Greg Laurie - Hope for Prodigal Children (12/22/2017)
- Watch
- Donate
- Become Partner
Pastor Greg Laurie talks about hope for our prodigal children, opening up Luke 15 to show the parable of the prodigal son. He shares his own family's struggles, stresses building a godly home, and reminds us God waits with open arms for those who come back. The key is persistent prayer, unconditional love, and never closing the door home.
Introduction: The Pain of Losing What Matters Most
Today we are going to talk about hope for prodigal children. So let's turn in our Bibles to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. Let's pray together. Father, we ask now for your blessing upon this time as we look in your Word. We think of our own children, Lord, those of us that have young ones. And we pray that they will all walk with you. But some of us have kids that have gone astray. They've gone rogue. They're doing the wrong thing. And our heart aches for them. We pray for them, Lord, that they will come back to you again. Some hearing this message are themselves prodigal sons and daughters. And we pray that they will return to you, even today. We ask it now in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Okay. So here's a question. Have you ever lost anything? Well, that's kind of an obvious question. Because I think as you get older, you're always losing things, right? I mean, I've walked around the house looking for reading glasses when I walk by a mirror and see they're perched on top of my head. Now that's something you don't really want to share usually.
But, you know, I think of things I've lost in life. When I was a very little boy, I had a little parakeet. And I named him Popcorn. And he was a fantastic little bird. I would stand a few feet away from his cage and open the little door and call his name. And he would fly and land on my shoulder. I'd walk around the house with him on my shoulder. I loved that little bird.
Personal Stories of Loss and Searching
Well, one day I was down in Balboa Island in Newport Beach and I saw this guy walking around with a parrot on his shoulder. And I was amazed by the fact that this parrot didn't fly away. So my little brain processed this and thought, I can do that with my parakeet too. So I went home, got Popcorn, put him on my shoulder. And by the way, he never flew away in my house. I walked outside. Popcorn looked around, flew off. Never saw him again.
So I was walking down the street literally for the next few days crying out, "Popcorn! Popcorn!" People probably saw me through their window thinking, Poor kid is hungry. Give him some food, you know. Never saw Popcorn again.
Okay, fast forward now a number of years. And I am married. And Christopher has been born. He is just a little boy. And we have a dog. We have just got a puppy. And we had gone to my grandmother's house the day before. And she made this amazing biscuit that was just the best you have ever had in your life. Anyway, so we had biscuits on the brain still. And I said to Christopher, "What do you want to name the new puppy?" And he said, "Biscuit." Okay, so the dog was named Biscuit. Who is a dog named Biscuit? We did.
Well, Biscuit got away and was loose in the neighborhood somewhere. Maybe this is telling something about my pets don't love me at all. But, so I am walking down the street yelling out, "Biscuit! Biscuit! Biscuit!" People are probably looking out the window saying, Does that man need some food? Didn't we see him a number of years ago as a small boy yelling for Popcorn? Obviously he is hungry. Well, fortunately I found Biscuit.
It is one thing to lose a parakeet or a puppy, but it is another thing to lose a child.
The Heartache of Wayward Children
Fast forward even a number of years and we were doing one of our crusades and I was in a hotel with Jonathan who was probably around maybe five years old at this point. And we were going to the elevator in the hotel we were staying at. And he loved to push the buttons. And so he was running ahead. I said, "Now wait until Dad gets there. Don't get in the elevator before Dad gets there."
He tears around the corner and I am trying to catch up with him. And just as I came around the corner I saw the elevator doors closing with Jonathan standing there. It is just like you almost have a heart attack on the spot. And so I pushed every button. And I am waiting and I am pushing the button. Have you ever noticed in an elevator when it does not come you keep pushing the button? Do you think that helps? No it doesn't. Anyway.
So I am pushing the button over and over. Finally the door opens. No Jonathan. So I get in the elevator. I go down to the lobby. I run up there and I ask the person who is on the phone, "Excuse me ma'am. My son got off the elevator. Can you call security? Can you call the police? Can you call SWAT? Can you call Delta Force? Just get someone in here right now." And she wouldn't even get off the phone. "Ma'am excuse me ma'am."
And finally I thought okay I have got to find him myself. So I went back to the elevator. I pushed every button for every floor. And that door opened up and I yelled his name. And guess what? I would have torn that hotel apart if I had to. To find him. Losing him was not an option. Well I did find him. I don't know what floor it was. He was just standing there.
But here is the thing. It is one thing to lose a pet. But we never want to lose our children. Right? As Christian parents our greatest joy is in seeing our kids walk with the Lord. As the Apostle John said, "I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth."
Raising Kids in a Hostile Culture
So we as believers will raise our kids in the way of the Lord and do everything that we can. But sometimes they go astray. You know when they are young they are receptive. They are open. They are compliant. And for the most part they are obedient. In fact for a time they even feel as though you hung the moon. And whatever mom or dad says is obviously true.
But as they get older, especially when they enter into their teenage years, they start to push back. And they start to think for themselves. And sometimes they start to question the faith you have raised them with.
Mark Twain made this statement and I quote, "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." End quote. And this is the way the teenage brain works. You know they think they are older than they really are. They think they know more than they really know. And they look at you the parent. And they question many of the things you have said to them.
Now if this is happening to you right now I want to say don't panic. But let me also offer some words of counsel for those of you that are raising your children.
Building a Godly Home That Lasts
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have a godly home. And what a significant role you play in your children's life to raise them in the way of the Lord. Children are a gift from God. And it is a precious privilege to have them. Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a heritage from the Lord. Children are a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior so are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."
And that word that is used there for heritage could better be translated "gift." Children are a gift. We don't own them. They belong to God. They are not ours to mold but to unfold, to nurture, and to raise in the way of the Lord.
Sometimes you will hear parents say, "Well you know we have never really had any problems with our kids. They have never rebelled." Really, how old are your children? Four and five. Shut up. Come to me after you have raised teenagers and lived to tell the story. And maybe I will listen to you.
But this is the thing. Those teen years are difficult. Again to quote Mark Twain. "Things run along pretty smoothly until your kid reaches thirteen. That is the time you need to stick him in a barrel, hammer the lid down, tight and snug, and feed him through the knot hole." Wow. They had teenage rebellion back then too, huh? And then I love what he says after that. "And then when he turned sixteen, plug up the knot hole."
Practical Advice from Scripture for Parents
And in this series that we are calling Hope for Hurting Hearts we have talked about a lot of things including marriage. And we said to you if you have a troubled marriage you need to look to God and to the Scripture to get it right. Well the same is true of raising our children. Because we live in a culture that is hostile to the family. A culture that influences our children for the most part in the wrong way. At best it ignores the values we have raised them with. And at worst it seeks to undermine those values. And that seems to be the case more often.
And so we want to make sure that we are doing our part to counteract that and build a good foundation for our kids. Because I will tell you what, when you come to the end of your life and you look back on what you have accomplished and what you have not accomplished, the things you will think the most about are faith and family. I guarantee it.
You won't care about how much money you had or how successful you were in business or how many deals you closed or how many things you accomplished or how many games of golf you played or anything like that. You will be thinking about the way you lived.
One Christian father who was looking back on his life wrote these words and I quote, "My family is all grown now. My kids are gone. But if I had it to do over again, this is what I would do. I would love my wife more in front of my children. I would laugh with my children more at our mistakes and at our joys. I would listen more even to the littlest child. I would be more honest about my own weaknesses, never pretending perfection. I would pray differently for my family. Instead of focusing on them, I would focus more on me. I would do more things together with my children. I would encourage them more and bestow more praise. I would pay more attention to little things like deeds and words of thoughtfulness. And finally if I had it to do over again, I would share God more intimately with my family. Every ordinary thing that happened and every ordinary day I would use to direct them to God." Well said.
What Ephesians Teaches About Parenting
So let's talk for a few moments about how we can do that. I want to just quote now a verse. We will come over to Luke 15 in a moment. But Ephesians 6:4 says, "You fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."
So here this verse tells us both what to do and what not to do. First of all it tells us what not to do. Do not provoke your children. Now this means to anger them. And by the way, in the original language it suggests a repeated pattern of treatment that causes a child to have anger and resentment that boils over to outright hostility.
So how would we provoke our children to wrath? One way is by showing favoritism. This often happens in families. A parent will favor one child over another. And those kids figure that out really quickly, by the way. And this can really develop a resentment and a rivalry among the children.
And this happened in the Bible as well. And we remember the story of Isaac and Rebekah. And they had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Clearly Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob. And this resulted in a rivalry between those brothers that lasted for a lifetime. So try to be even handed.
My wife tells me, you know, when I get a gift for one of the grandchildren, I have to get one for all of the grandchildren. So, you know, I am going to get... Oh wait, that is times four now. Okay. So sometimes I don't get all those things I was going to get. You know, but everything has to be even handed. You know, and that is a good principle to live by.
Balancing Discipline and Encouragement
Number two, don't provoke your children to wrath. You can do that also by never affirming or complimenting them. Listen. A child needs approval and encouragement in the things that are good as much as they need correction in the things that are bad. We are quick to tell them when they are wrong. We are quick to correct them. To tell them when they are falling short. But do you affirm them? "Well done. That was great."
Now, interestingly, in our culture today, some people have swung too far the other way. And they overpraise their children. It has been described by some experts as helicopter parenting. And the idea is that a parent is always hovering over the child. Overpraising them.
An article from the South Florida Sun Sentinel had the headline, "When Praising Children Goes Too Far." And the article said, among other things, quote, "Parents used to worry about spoiling their kids, and so they criticized lavishly and withheld praise. But now they worry about self-esteem, so they withhold criticism and they praise lavishly."
You can overcorrect and never affirm, and then you can overaffirm. You know, giving them credit for something they really shouldn't get credit for. "Way to finish your meal! You are the best!" No, they just finished their meal. It is okay.
And this is shown in competitive sports among children today, among very small kids. A lot of times they don't keep score anymore. I went to one of the soccer games of my grandchildren, and I asked Dad there, "Hey, what is the score?" And he said, "Oh, we don't keep score." Well, excuse me. You know, I didn't say that. I just thought it. I am not that belligerent. But another father told me, "The score is actually this." So one guy was actually keeping score.
In some classrooms they don't give grades out either. Well, we don't want to make one child feel like he or she is less than the other children. So this is swinging too far either way.
You know, I look at some of these parents that bring their kids for the audition of American Idol. And after the kid who has no singing abilities whatsoever is rejected, the parents say, "You are the best!" It is like, Mom, Dad, newsflash, your kid can't sing. That is not a bad thing. Sure, they do other things well. But don't make your kid feel like they are really good at something if they are not necessarily good at it. But at the same time, find the things that they are good at and affirm them in it.
These are ways that we can provoke our children to wrath. Notice that it says, "Bring them up in the nurture and the training of the Lord." It doesn't say beat them down. It says, "Bring them up." And by the way, that phrase, bring them up, means to nourish or to feed. So we want to encourage our children.
Sure, we want to teach them good manners. Sure, we want to teach them to be hard working. We want them to be responsible. But the most important thing we do with our kids is we point them to Jesus Christ.
Leading by Example in Faith
But listen to this. We cannot lead a child any further than we ourselves have come. We cannot lead a child any further than we ourselves have come. Nothing can happen through us until it has happened to us. So we ourselves need to be walking with God.
As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:9, "The things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you."
I read the story of a father and a son who were climbing a mountain. They came to a place where the climbing was difficult and even dangerous. And the father stopped to consider which way he should go. And he heard his little boy behind him say, "Choose the good path, Dad. I am coming right behind you."
And that is something to remember, parent. Your children, they are watching you. Choose the right path. They are going to not just do what you say. They are going to do what you do.
So how do we do this? How do we raise our children in the way of the Lord? You do it by spending a lot of time with them. There is the idea of quality time versus quantity time. Reality check. Kids need time and lots of it. Spend as much time as you can with them. And then through that time you have with them, you teach them the things of God.
Not just in a bedtime story. Not just in a few moments you set aside to have a devotion with them. Though those are great things for a family to do. But you try to find teaching moments throughout the day.
In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, we read that these words that God gave to the Israelites, they were to teach to their children diligently. And it goes on to say, "You shall talk of them when you sit down in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up."
See the idea is you do it all day long, looking for those moments, those teaching moments if you will.
Preparing Kids for the Real World
You know some Christian parents kind of lock their home down. "We are not going to have any secular influence at all. We do not have a television in our home." And you know if you have made that choice, I am not being critical of you. It maybe is a very good choice for you and your family.
But I just want you to know your kids are still going to see TV. Okay? They are going to watch it at their friend's house. Or they are going to see it in the mall walking along. They are going to still get that influence. And most kids today aren't looking to TV anyway. They are looking to the Internet. And even if you do not have Internet in your home, they can get it on their phone or on a friend's phone.
So here is the deal. Culture is going to influence your children. So you can try to isolate them in a Christian cocoon. Or you can wake up and smell the coffee. I say instead of trying to isolate our children from every other influence, let's prepare them to go into the real world with a Christian worldview. That is it.
You know when our son Christopher was very young and he would watch various cartoons or whatever, I would sit down and I would watch the cartoons with him. I would watch the shows he liked to watch with him. And you know kids don't always like that by the way. Because it takes some of the enjoyment away when dad is sitting there. You know? And I would laugh at the things that are funny. And things that were subversive or contrary to our faith, I would point out to him. I was trying to help him to learn how to think for himself.
I read an interview that singer Katy Perry did. And she was raised in a Christian home. Her parents banned all secular music. In fact her parents wouldn't even use the words deviled egg or dirt devil for the vacuum because they didn't even want those names mentioned, the devil mentioned.
But Katy says that her friends would sneak secular music in and she would listen to it. And she said she had no childhood and rebelled. Well ultimately, before Katy Perry was doing what she is doing now, she was a gospel singer known as Katy Hudson. And to the point, Katy Hudson, now Katy Perry, sang before I preached when we were doing some of our services at the Grove Theater a number of years ago. I remember meeting her and she was a very sweet girl.
But now she is doing her thing out there. And I pray that Katy Perry, the prodigal, comes back to the Lord again. And you know what? I will eat a deviled egg with her.
Understanding Proverbs 22:6 Correctly
But one of the most oft quoted verses and misunderstood verses about raising children is Proverbs 22:6. You all know this one. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
And we will usually quote this verse when our kids have gone prodigal. Well remember, train up a child in the way he should go. And I am not refuting that. It is a good verse to quote. But let's just hope that we did what that Scripture said.
What does it mean when it says, "Train up a child in the way he should go?" Well it is an interesting phrase. Because it actually speaks of the actions of a midwife who after delivering a child, would put her finger into crushed dates and then place her finger in the baby's mouth, thus creating a thirst for milk.
So that phrase means, if we were to just sort of take that idea and play it out, create a thirst in your child for spiritual things. However, the word that is used also can be translated to bring a horse into submission. Sort of like breaking a horse.
So put that all together. And you have the idea of provide parameters as well as providing motivation for the child to walk with the Lord.
But what does it mean when it says "a child?" I mean when does child raising stop? Well this word child is translated in one place as an infant. In another place in Scripture as a young boy. In another place it describes Ishmael in his preteen years. And then it also describes Joseph at age 17. And in another verse it describes a young man ready for marriage.
Child therefore speaks of infancy to young adulthood. So don't think that your child raising is over once your kids hit the teen years. It goes on.
So put it all together. Here is what that verse is saying. Create a thirst in. Build into the child from infancy to adulthood the experience of submission to God. We put in external boundaries as well as internal motivation.
And look here is the thing. "Train a child in the way he should go." Every child has their own bend. And not all children are the same. I am sure you know this.
My two sons Christopher and Jonathan. Christopher I would tell him something. I would have to tell him three minutes after I told him. I would have to tell him again and again and again and again. And still he would disobey me. Jonathan I would tell him one time and he would do it. It would take a lot of effort to get Christopher to do, with one look I could get done with Jonathan. They are just different in their personality.
So we recognize that each child is different.
When Kids Go Astray: You're Not a Failure
But now let's move from that and just say, well okay Greg. I have done that. I have trained my child in the way of the Lord. We even had deviled eggs in our home. And I have done everything I can, but my child has gone astray. Obviously, I am a failure as a parent.
Listen, if having a prodigal son or daughter means you are a failure as a parent, then that means God is a failure. Because God has a lot of prodigals. Right? So needless to say, God is not a failure as a father. And it doesn't necessarily mean you are a failure as a parent.
What it simply means is our kids push back and think for themselves. And sometimes what seems to you to be the worst case scenario can end up in your child making a deeper commitment to the Lord.
So let's go now to Luke 15. A familiar story. The story of the prodigal son. One of the most beautiful pieces of literature in all the world. In fact, Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson both felt it was the greatest short story ever written.
But it is more than great literature. It is a story that Jesus told that shows us how we often run from God. But it is also a story that shows us what we ought to do as Christian parents when our children rebel.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son Explained
Luke 15. "A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood."
Verse 13. "And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living."
"And when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods which the swine ate, and no one gave him anything."
We will stop there.
So number one, this boy simply wanted independence from his father. Verse 12 he says, "Give me the portion of the inheritance." In Jewish law at this time the oldest son would receive two thirds of the inheritance, and the rest was divided among the younger children.
This boy was not the older son. Because we read about the older son later in the parable. So he was asking for something that really was not rightfully his. And in effect he was saying to his dad, "You know what dad? I wish you were dead. I am tired of waiting for you to die. And I want you to give me my portion of the inheritance now."
He saw his father as an impediment, a restraint. He wanted independence. And this happens with our kids as well.
We read in verse 13, "The younger son gathered all together." What does that mean? That means in the Greek that he turned it into cash. There was a vast estate here with servants, hired help, buildings, etc. How do you liquidate something that quickly? You sell it off at a discount.
So he took his inheritance and got as much money out of it as he possibly could. This was so inconsiderate because this appears to be a great home. There was no abuse here. There was no divorce that we can see. No hypocrisy. No raging alcoholic parent or abandoning father or mother. This was a stable, loving home with a very hands-on dad.
It was also a loving, nurturing home. It is evidenced by the fact that when the son finally returned, the father threw his arms around him and showed affection, kissing his son. It was an affluent home. There were servants there. Meaning that this boy wanted for nothing. And there was probably faith in this home as well. I am sure the father would read the scripture to his boys and take them to church with him.
The Downward Spiral and Coming to Senses
Well interestingly the boy pushes back. He stays there for a while and goes off to a far country. Verse 13. I am sure when he hit town he was very popular with all that money. But as soon as his money ran out his friends ran out with him. According to his younger brother he even turned to prostitutes. He drug the family name through the gutter. He brought shame to his family.
And in time he discovered the emptiness of life without his father. In verse 14. "After he had spent all there arose a severe famine in the land. And he began to be in want."
You see dad wasn't there to turn to. When crisis hits we usually turn to family. We turn to our spouse. We turn to our parents. We turn to our children. We turn to our loved ones. But he had no family to turn to. And he was despondent.
And he finally attaches himself to a local citizen just asking for some kind of job. And the guy sends him out to feed pigs. But God was at work. Because the boy was coming to his senses.
And I bring this up because sometimes when our kids go astray and we pray for them and things get worse we wonder where is God. You pray, "Lord bring my prodigal son, bring my prodigal daughter back to you." And then all of a sudden they get thrown out of school. They get fired from a job. They get arrested. Something happens. It is a bad thing. And you say, "God where were you? God what are you doing?"
I will tell you where God is. He is right there trying to bring the kid to their senses. Because sometimes people have to learn lessons the hard way. Right? But if they learn the lesson that is a good thing. Because when you get to the end of yourself you get to the beginning of God.
Both of my sons had their prodigal years. Christopher more than Jonathan. He went astray for a number of years. And so this boy had gone astray as well. I am sure there were many sleepless nights with his father.
The Father's Loving Response
But now look how the story ends. The boy comes to himself in verse 17 and says, "You know my father has hired servants. Have it better than this. I am going to go and say I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
So now the son returns home again. The prodigal son. He went to the dogs. He fed the hogs. And homeward he jogs. So he is making his way back.
And how does the father react? Look at verse 20. "But when he was still a great way off his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
This would indicate to me that the father was watching for his boy. I almost have the mental picture of Dad sitting out on the front porch in his rocking chair. Every morning looking down that long path this boy had walked down when he left home. No doubt with a spring in his step. Hoping. Praying for the day when his son would come back.
And one day his prayers were answered. And along comes his son. And of course the story tells us that he runs to his son and throws his arms around him and kisses him.
Verse 22. "And the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry."
So what do we learn from this story about dealing with the prodigals?
Number one, stay true to your beliefs. Stay true to your beliefs. Just because you get pushback from your child does not mean you should back down. Hold your course. Live as a good example. Teach the Word to them. And understand that even if they go through a rough patch it doesn't mean that they will stay there forever.
We have always had rules in our home. And I would say to my boys, "Listen. You live under my roof. I pay the bills. And when you live under my roof you live by my rules. And if you break those rules there are repercussions." They understood that. And even though my sons would disagree with me they were always respectful.
And I think that very tension is a good thing if you are standing for what is true. Christopher, when he was in his rebellion and came back to the Lord later, told Levi Lusko, who was his friend. And our friend as well. He said he kind of used me as a barometer. And he said "I always knew when I was right with God. I noticed I got along really well with my dad. And I noticed when I was not right with God there was tension between my father and I."
And so that tension is not necessarily a bad thing. You don't want to send out the signal that you approve of what they are doing. You hold your ground and stand on your principles.
Never Give Up: Keep Praying and Loving
But number two, you should never give up on them. Don't give up on them. They can escape your presence but they can never escape your prayers. And what may seem like the worst case scenario can be the very thing that brings them back.
And thirdly and lastly, we must always keep the door to home open. Always keep the door to home open. The prodigal knew he could come back no matter what.
When Christopher was in his prodigal mode, I always kept communication open. But sometimes I wouldn't speak with him for a week or longer. But we would communicate through email or I would call him. And we would get together for lunch. And those were uncomfortable at times. But he always knew I loved him.
And he did finally make that recommitment to the Lord. And he got married. And boy it seems like he made up for lost time. Because his life just took off spiritually. He started a Bible study in his home. He was doing so well. And three years after he made that recommitment to Christ, he was called home to heaven.
I can look back in the way that I raised both of my sons and say I was not a perfect parent, nor am I a perfect parent. I may be a perfect grandparent, but I wasn't a perfect parent. But I don't really have any huge regrets to be honest. I think I did the best that I could. I made some mistakes. But we raised our boys in the way of the Lord.
Our youngest son, Jonathan, who got lost in elevators, also had his prodigal time. He wasn't like Christopher, wandering so far away. He was still at home, but he was living sort of a double life we were not aware of. And then it came to our attention and we realized we had not one but two prodigal sons.
But he too made a recommitment to the Lord. And I asked him to tell a story. And we have it recorded on this video that I am going to show you now.
Jonathan's Testimony: From Rebellion to Restoration
So here's the story of how my son Jonathan made a recommitment to Christ.
I was born and raised in Southern California, Orange County specifically. I grew to love skateboarding and going to the beach and surfing, swimming. I was like every other kid. I liked to goof off in class, make jokes, you know, make fun of people, whatever. And, you know, sometimes teachers, they would like to single me out because of who my dad was. They would say, 'oh, Jonathan, I'd expect more from you seeing as who your dad was.' And, you know, when you're a young kid, you take that to heart. People are expecting more from you. I just wanted to be like everybody else. I just wanted to blend in.
But growing up around my mom and dad, I can tell you one thing's for sure. I was never able to doubt the existence of God. I recognized that they had a true relationship with Jesus Christ. The faith that my dad showed in the pulpit was the same faith that he showed in the kitchen at home. In the intimate places of our house where we'd be spending time as a family, he was the same guy. Maybe less bald jokes, but he was still the same guy, and he had a great love for his family, and I always knew that.
As the age of innocence was lost, I began to resent this question. Little Jonathan, are you going to grow up to be bald like your dad? No, they wouldn't say that. They would ask me, obviously, are you going to grow up to be a preacher like your father? I wanted to be known as Jonathan Laurie, not as the son of Greg Laurie, not as the son of the famous pastor and evangelist. I wanted to be known as my own person. I wanted to prove to them and to myself that I could be my own person, that I didn't have to follow my father's footsteps.
So, when I was 16, a friend persuaded me to try smoking marijuana with him for the first time. I still remember quite vividly that first time. I remember we were at his house, it was in a backyard. I remember being scared. Let's fast forward six months now. I'm getting high three, five times a day. I'm now drinking alcohol as well, smoking cigarettes.
And actually, right here, this is kind of like my old stomping grounds where we're at right now in Laguna Beach. I spent a lot of time here. As I continued to live this lifestyle of smoking marijuana and living at home with my parents, I found myself living a double life. I was lying to everybody.
See, the very thing I was running from, my friends were identifying me that at parties I would go to. They like to introduce me as, 'hey, do you know who this guy's dad is? Have you heard of the Harvest Crusades? That's his dad. Have you heard of Greg Laurie? That's his dad, you know? Have you seen the picture of the guy off the 55 freeway? His head's about 13 feet tall. Yeah, that's his dad.' Right on. That's what I got to be known as. The very thing I was running from, I was now identified as. I think there's some humor in that on God's part.
Successfully lied to my parents for about a year. When I was 17, I was in a parking lot down in Newport with a couple friends. We were standing around my car in a parking lot at like 11 o'clock at night. It was a Friday night. And we were smoking pot. That's a real smart place to do illicit things, right? Well, sure enough, a cop car rolls up. He busts us. I get arrested. I get a possession for marijuana. And, you know, my parents had no idea. I had to come and tell them point blank what I had been up to for the past year and a half or so now. It was tough.
So as a result, they put me on restriction. They took away my car, my friends, no surfing, no going outside, no skateboarding. You know, nothing. Just mom and dad time. But before I told them, I told my brother Christopher. I told him what had happened. He prayed for me. He encouraged me to seek accountability and to get new Christian friends. He told me of his own problems of drug use and lies. He said that it was a lifestyle of temporary fulfillment and it was empty.
So after a few months of being grounded, I started to get some privileges back. I earned some trust. And what did I do? I immediately went back to those old friends and I got back right where I left off. I was never really fully honest with anybody, but the one person that I did share with more than anyone was my brother Christopher.
One day we were driving in the car and he looked over at me and after sharing some stuff that had been going on in my life, he asked me, 'Jonathan, what's it going to take?' You see, we were talking about giving my life to Christ. He asked me what it was going to take and I don't remember what my response was. I probably blew it off to some degree. I probably said something along the lines of, you know, 'oh, I'm just having fun. I'm not hurting anybody. I've got all the time in the world.' So while I don't remember what my answer was that day, his question really stuck with me.
On a Thursday morning at my job, my boss came to me and he asked me how everything was going. The boss happened to be a friend of our family and he asked me how my day was going. I responded, it was pretty good. And then he showed back up again about an hour later with a police officer friend of ours also. They told me at that point that I should come with them. I need to go home.
When we got into my neighborhood, we rounded the corner. I looked in front of my house and I saw my father weeping. And I saw him collapse on the ground in front of our house. I didn't know what to make of it. As I got out of the car, a friend of ours got up and walked up to me, grabbed me by the shoulder, looked me in the eyes and told me, 'Jonathan Christopher died.'
There's a different sunrise. I felt vacant. I was vacant. I didn't know how to respond to it. My only brother was gone. The only person I was ever truly honest with. Now I wasn't on earth anymore.
After everybody had left our house, things began to settle and I really began to wonder what this meant. Instantly Christopher's words popped back into my head. 'What's it going to take? What's it going to take for you to give your life to Christ?' And I knew what I had to do.
I went into my room. I grabbed my drugs, my alcohol, pornography, cigarettes, whatever. You see, I still was hiding everything from my parents. So I had all kinds of hiding spots. I put it all on my bed in front of me. And I asked Christ to come into my heart. I prayed for him to forgive me. I prayed for him to not only take the addiction away from me, but the desire to do these things as well. And he's been faithful to do that.
So today I'm married to the girl I had a crush on in junior high in high school. My wife and I have two children together. We've got another one on the way. God's blessed me more than I ever could have imagined. If you had told me six years ago that I would be on video sharing my testimony, I would be married. I'd have two children and another one on the way. I probably would have laughed in your face. But that's what the Lord can do. He can change anybody if you just give them an open heart.
You see, I gave my life to Christ, not because people wanted me to or didn't want me to. I did it because I wanted the hope of heaven. I wanted the hope of seeing my brother again. I wanted the hope of being reunited with family and friends. I wanted to see Jesus face to face.
As Christians, we have the hope of heaven, not the hope of a life without sadness. See, God can use these things to bring us closer to Him.
So maybe you're the parent of a prodigal, a prodigal son or a prodigal daughter. And you would ask me, hey, what advice would you give to me being the parent of a prodigal? Well, look, I would say this. You need to be praying for your son or your daughter fervently. You know, I know that my parents were praying for me and the Lord answered their prayer.
I would say that you need to really be on your face asking for God to save your son or daughter. And He will do it. You need to have unconditional love. You need to love your child, your son or your daughter in their sin. That doesn't mean that you approve of what they're doing, but you need to let them know that no matter what, you love them and you will always love them.
I would say third and probably most important, then you need to live the example. You need to step it up. You need to show them that this is not a facade. This is not some act that you're putting on, but this is a true thing in your heart that you have convictions about. And they will recognize that and they will respect that.
And now for you prodigals out there that are listening right now, I've got this to say to you. It's a waste of time. It's empty and it leaves quick. That joy that you feel as high as you got, that's how low you're going to go the next day. You're not going to have that joy stay with you.
As a Christian now, I can honestly tell you, I am happier than I have ever been. I don't have regrets. I don't think about the next morning. Oh my gosh, should I really do that? I don't have to worry about that. I don't have to worry about getting busted by the police. I don't have to worry about friends dying because of drug abuse. It's like, God, take it away. Thank you, Jesus. I don't have to worry about these things anymore. That's a burden lifting off my shoulders.
I dare you to ask God in your heart to make himself real to you. Proverbs 8:17, it says, 'those who seek me will find me.' Hey, you remember the story of the prodigal son? The son was a long way off and the father ran and met him. That means God will meet you, where you are at. You don't have to clean up. You don't have to change first. He will help you do that. You need to just give your life to Christ, and he will do the work for you.
So all that being said, myself being a prodigal, my brother being a prodigal, maybe you being the parents of a prodigal, maybe you being a prodigal yourself. There's hope. We serve a God who does big things. He can change you, in your ways, right now. So God bless you and to God be the glory.
But growing up around my mom and dad, I can tell you one thing's for sure. I was never able to doubt the existence of God. I recognized that they had a true relationship with Jesus Christ. The faith that my dad showed in the pulpit was the same faith that he showed in the kitchen at home. In the intimate places of our house where we'd be spending time as a family, he was the same guy. Maybe less bald jokes, but he was still the same guy, and he had a great love for his family, and I always knew that.
As the age of innocence was lost, I began to resent this question. Little Jonathan, are you going to grow up to be bald like your dad? No, they wouldn't say that. They would ask me, obviously, are you going to grow up to be a preacher like your father? I wanted to be known as Jonathan Laurie, not as the son of Greg Laurie, not as the son of the famous pastor and evangelist. I wanted to be known as my own person. I wanted to prove to them and to myself that I could be my own person, that I didn't have to follow my father's footsteps.
So, when I was 16, a friend persuaded me to try smoking marijuana with him for the first time. I still remember quite vividly that first time. I remember we were at his house, it was in a backyard. I remember being scared. Let's fast forward six months now. I'm getting high three, five times a day. I'm now drinking alcohol as well, smoking cigarettes.
And actually, right here, this is kind of like my old stomping grounds where we're at right now in Laguna Beach. I spent a lot of time here. As I continued to live this lifestyle of smoking marijuana and living at home with my parents, I found myself living a double life. I was lying to everybody.
See, the very thing I was running from, my friends were identifying me that at parties I would go to. They like to introduce me as, 'hey, do you know who this guy's dad is? Have you heard of the Harvest Crusades? That's his dad. Have you heard of Greg Laurie? That's his dad, you know? Have you seen the picture of the guy off the 55 freeway? His head's about 13 feet tall. Yeah, that's his dad.' Right on. That's what I got to be known as. The very thing I was running from, I was now identified as. I think there's some humor in that on God's part.
Successfully lied to my parents for about a year. When I was 17, I was in a parking lot down in Newport with a couple friends. We were standing around my car in a parking lot at like 11 o'clock at night. It was a Friday night. And we were smoking pot. That's a real smart place to do illicit things, right? Well, sure enough, a cop car rolls up. He busts us. I get arrested. I get a possession for marijuana. And, you know, my parents had no idea. I had to come and tell them point blank what I had been up to for the past year and a half or so now. It was tough.
So as a result, they put me on restriction. They took away my car, my friends, no surfing, no going outside, no skateboarding. You know, nothing. Just mom and dad time. But before I told them, I told my brother Christopher. I told him what had happened. He prayed for me. He encouraged me to seek accountability and to get new Christian friends. He told me of his own problems of drug use and lies. He said that it was a lifestyle of temporary fulfillment and it was empty.
So after a few months of being grounded, I started to get some privileges back. I earned some trust. And what did I do? I immediately went back to those old friends and I got back right where I left off. I was never really fully honest with anybody, but the one person that I did share with more than anyone was my brother Christopher.
One day we were driving in the car and he looked over at me and after sharing some stuff that had been going on in my life, he asked me, 'Jonathan, what's it going to take?' You see, we were talking about giving my life to Christ. He asked me what it was going to take and I don't remember what my response was. I probably blew it off to some degree. I probably said something along the lines of, you know, 'oh, I'm just having fun. I'm not hurting anybody. I've got all the time in the world.' So while I don't remember what my answer was that day, his question really stuck with me.
On a Thursday morning at my job, my boss came to me and he asked me how everything was going. The boss happened to be a friend of our family and he asked me how my day was going. I responded, it was pretty good. And then he showed back up again about an hour later with a police officer friend of ours also. They told me at that point that I should come with them. I need to go home.
When we got into my neighborhood, we rounded the corner. I looked in front of my house and I saw my father weeping. And I saw him collapse on the ground in front of our house. I didn't know what to make of it. As I got out of the car, a friend of ours got up and walked up to me, grabbed me by the shoulder, looked me in the eyes and told me, 'Jonathan Christopher died.'
There's a different sunrise. I felt vacant. I was vacant. I didn't know how to respond to it. My only brother was gone. The only person I was ever truly honest with. Now I wasn't on earth anymore.
After everybody had left our house, things began to settle and I really began to wonder what this meant. Instantly Christopher's words popped back into my head. 'What's it going to take? What's it going to take for you to give your life to Christ?' And I knew what I had to do.
I went into my room. I grabbed my drugs, my alcohol, pornography, cigarettes, whatever. You see, I still was hiding everything from my parents. So I had all kinds of hiding spots. I put it all on my bed in front of me. And I asked Christ to come into my heart. I prayed for him to forgive me. I prayed for him to not only take the addiction away from me, but the desire to do these things as well. And he's been faithful to do that.
So today I'm married to the girl I had a crush on in junior high in high school. My wife and I have two children together. We've got another one on the way. God's blessed me more than I ever could have imagined. If you had told me six years ago that I would be on video sharing my testimony, I would be married. I'd have two children and another one on the way. I probably would have laughed in your face. But that's what the Lord can do. He can change anybody if you just give them an open heart.
You see, I gave my life to Christ, not because people wanted me to or didn't want me to. I did it because I wanted the hope of heaven. I wanted the hope of seeing my brother again. I wanted the hope of being reunited with family and friends. I wanted to see Jesus face to face.
As Christians, we have the hope of heaven, not the hope of a life without sadness. See, God can use these things to bring us closer to Him.
So maybe you're the parent of a prodigal, a prodigal son or a prodigal daughter. And you would ask me, hey, what advice would you give to me being the parent of a prodigal? Well, look, I would say this. You need to be praying for your son or your daughter fervently. You know, I know that my parents were praying for me and the Lord answered their prayer.
I would say that you need to really be on your face asking for God to save your son or daughter. And He will do it. You need to have unconditional love. You need to love your child, your son or your daughter in their sin. That doesn't mean that you approve of what they're doing, but you need to let them know that no matter what, you love them and you will always love them.
I would say third and probably most important, then you need to live the example. You need to step it up. You need to show them that this is not a facade. This is not some act that you're putting on, but this is a true thing in your heart that you have convictions about. And they will recognize that and they will respect that.
And now for you prodigals out there that are listening right now, I've got this to say to you. It's a waste of time. It's empty and it leaves quick. That joy that you feel as high as you got, that's how low you're going to go the next day. You're not going to have that joy stay with you.
As a Christian now, I can honestly tell you, I am happier than I have ever been. I don't have regrets. I don't think about the next morning. Oh my gosh, should I really do that? I don't have to worry about that. I don't have to worry about getting busted by the police. I don't have to worry about friends dying because of drug abuse. It's like, God, take it away. Thank you, Jesus. I don't have to worry about these things anymore. That's a burden lifting off my shoulders.
I dare you to ask God in your heart to make himself real to you. Proverbs 8:17, it says, 'those who seek me will find me.' Hey, you remember the story of the prodigal son? The son was a long way off and the father ran and met him. That means God will meet you, where you are at. You don't have to clean up. You don't have to change first. He will help you do that. You need to just give your life to Christ, and he will do the work for you.
So all that being said, myself being a prodigal, my brother being a prodigal, maybe you being the parents of a prodigal, maybe you being a prodigal yourself. There's hope. We serve a God who does big things. He can change you, in your ways, right now. So God bless you and to God be the glory.
Closing Invitation and Call to Return
It took a lot of courage to say that. It made me feel like, well, we were stupid parents, weren't we? You know, just oblivious. But God was at work.
So let me close now and kind of reaffirm what Jonathan said and ask you, are you a prodigal? Because if you are, you can come back to the Lord today. And I'd like to give you an opportunity to make a recommitment to Christ.
You know, maybe you were raised in the church. You know what is right. You know what is true. But you have rebelled against it. It is one thing to do it when you are in your 20s or even your 30s. But some of you are a bit older than that. You are still playing this prodigal game. Don't waste any more of your life.
If you need to make a commitment or a recommitment to Christ, let's do it now. Let's all bow our heads if you would. If you need to make a commitment or recommitment to Jesus today. Pray this prayer with me right now if you would.
"Lord Jesus, I want to come to you now. I have sinned against you. I have broken your laws. I have fallen short of your standards. But I pray that you will receive me now as I turn from that sin and commit my life to you at this very moment. Let me follow you and glorify you with the life you have given me. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for welcoming me home again. In Jesus name I pray. Amen."