Biblical Compassion,Part 4

Dr. Michael Youssef introducing this episode of Leading the Way Audio. Up next, practical Bible teaching from Dr. Michael Youssef and his program known across six continents as Leading the Way.

Jonah and the great fish is often used as a fun lesson in children's church, but it is highly relatable for all ages for those who call Jesus savior. This tackles the topics of obedience, evangelism, redemption, and life change, which is Dr. Youssef's topic today. And a quick reminder, Leading the Way is listener-supported, meaning it's made possible by God's provision through the generosity of those blessed by Dr. Youssef's teaching and worldwide ministry.

Learn how to stand with Leading the Way at home and around the world when you call us 866-626-4356 or go to ltw.org. Well, let's join Dr. Youssef now with a message from his series called Biblical Compassion. The most difficult part of the Christian life is being an authentic witness for Jesus Christ. Because I want to tell you this day, if you are an authentic witness for Jesus Christ, you'll be praying for the lost. If you are an authentic witness for Jesus Christ, you'll be praising. If you're an authentic witness for Jesus Christ, you'll be going to church. If you're an authentic witness for Jesus Christ, you'll be living a Godly life. Get your authentic witnessing lifestyle in gear and all of your Christian life will get in sync. In the courts of law, an authentic witness standing there, understand, will make a difference between convicting or acquitting a person. I want you to think about the courts of heaven because, my beloved friends, in the courts of heaven an authentic Christian witness can make a difference in a person's eternal life, whether he or she will be in heaven or hell for eternity. Do you see the enormity of the task?

Now there's more. Being an authentic witness for Jesus Christ, you are doing the one thing that is nearest and dearest to the heart of Jesus. The one ministry that is dearest and nearest to the heart of Jesus is a ministry of witnessing and bringing the lost to Christ. Listen, I understand we can fellowship all we want, we can educate, we can teach, we can entertain, we can sing, we can dance, we can feed and close, we can go on retreats, we can go on conferences and we can go into in-depth Bible studies and I'm all for that.

I'm all for it and I'm not minimizing it one bit but I want to tell you this day that if you do all of this and you are not involved in witnessing for Jesus Christ and making disciples for Jesus Christ, you are not doing the thing, the one thing that is dearest and nearest to the heart of Jesus. The question is this, if witnessing is the dearest and the nearest to the heart of Jesus, why is it very difficult? Let me tell you something, I know it's difficult for me and I know it's difficult for all of us. Why is it then it's most difficult?

Well I'm glad you want to know because I really want to tell you. Because it's precisely the one thing you do, the one thing you do that Satan hates the most. It is the one ministry that Satan will pull all the stops to keep you from doing. It is the one thing that Satan will do everything possible to discourage you from doing. It is the one ministry that Satan will work his hardest to hinder you from doing. And I want to submit to you today and that's a strong word but listen to it with the spirit that it is given, that if you have given up on the lifestyle of witnessing, the lifestyle because witnessing is a lifestyle, it is not going out pulling people by their lapel and say repent, no, that's not our faith because Jesus does the converting, we do the witnessing. If you have given up on the witnessing lifestyle, I want to submit to you this day that you are delighting Satan. Strong words but you know that I'm telling you the truth from the scripture. Now some of you are probably saying, man, he's putting me on a guilt trip. Now if you think that I'm putting you on a guilt trip, you are absolutely right.

It's exactly what I'm doing. But it is my prayer and the prayer of my heart that guilt will not remain guilt because it will turn out to be a false guilt but guilt will lead you to repentance and repentance will lead you to action. That is the cry and the prayer of my heart. Authentic witnessing for Jesus Christ is what the world is longing for. Authentic witnesses for our salvation is what the world is looking for. It is what's going to bring conviction to sinners to repent. Authentic witnessing for the forgiveness of God in our lives is what will bring revival to this land. People talk about revival, talk about revival all you want until you are and living a life of an authentic witness for Jesus Christ, revival will not come. Authentic witnessing must begin with authentic repentance.

It must begin with an authentic change in life. And that my beloved friends is what the world is longing to see. Sadly today there are so many preachers and evangelists and organizations who are running around and saying all you need to do to be a Christian just add Jesus to the list of your friends. What a pathetic expression of the Christian faith.

So today we look around and what do we see? We see an adulterer does not forsake his adultery, he just becomes a Christian adulterer. We see a homosexual does not forsake his homosexuality, he just becomes a Christian homosexual. We just see an abortionist who would not forsake the blood shedding, he just becomes a Christian abortionist. We see this honest businessman who does not forsake his dishonesty, he just becomes a dishonest Christian. We see a drunk who does not forsake his drunkenness, he just becomes a drunk Christian. Let me tell you something, and God is my witness in what I'm telling you, probably this more than anything as I look across the land and I see what's going on in the land, I literally weep tears before God. Because that's how the world is perceiving Christians and no wonder they call us hypocrites.

It is no wonder that we're not making a dent in society. When you look at the life of Jonah, you will understand the power of witnessing. In fact most people when they get to chapter 2 and they focus on the miracle of Jonah's survival in the belly of that great fish and that's where they stop. They don't go on to chapter 3 to find a far, far, far greater miracle than Jonah's survival. For the Ninevites to be converted is like Hitler and Mussolini become evangelists.

Understand that. These were vicious people, archeology tells us that the Ninevites were the most vicious people on the face of the earth. For the Ninevites to be converted was a miracle of all miracles, don't miss it. And that is why Jesus said that there is unspeakable joy in heaven when one sinner repents. And that is why, beloved friends, God wants his children to be witnesses for him. If you haven't already turned to Jonah chapter 3, please turn to it and follow with me as we continue in this incredible little book and yet it has blessed my own life in so many ways. Jonah chapter 3, I want you to look for three things in this particular chapter. Number one, that God always pursues his witness.

He always pursues his witness. The second thing I want you to see is that God always empowers his witness. And thirdly, God always uses and blesses his faithful witness. What do I mean by God pursues his faithful witness? Well, I want you to look at the first two verses of chapter 3, verses 1 and 2. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, underline that in your Bibles, will you?

Just underline it. Saying, arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I'm going to give to you. The second time. Let me ask you this, does God always give us a second chance?

You can bet on it. God always gives us a second chance. It is his nature to give us a second chance and a third chance and a fourth chance and a fifth chance. It is his character to give us another chance.

That's who God is. He will call us again and again and again. Every time we blow it and make a mess of things and we come back to him in repentance and in faith and in genuine turning away, what does he do? He does not only forgive us, but he renews our call to be his witnesses yet again. Why does God forgive you? Why does God forgive me again and again and again?

Why does he do that? I want to tell you why, because every time you blow it like Jonah did, every time you try to get away from him, whether physically or mentally or emotionally, every time you try to get out of his will, every time you go your own way, every time you want to be in control and you blow it, every time you ignore his call upon your life, every time you block your ears to hearing his voice and then you repent, God is teaching you, he is teaching me through his forgiveness of us that in our stubbornness, that in our rebellion, he holds out forgiveness not only to us, but to your neighbors, to your co-workers, to your boss, to your children, to your parents, to your brothers and sisters, to your clients, to everybody in the world. That's why he forgives us.

He forgives us so that we might understand that he is holding forgiveness for others. Jonah's own experience in and out of the belly of the fish, Jonah's own experience taught him something is so important. It taught him something about the forgiving nature of God. It taught him something about the forgiving character of God that he could never forget.

Jonah's own experience is a very loud shout saying, look at me. Forgiveness and restoration are possible even to those who stubbornly turn away from God, even to those who disobey him. Forgiveness and restoration is possible even to those who take things in their own hands and make a mess of things. Forgiveness and restoration are possible even to those who turn a deaf ear to the voice of God and a blind eye to the will of God. Forgiveness is possible. Oh my beloved friends, God, yes, pursues his witness.

He really does. But he also empowers his witness. Look at verse 4, chapter 3, then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk and he cried out and said, yet 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown. Very brief and right to the point. But what's the difference?

Well, there's 40 days, 40 weeks, 40 months or 40 years. A person who is without Jesus Christ is going to hell whether it doesn't matter how long he's going to live or she's going to live. It's the same testimony that is yours and mine. Yet a period of time and you will be in hell suffering for eternity, turn to the living God. Just as he forgave my sins, just as he forgave my rebellion, just as he forgave my stubbornness he can forgive you too. I know some people think that what you need is a 10-year course in apologetics before they can witness.

Forget it. Some people think, man, what you need is to be eloquent, unarticulate. Some people think you've got to read two dozen books before you begin to witness.

Let me tell you something. To be a witness for Jesus Christ all you need to do is to have is an authentic, real, born again experience. To be an authentic witness for Jesus Christ all you need to have is a genuine, repentant experience. To be an authentic witness for Jesus Christ all you need to know is that you have been forgiven your sins past, your sins present, your sins future, have been forgiven at the cross of Calvary when Christ died a substitutionary death for you on the cross. That's all you need. Simply put, our witness is this.

I was a sinner heading for hell but Jesus forgave my sins and now he's taking me to heaven. That's it. Can't get simpler than that. I want you to hear me right on this one because I don't want you to misunderstand me. This is very important. When the emphasis in witnessing and evangelism, when the emphasis is on the techniques, when the emphasis is on marketing, when the emphasis is on drama, when the emphasis is on methodology, when the emphasis is on programs, when the emphasis is on formula and the rest of it, I want to tell you something, when the person is converted who gets the glory?

The methodology, the program. When you stay on your knees and when you simply give a simple witness of the account for the hope that is lying within you, God gets the glory. God gets the glory. Here Jonah has a message, very simple, 40 days, Ninevites, 40 days and you'll be history. How simple and how profound unless you repent. When God equips his witnesses and he has equipped every one of us, is he forgiven you? He has equipped you.

When God equips his witness, God is all that you need, period. Look at the results of Jonah's simple message in verses five and six, incredible results. Not only did people immediately respond but even the pagan, notorious, wicked king, he humbled himself before the Lord. Look at his words. I mean I want you to imagine, you cannot understand the wickedness of this guy.

I mean he is not just wicked and violent and unrighteous and atheist and proud and luxuriant Ninevite and imagine him sitting on a pile of ashes with sackcloth which is a mark of humility and brokenness before God at the time. In fact archeology tells us that Nineveh was a huge city by that time standard. It was a very powerful city. It was a very wealthy city. It was very materialistic city. It had walls that were a hundred feet high. The walls were so thick, so wide that three chariots can travel side by side on top of that wall. They were powerful people.

We're not talking some small villages somewhere. These were powerful people. But when God equips you and he has, when God sends you and he has, that's all you need. It doesn't matter who you're witnessing to, rich or poor, powerful or weak, it doesn't make any difference. God not only pursues his witness, God not only equips his witness but God blesses. He blesses and uses his witness. God always blesses the faithful proclamation. It may take time but he always will.

Why? Because he promised so, that he will bless the labor of your hand and the fruit of your proclamation. And I want to tell you, listen to me please. We talk about revival. We pray for a revival and I pray for a revival.

I don't see a revival in this country as far as I can see. We have a lot of emotionalism going in different places, I'm not seeing real revival where people truly, lives are changed in the kind of revival that I long to see, that you long to see. But I want to tell you today that for a revival to take place, true preaching of the word must always proceed.

Read it in history books. Where the Welsh revival and revival in the northeastern revival always preceded by the true proclamation of the word of God. And listen to me, today with our watered down messages, messages that are pasteurized and homogenized and synthesized, that have been preached from many a pulpit today, is making people not only nauseous but numb. The pseudopsychology and the poppsychology that is preached from many a pulpit today is numbing people toward the truth. Half truths that are coming from many a pulpit today are inoculating people against the urgency of the true gospel message. Some English evangelists said, what we have behind the pulpit today, not prophets but puppets, but an indictment.

Beloved friend, let me tell you, no matter how simple the message is, as long as it is the truth of the word of God, God will bless it. You have God's own word on it. Look at the incredible blessing that came upon the Ninevites as a result of hearing the true word of God. As soon as they heard, they responded, not just believing, anybody can believe, but they acted upon their belief, they did something. There is no, listen to this one, there is no true belief without corresponding action.

I can claim all I want. I can claim to be a Christian, I can claim to be a spirit-filled Christian, I can claim to be a spirit, spirit, spirit-filled Christian, I can claim all the other claims, but if my life and my action does not match, forget it, they're not going to make any dent in people's lives. Look at verse 8, see what the Ninevite king said, he said that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence in his hands. If the sin of self-indulgence is your sin. If the sin of pride is your sin. If the sin of stealing God's money is your sin. If the sin of selfishness is your sin. If the sin of lacking in love toward others is your sin. If sin of materialism and greed is your sin.

If the sin of laziness is your sin, whatever it may be, give it up, repent of it and watch how God can use your witness, how God is going to bless your witness and those around you. You're listening to Dr. Michael Youssef on this episode of Leading the Way. Learn more about Dr. Youssef and the ministry impact around the world at ltw.org. Can you feel it, that pull in your heart for something more, something better, something right, a deep-seated ache that tells you the world isn't as it should be? Not yet. Can you hear it? It's the sound of thousands crying out on their knees, the sound of a people looking to the skies, of watchers on the wall, the sound of hearts crying out to the Father, voices lifted to a God, strong and courageous and mighty to save. Can you hear the call? Hundreds of thousands already have and they're joining a movement, a mission, a vision of a country transformed by the love and truth of Jesus, a bedrock belief that trust in something more for this broken world, a movement to awaken this great nation.

Can you see it? Awake America. Learn more about Awake America when you call us, 866-626-4356. That's 866-626-4356 and our website, ltw.org, ltw.org. And a shout out to our postal carriers. We appreciate them bringing us all of your wonderful cards and notes. You can write to us at Leading the Way, Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325. That's Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325. Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef is impacting lives with the gospel across six continents in 28 languages. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and more.