Greg Laurie - Home Before Dark (12/09/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares his own search for meaning—from a broken home to drugs and emptiness—before finding true purpose in Jesus Christ. Drawing from the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, he shows that God is a loving Father waiting for every wandering soul to come home and find forgiveness and real life in Christ.
The Universal Quest for Meaning and Happiness
You know, from the moment you were born, you've been on a quest. Now what you were after wasn't completely clear, but you wanted your life to have some kind of purpose and meaning. You wanted to know why you were here on this earth and you wanted to be happy. It's been said there are two things that are true of every person. We all want to be happy and we're all going to die. So from the very earliest moment of our life, we're on this search. We're on this quest.
A philosopher named Hugh Moorhead from a major university once wrote to 250 of the best-known philosophers, scientists, writers, and intellectuals around the country. And he asked them this simple question, “In your opinion, what is the meaning of life?” Well, some offered their best guesses. Some admitted they just made up a purpose for life. And many wrote Moorhead back asking if he had discovered the meaning of life. That's how a lot of people are. They don't know where they're going with their life. They don't know what the meaning of it is.
But here's the problem. As you age quickly, you'll find you're wasting a lot of your life. And this is very important for you that are young to know where you're going. To know what life's purpose is. Because the evening of your life is determined by the morning of it—or the end by the beginning.
My Personal Search for Purpose
As far back as I can remember, I was searching for the meaning of life. Maybe earlier than most kids. And maybe because of the home I was raised in. I had a mother who was beautiful. She was a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe. And she had a lot of husbands. She was married and divorced seven times. Had a lot of boyfriends in between. In fact, I was not planned, if you will. I was a result of a little fling my mom had while she was in Long Beach. And so I was an illegitimate child.
She was always trying to find fulfillment in relationships with men. She also was a raging alcoholic. She would get fully drunk every night and pass out. So I was a young kid. I had to take care of myself. I had to take care of my mom. There was no father there for me. Ironically, the very life I hated that my mother was living, I soon embraced myself. And I was out drinking and getting drunk with my friends. And then the whole drug culture was coming along. And I started using drugs as well.
Process of Elimination: Where the Answer Wasn't
And I just came to a point where I knew this is not the answer. It was sort of like process of elimination. It's not in that affluent, boozy lifestyle of the adult world I lived in with my mom. It wasn't in the social culture of my high school of drinking and partying. It wasn't in the drug culture I also was a part of. Well, so where was the answer?
And then a cute girl came along. I was on my high school campus. And I saw this attractive girl. Now, she wasn't a beauty queen. You've got to understand. But there's something special about her. I thought, “Who is that girl?” I saw her talking to a friend of mine. And I thought, “I'm going to walk right up. And I'm going to break into the conversation and introduce myself to her.”
And as I walked up and waited for them to stop talking for a moment, I saw she had her textbooks for school in her notebook. And then she had one of those strange books, you know, the ones with ribbons coming out of the bottom and gold pages. And I went, “Oh no, she's a Jesus freak. What a waste of a perfectly cute girl.”
Encountering Christians and Questioning Everything
I talked to her a little bit. And that lunch hour on my high school campus. I wanted to see where she was. And I found her sitting on the front lawn with Christians singing songs about God. I sat down far enough away where people wouldn't think I was a part of it, but close enough to eavesdrop a little. And I looked around at these Christians with these smiles on their faces. And I thought to myself, these people are a few clowns short of a circus. There's something wrong with them.
And I watched them a little bit more. But here was the problem. I knew some of those people. In fact, some of them used to be my buddies. And I know how much they had changed. And I tried a new thought on for size. I thought, “What if, of course this couldn't be true, but what if the Christians are right? What if God can be known? What if I can change?”
I thought, “Oh no, there's no way. Not the life I've lived. I could never change, but what if?” And then as you saw in that video before I came out, it was that one statement I heard that day where the preacher said, Jesus said, “You're for Me or against Me.” And I looked around at those Christians and I said, well, they're for Him for sure. And I'm not one of them. Does that mean I'm against Him? And that was the day I put my faith in Jesus Christ.
The Turning Point: Choosing Sides
Now let me tell you something. That's the last thing I planned on doing that day. So maybe you're checking this out. You're here in the Wells Fargo Center. Or maybe you're watching in a host site. Or maybe you're watching on your iPad or your smartphone or your computer or your flat screen or a little black and white with rabbit ears. I don't know how you're seeing this.
But here's the question I have for you. And that is, have you considered who Jesus is? Maybe you're saying, “Oh, you Christians, you're all losers. You don't know what you're talking about.” Really, try a new thought on for size. “What if everything we're saying tonight is true? What if Jesus Christ can change lives?” More specifically, “What if He can change your life?”
I'm telling you right now, He can and He will if you'll open your heart to Him.
Becoming More Like Christ Every Day
When you spend every day with someone, you get to know them really well. You share experiences. You create memories. You finish their sentences and they finish yours. And what's more, you become a lot alike. Want to know the secret of becoming more like Christ? Spend every day with Him.
If the aim of the Christian life is to become just like Jesus Christ, our ambition should be to spend as much time with Him as we can. It should be our goal to spend every day with Jesus. A new devotional book from Pastor Greg Laurie will help you do just that. Every Day with Jesus is a collection of inspiring and encouraging thoughts from scripture. And it's our gift to you when you make a donation to Harvest Ministries.
A Testimony of Radical Transformation
I was born in Istanbul, Turkey. And my parents brought me here when I was an infant and raised me in Islam. Teaching me that Jesus was not the Son of God. And anyone that would profess Him as Lord was guilty of blasphemy against Allah. Being raised in this culture also demanded strict discipline. And daily beatings were regular.
One day as a young teenager, while enduring one of these beatings from my father, I decided to defend myself. And this was viewed as rebellion against the head of the Muslim household. And caused me to be thrown out of the house. Living on the street, I became involved with alcohol and drugs to soothe the pain of being rejected. I started using the drugs in an ever increasing amount.
While living on the street, I did also meet my future wife. We were married. And when she could no longer satisfy the selfish desires, I sought to have my desires, my needs satisfied in the arms of a different woman. So I divorced my wife and moved with this woman to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
From Despair to New Life in Christ
And living in Albuquerque, we fell into some hard financial times. And my car was up for repossession. And I was being evicted from my apartment. And there was no hope for my future, much less any hope for the next day. So I decided the miserable life I was living was not worth it anymore. I wanted to commit suicide. And I decided the way I would do this was by purchasing enough cocaine, my drug of choice, to use in one instance, in overdosing, committing suicide.
As I was headed to purchase this drug from my dealer, I was going through a radio station, looking for some deep dark music that would serve as a soundtrack to the end of my life. But rather than finding this type of music, I found a Christian radio station that played the song, which really grabbed my attention. And after the song was over, the announcer said that this band will be performing at the University of New Mexico Basketball Stadium, also known as The Pit.
And I looked up and directly to my right, I saw a sign that said The Pit. And I couldn't resist. I had to go into the auditorium and go see this band. And after the band had played their music, I sat down and Greg Laurie came out and started talking about Jesus and the love of God.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son: God's Heart Revealed
He assured me that God loved me. And I thought, “How could God love me? Look at the way I live my life. I do not please God in any way.” I thought God hated me. But Greg assured me that God expresses His love in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for our sins. And Greg gave the invitation to come forward and to pray to receive Christ.
And I remember praying to God, not Allah, that my life was a mess. But if He wanted it, if God wanted it, it would be His. It was my intent to end my life that day, to die that evening. And it was God's intent that I die also, die to self, and be raised in new creation. And indeed, by His grace and in His love and His compassion, I am a new creation today.
Welcome back. Here again is Greg Laurie. Who wants to hear a Bible story? Raise your hand. Amen. Okay, good. I like Bible stories. This is a Bible story that Jesus told to show us what God is like. It's sort of like an Instagram from God. A selfie from the Lord, if you will. Where God says, “This is Me.”
Understanding the Loving Father in Luke 15
So you wonder, what is God like? Jesus told us a story. Now we call this story the story of the prodigal son. It's found in Luke 15. Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So the father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
A few days later, this younger son packed all of his belongings. He took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all of his money on wild living. About that time, his money ran out. A great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry, that even the food he was giving the pigs started to look good to him, but no one gave him anything.”
The Father's Love and Our Free Will
So let's think about this story for a moment. Here's a father with two sons. Obviously, it's a very nice home, an affluent home, because they had servants that worked there. And this kid was loved, as judged by the reaction of the father when he came back home. So this was an affectionate father. This was a loving father.
Now sometimes when we hear about a father in heaven, we cringe, because maybe you had a bad father. Maybe he was abusive and mean. Maybe he was distant and aloof. Maybe he wasn't there. As in my case, there was no dad at all. You have this idea that God is, it's sort of out to get you. You know, He's out to ruin your life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This boy was sick of the rules and regulations of home. The bright lights of the big city were calling. So the prodigal punk decided to get his share of the estate. You know, to divide the estate was very difficult. That didn't happen until the father died. This kid could care less about any inconvenience to his father. “Give me my inheritance now. You're going to drop dead one day. I'm tired of waiting. I want it now.”
Seems like the father should have said, no, kid, you're stupid. But the father let him do what he wanted to do. And you know what? God has given you something called a free will. God says, “I love you, so you're free to go.” Listen, God will not force salvation down your throat. He will not force you to go to heaven. If you want to, you can go to hell.
Now, don't misunderstand me. Don't tweet. Greg told us to go to hell. No, we don't want that at all. The last thing God wants is for any man or woman made in His image to spend eternity separated from Him in a place called hell. That's why Jesus died on the cross in our place and absorbed God's wrath for us so we don't have to face that judgment. You see?
But the father let the son decide. Now, listen, you can choose. You can choose to believe. You can choose to not believe. And you effectively choose your eternal destiny in the process.
Hitting Bottom and the Call to Come Home
This boy wasted all of his money on wild living. He probably went to Vegas because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That's what we're told. But when the money ran out, his friends ran out with it. Man, I bet when he hit town, he had a tricked-out chariot. You know, he had all the money. He had a grill, right? You know. He had his posse. And then when that money was gone, everybody left.
So this prodigal hit bottom. Maybe you've hit bottom recently. Maybe you've reaped the results of your actions. You got that DUI. You were arrested. You got the girlfriend pregnant. Or you're the girlfriend who got pregnant. Relationship broke up. Divorce. Some other crisis in life. Maybe you've even been suicidal like Earl was in that video we saw earlier. Ready to overdose on cocaine. And heard the gospel and his life turned around.
That's how the prodigal was. He hit rock bottom. He was raised in a loving home. Maybe some of you were raised in a Christian home. You know all about VeggieTales. You know Bob the Tomato, right? But at some point in your life, maybe it's when you went to a university. Maybe it's when you got out on your own. You just turned away from it. And now you're living apart from God. And you're a miserable person.
Because you have too much of this world to be happy in Jesus. But too much of Jesus to be happy in this world. You're in this miserable no man's land. You know what? You're a prodigal son or a prodigal daughter. And here's what God is saying to you tonight. Come home before dark. Come home before it's too late. He'll forgive you.