Greg Laurie - Hope For Lahaina
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So I want to talk to you a little bit tonight about hope for Lahaina, but more specifically hope for you. So maybe for some of you, it was a day like any other day. You got out of bed, you had breakfast, and then «it» happened, that unexpected thing. A call from a loved one or a police officer telling you there had been an accident. Maybe it was a call from your doctor telling you that you needed to come in because he had something he needed to talk to you about. Or a note left on the counter by your spouse saying they’re done with the marriage, or a new pain in your body that you’d never noticed before. Or maybe it’s the preacher after speaking for one solid hour saying, «And one more thing». That’s a joke. Okay, you can laugh. That’s a joke. But whatever it is, that one moment changed your life forever.
I just had this happen to a good friend of mine. Unexpectedly, tragically, his wife died. His whole world was turned upside down. He called me at 9:30. We were going to have dinner the next night. He and his wife and myself and my wife, and he told me his wife had died. His whole world had suddenly changed. And that happened for thousands of people on this island as well, on August 8 as that wildfire spread through old town Lahaina and it became a global event. People all around the world were watching what was happening here on the island. And crisis comes into our life and sometimes it comes without warning, pain knocks on your door and it moved in without your permission. Maybe this has happened to you on another level as well.
It happened for our family on July 24, 2008, when our son Christopher, age 33, was killed in an automobile accident. To say it changed our life is an understatement. When I heard that news, I thought if words could kill a person, I could have died from hearing what was said to me. It’s like all of the air was sucked out of the room. It’s like time stopped and I obviously went into a state of complete stress. And all of a sudden my house was filled with people. I don’t know where they came from and they all were there to supposedly help me and it wasn’t helping me a whole lot and I collapsed to the ground. I couldn’t even stand. And my wife took my face in her hands and she said it’s going to be okay.
If anybody else said that to me, I don’t think I would have heard it, but somehow, when she said that I knew I will survive this somehow. But I felt like the weight of the world was placed on my chest and I had a little office over my garage and I went there because I didn’t want to be around all these people and I just collapsed, I fell on my knees. I said, «God, help me. You gave our son to us and I give him back to you». And I felt the presence of God in that room. Now, I wish I could say that my son came back to life again, but he didn’t. But I’ll tell you what, I sensed the presence of God. Someone asked me once, «Greg, when did you sense the presence of God more than any other time in your life»?
And I had to think about it for a moment. I thought, was it the day of my conversion at age 17? No, but that was a big one. Maybe it was on my wedding day. That was an amazing day. But that wasn’t it. It’s the worst day of my life is when I felt the presence of God more than any other time, the day I heard that my son had gone to heaven, but yet Jesus was there with me. And I want you to know no matter what you are facing right now, if you’re a Christian, Jesus is here with you and he’ll get you through whatever you’re facing. So what do we do when crisis hits? What do we do when the bottom drops out? What do we do when we don’t think we can make it another day? We look to God and there’s a book that God has given us that has hope in it. And that book is called the Bible. And this is where you’re gonna find the hope that you need.
You’re not gonna find it in little cute posts on Pinterest or Instagram, images over sunsets with nice little words. You’re gonna find it in the Bible. Psalm 119 says, «You are my refuge and my shield. Your word is my only source of hope». So I wanna talk about how to deal with pain. I wanna talk about how to deal with hardship and how to get through it. And I want to look at this story now, one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It’s a story of a tragedy, but it’s also a story of how Jesus Christ intervened and turned things around. He didn’t take the hardship away, but he walked with these folks through it. I want to talk about the story of the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead.
So in the Bible, there’s a story of three people, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They were friends of Jesus. Jesus frequented their home. They literally could say, «Jesus is our friend». Remember when that hat was really popular a few years ago, «Jesus is my homeboy,» right? Well, he was their homeboy. He was their personal friend. They could drop his name legitimately because whenever he would be going into Jerusalem, he’d stop at their house in Bethany because Martha was a killer cook and he would show up with his buddies and she would feed them all. And so they were friends of Jesus, but one day Lazarus, their brother, got sick and he got sicker and sicker. So they said, «Let’s send word to Jesus and let him know what is happening».
And that’s where the story starts in John 11. It says, «A certain man was sick, named Lazarus from Bethany, the town of Martha and her sister». And this was the place where Mary anointed the Lord’s feet with fragrant oil. So Lazarus was sick and they said, «Lord, the one that you love is sick». So he’s not dead yet, but he’s really sick. So this brings me to my first point. It’s kind of a depressing point, but it’s true. Life is filled with sorrow, pain, and the death of loved ones. Wish I could change that. But because our first parents sinned, death entered into the world. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, we would never have died. If Adam and Eve had not sinned, we would have never aged.
If Adam and Eve had not sinned, I would have hair right now. But they did sin, and sin spread through the whole human race. And so it happens in life and as you’re younger, you have to start dealing with it as life is passing. But as you get older, you realize death is inevitable. The statistics on death are very impressive. One out of every one persons will die. So you can’t change that. But what you decide is where you’re gonna spend the afterlife. But yes, death comes, sorrow comes, loss comes, that’s point number one. Point number two is a little more hopeful. God loves us. Just wrap your mind around that for a moment. God loves you, not because you’re so lovable because you know what? You aren’t, nor am I. But he loves us despite ourselves.
The Bible says, «God speaking, I’ve loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, I’ve drawn you. Behold, what manner of love,» the Bible says, «the Father has given unto us that we should be called the sons of God. For God so loved the world,» said Jesus, «he gave his only begotten Son and whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life». If you forget everything else I said tonight, remember this: God loves you. And so they actually appealed to Jesus on that basis.
Mary and Martha send a message, «Lord, the one that you love, he’s sick». It’s kind of interesting. They didn’t say, «Lord, the ones that love you so much are calling out to you». They didn’t appeal on the basis of their love for God. They appealed on the basis of God’s love for them. Now, Jesus hears this message. Now, here’s the thing: when crisis hits, you should call out to the Lord. The Bible is filled with stories of people that were facing hardship that called out to God. When the Israelites were turning against Moses, we read, he cried out to the Lord. When John the Baptist was beheaded, his disciples went and told Jesus and that’s what we should do as well. We should go and tell the Lord what is going on. Just, «Lord, this is my problem. Here it is».
And we read this interesting statement: «Now, Jesus loved Mary and her sister and Lazarus and therefore he waited and stayed two more days in the place where he was». Wait, what? He loved them, right, but he didn’t go and heal Lazarus? And in many ways, we’ll say, «If God really loved me, why did this happen to me»? That’s the big question of life. How could a God of love allow suffering and pain? If God loved me, why would he let this happen to me? And I’ve got the answer for you tonight. So if you’ve been waiting for the answer to this big question, I’m gonna give it to you. If you got a tablet or get your phone out, write down what I’m gonna say to you. Why do bad things happen to godly people? Why does God allow suffering? Ready? I don’t know.
So when I don’t know something, I fall back on what I do know. What do I not know? I don’t know why hardship came into my life. I don’t know why a lot of things have happened in my life that have happened. I don’t know why hardship has come to many of you. But what do I know? I know God loves you. I know that he can somehow take the worst imaginable thing and bring something good despite it. The Bible says, «All things work together for good to those that love God and are the called according to his purpose».
That verse is sometimes misunderstood. I’ll hear people say, «Well, no matter how bad it is, God will make it good». He doesn’t say he’ll make bad things good. He says he’ll bring good despite the bad. My son dying was the worst thing that ever happened to me. It always will be that. But despite that, can I say tonight that good has come? Yes, it has. God has changed me. God changed my son, Jonathan. My son, Jonathan, was going the wrong way fast. He was using drugs. He was partying, he was making a lot of bad decisions. And the night before Christopher went to be with the Lord, he had a talk with his younger brother. Christopher was 10 years older than Jonathan and he knew Jonathan was struggling.
And Christopher said to him, «Jonathan, what’s it gonna take for you to get right with God»? And Jonathan thought, «I want to talk to my brother about that tomorrow». And the next day Jonathan was working and someone came to him and said, «You need to go home right now». And they drove him to our house and he sees me down on the ground, crying, and he sees all these people around our house and he knew something horrible had happened. And then he asked what happened and they told him your brother died. And Jonathan committed his life to Christ at that very moment. And now he’s serving the Lord as a pastor. That doesn’t mean that he’s better, but he’s serving the Lord.
So here’s what I would say. I wish that had never happened. But here’s what I would also say: Despite that horrible thing happening, God did something wonderful in the life of Jonathan and I could go on and on with illustrations, but God can bring good despite bad. But Jesus delayed his arrival, but then he shows up and he shows up in Bethany and, my, Mary and Martha weren’t happy with him. And Martha goes to Jesus and said, «Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died». Wow, she was very direct, wasn’t she? He could have said, «What you talking about, Willis? You don’t talk to me that way. I’m Jesus». He sort of absorbed it. He took it. He said, «Oh, well, you know, your brother will live again».
And she goes, «I know he’ll live again in the resurrection». He goes, «Listen to what I’m saying to you. I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die». Then he has a follow-up question: «Do you believe this»? And I ask you, do you believe that, right now? Now we know what happened after, because Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and he said, «Lazarus, come forth,» and out of the grave came Lazarus. By the way, is it such a great thing to be raised from the dead? Can you imagine poor Lazarus? He dies. He goes to heaven.
The Lord says, «Welcome to heaven». Lazarus says, «I’m so glad that I’m here». «Okay,» the Lord says, «I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news: Yeah, you’re gonna have to go back again. Jesus is calling you right now». «Oh, great. I get to die twice»? «That pretty much sums it up, yeah». So, I mean, you have to realize that when a Christian goes to heaven, they go to pure paradise. In the Bible, there are different pictures of heaven given to us. Heaven is described in the Bible as a city. It’s described as a country and it’s designed as a royal garden. So we’re on this beautiful island surrounded by beauty. And when you see the greatest things that Maui has to offer, you get a fleeting glimpse of the glories that are to come, just a fleeting glimpse.
Take the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, multiply it 1000 times and you’ll have a brief glimpse of the glory of heaven that you will experience as a follower of Jesus Christ. But you have to believe in him. See, these things that I’m sharing with you are not for everybody. These are for believers only, for those who have put their faith in Christ. One of my favorite scriptures that deals with the subject of hope is Jeremiah 29:11 where God says, «I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope».
Do you know that I inscribed Jeremiah 29:11 on the back of a watch that I gave to Christopher? And after he died, they gave me a little plastic bag and in the plastic bag was the wallet that was in his pants, his car keys, a ring, his wedding ring, and this watch I gave him with Jeremiah 29:11. And I sat there and I looked at that inscription and I thought, I’ll be honest with you, I thought, «Where’s the hope now»? And then I corrected my thinking and I said, «The hope is he’s in heaven and the hope is I will see him again». That is the hope of the Christian. That’s the ultimate hope that we all have. If your loved ones are believers, you will see them again. They’re not only a part of your past, they’re also a part of your future.
So yes, Jesus raised Lazarus again from the dead. Not everyone gets that privilege, if we want to call it that. But we do have this hope that we go into God’s presence. And I want to ask you right now: Are you ready for the afterlife? Are you ready to go to heaven? You see, I heard that little kid. Good job. That kid’s ready. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. I can’t go down to the airport here in Maui and just board any plane that I want to board and fly any place I wanna fly. I have to stand in the security line and then go, you know, wait for my plane and then I have to have my ticket and I have to have my ID and then I board my plane and I can’t just say, «Oh, I’ll go to heaven because heaven is the default destination of every person».
It isn’t. Heaven is the destination and the future hope only for the person who’s put their faith in Jesus Christ, you see? You don’t go to heaven to find Christ; you go to Christ to find heaven. And if you put your faith in Jesus, you can know with certainty that you will go to heaven when that day comes. Jesus says, «I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, you may be also». So I ask you, do you have your ticket? «How much does it cost»? You couldn’t afford it. All the money in the world could not purchase it. But the good news is 2000 years ago, God sent his Son to walk this earth of ours and he walked in our shoes and he breathed our air and he lived our lives and then he died our death.
And he bought your ticket with his own blood. And if you will turn from your sin and put your faith in him, you can know that you’ll go to heaven when you die. I know I will go to heaven. Not because I deserve to, but because I’ve got my ticket purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. Let me close with this. And when a preacher says, «Let me close with this,» it could be an hour more, but it’s not gonna be an hour more. But I’m gonna mop my brow like a preacher right now because I’m a little bit hot up here. Yea I say unto thee. Okay, I feel better now. If you want to know that you’ll go to heaven when you die, if you want to be certain that your sins are forgiven, here’s what you need to do. Number one, you need to realize you’re a sinner. I mentioned that earlier.
The Bible says, «All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God». Every one of us have sinned. Sin is not just breaking a commandment or crossing a line. Sin is falling short of God’s standard, which is absolute perfection, and every one of us falls short of God’s glory. So you have to admit you’re a sinner. Secondly, you need to recognize that Christ died on the cross for you. Sometimes we will debate who killed Jesus. Some say, «Well, the Romans killed Jesus». Other people say, «The Jews killed Jesus».
I’ll tell you who killed Jesus. I killed Jesus, you killed Jesus. My sins put him on the cross and, to the point, no one took the life of Christ. He laid it down for us, right? He says, «Greater love has no man than this,» and he laid down his life for his friends. He died for me. I love the way the apostle Paul put it. He says, «He loved me and he gave himself for me». It’s personal. Christ died for you because there was no other way for you to be made right with the holy God that you and I have sinned against. So with one hand, Jesus took hold of sinful humanity. With the other hand, he took hold of a holy God that we have offended through our sin. And spikes were driven through those hands and he died. Jesus and Jesus alone is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between humanity and God. He’s the only way to heaven. That is why he himself said, «I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me».
So I need to realize that. Then I need to repent of my sin. The word «repent» means to change your direction. It’s actually a military term. It means to do an about face, right? So I’m turning from my sin and I’m turning to Christ and then you must receive Christ into your life. Being born into a Christian home doesn’t make you a Christian. Going into a church doesn’t make you a Christian, any more than going into McDonald’s makes you a hamburger, okay? There has to be a moment that you believe, for yourself. The Bible says, «For as many as received him, he gave them the power to become sons of God». So God offers you a gift and you have a choice as to whether or not you’re going to accept or reject the gift. And those are your only options. Jesus who died on the cross for your sin, rose again from the dead, stands at the door of your life and he knocks and he says, «If you’ll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in».