A rather pointed question from Dr. Michael Youssef to begin this episode of Leading the Way. When was the last time you asked God, God, what is it you want me to do? There are many people afraid to ask that question because they don't want to hear what God tells them. God, what do you want me to do? God, it's what you want, not what I want. God is what you name, not what I name.
God is what you claim, not what I claim. I'm just obedient servant. King David lived a life like few others. He experienced seasons of personal joy and national success.
But life also brought times of darkness and tragedy. Today on Leading the Way, Dr. Youssef takes you to a time in David's life when humility was on the menu. And by looking into his experience during this time, you too will be challenged to live a Spirit-filled life of obedience. This quick reminder that there's only a short time remaining for you to participate in this month's giving challenge.
You can call us at 866-626-4356, or you can visit ltw.org. Join others who also want to be a part of taking the Gospel to the nations. Right now, though, here's Dr. Michael Youssef with a message from his series called Living Generously on Leading the Way. Please turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 24 verse 24. David said, I will not offer unto the Lord that which cost me nothing. Now, I just want to remind you again, the series of messages not about money.
The heart and the core of the series of messages is not about money. The questions that we're going to see throughout this series is how much do I love God? And if I love God, how do I show my love for God? How is my love for God manifesting itself?
By giving him the left over and the unwanted or by giving him the first fruit and the best. Now, if you have 2 Samuel already open in front of you, I want you to follow with me because I'm going to give you a whole lot of history in succinct few sentences. King David of Israel, a man of whom the Bible said that he is his heart after God's own heart.
Something was never said of anybody else. A man who as a shepherd boy experienced such intimacy with God like very few people have. David as a young man, close with the power of God and the strength of God, he goes on and slayed the giant who terrorized the people of God day after day after day. David, the man who wrote these wonderful, magnificent, comforting and encouraging psalms, that David, the royal King David, messed up royally. I think most people, even non-church people know how David messed up royally with Bathsheba in adultery and killing her husband Uriah.
But that's not the only time that he messed up royally. And every time he messes up, he comes back in tears and cries to the Lord in brokenness and asks the Lord for forgiveness. This time, the way David messed up is that he got up one day, his heart was full of pride, full of pride. A little shepherd boy, look how far he came.
He was the runt of the family, now he is on the throne of Israel. Look how far he came and he began to view with pride his success. He began to view with pride his strength, began to view with pride his prosperity and how far he came and where he came from.
He began to view with pride how far from a shepherd boy to now being a powerful man. And he said, let's number the people. He said, what's wrong with numbering? I mean, corporations have numbers and even some churches number everybody numbers. I mean, the numbers are neutral.
Ah, listen carefully. The Bible makes it very clear that in numbering of the people this time, David was not doing it for the honor of God or obedience to God, but he was doing it out of prideful heart. He was doing it out of wanting bragging rights. And God's judgment upon David's pride and disobedience was so severe that he began to cry to the Lord again, recognizing his sin and what caused that sin caused the disaster upon the very people that he was taking pride in, that he cried to God.
Verse 10 of 2 Samuel 24, David's heart smote him after numbering the people. I love that old English word. Hear me right, please. Every sensitive believer who is listening to me here or around the world knows what I'm talking about. They know exactly how being smitten in our hearts as a result of sin it feels like.
I certainly do. But the most important things when your heart smites you is to immediately repent and turn to the Lord. It's no use rationalizing it or covering it up. And that's exactly what David did. Same verse, verse 10. David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly.
Beloved, who of us who have not experienced that? If God's people who are filled with pride or self-importance or self-satisfaction or self-deception or self-delusion, who are filled with indifference toward the will of God and the mind of God and the work of God and the plan of God, if my people humble themselves, how? Just like David did, repenting of their sin by coming clean before God and say, I have sinned. Forgive me.
If God's people begin to do that across the land and churches all across America, we would have one of the greatest revivals of all times. I have sinned greatly, said David. I plea with you, Lord, take away my iniquity. I have done a very foolish thing. Let me tell you a fact that this kind of repentance brings joy to the heart of God.
But we can't stop here. David did not stop here. And when David said, Forgive me, he got up and proved that he truly repented. How?
How? What evidence of repentance did he produce? Well, let me interrupt myself just for a few minutes here.
Okay, I want to interrupt myself before I answer the question of what evidence did he give. I've heard people through the years, Oh, brother Michael, I don't know why my prayer not effective. My prayers are not being answered. My prayers are not being answered. All my prayers have no power with God. Sometimes I feel that God is just not listening to me anymore.
You can find the answer no further than in this passage. Here's the answer in this incident with David. As a matter of fact, 1st John chapter 3, 22 tells us, When we truly come clean with God, we receive from him whatever we ask. Now, a lot of preachers love the last part, he'll give us whatever we ask, and they leave the first part. Really?
How come? Because when you want to please God so much, when your life is dedicated to pleasing God, when you want to put God first and foremost, his honor, his will, and his desire for you to be first and foremost in your life, you will be asking whatever pleases God. And because you're asking what pleases God, God is going to give it to you. Psalm 66 18, If I keep a sin in my heart, God will not hear me.
And Peter, later on in chapter 3 of 1st Peter, he says, When husband and wife's relationship is out of kilter, God does not hear our prayer, does not answer prayer. And people walking around and wondering why God is not answering their prayer, and they're keeping roots of bitterness in their heart. Do you know why the Bible talks about roots of bitterness, not the fruit of bitterness? Because the fruit can be seen by everybody. Certainly can be seen by the person.
But the reason it's so root, because it's below the surface. Not only other people don't see it, but even you sometimes can fool yourself about it. When you're carrying bitterness, when you're carrying grudges, God will not hear and answer your prayers. God is not going to bless your ministry. If I keep a sin in my heart, God will not hear me. That tragedy of our generation is so many preachers are preaching the opposite of the word of God.
They say whatever you want, all you need to do is you name that, then you claim that, and it's yours. That's not what the Bible said. My Bible doesn't say that. My Bible said that if I please the Lord first and foremost, if I come clean with God on a regular basis, then he will grant me what I'm praying for.
Now I'll give you the answer as to why after grieving over his sin and repenting of his sin, David proceeded to provide evidence of his repentance. He says, Lord, okay, I will do whatever you ask me to do. When was the last time you asked God, God, what is it you want me to do? There are many people afraid to ask that question because they don't want to hear what God tells them. God, what do you want me to do? God, it's what you want, not what I want. God is what you name, not what I name. God is what you claim, not what I claim.
I'm just obedient servant. The Bible said that a broken and contrite heart God will not despise. So God responds to David's repentance and genuine seeking to do the will of God and obey God and honor God.
He sent him a messenger by the name of Gad. Verse 18, 2 Samuel 24, Gad comes to him and he said, go up and build an altar to the Lord. That's what God is asking for.
Why is that so important? From David's point of view, he's proving the evidence or the fruit of his repentance to God. But from God's point of view, this is important, from God's point of view, he wanted David to know that he forgave him and restored him. He restored David to peace with God.
He is restoring him his joy of his salvation. Question, where was the altar to be built? He said, was that important? Oh, it is very important.
You'll understand now. It is very important why the choice of place for the altar, where the altar is to be built, it's very important. It was in no other place other than Mount Moriah. He said, well, what's the big deal about Mount Moriah?
Listen carefully. It was there on that Mount Moriah where God appeared to Abraham and he said, when he's about to offer his son Isaac, and God said to him, don't you lay a finger on that boy. God appeared to Abraham and he said, I will provide myself a sacrifice.
I now know that you have a heart of obedience. And then Abraham called that place Yahweh Yara in Hebrew. You know it as Jehovah Jireh.
Can you say that with me? Jehovah Jireh, the Lord provides. He provided the sacrifice. You see the word Moriah, if you just even mouth it a few times, you found that its root comes from Yara, the Hebrew word for provision or provider. Moriah appeared to be the place of God's sovereign grace. Moriah is always connected with God's provision and grace and mercy. Moriah is always connected with God's peace with man. Moriah is connected with God's blessing upon repented sinners. Moriah is connected with obedience to God. Moriah is connected with God's own sacrificing his son, for it wasn't but thousand years from the time of David that on that same Mount Moriah, the son of God hung there on that cross.
It's a place of grace and provision and mercy. For there, God sacrificed his one and only son. There on Mount Moriah, God paid the punishment of your sin and mine. There on Mount Moriah, he redeemed everyone who would come to him, believing in him, surrendering to him. There on Mount Moriah, he offered salvation to every person who would cry out and say, Lord save me. Magnificent picture.
Magnificent picture. On that Mount Moriah, where Jehovah Jireh, Yahweh Jireh, he is your provider, he is your blesser, he is your peace, he is your confidence, he is your savior, he is the source of all power and strength, he is your everything. Beloved, if God is to respond to our petition, we better respond to his precepts. Someone may say, and I know that, because it was said to me one time, a few years ago, Michael, I'm not really faithful with my time and my giving to the Lord my resources, I'm really, you know, but I'll keep on being blessed. God is not, stop blessing me. Oh, you better stop, stop, stop, stop if you're thinking that way, because if you are misinterpreting God's patience, if you're misinterpreting God's perseverance, if you're misinterpreting God's graciousness, for take it and think that you got away with it, think again, please. Like some preacher said years ago, payday is someday.
Payday is someday. And just because God is patient, and he's waiting, and persevering, doesn't mean you got away with it. Grace was the experience of both Abraham and David, and is your experience. Grace is what you and I experienced from Mount Moriah, or called Mount Calvary, on that cross. God called Abraham to Mount Moriah, not only so that Abraham would give proof of his faith and obedience, but that God may give Abraham a proof of his working grace, which was fully revealed.
Nearly 2,000 years after Abraham, later on the cross, where God did not spare his only begotten son, but delivered him up for us. In David going to Mount Moriah, God was not just revealing his work of grace, and clearly forgiving him, and wiping the slate clean, and restoring him. But he is saying to every repentant sinner, that I'll do the same for you, I'll do the same for me. He does the same for everyone. Every repentant sinner receives forgiveness at his head.
But he also restored David to a place of honor and blessing. But you know, even if we stop here, you miss out a whole lot of great stuff. So you can't stop here. You got to keep going. There's more to come.
There's more to come. David comes to Mount Moriah with the attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for forgiving him. He was so filled with thanksgiving and praise for the mercy of God, and the grace of God manifested to him in forgiving of his sin. And in that same spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving, every believer in Jesus Christ gives and offers sacrifices to God in whichever time, through talent and treasure, but live that life of generosity, not because it is the law, not because you can buy God, who can buy your salvation, you can't in a million years.
But out of gratitude and thanksgiving and saying, thank you for saving me. And so he comes up to build an altar. But there was a little problem. And not quite little, actually.
It was a big problem. That spot now is owned by an unbeliever, by a pagan, Gentile. Verse 21, Aaronah. He owns a threshing floor, on which David is to build an altar to the Lord. And Aaronah sees the great king of Israel with his entourage, man, descending up to that hill. And David says, I want this land, I want to build an altar to the Lord. And the man says, your majesty, your majesty, it's all yours, take it, take it, it's all free. Not only that, I'm going to throw in the oxen, I'm going to throw in the wood, I'm going to throw in everything that you need for the sacrifice to your God. Isn't that wonderful? Kindness of an unbeliever, generosity of an unbeliever.
Beloved, listen to me please. When God works out his purposes, he always works both ends of the line. But here's where you see David's heart of love for God. You see his gratitude. He's absolutely filled with thanksgiving. He was filled with praise to God for his forgiveness.
He is absolutely delighted for God that he forgave his sins. And you see that heart, I told you this series is not about money, it's about your love for God, how much you love God. David is not about to offer his thanksgiving to the Lord on the cheap.
A lot of people like to worship God on the cheap. A gracious heart will not serve the Lord in words only, but in action. Beloved, generosity is not a list of rules that come from on high. Don't ever make that mistake.
It's not a list of rules that come from on high. Generosity is not just a financial principle. Generosity is your response to the love of God, is your thanksgiving for his love. When our hearts are aligned with the Father's heart, you will respond in love and generosity.
See, money is only an indication. It's just an indication of the level of your love and gratitude to the Father. That's all it is. And so David responds to this non-believer in this magnificent verse, which is my verse and I hope it's become your verse, 2 Samuel 24, 24, I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God, burnt offerings that cost me nothing. What is David saying?
Do you know what he's saying? Nothing is too good for God. Nothing. For he gave me everything. And therefore, I withhold nothing from him. In the last message, we saw a poor widow who said in effect, nothing is too good for my God.
And then she gave him everything she had. These words of David, they really strike a blow at the phony way in which so many professing Christians in our generation practice their Christianity. No wonder David could say in Psalm 30 verses 6 and 7, when I felt secure, I said I will never be shaken.
Oh Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm. Now I don't know about you. I know a lot about me.
More than I want to know. I don't know what pride is filling your heart. Is it the pride of success? The pride of achievement? The pride of accomplishment? Pride of accumulation? Is it the pride of net worth? You only can answer that.
Nobody can answer it for you. Is it a pride of knowledge? Take your pick. Whatever causes you pride that is raking havoc in your life and stopping the blessing of God from flowing into your life, today you can absolutely, absolutely wipe the slate clean. Amen? Whatever that is holding you back from giving generously to the Lord all of yourself, repent of it. Repent of it today. God can literally push a real restart button.
Then prove the evidence of your repentance by saying Lord, what would you have me do regardless of my goal? A challenge to eradicate points of pride in your life. This is Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yousaf. Continuing a series of messages called Living Generously. Encouragement to live with your hands and your heart open.
An enthusiastic obedience to know and seek God. Need to talk with someone about spiritual things? Reach out to the Leading the Way pastors and counselors by filling out a short form at ltw.org slash Jesus. Now in the last few moments of today's episode, allow me to share a way that God is using Leading the Way and Dr. Michael Yousaf to reach many with the message of the gospel. Dr. Yousaf has recorded pointed commercials that are seen on various television networks all across the nation and they direct people to speak to Leading the Way pastors and counselors about Jesus. Expanding these and other outreaches to touch those who don't have a biblical worldview is key to what Leading the Way is all about. And that's why we invite you to participate in this month's Giving Challenge and the Open Door Campaign. We hope you'll consider standing with Dr. Yousaf today. Know that each dollar given will help Leading the Way passionately proclaim uncompromising truth, moving into 2025 and the next seasons of ministry.
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