Greg Laurie - Jesus Loves You! (12/07/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie passionately reminds us that Jesus truly loves us no matter our past sins or failures, sharing the stories of the prodigal son and the woman caught in adultery from John 8 to show God's forgiving heart. He stresses that we come to Christ just as we are, and He transforms us, offering complete forgiveness and a new life tonight if we turn to Him.
Jesus Loves You, No Matter What
]Jesus loves you. I know you've heard it before. I know for some it sounds like a cliché, but it isn't a cliché at all. It's absolutely true. You say, “Oh, wait, Greg, Jesus doesn't love me. Not after what I've done.” Oh, no. Au contraire. That's French for “on the contrary.” No, He does love you.
Jesus loves you even if you're a sinner. Jesus loves you even if you're an adulterer or a liar. Even if you're a murderer. Listen to this: Jesus loves you even if you're religious. He loves you no matter what you've done. Jesus loves you so much it hurts. And listen to this: He not only loves you, but He will forgive you of all of your sin.
Imagine that for a moment. You could walk out of Angel Stadium with all of your sin in your rearview mirror. You could walk out of here with that heavy weight that you have been carrying around for your whole life lifted off of you. God can do that for you tonight because Jesus loves you.
Overcoming Cynicism About God's Love
Now I know some of you are cynical about love, and I get that. I didn't grow up in an affectionate home. I've told you before, my mom was married and divorced seven times and had a bunch of boyfriends in between. And she never showed affection toward me. She never said, “I love you,” to me. So it was very hard for me to accept love, and it was certainly hard for me to give love.
I remember the first time I went to a church and some random person walked up to me and threw her arms around me and said, “I love you, brother.” And I'm thinking, “Get me out of this place.” I couldn't connect there. It was hard for me. And I think some of you feel that way right now. “I don't really want to feel that love or accept that love.” No, listen: God loves you. God loves you, and He can transform you tonight.
Now when I say God loves you, that doesn't mean that He doesn't want you to change. When I say God loves you just as you are, that doesn't mean that He wants to leave you that way.
The Prodigal Son: A Picture of the Father's Love
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is a story Jesus told to show us what God is like. And of course we all know the story. It's called the story of the prodigal son, where a father had a son that ran away. And he took his portion of the inheritance and he made a mess of his life and was involved with hookers and drinking and partying and lost all of his money.
And one day the boy came to his senses and said, “I'm going to go home.” Because you know what? That boy knew his father loved him. And the boy said, “And when I get home I'll just say, Dad, I'm not even worthy to be called your son anymore. Just give me a job as a hired hand, whatever. Anything's better than where I've been in this miserable state.”
But Jesus, who told this story to show us what God is like, says while the boy was still a great ways off, the father saw him and ran to him and kissed him. And by the way, in the original language it means he kissed him again and again and again. And said, “This my son who was dead is alive again. He who was lost is found.”
Notice that it doesn't say the father said, “Whoa, man, son, where you been? You stink. Take a shower, change your clothes, and then I'll accept you.” No, the father accepted him as he was. But then the father said, “Get him some clean clothes and boy, go get yourself cleaned up.” See, you don't clean your life up and come to Christ. You come to Christ and He'll clean your life up.
Come As You Are—Jesus Will Transform You
You come as you are with your problems and your sins. You come with your addictions. Whatever your problems are, you come to Him. Listen to this: Jesus loves immoral people. I want to read you a story from the Bible. John 8. It tells the story of a woman caught in the act of having sex with some guy.
And here's what it says: As Jesus was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. And they put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her, what do you say?” They were trying to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him.
But Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with His finger. They kept demanding an answer and said to Him, “Well, what are You going to do?” And Jesus turns and says, “All right, let the one among you who is without sin throw the first stone.” And then Jesus stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
Jesus' Compassion for the Guilty
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, starting with the oldest. And only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn't one of them condemn you?” She said, “No, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
Do you think you can hide anything from Jesus? God knows everything. The Bible says He knows the secrets of the heart. You say, “But Greg, that's on a private server. He'll never get to it.” No, He knows everything. And we're living in a day right now where everyone's getting hacked. They're getting hacked. All this information is released, you know.
And you hear about celebrities with pictures of them naked being released on the Internet because they were hacked. I have a suggestion: Don't take pictures of yourself naked. Okay, just a thought. Just a thought. And carry them around in your phone. I mean, that's the worst place, okay. But just don't even do it. But, hey, everything comes out. And Jesus knew all about these guys. So they leave.
The Difference Between Religion and Relationship
You see, these guys felt guilt, but it drove them away from Jesus. This is the problem with religion. You say, “Oh, I'm a religious person. I don't need Jesus. You know, I was baptized. Or I was confirmed. Or I gave my confession.” Or whatever it is you did. But listen, going to a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to an In-N-Out Burger makes you a double-double, okay?
Being religious doesn't get you closer to God. Sometimes religion can drive you away from God. Because you say, “Hey, I've done all this stuff. I'm good. I'm cool. I'm covered.” No, you aren't. You're a sinner, just like I am. And you need Jesus. Their religion drove them away.
Meanwhile, here's this girl. And the Bible says, Jesus looked at her. He looked at her like no man had ever looked at her before. You know, normally when guys looked at her, they probably looked at her with lust. I'm sure she was a very attractive girl. But Jesus didn't look at her that way. The phrase that's used for Jesus looking at her can be translated, Jesus looked right through her.
Jesus Sees Your Potential, Not Just Your Past
Have you ever had anyone look right through you? Let me restate the question: Do you have a mother? You know, maybe you're out a little too late, past your curfew. You came home and your mother says, “Where have you been?” “Nowhere, Mom.” “Look at me. Look at me.” Right? He looked right through her, not with a look of anger. Certainly not with a look of lust. He looked at her with love.
And then He says this. I love it. He says, “Woman, where are your accusers?” See, we can miss that. He called her “woman.” The phrase that Jesus used in calling her “woman” could be translated, “a lady.” It was the same term He used when He addressed His own mother.
Now I'm sure this girl had been called a lot of things. She'd probably been called a whore. She'd probably been called a hooker. And far worse. And He calls her a woman. It's almost like He said, “Lady” or “Ma'am.” “Where are your accusers?”
From Condemnation to New Life in Christ
You say, “But Greg, this woman's caught in the act of sexual sin. He calls her a lady. That wasn't very ladylike.” Hold on. God doesn't just see you for what you are. He sees you for what you can become. He sees you for what He can make you into. He saw the potential. No, she wasn't living like a lady at this point. But she would in time. Because she would change.
You know, maybe you look at your own life. You say, “Man, all I see is failure.” But God sees potential. You see the past. He sees the future. You see a mess. He sees a message. So I don't know what state your life is in. But I'm telling you this on the authority of the Bible: God can change your life tonight. He can change your history. And He can certainly change your future. If you will come to Jesus.
Because the Bible says, “If any man is in Christ, they are an altogether different kind of person. The old things have passed away. Behold, everything becomes fresh and new.” He did that for this lady. He can do it for you.
How Quickly Can Salvation Happen?
You say, “Man, when did she believe?” “Where are your accusers?” “I have none, Lord.” He says, “Neither do I accuse you.” I'll tell you when she believed: when He drove her accusers away. She looked at Him and said, “I believe.”
You know how long it takes to become a Christian? Sometimes you'll meet people and they'll say, “You know, I'm in the process of converting.” Really? Newsflash, you're either converted or you're not converted. And listen to this: Conversion does not take years. It does not take months. It does not take weeks. It doesn't take days. It doesn't take hours. You can be changed and forgiven of your sin in a second, in a flash, in a moment. It can happen for you. Just like it happened for this woman.
A Personal Invitation from Jesus
Listen, Jesus loves immoral people. Welcome back. Here again is Greg Laurie. You know, I talked about that woman caught in the act of adultery. The Bible says she was all alone with Jesus. Oh, there were other people around. But in another sense, she was all alone with Him. And even though we're in a big crowd tonight, you're all alone with Jesus. This is between you and Him. As I said, it's personal.
And Jesus says, “I stand at the door of your life and I knock. And if you will hear My voice and open the door, I will come in.” Only you can open that door. I can't open it for you. The person who brought you here tonight can't open it for you. Your parents can't do it. Your husband or wife can't do it. Your boyfriend or girlfriend can't do it. Only you can say, “Lord, come into my life and forgive me of my sin.”
Steps to Receiving Christ Tonight
You must receive Christ into your life. The Bible says, “For as many as received Him, He gave them the power to become children of God.” Then you must repent of your sin. The Bible says God has commanded people everywhere to repent. What does repent mean? It means to change your direction. So you're going one way, now you're going the other way. You've been going north, now go south. You've been going east, now you go west. You've been going backwards, now you go forward. You've been running away from God, now you run to God. Just like that prodigal son who went to his father and was forgiven.
God will forgive you, but you must turn from your sin. Jesus said to that woman caught in the act of sexual sin, “Go and sin no more.” Didn't say go be perfect. None of us can do that. But don't go live in this lifestyle anymore. You've got to let it go. You've got to put it behind you. Come and follow Me.
Make It Public—Make It Now
Then you must do it publicly. And in a moment I'm going to ask you to do what, well, almost 500,000 people have done over the years here. I'm going to ask you to make a public stand to follow Jesus Christ. I'm going to ask you to get up out of your seat in a few moments and make your way down to the field behind this stage. And when you all get here, I'm going to lead you in a prayer. A prayer where you will ask Christ to come into your life to forgive you of your sin.
You see, “But I don't want to walk down there. That's a long ways, man.” I know. And that's a line. “I don't want to get in a line.” Listen, this is one line worth getting into, okay? This is worth your inconvenience. Because if you choose to commit your life to Jesus tonight, you'll mark this as the greatest night of your life. I guarantee that.
And Jesus said, “If you will acknowledge Me before people, I will acknowledge you before My Father and the angels in heaven.” But then He added, “If you deny Me before people, I'll deny you before My Father and the angels.” So, by coming forward, you're acknowledging Him openly and publicly. And you're saying, “I mean this. I want to do it now.” You need to do it publicly.
Your Decision—Tonight Is the Night
And then lastly, you need to do it now. Tonight's your night. I think God's speaking to some of your hearts. You're saying, “This is it. This is what I've been looking for. This is what I want. I'm not going to let other people do my thinking for me anymore. I want Jesus.” And you can come to Him wherever you are. Whatever you've done.
The Bible says, “Today is a day of salvation.” Listen, tonight is your night. So don't put it off. Don't say, “I'll come tomorrow night and do it. I'll come Sunday night.” Yeah, hey, come out Saturday and Sunday. We'd love to have you here. But don't wait until then to commit your life to Christ. Because, listen, you don't know when life will end. You don't know whose name is going to end up in the obituary column tomorrow. It could be yours. It could be mine.
But if you know Christ, you don't have to be afraid of it anymore. You don't have to fear death anymore because you know your life is right with God. So do it tonight. Don't put this off. We're going to pray in a moment. And we're going to pray and I'm going to ask you to make a decision.
Because right now, the ball's in your court. We've talked about the love of God. We've talked about what God offers you. The forgiveness of your sin and the hope of heaven. Now it's up to you to respond. Jesus said, “You're either for Me or you're against Me. You're with Me or you're opposed to Me.” This is a yes or no proposition. You can't be neutral about Jesus. You either say yes to Him or you, in effect, say no to Him.
Is that what you want to do? Because if you say no to Him now, He'll say no to you then. If you say, “I don't have time for you now,” He'll say to you that final day, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” You don't want that to happen. You can believe. You can be forgiven. You can know God's love. And experience a love like you've never known in your life before by saying yes to Jesus Christ. We're going to pray. And then I'm going to invite you to respond and say yes to Him.