to help a person reestablish their own foundation.

It's a good refreshment course if you're older. If you're young in the faith, and so it comes down to this. If you want to understand the Bible better. If you want to know what the foundations of the Christian life are if you want to grow stronger in your faith.

You need to order a copy of this and let me underscore this. It's the new believers Bible. Some of our listeners may remember we offered the new believers New Testament a few months ago but this now is the whole Bible Genesis to Revelation. So it's filled with notes commentary and it's filled with what we call tracks that go through the Bible dealing with various topics showing you where the passages are that explain this topic to you along with very easy to understand commentary and I supplied so I hope that our listeners will get a copy of this brand-new resource. The new believers Bible and they order a copy right now will actually include a second resource to help other people undergird their faith is not correct yet outright day.

We have what is called the start to follow companion resource to go along with the release of the new believers Bible. This is basically a companion resource are growing believers to go deeper in to their faith. It contains seven foundational basics that every Christian needs to know so were talking about the new believers Bible and were talking about the start to follow course that we want to send to you so you can get deeper roots as a follower of Jesus Christ, tried, and will be glad to get both of these resources on their way to you as soon as you contact us were sending them to say thank you for your contribution of any size to help us continue to reach people as we do each day here on the new beginning, and of course there were a nationwide harvest Crusade. By the way our next harvest Crusade is coming up in Boise, Idaho.

Just a few weeks, so you can make your donation while you have us on the phone by dialing 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or write us at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or even order online@harvest.org pastor Greg has more reassurance next time.

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