On this episode of Leading the Way Audio, more words of encouragement from Dr. Michael Youssef. For us, who are living in one of the most discouraging days we ever lived in, what do we do now? For those of us who are facing ferocious enemy today, what do you do now?
For those of us who are feeling uncertain and apprehensive, what do we do now? Thank God His Word has the answer. Recently, Dr. Youssef guided his church into a life-changing study of Haggai. And today on Leading the Way, you are invited to listen to this timely message, because the words in this Old Testament book speak directly into questions and concerns that we're experiencing today in what are very often discouraging days. This is a message Dr. Youssef has called the God who encourages us. You'll quickly welcome God's peace and strength into your life as you hear how His Word speaks directly into the uncertainty, fear, and anxieties of today, leading to healing and strength directly from God and His Word. Listen, and let's be encouraged together through this episode of Leading the Way. In times like these, God's people must only go to God and His Word for an answer. We must hear the Word of God loud and clear for His children from Haggai. Be strong, be courageous, be proactive in witnessing, be not afraid, do not cease in prayer, be totally trusting in God's plan for your life. Why is that?
Why is that? Because God deeply cares about everyone of His children. He deeply cares for everyone whom He has redeemed with His own precious blood.
We're not redeemed by gold or silver or some earthly wealth, but we're redeemed by something far more precious than this whole world, the blood of Jesus. And today I want to talk to you about the God who encourages us, the God who encourages us in the midst of this discouragement in life. Make no mistake about it, Satan's number one tool against the believers is the spirit of discouragement, the spirit of discouragement, but he will not succeed. Beloved, I can tell you right now, and you can take this to the bank, courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is fear that is smothered in prayer.
Courage is fear smothered in prayer. Turn with me to Haggai chapter 2, looking at verses 4 and 5, in fact I'm going to get to the whole rest of the chapter very briefly, but those are the two verses I want you to underline in your Bibles. God is encouraging the very discouraged remnant of His. He's encouraging the remnant who had just returned from exile by the prophet Haggai.
Hear me right, please. I believe with all my heart, this is a word from the Lord for every one of us who are discouraged today. At that time in history, I always put it in historical context, in that time in history, they have just returned from exile in Babylon, and they were moving forward, and they were making plans, they were trying to do the work of God as well as their own work, and then the economy collapsed, and the people lost hope, and they began to experience frustration and discouragement. And as a matter of fact, many historians have agreed, this is just across the board, they have agreed that really history is made up of some key events, just key events that take place, and otherwise a kind of an undistinguished continuation of life, a human life. Now, if these historians are correct, I can tell you that right now, that history books will look back and say that 2020 will go down in history as one of those key moments in human history.
Key moment, January and February of 2020, we were humming along, just progressing in the humdrum of life, enjoying one of the great economies in the world, we were busy with life's pleasures, we were occupied with making a living, we were just humming along, and wham, all of a sudden that little virus you can't even see with a microscope hit us, and everything changed. This is similar to the time of Haggai. The people of God were pursuing prosperity, they were rebuilding their lives, and the people were kind of getting along fine, and the people of God were experiencing an economic restoration, and wham, all of a sudden they were hit by hopelessness.
In the year 520 BC, 520 BC, God sends a word to this discouraged community, his people, and he sends them a word through the prophet Haggai. In chapter 2 verses 4 and 5, he said to them, he said to the governor, Zerubbabel, he said, be strong Zerubbabel the governor, be strong you Joshua the high priest, be strong you all my people. Now if you're like me, and you hear these words, be strong, you're bound to have asked, God, how can I be strong when uncertainty is all around me? How can I be strong when I missed my graduation? How can be strong when my retirement money has been decimated? How can I be strong if life is never going to turn to normal as they've been telling us? How can I be strong when everyone says we will never see those good old days again? How can I be strong when I've lost my job?
How can I be strong when I cannot pay my bills? You've got to read the second part of verse 4. For I am with you, declares the Lord. This is the only true source of strength.
This is the basic ingredients for strength. This is the secret to encouragement. Listen to me, when you feel alone standing for the truth, the truth of the word of God, I want you to hear those words from the Lord saying to you, I am with you. When you experience doubt, hear the voice of the Lord saying to you, I am with you. Whenever you become wobbly in your trust department, I'm not talking about the bank now, but your trust department, the department of trust in God.
Hear the voice of the Lord saying, I am with you. Be strong, be courageous, for I promise never to leave you nor forsake you. I promise to honor those who honor me. I promise that I am your strong tower in the day of battle. For I promise that in the world you shall have trouble, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. Amen. Amen. Give God glory.
These are his promises. Now, beloved, this is the beauty of God's word. I don't know how anybody can read the word of God and doesn't fall in love with it. This is the beauty of the word of God, because our God is the God who encourages us. Throughout the Bible, you'll see it. God does this again and again and again and again.
Why? Listen to me, because that is part of God's character. In Deuteronomy 31, 6, Moses heard those words of encouragement from the Lord. In Joshua chapter 1, verses 6, 7, and 9, Joshua heard those words of encouragement from the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 28, 20, Solomon heard those words of encouragement from the Lord through his father David. And in the book of Acts, Paul in prison hears those words of encouragement from the Lord. And therefore, in Ephesians 6, 10, he gives those words of encouragement from the Lord to the Ephesians. He said, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. And here, Haggad chapter 2, verses 4 and 5, be strong, O Zerubbabel, be strong, O Joshua. Be strong, all of you, my people.
How? By remembering the presence of the Lord. By remembering the presence of, listen to me, I know experientially, and now all of you do too, how easy it is to forget the presence of the Lord.
So easy, it's so easy. You know, when you get into a muddle, when you get into a prison cell, when you get into a dark place, it's easy to forget that the Lord is with you. What I love about the Lord, I love everything about the Lord. I fall in love with Jesus every day.
The older I get, the more I'm in love with Jesus. What I love about our Lord is he doesn't give us platitudes. He doesn't give us a motivational speech. Just look at the scripture. He does not yell at us like a coach yell at a player and says, you can do it.
Right. Listen, this kind of motivational pep talk is okay for an athlete and young players or somebody who's going to go through a talent show or talent context, and you give them this kind of a pep talk. But God said, be strong, because I am your strength. In his strength, we can be strong. In his power, we can overcome.
But the Word of God tells us something else. It doesn't just tell us not to look back, but it tells us to look forward. Look forward. Look forward. Looking forward to a far greater future, to a far brighter future than you've ever seen before. Look at verses 6 all the way to 9.
I want to read it for you. Verses 6, 7, 8, and 9. This is what the Lord Almighty says in a little while. I will once again shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations. Who's the desire of all nations? Jesus. Jesus.
That's right. And the desire of all nations will come. And I will fill the house with glory, says the Lord Almighty. The silver is mine, the gold is mine, declares the Lord. The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, says the Lord Almighty.
And in this place, I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty. It's a historical fact. Historical fact. Every word of that prophecy was fulfilled within a matter of a few years of the pronouncement of Haggai's prophecy. It was fulfilled.
It was fulfilled completely as it was foretold. For we know, a few years later, the mighty Persian empire collapsed and the Greeks rose and they conquered the known world at that time. Followed by the Romans who followed suit and expanded the Roman empire. And there they made highways connecting the whole known world together. And they paved the way for the birth of the coming, the desire of all nations, the Lord Jesus Christ. And all this road was able to help the disciples and the apostles and the deacons and everyone who were following Jesus. To take the gospel to the ends of the earth, east and west, south and north, everywhere in the world. Fulfilled prophecy. Today, the beloved faithful of Jesus, the elect of all nations, of every tongue and every tribe.
We're not looking backward, we're looking forward. Because soon and very soon, we will be gathered around the throne room of God singing, glory, glory, glory to the Lamb of God. Here, amen, give God glory, get ready for heaven. In fact, the final and the ultimate fulfillment of Haggai's prophecy will soon take place.
This is just a preparation. When the trumpet shall sound and when the shout of the archangels heard on every cell phone in the world. When the Lord himself descend, call his faithful ones to the clouds.
And from every corner of the globe, from Africa, from Asia, from Latin America, from the United States, from Europe, from Australia, from New Zealand. From every corner of the globe, be gathered together in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Listen to me, this global pandemic is God's call for his children, not to look back, but to look up. For the day of redemption is drawing near.
Hear me right, please. These pandemics and the hurricanes and the tsunamis and the earthquakes and the rumblings in the heavens and all of that should be a reminder for all of us who know and love Jesus. Not to get nostalgic over the good old days, no, but cheerfully and joyfully look up and look forward. When the mountains shall fall into the sea, when the elements will melt, the Bible said. When the earth will be shaken like a leaf, when the heavens thunder with power, when the mighty and the powerful will bow down in fear. When those who have persecuted Christian believers will be trembling, when those who have hated God's people will weep blood. When those who have cursed God's anointed Messiah will try to run, but they can't hide. And when those who have mocked him and those who have reviled him and those who have hated him and those who sold their birthright and those who have rejected the truth. And when those who took pride in the denying of Jesus, when those who sought to modify, watered down and compromised God's word, they will be shaken in their core.
Days coming, days coming. Look at verse 9 again. It needs some explanation. Because I need to explain this from the New Testament perspective. Of course, in the context, historically, he was talking about the new house that they're going to build. With God's presence, of course, the coming of Jesus is going to be greater than the early one that was built by Solomon. But from the perspective of the New Testament, from the light of the New Testament, he's saying the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the old house.
What does it mean? It means that the glory of the temple, which is the believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, don't you ever forget you're the temple of the Holy Spirit. That the church of Jesus Christ from every corner of the globe, the elect of God from every corner of God's earth, the body of Christ from all over the world will know more physical glory, but spiritual glory. Now, please don't miss what I'm going to tell you.
It's very important. This glorious picture that the prophet Haggai describes here is fully developed and explained by John, the apostle John in the book of Revelation. There he describes for us how the faithful believers from every tribe, every nation in every language, how they're gathered around the throne room of God, the rejoicing in the presence of God. I don't know about you, I can't wait. But the question in the mind of most of you is this. Okay, Michael, that's fine.
I'm excited. I'm looking forward to the return of the Lord. But for us, who are living in one of the most discouraging days we ever lived in, most discouraging time probably in history, the question is, what do we do now? What do we do now? For those of us who are facing ferocious enemy today, what do you do now?
What do you do now? For those of us who are feeling uncertain and apprehensive, what do we do now? Thank God his word has the answer. And he said, beginning of this day, look at verse 10, this is a dramatic way for God reaching out to the unfaithful believers, the carnal Christians, the compromising believers among his people.
This is a dramatic way for those who have inverted and misplaced priorities in life. For those who are lukewarm in the love and toward the work of the Lord. For those who have contaminated by the world, by those who have one foot in the world and one foot with God. Those who have turned everything upside down like the rest of the world and calling good evil and evil good, he is saying from this day forward, from this day forward. It was the day then, it's the day now, from this day forward. This day, talking about the day of the prophecy which was the 24th day of the ninth month. He is saying that from this day forward, make that to be a day of repentance. Make this to be a day of reconsecration. Make this to be a day of returning back to God. And when you do that, he says God will bless you. And I'm going to explain that blessing right here in verses 15 to 19.
Look it with me. He said please consider, how many times is it consider, consider, consider, consider. Give careful thought to, give careful thought to how, how you live, how you live. And thank God that the people in the days of Haggai took notice of this warning. And the Bible tells us they repented and turned to the Lord with all of their heart. Consider your lifestyle.
Consider your giving pattern. Consider your witnessing call and a call on your life. And then there's a blessing.
Oh, what a blessing it is. The governor who's a representative of all of the people, Zerubbabel, was called a signet ring of God. The signet ring is the most treasured position of the king. Because whenever that signet ring is placed on something, it represents the authority of the king. And when he said you're my signet ring, you're my signet ring because in the New Testament all of God's people are prophets and priests.
And that signet ring was so precious to the king, he would wear it either on his finger or would wear it around his neck in a cord around his neck. What does this say to us today? Listen carefully please, I'm about to close. Here's what God is saying.
He's saying this. That you will be guarded because God will guard all his faithful children. That he will encourage you even in the midst of discouragement. He will watch over you regardless of the circumstances. That he, even in the midst of disheartening circumstances, declares I am sovereign king of the universe. I am in control of all the events of the world.
I am behind all of my promises. No matter how bleak it may look, no matter how dark it may appear, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how foreboding the surroundings, I am the Lord. The God who encourages us. That's the title of Dr. Yusef's message today on Leading the Way Audio. Maybe Dr. Yusef's words brought you both encouragement and questions. And if so, we invite you to connect with a Leading the Way pastor or counselor.
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