Greg Laurie - A Rush of Hope - Part 1

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TOPICS: Hope

Our life is like a movie. It has a beginning middle, and end, full of surprises, the twists and turns, the storm clouds of darkness, but beauty and light still exists. We all have questions about this movie that we're in. Is this movie a tragedy? Is it a love story? Is it a comedy, even? Do we win in the end? I'm Greg Laurie, and my story has followed all the plot twists of the greatest movies. We see ourselves in these stories. I'm gonna take you on a journey through three incredible movies. You'll hear from some of my favorite artists. So join me as we explore the meaning of life and what happens after we die. We all need a rush of hope.

Mass unemployment, a pandemic, social unrest. It seems like hatred is at an all-time high, and you might ask, "Has it ever been like this before"? The Bible says, "There's nothing new under the sun". Racism, anger, frustration, division, hatred, it's always been with us. So what is the answer? A close parallel to our time was in the late '60s, early '70s, and the epicenter of racial tension was Alabama. Schools were using forced busing. The governor called for segregation. The students and football team of Woodlawn High School, they were at each other's throats.

But something unusual happened: God showed up. Not only did it bring the team together, they started winning games too, and a star was born. The coach was very suspicious of his players getting religion, but the more he observed, the more he realized that their lives have been changed by God. Racial divides came down. They were coming together. They were a family. That coach realized it was because of the newfound faith of his football team that this happened.

Tandy Gerelds: Can I say a few words, please, sir?

Preacher: Come on in.

Tandy Gerelds: I wanted to come here today because my team, almost my entire team, they gave themselves to love, a love that began to conquer hatred. But I want whatever my players have. I believe, and I wanna be baptized.

Ultimately, the whole town was moved, and people prayed together even before football games. A spiritual awakening had started in the epicenter of racial unrest, and guess what? That's what happens when God shows up. We need God to show up in America right now. We need to talk to each other. We need to forgive each other. We need to pray for each other. Our country is at a crossroads, and what we need right now is a rush of hope.

You know, hope, it seems to be in short supply these days, doesn't it? A famous cardiologist wrote these words, quote, "Hope is the medicine I use more than any other. Hope can cure nearly anything" end quote. Let me ask you a question: Do you find yourself without hope for your life, for your future? It's been said that man can live 40 days without food, about 3 days without water, about 8 minutes without air, but only 1 second without hope. I have hope for the nation. I have hope for our world, and I have hope for you.

Let me tell you another story now about a boy who had no hope at all. Young Bart Millard was a dreamer. And so often is the case, he retreated to his imaginary world to escape the one he was born into, but his father, Arthur, was an angry, abusive man. Arthur Millard's personal dreams of being a successful football player had been shattered, and he didn't want young Bart to have any dreams of his own. Add to this, the fact that Bart's mother walked out on him. Little Bart Millard was left alone with his abusive father.

Bart Millard: Mama, mama? Where's Mama?

Arthur Millard: She's gone.

Bart Millard: Gone where?

Arthur Millard: She ran off. She ain't coming back. Just you and me now.

Bart Millard: When will she be back?

Arthur Millard: I told you, she run off. She don't want me no more, and she don't want you neither.

Bart Millard: What did you do?

Arthur Millard: Are you bowin' up on me, boy?

Bart Millard: You hurt her, didn't you? You hurt her like you hurt me!

Arthur Millard: Hey, listen! That's what I did... nothing! She didn't leave because of me.

Bart Millard: I'm sorry, Mom! What did I do? Take me. Mom, please, no!

Despite his father's discouragement, Bart never stopped dreaming. He left home and fulfilled his personal aspirations to become a professional musician and formed a successful band called "MercyMe". It had been years since Bart had seen his dad, so he decided to return home for a visit. Unbeknownst to Bart, Arthur Millard had his life dramatically changed and was trying to make things right with his son, Bart, and he knew he had hurt so badly.

Arthur Millard: If God can forgive everybody else, why can't he forgive me?

Bart Millard: God can forgive you. I can't. I can't believe I came back here.

Arthur Millard: Can't you give me a chance?

Bart Millard: No! You just gotta give up on that dream, Dad, 'cause it keeps you from this, from knowing what's real.

As Bart tried to drive away, he suddenly realized what had happened to his dad. Arthur Millard was dying of cancer and wanted to make things right with his son. It was time for Bart to forgive and show some compassion to a broken man.

Arthur Millard: I was listening Bart. I was listening to you on the radio 'cause you'd sing and I'd listen to every word, and son, you'd finish, and then I'd listen to what they were talking about there at church. That's what saved me. I was real proud of you, was real proud. And you, you have a gift, real gift. Go chase your dream, and I want you to catch it.

Bart Millard: All I ever wanted was my dad to change. You know, it's, I think, all I've ever wanted was his approval and just to be proud of me, even as a kid. But you know, you can only be hurt so many times, and so to get in that moment to see change taking place, it was like, "I don't buy it, I don't buy," 'cause, just, I had my guard up, you know? And like, I'm not sitting here because of somebody's amazing sermon. I'm here because, like, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt there's no way that my dad can be changed. Like, that was a part of my life, that it's, just, this is the way that it is, and I need to survive. And I know there are people out there that think the same thing: "Well, you don't know my situation. There's no way. Like, I've written it off like there's no hope and that God's never gonna intervene". And what's crazy is, the moment that he does, you will never, ever, ever be the same. No matter how people try to convince you otherwise, it becomes unwavering and once I'd realize that, yes, my father is truly transforming from a monster into the dad and the man that I've always wanted him to become, man, it sunk in, in a huge way, to where it's still the man and father that I wanna be when I grow up, I guess.

Bart said, "I guess I grew up thinking that, if the gospel could change that guy, it could change anybody. There was no denying it". Bart described his story as a rush of hope, and Bart wrote a song about it, called "I Could Only Imagine".

So I have one more story to tell you. This one's a love story. Two young people found each other, and their names were Jeremy and Melissa. Melissa was at a concert when she first laid her eyes on the man she would marry. And it was love at first sight, especially when Jeremy pulled out his guitar and began to sing. Melissa knew, "This is the one," for her. And if the story ended here, it would be just perfect like a fairy tale, and they lived happily ever after. But life is not a fairy tale, is it? Tragically, Melissa found out that she had cancer. With faith in God, Melissa and Jeremy fought it together, and they believed that God would heal her, but things sadly went from bad to worse.

Greg: Well, Jeremy, at the age of 21, your wife Melissa went to heaven. She died tragically of cancer. And then, years after that, my son Christopher died in an automobile accident. It connected us in a different way because, you know, we experienced tragedy firsthand, but the Lord gave you this amazing song "I Still Believe," which has touched people literally around the world. It's an amazing story of how God can work in the midst of tragedy.

Jeremy: Amen.

Greg: Jeremy, I know this is hard to talk about, but after Melissa died, you went through a hard time of depression, didn't you?

Jeremy: Yeah, I mean, reality was I actually thought for sure she was gonna be healed.

Jeremy: I remember I prayed and prayed in this room for Josh to be born healthy. It didn't happen. And you prayed for so long for your ministry... still, nothing.

Jeremy: And so I went through a time of, you know, really, even though I said I still believe, that still was there, but I still questioned, "God, are you good? God, do you care about me in that deep, intimate way"?

Jeremy: Dad, I begged God to heal Melissa. What am I supposed to do with that?

Jeremy: And so there was times I threw my Bible across the room, times of just being angry and upset. It was reality because I really thought that God let me down.

Tom Camp: Are you asking if Josh's disabilities were disappointing? Yes, they are. Did I have big dreams that didn't come true? Sure. Do I understand why Melissa isn't here anymore? No, son, I don't. I'm sorry. But I know my life is full. I feel rich, and I'm proud of this family. Honestly, at the time, I didn't agree with what you did. I didn't understand it. You chose willingly to walk into the fire with her, right beside her, all the way till the end. But then, that's exactly what I would do for your mom and you boys. That's what love is. And I got to watch my son do that for his wife. That was a privilege. I don't know the answers to your questions, but I do know this: If my life is not full in spite of the disappointments, it's full because of them.

Jeremy: You know, what's amazing about the Lord is that he's so long-suffering because it wasn't like he was sayin', "Okay, get over it. I'm here. I'll take care of you". He met me where I was, and I felt like that every little step I took, if I didn't feel I could take a big step, I would take a little baby step. It's "I got you, I got you," and I think that, for me, you know, all the promises in God's Word became even more real to me. I think about Melissa when she was in the hospital, and I walked in for the first time when we found out she had cancer, and she said to me, you know, "I've been sitting here thinking that, if my life affects one person, and one person's life is changed because of what I go through if I die, it's all worth it". And you know, when I look at that and I think about how she can say that, it's because she knew Jesus, and so she knew the assurance that she was gonna be in heaven so that, if her life can even lead one person to Jesus, it's all worth it.