Greg Laurie - Hopeful or Hopeless (12/25/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares from John 20 how Mary Magdalene went to Jesus' tomb grieving, only to find it empty. She mistook the risen Christ for the gardener until He spoke her name, turning her tears to joy. The resurrection brings personal hope, defeats death, and invites everyone to respond to Jesus' call today.
The True Meaning of Easter Often Missed
John chapter 20. You know it's amazing to me that a lot of people don't even know what Easter is all about. Or if they do, they just don't want to talk about it. Years ago when I was a little boy, I asked my mom, "What is the meaning of Easter?" I honestly didn't know. And I remember her response to this day. She said, "I don't know." She did know. Because my mom was raised in the church. She just didn't want me to hear about that. She didn't want me to be in the church. She didn't want me to know about Jesus Christ, I guess. That didn't work out so well for her, did it? Not only did I believe in Jesus, but I became a preacher. And thankfully she came back to the Lord before she went to heaven. But a lot of people don't know what Easter is all about.
I read a stat that said 60 percent of Americans that attended church last Easter—of that 60 percent—one-fourth didn't know what the occasion signifies. I'm thinking, what kind of churches are these people going to? Or are they even paying attention? I think people just missed the whole point. We went to a bakery the other day. We were getting a little cake and we wanted to give it to our grandkids for Easter. And a lot of them already had designs on them—Easter bunnies and eggs and such. And we asked, "Could you inscribe a cake for us and just put the words, 'He is risen,' on the cake?" The girl said, "Sure." And this is what they gave us. This is actually our cake. A giant Easter bunny. "He is risen." It looks like the rabbit is risen. I thought she kind of missed the point. My wife said, "I want to give it back. I don't want this cake." I said, "No, let's keep it. It's funny." Because it's just... talk about missing the point. And that is true of so many at this particular time of the year.
Funny Stories Highlighting Misunderstandings
I heard a story about a Sunday school teacher who asked her class to write in one sentence what Easter meant to them. "What Easter means to me." One little boy wrote, "Egg salad sandwiches for the next two weeks." So what does Easter mean to you? Well in case you don't know, let's just get this out for all of us to understand. Easter is the day when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's why we are here. That's the focus. Let's not miss that. It's an event that changed human history and an event that still changes lives today. It's a very important day for us as believers.
I know sometimes non-believers, especially atheists, are upset that Christians have these holidays. We have Easter. We have Christmas. The Jewish people have Passover. But the poor atheists, they don't have a holiday. They don't have a day when they can acknowledge their unbelief. But in fact they actually do. April 1st. They really just need to embrace that. April Fool's Day. The Bible says, "Only the fool has said in his heart, There is no God."
The Disciples' Despair Before the Resurrection
Now this is generally a happy day for us. But it was not a happy day for them. Them meaning the disciples present at the first Easter. That was not a day of faith and joy. That was a day of doom and gloom. In fact you could say it was the worst day of their entire lives. Why? Because Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had never read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. See they were living it in real time. They didn't know how the story ended. All they knew was their Lord, their Savior, their hero, their friend, Jesus, who they thought was going to come and establish His kingdom on the earth, was scourged. And then He was sent to a cross and crucified. And they never thought they would see that man again. They thought there is no way that man could ever survive such a thing. And they had given up everything to follow Him. But in their minds, Jesus had failed them. Jesus had let them down. In their minds, Jesus had not kept His promises.
And two disciples, after His death, before His resurrection, summed it up best when they said, "We were hoping He would have been the one to deliver Israel." Hoping. In other words, it was past tense. They had given up hope. Maybe you have come here today to church in a similar state. You too feel as though God has let you down. He has allowed tragedy into your life. And you blame Him for that. But know this. Disappointment is His appointment.
Mary Magdalene's Devotion at the Tomb
Now we saw in that Roland video how Mary came to the tomb early in the morning. And understand, Mary was not looking for a risen Savior. She was looking for a dead body. A body to anoint. Mary was coming to pay her respects. And in this time, of course, they didn't have the formaldehyde and elements that we use in embalming today. So they would wrap the various spices in the bandages around the deceased person. She was coming to bring more spices to wrap around the body of Jesus. Of course, she finds this empty tomb. She doesn't know what to make of it. She is alarmed by it. She gets the word over to Peter and John who come to this tomb. One looks in and believes. That is John. The other looks in and walks away with skepticism. That is Peter. And they leave. And Mary is there all alone. It was not very gentlemanly of them, was it? But she didn't care. She just wanted to be near Jesus.
Who exactly was Mary Magdalene? Well, prior to being forgiven by Christ, we know she was a very sinful woman. The Bible specifically tells us she was possessed by demons. Thus she would have been an evil and very tormented person. Listen, in the Bible, when we read about people who were under the control of demons, we know that sometimes they would cut themselves. We have an occasion where someone threw themselves into the fire that was demon-possessed. Another occasion of someone attacking others who was possessed by demons. And it is worth noting that it doesn't say she just was possessed by demons, but it says she was possessed by seven demons. I mean, this girl was in bad shape.
The Reality of Demons and Christ's Power
And by the way, the devil is real, and demon-possession is still real. And there is nothing a non-believer can do to keep the devil away. You know, you may say, "Well, I have a crucifix." You think Satan is afraid of a crucifix? Well, if that doesn't work, I will pull out the holy water. Yeah, he doesn't care about that either. Well, I do have a silver bullet. Well, that might work on a werewolf, but not on the devil. Well, I will just wear garlic around my neck. That will keep your friends away, but it won't keep the devil away. The only power that the devil respects is the power of Jesus Christ. Only Christ can secure your life and keep you free from the possession of demons.
And Mary had been delivered by Jesus. And so there was a great gratitude on her part. And as Jesus said, "To whom much is forgiven, that one loves more." And from that point on, whenever you read a list of the female followers of Christ, Mary is always number one. That's because Jesus had no more faithful follower among these women than Mary. No one loved Him more deeply. No one watched Him more closely. No one gave to Him more freely. As it turns out, these women would financially support Christ, sort of underwriting His ministry, so to speak.
So imagine her personal pain and anguish as she saw Jesus, who had delivered her, being scourged, and then taken to a cross and crucified, and dying before her very eyes. Listen, while the men, the disciples, were in hiding, with the exception of John, women were there at the cross. Matthew's gospel tells us a number of women were present, but watching from a distance. But then another gospel tells us that Mary stood by the cross. While others were at a distance, Mary was up close and personal. She could see Jesus. Jesus could see her. She stood right there. She didn't care about what could happen to her. She didn't care about what others thought of her. All she cared about was being close to Jesus.
Mary's Deep Love for Jesus
And now He was gone. But why did she want to be close to Jesus? Because Mary had discovered that nothing mattered in life but Him. She had had the money. She had had the pleasures of this world. And she had the demons that went with it. Or should I say the demons had her. And she didn't want to go back to those things yet. And let me ask you, have you gone to that point in your life yet, where you've tried all that this world says you should have to make you happy, and yet you find yourself unfulfilled and empty, and your life seems pointless? Have you figured it out yet, that this world has nothing to offer you? Have you figured out yet that Jesus Christ has everything you need in life? Well, Mary did.
Now this song wasn't written back then, but if it had, it could have been Mary's song. "I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather be His than have riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus in houses or land. I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand than to be the king of a vast domain, or to be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today." That's how Mary saw things. She just wanted to be near Jesus.
The Moment Jesus Calls Her Name
But yet she doesn't realize He's risen again. But her faithfulness is going to be rewarded. Let's read now John 20:11. Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid Him."
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned to Him and said, "Rabboni." Jesus said, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'"
Let's pause for a moment and we will pray. Now Lord, as we revisit this beautiful story, really the greatest story ever told, help us to see not only how it affected these first century disciples, but help us to see how it can impact our lives today. Speak to us from Your word we would pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.
So here is Mary weeping, while the one she was seeking was standing right next to her. And isn't that true of all of us? We feel as though we are all alone in life. We are alone in our pain and suffering. Yet Jesus is there.
Jesus Understands Our Suffering
Listen, we serve a God who has suffered. You say, "What do you mean a God who has suffered?" God is up in heaven. He is suffering up there. Listen, God came to earth as a man. You say, "Well God doesn't know what I am going through." Doesn't He? Well God doesn't know what it is like to lose a child. Is that so? God the Father watched His own Son die on a cross. Well God doesn't know what it is like to be abandoned by friends. Jesus was abandoned by all of His disciples. Well God doesn't know what it is like to have to face the temptation I have to deal with every day. Really? Jesus was tempted by the devil Himself for forty days and forty nights. Listen, He has suffered. Therefore He is able to bring comfort to those who are suffering. He was right there next to Mary.
Why was she weeping? Listen, because she was focused on the wrong thing. She was focused on the wrong thing. You see, Mary was looking at the grave. Verse 11 says, Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping and she wept and stooped down and looked into the tomb. Mary's problem is she was looking down when she should have been looking up. Let me repeat that. Mary's problem was she was looking down when she should have been looking up. And that is really our problem in life. When we are discouraged. When we are devastated. Where are you looking? Are you looking down?
Hope in Difficult Times
Now look, if you have lost a loved one, that is hard. And I am not saying we should be in denial about this. When someone dies that is close to us, we as Christians have sorrow. Maybe we have more sorrow even than a non-believer. Because the depth of our sorrow is an indication of the depth of our love. The Bible says as Christians we do not have to be full of sorrow like people who are hopeless. We are hopeful, not hopeless. And what is hope? Here is an acronym to help you remember. Hope. H-O-P-E. Aren't you impressed I can spell hope? That stands for holding on with patient expectation. Hope. Do you have this today? Maybe some of you are just holding on. But you need to hold on with patient expectation. Put your hope in God.
And look at our world right now. There are so many things that could discourage us. We have our economic problems. We have random shootings on campuses. We have rogue nations developing nuclear weapons and threatening to use them on the United States. It can cause you to be helpless and hopeless. Jesus even said in Luke 21:25, "In the last days the courage of many will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth." So as you look at these things happening around us what should you do? Jesus said when you see these things beginning to happen do what? Look up. For your redemption is drawing near. Don't just look at the problems in our world. Look up. Because these things mean that Christ is coming back again.
That was Mary's problem. She was looking down. I mean she should have been looking up. In the tomb there were two angels, our story tells us. Now we don't know who the angels were. They may have been Michael and Gabriel. There are only three angels in Scripture that we know the name of. There is Michael. There is Gabriel who I mentioned. There is Lucifer who is now a fallen angel. We assume Michael is the top dog in the angelic ranks. He is Michael the archangel. He is very significant in Scripture. But then there is Gabriel who is very important as well. Maybe it was Michael and Gabriel in the empty tomb. I think it could have been because of the significance of this particular event.
Mary's Personal Encounter with Jesus
I mean if I was an angel I would have wanted this assignment. Wouldn't you? But she didn't seem to be all that impressed by angels. I find that fascinating because in the book of Revelation, which we are studying on Sunday mornings right now, when John saw an angel he was so awestruck he started to worship. And then the angel had to stop him saying, "Don't worship me. Only worship God." Well Mary is not only not awestruck. She doesn't want to worship them. It doesn't even appear that she wants to talk to them. They say, "What are you thinking? Where is Jesus? Tell me where he is." I am looking for him.
I love her response. "They have taken away my Lord. And I don't know where he is." See this is personal. Jesus is her Lord. You know sometimes people will refer to the Lord. The Lord. Or even the good Lord. That is my favorite. The good Lord. The good Lord. The man upstairs. One day he needs to go from being the man upstairs, the good Lord, or even the Lord, and become your Lord. And then when he becomes your Lord, everything changes. Mary says, "They have taken away my Lord. And I don't know where they have laid him." It is like David said in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want." Paul speaking of the death of Jesus said, "He loved me and gave himself for me." Sure it is true that Christ died for the sins of the world. But have you realized yet? He died for your sins. Yes he is the Lord. But is he your Lord yet? That is what this was all about.
Now Jesus himself steps close. And she doesn't know who it is. It is still dark. It is hard to see through eyes that are blinded with tears. And he is the last person she expects to see. And Jesus says to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" See he is thinking he is the gardener. He says, "If you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." I love that.
The Power of One Word From Jesus
Now I don't know how big Mary was. I don't know if she was a female bodybuilder. But I kind of doubt it. And I know Jesus was a strapping young man. I mean even after he was scourged, Pilate said, "Behold the man." So Jesus was a large, strong man. And Mary presumably was a smaller woman. Yet she says, "I will take his body. Just tell me where they put the body. I will carry him away." The power of love. She never thought she would see the living Jesus again.
And then the gardener, who actually was the Lord, softly and tenderly says her name. "Mary." "Mary." And suddenly she recognizes the inflection of that voice. Like a bolt of lightning, it hits her. It is Jesus. Remember Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." And she did. Jesus also says, "I call my own sheep by name." And He did. He says, "Mary." Her response is, "Rabboni." Which means teacher or master. And she worships Him.
Listen. One word turned Mary from a weeper into a worshiper. And she clung to Jesus. She wrapped her arms around Him. Probably like a drowning person clutching her rescuer. Christ says in response, verse 17, "Do not cling to Me." By the way, this word cling is from the Greek word, oucho, where we get our English word, ouch, from. I made that up. Listen. I know it is early. I want to see if you are paying attention. She grabbed Him tight. He might have said, "Ouch!" You say, "What are you talking about?" Well, it is not that the resurrection body of Jesus was some fragile thing. It is not like He was a phantom where you would grab it and go right through and there was nothing there. No, this was a real body He was in. Remember, He ate food and He still bore in His body the marks of the crucifixion and so forth.
So why did He say, "Don't cling to Me"? Later on, we read of how the disciples grabbed hold of Him and worshipped Him. Also, He told Thomas to touch Him. Yet to Mary, He says, "Don't cling to Me." I think there is a deeper meaning here. Jesus is saying, "Mary, things are different now. This sobbing, this wanting to hold on to the physical must change. In the past, I have been there for you to reach out and touch. But things are different now. But Mary, they are going to even be better. Up to this point, I was there for you physically. But I am no longer going to stay on this earth physically. But I am going to take residence in your heart, Mary. And I am going to take residence in the hearts of the others. And all who believe in Me from this day forward."
For He goes on to say, "I am going to go to My Father and your Father. To My God and your God." Now that is a revolutionary thought for a Jew in the first century. A good Jew would never call God Father. That is a New Testament concept. That is a new covenant idea. Jesus says, it is a new covenant. He is not just my Father. Now He is your Father. He is not just my God. He is your God. You can know Him too. And I will live inside of you. A whole new thing was happening. No longer would mankind have to go to the high priest once a year in the Day of Atonement. Now they can approach Jesus whenever they want.
Mary Becomes the First Messenger
And Mary is so excited she can't wait to tell the others. Verse 18. She went and told the disciples she had seen the Lord and that He had spoken these things to her. Now listen. Here is one of the reasons I know that the biblical story is true. Of this wonderful event. He chose a woman to do it. Now don't think I am some crazy chauvinist up here for saying that. Understand. In the first century women were not respected as they should be. In fact in the first century rabbis thought it is better that the words of the law be burned than to be delivered to a woman. If this was a carefully crafted story that was not true. If this was a fabrication certainly Jesus would give the message first to a man of significance. An influential man. I mean Jesus could have appeared to Caesar. He could have appeared to Pilate. Oh if I were Jesus I would have totally appeared to Pilate. "Hey Pilate how is it going? Remember me? You can't keep a good man down. And you can't keep the God man down." No he didn't do that.
He says let's see who shall I appoint as the first messenger? I know. Mary Magdalene. A woman that was known for being evil. Who was transformed. And she went and told the others. And while all those great men of faith so called were not believing she was believing.
What Easter Means for Us Today
So what does this all mean to me today? Well it actually means a lot. Number one Easter reminds me that God loves ordinary and especially flawed people. Easter reminds me that God loves ordinary and especially flawed people. They didn't come any more ordinary or flawed than Peter, John, and Mary. Again Mary once a wicked woman. Now transformed. She was forgiven along with the others. And now they are appointed to be his messengers and representatives. This gives hope to all of us who are the last ones picked for the team. Who are the ones who did not achieve. You did not stand out from the crowd. God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people.
Number two Easter shows us that God blesses those who seek him with all of their heart. Again Easter shows that God blesses those that seek him with all of their heart. There is no question that Mary's persistent faith and love was richly rewarded. Mary was the last at the cross and she was the first at the tomb. Oh sure Peter and John were there but they see the tomb is empty. One believes the other is not sure and they leave wondering. Mary stayed. Worshiping and who does she encounter? It starts with angels and it culminates with the Lord himself. She made time early in the morning and found the risen Lord.
Let me ask you a question. Do you make time for God in your schedule? You know we are all so busy. We all have so much going on. But if you will make time for God you will be glad that you did. Jesus said those that seek me will find me.
God Meets Us More Than Halfway
Number three. Easter helps us to know that God will more than meet us halfway. Easter helps us to know God will more than meet us halfway. You see Mary was weak in her faith but she was strong in her love for Jesus. She came with what she had and he more than met her halfway. And maybe you have come here today with a weakened faith. Tragedy has befallen you. Life has not gone as you hoped it would. Your marriage has collapsed. Your faith and your hope have suffered. You feel as though God has let you down. But you need to know that Jesus is here today calling your name just as he called Mary.
Number four. Easter gives us hope for now and eternity. He gives us hope for now and eternity. Today many of us are dressed up in our Sunday best. Not you so much but. I am kidding. You just are in the wrong place. That is all. Whoever was sitting there I would have said that. Don't take it personally. You could have wore at least a sport coat. No I am kidding. You know we are dressed up on our Sunday best and we are thinking of what we are going to do later on today. Maybe you are going to a breakfast or you are going to get together with your family and take some photographs and maybe you will have an Easter egg hunt or something like that. You are not thinking about death. You do not get up on Easter and say I am going to think about death today.
But listen to this. Easter has everything to do with death. Here is why. Here is why. I just moved my entire pulpit. Here we go. Whoa. Okay. I forgot. I had a big point and I wrecked it by doing that. Oh I got to hear this. Death died when Christ rose. Death died when Christ rose. And this is the day when death was defeated because Jesus died on the cross. 1 Corinthians 15 says when our perishable bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die then the scripture will be fulfilled. "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your victory? O death where is your sting?"
I told you the story before of a father and son that were driving in their car and a bee got in. Now this is a problem for anybody but especially for this little boy in particular because he was severely allergic to bee stings. And if he were stung it could in fact be fatal. So the little boy is frantically jumping around trying to get away from this agitated bee. The father calmly reached out and grabbed the bee and then he opened his hand up and the bee flew out again and the boy began to panic and the father said "son don't worry the stinger is gone. He can't hurt you any longer." See the father took the sting for the boy. And that is what Jesus did at the cross. He took the sting of death. Oh sure Christians die still but it is now only a transition. The moment we take our last breath on earth we take our first breath in heaven. That is because of the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:20 says the fact is Christ has been raised from the dead and he has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.
God's Promise of Restoration
Number five and lastly Easter reminds me that God will one day restore all things. God will one day restore all things. Did you know God is into restoration? He loves to restore broken lives broken marriages. Even the earth will one day be restored. That is what we are studying by the way on Sundays in Revelation here at Harvest and we are at Revelation 21 and 22 the final two chapters of this great book. We have seen all the events that are coming upon the earth starting with the return of Christ for His church the emergence of the Antichrist the tribulation period the battle of Armageddon and now we are looking at that time when heaven and earth become one. When heaven comes down to earth in fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus when He told us to pray "Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Ephesians 1:10 says it is God's perfect plan to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head even Christ and then Peter preached in Acts 3:21 that Christ must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything as He promised long ago to the holy prophets. One day heaven will come to earth earth will be a part of heaven and it will all be one place where Christ will rule and reign. This day is coming in our future because God is into restoration.
And you know what else? God will restore these bodies of ours. One day we will have perfect bodies that do not age or wear out. Our resurrected body will be like His resurrection body. The Bible says when Christ who is our life shall appear we shall be like Him. In the resurrected body of our Lord it was still physical. They recognized Him. He bore the marks of the crucifixion. We also know He could eat food because He asked for a piece of fish to eat. We also know He could appear in a room without using the door. And we also know He could effectively fly. I mean really what is the ascension? It is Jesus flying. Right? In fact the word that is used here to describe Him going up to heaven is the same word that is used for the rapture term. So the idea is He went off to heaven.
And so I don't know if we can do those things in our new body or not but I know it is going to be a whole lot better than this one. You know sometimes you look at old photographs of yourself and you say oh my. I wish I was that young again. See when you are young you don't appreciate it. And when you are young you always want to be older. Especially if you are very young. You ask a child their age told you I am five years and six months. You know they always put the months in. Well I don't know when that stops exactly but we stop putting the months in we don't even want to acknowledge our birthdays anymore. I just want it to go away.
Well you are going to get not only a body that is like it was it is going to be better it is going to be the radically upgraded version of you. The way you were meant to be. Why? Because God is into resurrection. He is into restoring that which was lost.
A Story of Joyful Restoration
I read the true story of a woman named Ruth Dillow who is at home in Kansas. Her phone rang with the worst news imaginable. Her son private first class Clayton Carpenter had stepped on a landmine in the Persian Gulf War and was dead. There is no more dreadful news that a parent could hear than that. This awful sickening reality that she would never see her son again. And then something unexpected happened. Three days later the phone rang. She answered and it was her son and he said "Mom I am alive." As it turned out there had been an error there and her son actually had not stepped on a landmine. Ruth says at that moment I jumped up and down I was overjoyed you just don't know how much. I find it interesting it happened three days later. Reminds me of a story I have heard somewhere. Imagine the joy to think your child was gone and then to have them alive again. But one day we will jump up and down with joy when God restores all things.
And I ask you in closing do you have this hope? Listen only the Christian and by that I mean only the person who has put their faith in Jesus Christ has the hope of the things I have talked about today. The non-Christian should fear death because death will mean judgment for them. The non-Christian does not have the hope of restoration. The non-Christian has none of these promises for them. This is only for the believer.
And I ask you today have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? You say well I have always believed in the good Lord. Yeah. Okay. But is He your Lord? Have you made Him your Lord and your God yet? You see Jesus called Mary's name and she heard and she answered. And I suspect that Jesus is calling some names today.
Jesus Is Calling Your Name Today
How many of you have cell phones with you today? You have one? I have mine right here. Now. when I get a call on this phone a name appears on the screen. Does your phone do that? So if I get a call from my wife it rings and it says Kathy Laurie. I always take that call. I can't say the same for her. I call her no answer. And I'll say why didn't you answer your phone? Well I didn't hear it. I'll get the phone out of her purse. It's on mute. It's always on mute. Or maybe she just sees Greg Laurie. Nah I don't want to talk.
But then there are times people will call me and their name will appear on my screen and I'll look at it and I'll say I don't want to I can't talk to them right now. And let me explain why because. it's actually you again. No. Here's why. Here's why. I think I use that expression more than Bob Coy does and yet I mock him for it. But there are some people that talk too long. Are you one of those people? Stop it. I mean I see their name on my screen and I think one hour. If I answer this phone one hour. It takes them twenty minutes to even get to the topic. So I mean I like these people but I don't have an hour right now. Now maybe I'll do it at another time when I have an hour. But I don't right now so maybe I won't take their call.
But then there's someone I'm looking forward to their call because I called them and the moment I see the name on the screen I answer. Okay. Think about this for a moment. Let's just say you looked at your phone. It rings Jesus Christ. What are you going to do? Are you going to answer? Or are you going to say well I don't have an hour. I don't want to give my entire life over to Him. I have other things to do. I'm busy. That's your choice. But you're either going to answer that call or you're not going to answer that call. He's calling your name right now. Just as if it was appearing on your cell phone screen. Jesus Christ is calling. Are you going to take that call? Or are you going to say no not now. Maybe later. He'll call back. Will he? Will he? Well yes I believe he will. Yeah.
What if you don't hear the call? What if your phone is on mute? Like my wife all the time. See here's the problem. Every time God speaks to your heart and you don't respond your heart gets a little harder. That's why the Bible says harden not your heart if you can hear his voice. So it's not as though Jesus won't call back but there could come a point where you just won't hear when he's calling. Because your life is on mute. Because you've tuned God out.
And let me tell you something else that might surprise you. There will come a point where he'll stop calling. Because he won't continue to pester you. He won't continue to bother you. He will see you've made your decision. And yes folks there is a point of no return. I don't know when that is in an individual life. But I know you can go too far. The Bible talks about the unforgivable sin. Do you know what that is? It's the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What's that? That means you've hardened your heart to the work of the Spirit which is to bring us to Christ. And once you've committed that sin there is no turning back.
And I kind of shudder to think that there could be someone in this service today or watching this service who. and you're glad it's almost over with. And you're saying man okay okay I went to church with them now don't bother me. Wait a second. Are you going to get an irreparably hardened heart? Are you going to find your life is on permanent mute? And what is Jesus doing? He's calling because he loves you.
An Invitation to Respond to Jesus
What does he want to do for you? Well he wants to forgive you of your sin and he wants to fill the void in your life and he wants to take your guilt away and he wants to give you the assurance that you'll go to heaven when you die what you don't want that? What is it you want instead? An ever present guilt? The fear of having to face a certain judgment? Living your life without this purpose and meaning? That's crazy. He's calling but you have to answer his call.
Jesus said "Mary." Mary said "Rabboni" which means teacher. Jesus is saying your name right now will you take his call? You say well okay Greg I don't understand what he mean will I take his call? Okay here let me break it down for you. Right now you can pray and ask Christ to forgive you of all of your sins and thus have the assurance that you will go to heaven when you die.
You see the problem with these first century disciples and I don't see this critically because if I was one of them I would have done the same thing they just didn't know the whole story yet but we do now but the problem was they thought Jesus was coming to establish an earthly kingdom and overthrow the power of Rome but in reality Christ was coming to go to a cross and die for their sins and our sins and then to rise again from the dead three days later everything went according to plan for us so we could be forgiven of our sin.
And now He stands at the door of our life and He knocks and He says if we will hear His voice and open the door He will come in. Have you opened the door of your life and asked Christ in yet? If not would you like to today? If so I would like to give you an opportunity to pray. And take the Lord's call so to speak. And ask Jesus into your heart and life. And this will be the day that forever changes your life.
I had a guy come up to me out there in the patio after the last service and said it was 30 years ago today that I gave my life to Jesus on an Easter Sunday. Thank you for preaching the gospel. You know this could be that day for you. That you look back and say this is the day I made the commitment. If you haven't made it yet make it now.
Let's all bow our heads. Father thank you for your word to us. Thank you for your promise to us. And we pray for all that are here. All that are watching and listening who do not yet know you Lord. Help them to see their need for Jesus. Help them to believe and be forgiven.
When our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying together. How many of you would say today Greg I am ready to say yes to Jesus. I want him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die I will go to heaven. I want my guilt taken away. Pray for me. I need God's restoration. I need God's help. I am ready to take His call. I am ready to follow Him. If that is you. If you want Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sin. If you want to go to heaven when you die. Wherever you are. Would you just stand to your feet right now. And I am going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand up wherever you are. Stand up right there at your seat. And I am going to lead you in a simple prayer.
God bless you. God bless you. You others are standing right now, by the way. You won't be the only one. You outside in the amphitheater, just stand to your feet. You up in the court building, stand to your feet. You want Christ to come into your life today. There at Harvest Orange Crest, Harvest Orange County, stand to your feet right now. I'm going to lead you in a simple prayer of commitment to Jesus. God bless you. Stand up. I think there are more of you that want to do this. Stand now. Anybody else? Stand now. Maybe you are a prodigal son or daughter. You walked with the Lord at one time, but you have fallen away. You want to come back to Him. You want to recommit yourself to Him. You stand up as well. I'll lead you in this prayer. Stand up.
We are going to pray together. God bless you up there in the balcony. Out there in the amphitheater. Stand. Wherever you see or hear me, stand in this final moment as we prepare to pray. One final moment. If you are going to stand, stand now. God bless you. God bless both of you. Anybody else? Stand. God bless you. God bless you too. Amen. Stand now. God bless you. God bless all of you standing.
Now I'm going to lead you in a prayer. And I'm going to ask that you would pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where you are asking Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord. Again as I pray, pray this out loud after me right where you stand. Pray this out loud if you would.
Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. But you died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Now come into my life and be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. Be my friend. I turn from my sin now. And I choose to follow Jesus from this moment forward. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.