Greg Laurie - The Good the Bad and the Ugly (12/07/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie contrasts the emptiness of fame, success, and sin with the true fulfillment found only in Jesus, using examples like reality TV suicides, celebrities' regrets, and the woman at the well to show how worldly pursuits leave people alone and thirsty. He then turns to Nicodemus in John 3, emphasizing that everyone—rich or poor, young or old—needs to be born again through faith in Christ for forgiveness and eternal life, urging an immediate public response to receive Jesus tonight.
The Emptiness of Fame and Worldly Pursuits
I just read an article the other day about a character on one of these reality shows. The show is called The Bachelor. She killed herself. And this article went on to point out there's been 21 suicides in the last decade from people who have been on these reality shows. They said one of the reasons for it is these folks are thrust into the spotlight and suddenly 50 million people are watching them.
One person said, quote, after jetting around like a king to private islands and private helicopters, you go off the show and back to your job at Target or bartending and you're depressed. Well, of course, because fame isn't going to satisfy you. Comedian and actor Jim Carrey was quoted to say, I wish that everyone could be rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they would know it's not the answer. No, it's not the answer.
Celebrity Regrets and the Search for Meaning
Have you heard of Lana Del Rey? She's a pop star. She's had a lot of success. And she said in an interview not too long ago, it brought me no pleasure. It was all bad. All of it. And then she went on in the article to say something surprising of the interview, I should say. She said, I actually don't want to live anymore. She said she admires people that are part of the 27 Club.
Have you ever heard of the 27 Club? That's a club so-called of musicians who died at the age of 27. Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones is in it. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and most recently Amy Winehouse joined the infamous 27 Club. Janis Joplin once said, quote, I would make love to 10,000 people in one of my concerts, but I would go home alone.
That was the woman at the well. She was alone. Some guy was taking advantage of her. Maybe some guy's taking advantage of you, girls. Let me tell you something about guys. A lot of them are creeps. And men will give love to get sex. And women will often give sex to get love. Now, a guy's not really giving you love. He's just saying he loves you so he can get what he wants from you. Don't believe that line from a guy.
Finding True Fulfillment in Christ Alone
I think ever since girls are little, by the way, I have four granddaughters, so they're here with me tonight. And I have one grandson. And I'm just amazed at how little girls like to be princesses, you know? And there's that song, one day my prince will come. And some of you girls might think, one of these days that guy's going to come and sweep me off of my feet. Listen, girls, that prince is going to probably turn into a frog, okay? So get realistic for a moment.
You need to look for the Lord. He needs to be your prince that will come and fill that deep void in your life. Christ can fill it. Not a woman. Not a man. Not a drug. Not an experience. Not a possession. If you drink of this water, you'll thirst again.
I mentioned my mother. My mother lived to the age of 70. And all of her lifestyle choices took a toll on her life. When she was in her 70s, she looks like she was 90. She was getting dialysis three times a week. And all that drinking and smoking had caught up with her. And plus, she had an accident earlier when she was driving drunk and had a head-on collision. So that legendary beauty was now gone.
A Mother's Redemption Before the End
And I had many conversations with my mom about Christ. And she would always say, I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it. She would always change the subject. One day I was driving to church and I just sensed the Lord speak in my heart and say, go talk to your mother now. And so I said to my wife, Kathy, I'm going to go see my mom and we're going to have that conversation.
So I went over to her house and I walked in and she was alone. And I sat down and I said, mom, I want to talk to you tonight about your soul. She said, I don't want to talk about it. I said, today we're going to talk about it. And the result of that conversation was my mom recommitting her life to follow Jesus Christ. The prodigal daughter had come home.
How was I to know that one month later she would die? But now I know I'll see her again in heaven. She was like the woman at the well. So that's the bad. Now let's shift gears to the good. Who's the good? Well, that's a guy named Nicodemus. He's in John chapter 3. He was so different from this woman in every way, but yet he too needed Jesus because everybody needs Jesus.
Nicodemus: The Religious Man Who Needed Rebirth
I don't care how old you are. How young you are. How well known you are. How unknown you are. Everybody needs him. Let me read you a few verses. John 3 says, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews that came to Jesus by night. And he said, Rabbi, we know you're a teacher come from God. No one can do these things you do unless God is with them.
Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. When we gather together and worship, it gives us perspective. It shifts our focus from the things of this earth to the heart of heaven. It reminds us of his promises and grounds us in his craigs. Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples. Shout to God with the voice of triumph. He is always worthy of our worship.
Welcome back. Here again is Greg Laurie. See, Nicodemus was a famous guy, but he was the poser I was talking about earlier. He had it all together on the outside, but inside he was empty. So he comes to Jesus by night. By the way, that's mentioned more than once in scripture. And here we are at night hearing this message.
Coming to Jesus in the Darkness of Night
Did you mention to anyone where you were going tonight? Someone might have said, hey, want a party tonight? No, I can't. Going somewhere. Where are you going? Over at AT&T Stadium. Oh, is there a game? Well, not really a game. What are you going to do? It's a thing called Harvest America. Oh, don't go there. That's a religious thing. Don't go there. You might become one of those born-again's if you do. And I hope you're born again tonight. I hope this is the night your life changes.
The Nicodemus was kind of the go-to guy for spiritual answers. He was a household name. But here's the man who had the answers, who didn't really have any at all. So he goes to Jesus by night with a lot of respect. Rabbi. He calls Jesus Rabbi, which means teacher. We know you're sent from God. Jesus just cuts to the chase and says, hey, buddy, listen. You need to be born again.
And by the way, Nicodemus was an older man at this point. Because after Jesus tells him he needs to be born again, Nicodemus says, How can a man be born when he's old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
It's Never Too Late to Be Born Again
See, here's the thing. When you get older, you become more conservative. You know, older people like routine. They go to the same restaurants, and they sit in the same booth, and they order the same food. And so, when you talk to an older person about change, they may think it's too late for them. And by the way, there are telltale signs you're getting old. You know you're getting old when your idea of weightlifting is standing on, you know? You know you're getting old when you reach down to pull out the wrinkles in your socks, and you realize you're not wearing any.
You know you're getting old when your spouse goes out, and you don't care as long as you don't have to go with her. You know, you're getting old when a night out is just sitting on the porch. You know, you're getting old when you bend down to tie your shoes and you wonder what else you can do while you're down there. Right? You know, you're getting old when your teeth and you no longer sleep together. You know, you're getting old when happy hour is a nap. Right?
Nicodemus was getting I've been on in years. You might say, Greg, I'm not going to change. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Newsflash, you're not a dog and these aren't tricks. God can change any person who will come to him and believe. And I'm going to give you that opportunity to believe in him and have your life changed tonight. You must be born again.
Religion vs. True Christianity
This is so important. Here's what Jesus is saying. Allow me to paraphrase. Look, buddy, your religious beliefs are not enough. Notice Jesus didn't say you need to go through more rituals or do more religious stuff. He says you need to be born all over again. I am not a religious person. I don't want to become a religious person. See, religion, simplified, is man's attempt to reach God. Religion effectively says if you do this, you'll reach God one day. If you do that, you'll find inner peace. If you do this other thing, you'll find satisfaction. It's do, do, do. It's just do, do. Okay?
But Christianity is God's attempt to reach man. It's through Christ. It's not what we do for God. It's what God has done for us in sending Jesus to die on the cross because it's done and it's finished. And it's a gift. It's a gift you can reach out and accept as your own.
A conventional wisdom is good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell. Actually, that's all wrong. Here's something that may surprise you. There's going to be some good people, and I put that word good in quotes, who will not make it to heaven because you're not good enough to get there on your own. But here's something else. There's some bad people that are going to be in heaven because they realize they were bad people and called out to God for forgiveness.
Heaven Is for Forgiven People
It's been said that there are three surprises that will happen when we get to heaven. Some of the people we thought would never be there will be there. Some of the people we thought would be there won't be there. And surprise number three, we will be there. But look, here's This is what it comes down to. Heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people. You must say, God, I'm sorry for my sin, and turn from it. Then you can go to heaven. You must be born again.
Welcome back. Let's rejoin Greg Laurie from Harvest America in Dallas, Texas. The last thing God wants is for any man or woman made in His image to spend eternity separated from Him in hell. Hell wasn't made for people. Jesus said it was made for the devil. And His angels. But listen, if you're bound and determined to reject God's offer of forgiveness, then listen, man, you chart your own course. And on that last day, you'll have no one to blame but yourself.
No, God doesn't send people to hell. God doesn't send people to hell. He saves people from hell. And that can happen for you tonight. But you must believe. You must believe. Amen.
My Own Story of Coming to Christ
I became a Christian on my high school campus. No one invited me to the meeting. I just sort of showed up and eavesdropped on their conversation. I don't remember most of what was said, but I remember one statement the preacher gave. He said, Jesus said, you're for me or against me. I looked around at the Christians and I thought, well, I'm not one of them. Does that mean I'm against God? I don't want to be against God. I didn't know I could even know God.
And before I knew it, I was up there standing with the other kids and I was praying. And that was the day Christ came into my life. It was the greatest day of my life. And this can be the greatest night of your life right now as you believe in Jesus.
So here's your opportunity to respond. I'm going to ask everybody to join me now for a moment of prayer. Everybody, if you would, please just bow your head and pray with me. Father, we pray now that your word will take root in the hearts of those that are watching and listening. And for those that do not yet know you, help them to see their need for Jesus and help them to come to you. We pray that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince them of their sin and help them to believe. Now we ask in Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Invitation to Come Forward and Be Saved
Listen very carefully. If you want your sin forgiven, if you want to know that when you die, you will go to heaven, if you want your guilt taken away, if you want that big hole in your heart filled, if you're ready to say yes to Jesus right now, I'm going to ask you wherever you are to get up out of your seat and make your way down to this field.
Now it's going to take you a little bit of time. I'm told that you in the top section, it could take you as long as 15 minutes to get down here. So get up and start coming now. Men and women and young people and old people. You say, well you know I need to clean my life up and then I'll come to God. No listen friend, come to God and He'll clean your life up. You come as you are. You come with your sins. You come with your questions. You come to Jesus and He will forgive you.
Get up out of your seat, wherever you are, make your way down to this field and when you get here, we're going to have prayer together and we're going to give you a Bible and tell you more about what it means to be a Christian. You get up now and come. From the very top, you come down now. You may never have another opportunity like this tonight. To believe in Jesus. To be forgiven of all of your sins.
Listen, you're not too good to come to Jesus. We've all sinned and broken His commandments. You're not too bad to come to Jesus like that woman at the well. No matter what sins you've committed, He'll forgive you. But you must come. So you get up and come now.
I'm going to ask that my Christian friends remain seated. I'm going to ask that nobody leave early. I'm going to ask all of you to pray. To pray for the person in front of you. To pray for the person behind you. To pray for the person on your right and on your left. Because they may be wrestling with this decision. Pray that they see their need for Jesus. And pray they come to Jesus now. So you get up and come. And make your public stand for Jesus Christ. And we'll wait till you all get down here.
Well, God bless all of you. You've made the right decision to follow Jesus Christ. I'm going to lead you in a prayer. And I'm going to ask you when I pray this prayer, I want you to pray it out loud after me. And in this prayer, you'll be saying to God, you're sorry for your sin. And you'll be asking Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord. The Bible says, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Sort of like if you were in the ocean and you were caught in a riptide and there was a lifeguard there and you needed help. So you cry out, help. And the lifeguard comes to save you. You're crying out to God, you're saying help. And He'll save you. He'll forgive you.
So you pray this prayer out loud after me, okay? Let's all bow our heads right now, all of you on the floor. Pray this prayer out loud after me.
Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. Father, I thank you for dying on the cross for me and rising again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as Savior and Lord, Lord, as God and friend. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me and accepting me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.