Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 

—2 Corinthians 5:8

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:8 

What happens when Christians die?

The simple answer is that if you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, you immediately will go to Heaven. There are no stopovers or suspended states of animation. There is no purgatory or soul sleep. When Christians die, they go directly into God’s presence.

The Bible says, “Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT).

As Christians, we will go to Heaven one day, and we’ll get there in one of two ways: death or the Rapture. There is a generation that will not see death but will instead go to Heaven in the Rapture. We don’t know whether we will be that generation. But we could be.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers, “We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves” (1 Thessalonians 4:15–16 NLT).

He continued, “Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever” (verse 17 NLT).

That means we could be going about our business one day, and without warning—in a nanosecond, in a flash—we will meet Jesus Christ in the air. Not only that, but we will immediately reunite with our Christian loved ones and friends who have gone to Heaven before us.

The Bible calls this the first resurrection. Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power” (NLT). The second death is the final Great White Throne Judgment, while the first resurrection is the Rapture.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul referred to the Rapture, saying, “But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever” (verses 51–52 NLT).

This means that Christians do not have to fear death.

Yes, Christians will die physically. But our mortal bodies will put on immortality. The soul lives on. That will never die. It is why Paul said, “Living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (Philippians 1:21 NLT).

Of course, Christians grieve like everyone else when we lose loved ones. But the Bible says that we don’t grieve as those who do not have hope (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13). For the Christian, death is not the end. It’s a transition from earth to Heaven.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 

—Romans 13:11

Scripture:

Romans 13:11 

With self-driving cars now on the market, we’re seeing more and more stories in the news about drivers falling asleep at the wheel. One driver, for instance, was fast asleep in his moving car when a police officer noticed him. After they unsuccessfully tried to wake the man, the police had to force his car off the road.

In the same way, some Christians today are asleep at the wheel. They have a spiritual lethargy, a passivity about them.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11 NLT).

The J. B. Phillips New Testament puts it this way: “Why all this stress on behaviour? Because, as I think you have realised, the present time is of the highest importance—it is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God’s salvation nearer.”

Paul addressed these words to Christians, to genuine believers whose spiritual lethargy and laziness made them appear and act as though they had no spiritual life. Effectively, they were asleep at the wheel.

We can be in a state of spiritual slumber and not even realize it. In fact, we might even deny it. Yet the Bible warns us to wake up from our spiritual sleep.

Thus, Paul was saying, “It’s time for you to wake up.” He probably was alluding to the soon return of Christ. If you believe that Jesus could come back today, then you’re very astute theologically. As believers, we should realize that Jesus could come back at any time.

But we must also recognize that we don’t know how long we will live. When we’re young, we think we have all the time in the world. But then one day we look at ourselves in the mirror and it’s obvious that we’re getting older.

Titus 2 reminds us, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed” (verses 11–13 NLT).

Long ago, it was common to write this phrase over financial documents: memento mori. The literal translation, “Remember you must die,” obviously had a grounding effect on readers.

Regardless of how much money we have saved or invested, we will leave it all behind one day. That’s why we need to keep perspective and make every day count.

The psalmist David said, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4 NLT).

We must live every day as though it could be our last. Because one day it will be.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

And everyone will hate you because you are my followers 

—Luke 21:17

Scripture:

John 8:24 

We know from church history that the church has undergone relentless persecution.

All the apostles, except for one, died the death of a martyr. John was banished to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Church tradition suggests that John’s persecutors tried to boil him in oil, but they didn’t succeed. So they banished him instead.

The church went through horrible times of persecution. From the first century to 314, the martyr period of church history, thousands of courageous Christians laid down their lives for the sake of the gospel.

Ten great waves of persecution took place under the various Caesars, who sought to eradicate the Christian faith from the earth. But instead of destroying Christianity, they only strengthened it in many ways. The gospel is alive and well, and Jesus Christ is still working powerfully.

God allowed this persecution, and He will allow persecution. In fact, one of the signs of the last days will be increased persecution. And it will intensify during the tribulation period.

Today there are courageous people around the world standing up for their faith. Yet in the United States, we will complain if someone makes fun of us for reading the Bible. Let’s thank God for the freedom that we have to do this. And let’s thank Him for the freedom that we have to preach the gospel.

As Christians, we will face persecution. If you are a godly person, then you will be persecuted. The Bible says, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 NLT).

Maybe God has allowed persecution in your life. It might be someone at work who always has hard questions for you or a neighbor who gives you a hard time for your faith in Jesus. Or maybe it’s a family member who doesn’t believe. It could be that you are doing something right.

God will allow persecution in the life of the believer. Not only is persecution confirmation that we are children of God, but it also causes us to cling tighter to Jesus and remember this world is not our home.

Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:18–19 NLT).

As signs of the imminent return of Jesus continue to unfold, it should keep us on our toes spiritually. Jesus said, “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28 NLT).

We are stewards over our lives, our time, and our resources. And one day we will be held accountable for it. Let’s not waste our time. Let’s not go on with business as usual. Instead, let’s allow this teaching of the Lord’s return to motivate us to live godly lives.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins. 

—John 8:24

Scripture:

John 8:24 

According to the Bible, there will be a belief system during the tribulation period that everyone in the world will embrace.

This, of course, will exclude those who come to faith in Christ during the Great Tribulation. Though the church will have been raptured, God will continue to be at work. People will become Christians during this time, but it will be a bleak scenario.

God will raise up His representatives, two powerful witnesses. He also will send angels through the heavens who will proclaim the everlasting gospel. And He will raise up 144,000 messianic Jews to take the gospel around the globe.

People will come to faith, but it will be a very hard time to be a Christian, and many believers will be martyred. And the one-world religious system that most people will buy into perhaps will be a version of the spirituality movement that we’re seeing today.

For instance, in the days following 9/11, a lot of prayer services took place, including a televised interfaith service at Yankee Stadium. Bette Midler sang, and Oprah Winfrey, among others, spoke. To some degree, it’s great when we can get together and find what we agree on. And everyone should have the liberty to worship as they please.

But we also must be aware that interfaith prayer services aren’t necessarily a good thing. It’s one thing to have interdenominational services in which Christians set aside minor differences as denominations to come together and worship. Harvest evangelistic events, for example, are interdenominational. We get together to proclaim the gospel and worship Jesus Christ.

But interfaith services are a different matter altogether. We misrepresent and even insult God when we claim that all religions teach the same thing and that we’re all praying to the same God.

Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24 NLT). He was referring to the statement God made when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush (see Exodus 3:14).

Here’s what Jesus was saying: “I am equal with God. Unless you believe that I am God incarnate, that I am the Lord God, and that I am the only way to God, then you will die in your sins.”

The Bible teaches that Jesus was God in human form who died for the sins of the world. It teaches that Jesus is the only way to God, that God is personal, and that He can be known in a personal way.

If we’re going to proclaim the true gospel, then we must tell people this. It’s a divisive point with some. But it is one thing that we cannot compromise on as Christians.

Yet if we believe that all religions teach the same thing, then we obviously haven’t considered what they actually teach.

Today many people say they don’t really believe in any one religion, and they’ve found their own faith. But this, along with the seismic shifts that are happening in our culture, is a sign of the last days.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.” 

—Luke 21:8

Scripture:

Luke 21:8 

In the times in which we’re living, we should be aware of religious deception. Jesus said that in the last days, there would be an explosion of it, culminating in the appearance of the ultimate deceiver, the Antichrist.

We should look out for cults and groups who say they’re the way to God and that their leader, guru, or teacher is the Messiah. Today, in addition to relatively established cults, newer groups have sprung up. There has been a literal explosion of mysticism and spirituality in recent years.

But for the most part, it has not been a return to biblical Christianity. Rather, it has been a New Age mixture of everything under the umbrella of so-called spirituality.

People basically have a do-it-yourself divinity. They say things like, “I don’t believe in organized religion, but I am a very spiritual person. I draw a little from this belief and a little from that belief. It all will get us to Heaven or closer to God.”

However, the Bible tells us that in the last days, Satan will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. They will be condemned for not believing the truth.

We need to realize that whenever there is the genuine, there always will be the counterfeit. The devil is the great deceiver and the great counterfeiter. Jesus said of him, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NLT).

The devil is an expert at offering substitutes for the real thing, with enough truth to make it believable and enough error to destroy us.

That is why we must be students of Scripture. The Bible tells us to test the spirits to see if they’re really of God (see 1 John 4:1). We must stop believing the false teachings that come our way. Far too often, we in the church are gullible because we allow our feelings and emotions to direct us instead of looking at things through a biblical lens. We must learn to think biblically and compare everything to what the Bible teaches.

We also need to understand that all religions do not teach the same thing. To believe otherwise is to ignore what the Bible teaches. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT).

If you are a true Christian, then you must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 

—1 John 3:3

Scripture:

1 John 3:3 

Without question there’s a blessing in having a proper and balanced understanding of what the Bible teaches about the last days. It is not to drive us into a state of panic or needless alarm, but it should have a purifying effect on our lives spiritually.

John wrote, “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3 NLT). Scripture does teach that the Lord is coming back, and we need to be ready.

Jesus said of His return, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows” (Matthew 24:36 NLT). However, when we see certain things happening, these should alert us that His coming is near.

The Bible says that we are moving quickly toward the Lord’s return, so we need to pay attention to the signs of the times.

Sometimes we get so bogged down in details that we don’t get the big picture. We can get confused as we study Bible prophecy because we don’t understand how the prophetic books unfold. That should not discourage us.

Luke 21 is commonly known as the Olivet Discourse. A direct parallel of Matthew 24, it gives us a bird’s-eye view of end times events. It begins with the emergence of the Antichrist and ends with the return of Jesus Christ. In addition, it describes the tribulation period that is yet to come upon the earth.

The occasion for this message was the disciples’ admiration of the temple. There also was a sense among the followers of Jesus that He would establish His kingdom then and there.

Against that backdrop, Jesus took the opportunity to bring things into focus and help the disciples understand that He hadn’t come to establish an earthly kingdom at that time. Rather, He came to die on the cross for the sins of the world.

At the same time, Jesus described for them how His kingdom ultimately would be established. He also predicted something that would happen within their lifetimes as well as things that are yet in our future—things that very well could happen in our lifetimes.

Then Jesus closed with a personal exhortation: “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth” (Luke 21:34–35 NLT).

Not only does Jesus warn us against living in an ungodly way, but He also warns us about living in such a way that we don’t walk with God as we ought to. It’s so easy, even for Christians, to go through life without a concern about God, His Word, and what He has to say to us.

But that is not how we should be living. We need to be living in such a way that we’re ready for the Lord’s return. We need to make every moment count.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 

—Revelation 20:14

Scripture:

Revelation 20:14 

People are selective when it comes to the subject of God and the afterlife. They like the idea of a God who is loving, completely accepting, and tolerant. People can go along with a deity like that.

But they don’t like the notion of a God who is also just. And they reject the idea that God would send some people to Hell, or at least a lot of people they know. They would like to think that certain people will be in Hell for the horrible crimes they’ve committed. But they don’t expect themselves or family and friends to end up there.

Yet Hell is a real place for real people. And according to the Bible, Hell is a miserable place of torment and separation from God that lasts for eternity.

As Timothy Keller pointed out in The Reason for God, “In our culture, divine judgment is one of Christianity’s most offensive doctrines.”[1]

When you bring up this topic, people get upset. Maybe one reason is widespread misinformation about Hell. It certainly is not a party place. And it is absolutely not a joke. If it were, Jesus would never have talked about it in the way that He did.

Most of the biblical teaching on Hell comes from Jesus Himself. He spoke about it more than anyone else in the Bible. And He spoke about it in a very specific way. More than half of the parables Jesus told relate to God’s eternal judgment of sinners.

We cannot pick and choose things in the Bible that personally appeal to us and then throw the others aside. We can imagine, as John Lennon famously sang, that Heaven and Hell don’t exist. But that won’t change the fact that they are real.

The Bible tells us there are two deaths: one is physical and the other is spiritual. In Revelation 20:14 we read, “Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death” (NLT).

The next chapter also mentions the second death: “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (21:8 NLT). The second death this is speaking of is Hell.

If you are born once, you will die twice. You are born physically, and you will die physically. And then you will face the second death and eternal separation from God.

But if you are born twice, you will die once. You are born physically, and you are born again spiritually when you put your faith in Christ. You will face only the first death (unless, of course, the Rapture happens in your lifetime).

Scripture tells us that the second death is what we should fear.

God has given us a free will, so where we spend eternity is really our choice. Not everyone will be saved in the end—only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.

[1] Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Penguin Publishing Group, 2008),71.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead 

—Acts 17:31

Scripture:

Acts 17:31 

Jesus, the very personification of love, talked a lot about Hell. In fact, He spent more time than anyone else in the Bible talking about Hell. Therefore, we don’t want to steer clear of this subject. To avoid this topic is a big mistake, even if it makes us uncomfortable.

We do, however, want a biblical understanding of what the Bible says. Ironically, the word hell is one of the most frequently used words in the English language, yet it is one of the subjects we talk about the least.

When the apostle Paul spoke on Mars Hill, he concluded his message by saying, “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30–31 NLT).

Jesus talked about judgment. Paul talked about judgment. The apostles talked about judgment. The Bible talks about judgment. And we need to talk about it and have a proper understanding of what it’s about.

Some would say that it isn’t loving to talk about these things. Actually, it’s the most loving thing we can do. Let’s say, for instance, that you’re walking down the street and see a house that is on fire. You see people inside, but they don’t realize what is happening. Would it be a loving thing to just keep walking? Of course not. The loving thing would be to do everything you can to warn the people inside.

In the same way, if we believe what the Bible says about Hell and judgment, then we’ll recognize that people are facing judgment. And because we love them, we’ll want to talk to them about it and explain it.

The Bible is very clear in pointing out that at some point, our lives on earth will end. Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die” (3:1–2 NLT).

That time to die may come much later than we expected. Or, it may occur much sooner. That is why the Bible reminds us to number our days and recognize how few they are (see Psalm 90:12).

Death is the great equalizer. It comes to everyone. And after death, according to the Bible, there are two destinations: Heaven or Hell. We decide now, not later, where we will go. After death there won’t be any chances to decide. Yet there are thousands of chances before. And you decide where you will go.

As Christians, we should talk about life after death and Heaven and Hell because the Bible does. And if we really believe there is an afterlife and a final judgment, if we really believe that we will be held accountable for things that we say and do, then it will affect the way we live.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 

—2 Timothy 4:3

Scripture:

2 Timothy 4:3 

There was a time when we were bombarded by a one-sided view of God as an angry deity, ready to throw people into the open fires of Hell. People complained about too much hellfire-and-brimstone preaching.

But when was the last time anyone has heard a hellfire-and-brimstone message? Sadly, the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” that Jonathan Edwards preached in 1741 would not be allowed in many churches today.

Many people have gone too far in the other direction, teaching that God is an all-loving, benign, supreme being that doesn’t seem to have any opinions about the way we live. The assumption is that as long as we’re true to ourselves, then it’s okay with Him. He accepts us the way we are.

We like the qualities of God such as love, forgiveness, and compassion and the incredible fringe benefit of eternal life in Heaven. On the other hand, we’re appalled by a God of holiness who desperately loves us yet requires repentance as well as trust, a God who promises to judge those who refuse to come to Him on His terms.

Others look at God as some kind of pagan deity who simply needs to be appeased. They think that if they go through religious rituals, they’ve done their part and they can build up credit for sinning that week. People can follow that god as much as they want. But that is not the God of the Bible.

When we start picking and choosing the things about God that appeal or do not appeal to us, we are not only diminishing our view of who God is but also believing and teaching a false gospel.

Some preachers today offer weak, watered-down proclamations in the name of the gospel. They tell you to believe, but they don’t tell you to repent. They tell you there’s a Heaven, but they don’t tell you there’s a Hell. And they tell you there’s forgiveness, but they don’t tell you there’s repentance.

If we don’t include those things, then it isn’t the gospel. We cannot edit the gospel according to what we like or don’t like. It’s for us to share it as God gave it. Otherwise, we strip the gospel of its power and effectiveness.

We cannot control what happens in the world. But at the same time, we cannot allow the belief system of a secular society to influence the way we believe. The idea is not to conform ourselves to the world’s way of thinking. It is not to bend the Bible to the culture.

When we desperately want to please everyone and not offend anyone, we will fail to make an impact on our culture.

When we start tampering with the essentials of our faith such as the Bible, the gospel, and the nature of God Himself, we are making God into a different image.

The God of the Bible does love us and accept us as we are. But the God of the Bible also wants to change us. He wants to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. 

—1 Corinthians 10:6–7

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 10:6–7 

Everyone has a god. Even atheists have something they believe in. That god may be themselves. It may be a possession. Or, it may be a career. But everyone has something they live for, something that gets them up in the morning, drives them on, and gives their lives a sense of meaning.

The question is, who or what do you believe in?

The Lord wants to rule and reign in our hearts. And He wants everything else in our lives to be a distant second to Him. He wants our primary passion, excitement, and purpose to be a love for Him.

The apostle Paul said, “To me, living means living for Christ” (Philippians 1:21 NLT). That should be the motto of every Christian. It’s something that we all should be able to say.

An idol is anything or anyone that takes the place of God in our lives. It’s anything that would begin to crowd our relationship with God and become more important to us than God Himself.

Writing to the church in Corinth, Paul referred to a specific instance in the lives of the Israelites when they worshipped the golden calf. He wrote, “These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did” (1 Corinthians 10:6–7 NLT).

The children of Israel had seen God work in dramatic ways. They saw God deliver them from the land of Egypt with a number of miracles that He performed on their behalf. He turned the Nile River to blood, sent plagues of lice and frogs, and even killed the Egyptians’ firstborn sons.

Then, when they began their journey, God opened the Red Sea for them, and they crossed on dry ground. Afterward it closed behind them, drowning the Egyptian army in the process. In addition, the Lord provided a miraculous navigation system: a huge cloud guided them during the day, and a fire in the sky directed them at night.

And every morning when they walked outside their tents, a breakfast of manna was waiting for them, supplied by the Creator Himself. But despite all these miracles, the people turned their backs on God and engaged in full-blown idolatry.

The problem was their faith was shallow. Thus, they were fickle. And from the moment that Moses left their midst to meet with God on Mount Sinai, it was only a matter of time until they started looking for something to take his place. So the plan for the golden calf was devised, and the Bible tells us about the horrible results.

Certainly, miracles and supernatural phenomena do not guarantee a mature faith that will resist the temptations in our paths. Sooner or later, we must take personal responsibility for our actions and our sins and call them what they are.

Let’s guard ourselves from the subtle trap of idolatry. Let’s not allow anyone or anything to take precedence over Jesus Christ in our hearts.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. 

—Genesis 22:1

Scripture:

Genesis 22:1 

In their later years, God blessed Abraham and Sarah with a child, Isaac, whose name means “laughter.”

Isaac was a physical representation of everything sacred to Abraham’s heart, the covenants that God made. He was the physical link to the coming Messiah. And Abraham watched this little child grow into a young boy and then into a strong young man.

We don’t know for certain, but perhaps Isaac began to fill the spot that Abraham had previously reserved for God, because the Bible tells us that God tested Abraham.

God said to him, “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you” (Genesis 22:2 NLT).

Even then, Abraham had his priorities right. He was willing to give up Isaac to the Lord, believing that, if necessary, He would resurrect him from the dead. Of course, we know the rest of the story. At the last moment, God spared Isaac.

And Abraham passed the test.

In his book The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer commented, “To the wondering patriarch [God] now says in effect, ‘It’s all right, Abraham. I never intended that you should actually slay the lad. I only wanted to remove him from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there.’ ”

Could it be that someone has become an idol in your life? Is there someone who is more precious to you than God Himself?

It isn’t that God would take this individual away as much as He wants to rule and reign in your heart.

The Bible gives us God’s reflection about how the people of Israel once pursued Him. God said, “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness” (Jeremiah 2:2 NLT).

In other words, “Remember how it was when we were still in the honeymoon phase, in the early days?”

He continues, “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (verse 13 NLT).

Their first mistake was withdrawing from Him, the fountain of living waters, the One who could satisfy their deepest needs. And then it was only a matter of time until they found broken cisterns, wells dug in the rocks that couldn’t hold water.

Let’s heed the warning of Scripture to believers living in the last days. Let’s refuse to allow anyone or anything to become idols in our hearts. The best antidote to idolatry is a passionate love relationship with Jesus Christ. When He is the Lord of our lives and we’re cultivating fellowship with Him, we won’t run after other gods.

Any pursuit you go after that takes God’s place in your life won’t satisfy you. Let Him be your Lord. Let Him be your God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. 

—1 John 5:21

Scripture:

1 John 5:21 

We tend to imagine idol worship as lying prostrate before a carved image. And clearly that would be idolatry. But idolatry can take many forms. And no doubt it’s a problem that even believers living in the twenty-first century will face.

The Bible tells us that during the Tribulation, idol worship will be rampant. Revelation 9:20 says, “But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!” (NLT).

Idols can be many things. But essentially an idol is anyone or anything that takes the place of God in our lives. A lot of things can qualify as an idol in our lives. And it is a true but terrifying fact that a person can attend church every week and still be a full-fledged idolater.

In the Ten Commandments, God tells us that we should have Him as our God and have no other gods before Him.

He said, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods” (Exodus 20:4–5 NLT).

Jesus echoed this when He said, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38 NLT).

Essentially Jesus was saying that if you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, it will dramatically impact the way that you live.

If we love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds, then nothing else can take God’s place in our lives. We won’t be interested in another god any more than someone who just had a delicious dinner of filet mignon would be attracted to roadkill. Our hunger has been met. We’re satisfied.

But when we’re not cultivating a close relationship with God, then it is only a matter of time until someone or something takes His place.

When Moses left the Israelites to receive the commandments from God on Mount Sinai, the people went to Aaron and asked him to make them an idol, something physical to worship. The result was a calf made of gold.

But that wasn’t their first idol. Moses was. Because not long after he left their camp, they looked for something to take his place.

This can happen to us as well. We can allow something to crowd God out of our hearts. And when we look at the history of the Christian church, we’ll see that it was after people abandoned God as their first love that they turned to idols to take His place.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. 

—2 Peter 2:20

Scripture:

2 Peter 2:20 

When we’re sharing the gospel with our friends and family, we must always remember to pray, because a spiritual battle is raging.

Once Satan has taken hold of a life, he does not want to let go. So when he sees people making advances toward Jesus Christ, he will do everything in his power to stop them. And he’s always on duty.

The Bible warns, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).

In the parable of the sower, Jesus described the seed of God’s Word being scattered on the ground, which represented human hearts. He said, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long” (Mark 4:15–17 NLT).

Sometimes people say they have become Christians, but in a month or two, they return to their old ways. They claim they “tried” Christianity but it didn’t work for them.

No, they never really found Christ. Because if they really knew Him, they wouldn’t go back to their former way of life. They went through the motions, but Christ never really became part of their lives.

It just may be that many of the people who claim to have been converted never have been converted at all. And often they end up worse than they were before.

Jesus said, “When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings” (Luke 11:21–22 NLT).

The strong man Jesus was speaking of is Satan. He gets a foothold in a person’s life, and he wants to guard his investment. And all the religion and rituals in the world won’t drive out a demon power.

There is only one hope, and that is when “someone even stronger” comes in, according to Luke’s Gospel. That Someone, of course, is Jesus Christ. We need His help.

When people make a few moral changes, they start to feel better about themselves. They begin to trust in their own morality and the changes they’ve made. And in their smugness, they don’t think they need God. In essence, the devil has them right where he wants them. And in the end, he has a firmer foothold in their lives than he originally had.

The Bible says, “And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before” (2 Peter 2:20 NLT).

We must have Jesus Christ take residence in our hearts and lives, changing us from the inside out.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. 

—Matthew 23:28

Scripture:

Matthew 23:28 

During His public ministry, Jesus had no problem reaching society’s down-and-outers. But amazingly, He had an almost impossible time reaching religious and moral people who were under the delusion that outward rituals and good living made them acceptable to God.

The Pharisees were moralists to the extreme, so careful to keep what were, in their perception, even the smallest points of the law. But the result was a feeling of self-satisfaction. They believed that because of what they had done, they had obtained God’s approval.

They were so spiritually blind that when God in human form walked among them, they didn’t receive His message and even had Him put to death.

Jesus summarized it well when He said, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27–28 NLT).

In other words, we are missing it when we only concentrate on the outward. We must first take care of the inward.

This brings us to the primary call of the church today. Is it merely to try to stop the spread of corruption in our society? Is it merely to try to lobby for political candidates who reflect our values?

Even if we’re somewhat successful in passing some laws, even if we elect candidates who reflect our values, it still isn’t getting to the heart of the matter. That’s because when people truly find Jesus Christ, He changes their lifestyle.

Our clear mandate, given from the lips of Jesus Himself, is this: “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19–20 NLT).

If we allow other things to detract us from this one calling, then we’re missing it. Jesus said, “First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too” (Matthew 23:26 NLT). That is where we must focus our efforts.

By itself, morality leads to self-righteousness. It can even be a damning thing. That’s because people are better off being immoral and recognizing their need for God than being highly moral and thinking they have no need for Him.

Of course, how wonderful it would be if everyone in our country were moral and no one broke the law. How wonderful it would be if we all were kind and considerate people. That would make a nice society.

But sometimes we’re a little too preoccupied with the temporary and lose sight of the big picture. Morality apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ can be dangerous because it can blind us to the truth.

Morality won’t change our hearts. But if our hearts have been truly changed, then there will be a change in our actions and our lifestyle.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. 

—Matthew 12:45

Scripture:

Matthew 12:45 

There are people who try to make changes in their lives, who try to do a spiritual or moral housecleaning. They know that things aren’t the way they ought to be, and they want to get things right.

But the irony is that some people, in their attempts to clean up their lives, end up in a worse state than where they began.

Jesus talked about how we can make lasting changes in our lives as we undertake a thorough housecleaning. He was speaking to the Pharisees, who were the religious, moral, and outwardly upright people of the day. Yet Jesus had warned this group about committing the unpardonable sin, which was blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

He said this because they had attributed the works of God that He was doing to the devil. Specifically, they accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil. So He warned them of going too far and actually blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

He was saying that knowledge brings responsibility.

Jesus went on to explain, “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43–45 NLT).

Jesus was referring to demonic powers in this passage. Demons are both real and powerful. And in this passage, it appears that the person who once was possessed by this unclean spirit had a housecleaning. Things were put in order to some degree. It would appear the person had made some kind of moral change.

To understand this in context, we must remember that Jesus was speaking to moral, religious people who didn’t really know God. Jesus was comparing the human life and heart to a house. And He was saying that morality won’t save us. Religion won’t save us.

Jesus was giving us a picture of those who make moral changes in their lives but don’t get to the root of their problem, which is the absence of God in their lives. The sins they commit are but symptoms of a deeper problem: the lack of Jesus Christ living inside them.

People will make changes in their lives for many reasons. Sometimes when they face a crisis, they begin to evaluate their priorities and take stock of their lives. They determine what needs to change.

But often the same people end up going back to their old ways. Why? Because the house is swept and put in order, but it’s still empty.

We must not lose sight of the basic truth that morality, in itself, will not bring a right relationship with God. Morality never will bring spirituality. But true spirituality always will bring morality.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. 

—Matthew 12:42

Scripture:

Matthew 12:42 

Have you ever thought that if you could do a miracle, then your non-Christian friends would believe?

If that is what it would take, then God would do it.

The religious leaders asked Jesus for a miraculous sign, but He told them, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:39–40 NLT).

At the same time Jesus refused a sign, He promised a sign. He refused the sign they wanted, which would have had no effect on them. But He promised the only sign that could truly impact and change them.

Jesus was telling them, “Someone greater than Jonah is here. And I’m offering forgiveness.”

While Jonah came preaching God’s judgment, Jesus came preaching God’s mercy and grace. Jonah was disobedient, but Jesus was obedient. Jonah preached to one city, but Jesus came for the entire world.

Then Jesus continued, “The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen” (verse 42 NLT).

The queen of Sheba was not Jewish, but she came to Jerusalem seeking the wisdom of the great King Solomon. She made a grueling 1,200-mile journey to hear what he had to say, because she desperately wanted to hear truth.

In essence Jesus was saying, “You should know better than to ask for a sign. You should know what is true and what is right.”

We can’t help but draw a parallel to our own nation. We should know better. Our country was built on biblical precepts. The first book in our public school system was the Bible. Our laws were based on biblical principles. But today we can’t even post the Ten Commandments in a classroom.

As we see anarchy in the streets and violence spreading across our society, people are crying out for a return to family values.

But we need more than family values; we need the morality those values are based on. And then we need the spirituality that morality is based on. We can’t have morality without spirituality, because who determines what is moral and immoral? We must have a set of standards, and we find them in the pages of Scripture.

Jesus was saying to the religious leaders, “So you want a sign? Here it is. I’m going to die on the cross and rise from the dead. That is your sign.”

The sign our unbelieving friends and family need to know about is that Jesus died on the cross for them and rose from the dead. This is what we need to proclaim. It’s the greatest sign of all.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart 

—John 2:24–25

Scripture:

John 2:24–25 

At a casual reading, the response of Jesus seems almost harsh and unfair.

Chapter 12 of Matthew’s Gospel tells us that “one day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, ‘Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority’ ” (verse 38 NLT).

“Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign,” Jesus answered. “But the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (verses 39–40 NLT).

Here were some individuals who were asking for a miracle. Jesus had performed many miracles. After all, what was one more? Why didn’t He respond to their request? Because Jesus always looked at the motives behind what people said and did.

Jesus is far more interested in what’s going on in our hearts than what we are merely saying with our mouths.

And as Jesus looked into the hearts of these religious leaders, no doubt He saw the reason for their request.

Earlier in the chapter we read, “Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus” (verse 14 NLT). Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, and that upset them. These religious leaders wanted to destroy Jesus.

They weren’t interested in a miracle. They weren’t interested in a sign. Instead, they were out to get Him. And Jesus recognized this.

It’s fascinating to note how Jesus dealt with different people. He never dealt with anyone in the same way. He would look behind the veneer of what was going on and see their hearts. And when a person was truly seeking and a miracle was in order, He did it.

Jesus performed numerous miracles for hurting, searching people such as blind Bartimaeus or the woman who had spent everything on doctors who couldn’t heal her. On the other hand, when people came with the wrong motives, He didn’t do a miracle for them. In fact, on some occasions He didn’t even reveal Himself to them.

For example, John 2:23 says, “Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.” But the passage goes on to say, “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart” (verses 24–25 NLT).

These people who saw His miracles weren’t seeking Him with their whole hearts. They were merely excited about the phenomena. If they had been true seekers, then Jesus would have revealed Himself to them.

Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT). Jesus revealed Himself to true seekers. And He repelled those who were not.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 

—Luke 9:23

Scripture:

Luke 9:23 

We seem to have lost the meaning of the cross today. It has become a mere religious symbol, an icon shrouded in religiosity.

But in the first century when someone was carrying a cross through the streets, it meant only one thing: that person was going to die. So, when people heard Jesus say, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me,” they would have easily understood what He meant.

Sometimes we think of a cross to bear as a trying relationship, a health problem, a challenging job, or some other tough circumstance. Those may be difficulties in life. But they are not our crosses to bear.

The cross we must bear is the same for each of us. It speaks of dying to ourselves. And what that means, simply, is laying ourselves at the feet of Jesus and saying, “I want Your will more than my own.”

Of course, when we talk about bearing the cross and living a crucified life, it sounds morbid and unappealing because we have a false concept of what it means.

We think it means isolating ourselves in an ivory tower somewhere and never having fun, smiling, or laughing. That is how we imagine ourselves living the crucified life.

But is that what it really means?

Writing to the churches in Galatia, the apostle Paul said, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

As Jesus said, if you want to find your life, then lose it (see Luke 9:24). Thus, when we live the crucified life, it isn’t a morbid, miserable experience. It doesn’t mean that we’ve ruined our lives when we start walking with God.

Rather, it’s when life begins to really happen, when life becomes full and meaningful. Because we want God’s will more than our own, we’ll have the abundant life that Jesus promised, (see John 10:10). We’re living life as it was meant to be lived. It is life to the fullest.

Samuel Rutherford, a seventeenth-century theologian, said, “The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that ever I bore. It is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or sails to a ship, to carry me forward to my desired haven.”

And he was right. The cross of Christ is no burden because God’s will is better than our own.

Are you bearing the cross and following Jesus? For some, this could mean suffering persecution. For others, it could mean a major change of lifestyle. It could cost us friends. But we will live life as it was meant to be lived: in the perfect will of God.

So let’s commit ourselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ—not mere fair-weather followers, but true disciples.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 

—Romans 5:1

Scripture:

Romans 5:1 

In Matthew 10 we find one of the more controversial statements of Jesus: “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ ” (verses 34–36 NLT).

This must have shocked His listeners. After all, on the night of Jesus’ birth, didn’t the angels appear to the shepherds and say, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14 NLT)? Is Jesus not the Prince of Peace? What is this about?

It all fits together when we see the big picture.

Yes, it is true that Jesus has ultimately come to bring peace. But before there can be peace, there must be the end of war. And in a war, someone has to win and someone has to lose.

Before we become Christians, we are in a war with God. We’re opposed to Him. But when we, by His grace, come to our senses and surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ, we have peace with God.

As Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (NLT).

Where we once were divided from God, we now have peace with God.

Yet Jesus said He came “not to bring peace, but a sword.” And this is a double-edged sword. Though it’s true that it cuts, it also gives life.

What initially wounds ultimately heals, much like a surgeon with a scalpel. We don’t feel the pain of the surgeon’s scalpel until the anesthesia wears off. But when we realize our life was prolonged because of surgery, we recognize that what temporarily caused us pain ultimately extended our lives.

In the same way, Jesus comes with a sword. Yes, it brings temporary pain when we realize that we’re separated from God. But what temporarily causes pain ultimately brings eternal life.

The same is true when you’re seeking to live a godly life and it causes division in your family. Don’t lament. Instead, think of it this way: it’s better to temporarily offend someone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ with a convicting message of the gospel and see them ultimately come to faith than to never offend them in any way and see them go into a Christless eternity.

Now, we shouldn’t unnecessarily offend family members with our witness. Sometimes this happens, especially with believers who are very new in the faith. They lack something called tact, and they’re persecuted not because of their faith but because they’re obnoxious.

We must also remember that if we’re going to be true disciples, it may bring temporary division. It may even cause temporary pain. But ultimately it could bring the greatest harmony of all.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 

—Matthew 5:15

Scripture:

Matthew 5:15 

When you are living for Jesus Christ, your very presence sometimes will bother others because His light is shining out of you.

You may even try to hide it. But it shouldn’t be that way. Just let His light shine for people to see.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:14–15 NLT).

We’ve all heard the well-worn excuses and the so-called reasons as to why people don’t come to Christ. But here’s the reason that most people don’t come to Him. This, by the way, is according to Jesus Himself: “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (John 3:19 NLT).

The reason people don’t believe is they don’t want their sin exposed. They don’t want to acknowledge their shortcomings. And the more godly a Christian is, the more obviously this will take place just by that believer’s great example.

Jesus went on to say, “All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants” (verses 20–21 NLT).

Few things are harder to put up with than a good example. And when you live it, it really gets people’s attention.

Light not only exposes what the darkness hides, but light also shows the way out. And in the same way, the light that shines from us not only shows people their shortcomings and their sins, but it also shows them the way out. It shows them the way to Jesus Christ.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie