Greg Laurie - What's It Going to Take?

I want to talk to you about your life and the direction your life is taking. The title of my message is, «What’s It Going to Take?» Now, you might think that I was raised in a Christian home. Well, the very opposite was the case. I was raised in a home where there was no mention of Jesus. There was no church. There were no Bibles. My mother was living her vida loca life, going from husband to husband, from marriage to marriage. She was married and divorced seven times and had a lot of boyfriends in between. She was also a raging alcoholic. So, I spent part of my childhood living with my grandparents when I was a little boy. Because of this, I felt alone; I felt abandoned, and I wondered, «What is my life even about? I don’t think anyone really wants me.» At night, I would pull the covers over my head after my grandparents had gone to bed, and I would talk to an imaginary character I came up with, and I called him Mr. Nobody. The sad thing is I was 30 years old when I did this-no, not really. But Mr. Nobody and I would talk, and I would kind of pour my little heart out to him. Then my life took its own course and went in the wrong direction. I got into partying, drinking, and drugs, and so forth. But at the age of 17, I heard about Jesus Christ, and suddenly it dawned on me: Mr. Nobody had a name, and his name was Jesus. You see, that’s who I was really searching for.

So, coming back to my grandparents' home, they had a portrait of Jesus hanging on the wall. As a little boy, I would just stare at that portrait of Christ, and I would think, «Wow, I wish I could have met Jesus.» I thought of him merely as a historical figure who lived and died, and I didn’t really know much more about that story. But I thought about Jesus and imagined how cool it would be if you could sit down with Jesus and have a cup of coffee. Would Jesus drink coffee? I don’t know. But just imagine for a moment you’re going to go out and get a cup of coffee with Jesus. I’d order a cappuccino. I don’t like all these syrups and things people put into coffee. You go into, like, a Starbucks now, and people say, «I’ll have a venti, oat milk iced mocha chocolate frappuccino with six pumps of toffee nut syrup.» Just go to 31 flavors-That’s not even coffee! I don’t know, would Jesus drink coffee? Maybe. Maybe a matcha? Maybe some tea? Herbal tea, perhaps? Who knows? But just imagine sitting across the table from Jesus. You could ask him anything. You could tell him anything. I think younger people would have questions about the big issues of life, like, «Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? What is the meaning of my life?» The older folks might want to know more about their lives if they really mattered, and they would want to know what happens when they die. Because deep down inside, we’re all searching for meaning.

You see, in effect, we’re born with a hole in our heart -it’s sort of like a spiritual void that cannot be filled with anything this world has to offer. You know, as a kid, I was more interested in what happens when I live rather than what happens after I die. In other words, not is there life after death, but is there life during life? I was looking for a meaningful life, a purposeful life, and a lot of people are. You probably are yourself. But think about Generation Z. They have more information than any generation ever, and yet they’ve been described as the hopeless generation. Seventy-two percent of them use AI companions regularly instead of human interaction because they have no one else to talk to. Generation Z has the highest suicide rate of any generation in American history. Then you have high school students-42% of high school students experience constant sadness; 22% of high school students have contemplated suicide. Is that a description of someone I' m talking to right now? Are you a hopeless person? Are you constantly sad? Have you even contemplated suicide?

Billie Eilish, in her song «Everything I Wanted,» said, «I had a dream I got everything I wanted. Not what you’d think, and if I’m honest, it might have been a nightmare.» Then there’s Tom Brady. He’s so successful they call him the GOAT, the greatest of all time. Someone called me the GOAT the other day. They said, «Hey, GOAT.» I said, «You mean the greatest of all time?» He said, «No, old goat! Get out of my way!» Oh, sorry. But Tom Brady, despite all of his success, made this statement: «I have three Super Bowl rings, and I think there’s something greater out there. I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think God-it’s got to be more than this.» It is. Brad Pitt said, «We’re supposed to care about the car, the condo, but if that’s true, why does it all feel like desperation, loneliness, and isolation?» Good question, Brad Pitt! You’re searching for God. That’s what we all want deep down inside.

Listen, I don’t know you necessarily, but I know a few things about you even if I’ve never met you. I know that everybody is empty inside. I know that everyone is lonely inside. I know that everyone is guilty inside. And I know that everyone is afraid to die. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, or if you’re rich or poor. Your life feels like one long scroll, and no matter how far you swipe, you’re still empty inside. What you’re looking for isn’t found on a screen or in an AI voice that speaks to you and flatters you. It’s found in a living God who has a plan and a purpose for your life tonight.

But we talk about God, and we ask, «What is God like?» Is God sort of like a cosmic boss waiting to fire you when you mess up? Is God like an angry judge holding a lightning bolt? According to Jesus, God is like a father who loves you deeply and misses you when you are away from him. I heard a story about a father and son who went into a hardware store, and as they were checking out, there was a large jar of candy there. The hardware store owner said to the young boy, «Go ahead, son. Grab a handful of candy.» And the little boy just looked up at his father. The hardware store owner again said, «Son, go ahead. Grab a handful of candy. It’s free. No charge.» Again, the little boy just looked up at his father. The hardware store said it to the little guy again. Finally, the father just reached in, grabbed a big handful of candy, and they walked out. And as they got in the car, the dad asked the son, «Son, why didn’t you grab a handful of candy?» The little boy said, «Dad, because your hand is bigger than mine.»

God’s hand is bigger than yours. God’s plan for your life is better than your plan for yourself. The Bible promises that God is able to do exceedingly above and beyond that which you could ask or think. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is where the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:11, «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.» God has a future for you. There’s hope for you. He has a plan for you, a purpose for you. And I want to talk to you about a story that Jesus told that shows us what God is like. We often call it the parable of the prodigal son. It’s found in the Gospel of Luke 15. So, Jesus is basically saying, «You know, want to know what God is like? Here’s what God is like. God is like a father who had two sons.»

And the younger son told his father, «I want my share of the estate now instead of waiting until you die.» So, his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later, his younger son packed all of his belongings and took a trip to a distant land. There, he wasted all of his money on wild living. And about the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the food he was feeding the pigs looked good to him, but no one gave him anything.

So, this kid, he’s like a nepo baby. His parents are very wealthy; they had servants; they had everything you could want. But this kid was binging on too many Fast and Furious movies. He wanted to go out and have his own personal adventures; he was tired of the rules and regulations of his dad. So, effectively, he says, «Look, Dad, I know you’re going to drop dead one day, and I’ll get an inheritance. I’d rather not wait. Can you just give it to me now?» And off that boy went. As soon as the money ran out, his friends ran out with it. It reminds me of a story I heard about two guys who were out camping in the forest. As they’re getting up in the morning, they heard a rustling in the bushes, and suddenly they look, and a large bear is running at them full speed. One of the friends is putting on his running shoes. His buddy says, «You don’t think you can outrun that bear, do you?» He says, «I don’t need to outrun the bear; I need to outrun you.» You see, that’s how some friends are. They run out when things get hard, and you think you have certain friends, but boy, you’ll find out fast, especially if you give your life to Jesus Christ. You know, when I became a Christian at age 17 on a high school campus, I had a bunch of friends I used to hang out with, and we did drugs together. They hadn’t seen me for a while since I’d become a believer in Jesus.

So, as I was walking across our campus, someone saw me and recognized me from a little Bible study we had there, and they said, «Brother Greg! Brother Greg!» and I’m thinking, «What? Brother Greg? I’m not your brother unless it’s a brother from another mother. What? Who are you, bro?» «Yes, you don’t have a Bible yet! I saw you became a Christian!» «Yeah, I did.» «You need a Bible, bro!» «Okay, here’s a Bible.» And he gives me this Bible. It was maybe the ugliest Bible I’ve ever seen. It was all beat up and thrashed. It had two popsicle sticks glued together in the shape of a cross. «It’s the word of God, bro! Start reading it!» I’m like, «Okay, bye.» I was embarrassed by this Bible, so I tried to shove it into the pocket of my jacket, and I even ripped it to hide it. I thought, «I haven’t seen my friends for a while; I’ll go over and see what they’re up to.»

So I walk in the door, and they’re all sitting around. They said, «Greg, where have you been?» I said, «Nowhere.» «Greg, what have you been up to?» «Nothing really!» «Hey, you want to get high?» I said, «No! You don’t want to!» And see, one thing I forgot to tell you is that when I went into my friend’s house, I was embarrassed that they would see the Bible. So I pulled it out of my pocket and put it in the bushes in front of his house. So I’m in this room, not admitting that I’d become a Christian, not wanting to tell them what had happened to me. Suddenly, the front door bursts open, and this guy’s mother is standing there holding my Bible. She says, «Who does this belong to?» Every eye in the room went to that Bible, and then they all went to me like they knew there was a connection. I said, «Oh, that’s mine.» One of them said, «What is that, Greg?» I said, «It’s a Bible.» «No, a what?» «It’s a Bible.» «A what?» «A Bible!» And I grabbed it, and then one of my friends said, «Oh, are we going to be Christians now and follow Jesus?» I said, «No, I’m going to hit you in the mouth. That’s what I’m going to do!» See, I hadn’t read 1 Corinthians 13 or anything else yet. I just thought, «What’s going on?» All my friends turned on me right there on the spot, and I realized these guys were not going to be my friends anymore. They started to mock me, and I walked out of there realizing I needed to get some new friends.

Listen, if you want to be a real revolutionary today, people talk about revolution. You want to really stand out from the crowd? You want to be a real rebel? You want to be punk rock for real? Follow Jesus Christ! That’s the most radical thing you can do. So this boy runs away from his father; all of his money runs out, and he hits bottom. He says, «This is horrible! This sucks! What am I doing? I got it better back home.» In fact, even the guys that just work for my dad have it better than me. I mean, here I am literally thinking about eating the food I’m feeding the pigs! The boy says, «I’m just going to go home. I’m going to say, 'Dad, look, I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Just make me like one of your hired hands, just so I know I get three square meals a day and have a place to sleep. I’m going to go home again.'»

So, the boy’s making his way home. He’s reciting his little speech and is going to say to his father what he’s going to do. Then I love the story as Jesus tells it. He says that as the boy was a long way off, the father saw him and began to run toward him. He was so excited to see his son return again. The boy said, «Dad, I’ve failed. I’ve sinned. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.» And the father wasn’t even listening. He says, «Let’s have a party! Let’s have a barbecue! Let’s rejoice because my son who was dead is alive again!» And he who was lost is found. What is God like? God is like a father who misses his son, who misses his daughter, who longs for the return and will welcome you if you come to him tonight. You know, the boy stunk -don’t forget he was hanging out with pigs. But the father didn’t say, «Take a bath, and maybe I’ll give you a hug.» He accepted him as he was. Sometimes people say, «I need to clean my life up and come to God.» No, you need to come to God, and he’ll clean your life up. You come as you are. You come with your sins. You come with your addictions. You come with your problems. You come as you are, and Christ will change you tonight, but you must come to Him.

And I love how the father ran to the son. Do you know that in this culture it was considered undignified for an older man to run? Not to mention it’s harder for an older man to run-I know this from experience. You know, I hear people say that when they run, they get the runner’s high; there’s a release of endorphins. Man, I get that runner’s high! I think maybe if I’ve experienced the eater’s high, you know, and my food arrives-oh, I’m excited! But runner’s high? No. But the father was willing to lose his dignity, if you will, to get to his son as quickly as possible.

So you ask, «Greg, how do I come into this relationship with God? How can I know for certain that when I die, I will go to heaven? How can I have all of my sin forgiven?» Here’s what you need to do: You need to, number one, admit you are a sinner. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The word sin means to cross a line. The Bible speaks of trespass in sin-sort of like when you see the sign in the park where the grass has been planted, and it says, «No trespassing.» So, sin is when you break a commandment, but sin is also falling short of a mark. It means you’re not perfect. None of us are. That’s where Jesus comes in. That’s why He died on the cross for you 2,000 years ago and took God’s judgment in your place. Jesus came to pay a debt He did not owe because you owed a debt you could not pay.

So, you have to admit you’re a sinner, but a lot of people say, «Well, no, I believe if I just live a good life, I’ll get to heaven.» Really? Do you think you’ve lived a good enough life to get to heaven? Let me say something that might shock you: There are going to be some bad people in heaven, and there are going to be some good people in hell. You say, «Well, you lost me there, preacher. What do you mean by that?» There are going to be some bad people in heaven. Think about that man we call the thief on the cross. Remember him? When Jesus was crucified, there were two men on each side of him. We call them thieves, but the word used in the original language means they were guilty of a greater crime; they were probably murderers-probably insurrectionists. Yet, here they are, crucified next to Jesus, and both of them joined the chorus of mockery coming from the crowd, saying, «He saved others; let him save himself if he’s really the Son of God.»

Then Jesus gives the first of seven statements from the cross. The first statement was, «Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.» Suddenly, like a flash, one of those criminals believed on the spot and turned to Jesus and said, «Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.» And Jesus said, «Truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.» So a bad person made it to heaven. You need to admit you’re a sinner, but then there are going to be good people in hell. Oh yes, hell is real. Jesus spoke more about hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together. «Well, how could a God of love send people to hell?» God doesn’t send people to hell; we send ourselves there by rejecting His gracious offer of forgiveness. You see, the last thing God wants is for any man or woman, uniquely made in His image, to spend eternity separated from Him in a place called hell. That’s why Jesus died on the cross for you.

But you say, «How could there be a good person in hell? A person who depended on their own religious works to get them to heaven?» Jesus said, «In that final day, people will come to me saying, 'Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not do miracles in your name? ' Others might say, 'Did we not get baptized in your name or receive communion in your name? '» And Jesus says, «And I will say to them, 'Depart from me! I never knew you! '» It’s not enough to know about God; you need to know God and ask Him to come into your life.

You see, the story that Jesus told began with these words: «A man had two sons.» I too am a man with two sons. One is named Christopher, and the other is named Jonathan. Both of my sons were raised in the church. As Jonathan said a few moments ago, we raised them to know the Lord. We read Bible stories to them. We prayed with them. But both of my sons, for a time, became prodigals. They were still wonderful sons, but they were just out there living their lives, wanting to see what this world and culture had to offer. Thankfully, my older son, Christopher, after being a prodigal for a number of years, made a recommitment to Christ. He got married to a young lady named Britney. They had a little baby girl that’s here tonight; she’s going to be 18 years old. Her name is Stella. And another one on the way named Lucy, who’s a young lady as well. But he was walking with the Lord -he was actually working for us at the church as a graphic designer. But Jonathan was still struggling. He was still resisting. But he admired his older brother. One day, they were having a conversation, and Christopher said to Jonathan, «Jonathan, what’s it going to take for you to get right with God?» That’s why I called this message tonight, «What’s It Going to Take?»

What’s it going to take? Jonathan didn’t know what to say because Jonathan was using drugs at that time and, as I said, being a prodigal. Well, the next day, our son Christopher died tragically in an automobile accident, and he’s been in heaven now for 18 years-in a few days from right now. So, Jonathan was at work, and they came to his workplace and said, «You need to go home right now.» They brought him to our house, and there we were. We had heard the news that Christopher was gone, and Jonathan realized, «I need to get right with God,» because he had wanted to talk to his brother about this. Now, I’m not saying that Christopher died so Jonathan would make a recommitment. I’m saying the tragic thing is Christopher died, but he’s in heaven, and we’ll see him again because he’s not just a part of our past, but also a part of our future.

But those words resonated in Jonathan’s heart: «What’s it going to take?» What’s it going to take? And Jonathan made a recommitment to Christ right after that and has now been serving the Lord for many years. He’s a pastor at our church, and God got hold of him. My question for you tonight is, «What’s it going to take? What’s it going to take to wake you up?» We all think, «Oh, I’ll just live forever. You know, I’m young; I’ve got my whole life in front of me.» Well, maybe you do, and I hope you do. Well, my son was only 33 years old. But the good news is I do know he went to heaven. I do know I’ll see him again. But the Bible says, «Prepare to meet your God.» Are you prepared to meet God tonight? What happens after you die? That’s up to you.

According to the Bible, you have two options: heaven or hell; life or death. Listen, you may never have another moment like you have right now. This is the time-not tomorrow, not next week, not next month-now! The Bible says, «Now today is the day of salvation.» God is speaking to your heart. You know you need Jesus. You know this is what you’ve been looking for. You had an appointment with God tonight, and you didn’t even have it on your calendar, but you do. Don’t miss this appointment! Don’t miss this opportunity! Don’t scroll by and look at something else. This is it! Jesus is ready to change your life and forgive you of all your sins and give you a new hope for your future, and purpose and meaning in life. But you must come to Him.