Leading The Way

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Guest (Female): Leading the Way features the Bible teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef, impacting the eternity of listeners for more than 35 years. Recently, society has more aggressively spiraled out of control, especially the hyper-focus on right versus left ideology. Life has become more chaotic. Angst more often accompanies standing for truth, not knowing the response to truth from those who hear.

Today on Leading the Way, Dr. Youssef brings us a message from his series, "Embracing Your Mission for the Future," offering a challenge to fully stand for truth no matter the response, engaging the generations, equipping them for the spiritual battles of today and for those ahead with truth. Do remember that you can listen to this and other messages by Dr. Youssef when you subscribe to the Leading the Way podcast. Download the app or, of course, on your favorite radio station. Information is always available about ways to listen and to watch at ltw.org. Join me now as Dr. Michael Youssef begins today's Leading the Way.

Dr. Michael Youssef: We saw in the last message of the vital importance of training, equipping, and modeling for the next generation. Question: For what purpose? For bringing up warriors for Christ, for them becoming arrows as we saw from Psalm 127, arrows in the hand of the greatest bowholder in the whole universe, the Holy Spirit of God. To do great exploits for God, to impact this world for Jesus Christ.

And we looked at Psalm 127, where God starts with families. Today, we're going to examine Psalm 128, the one after it. The word blessing or favor is mentioned four times, verses 1, 2, 4, and 5. In the last message, Psalm 127, we saw the blessing of God, the favor of God, upon the next generation so that the children become arrows in the hand of the greatest bowholder.

And he makes it very clear in this Psalm particularly that when we invest faithfully into the next generation, when we pour our lives into the lives of the next generation, we will be blessed. 127, he singles fathers and sons. That's why I said they were both one Psalm at one point, because here he includes the wives and the daughters, and even the grandchildren.

Isn't that wonderful? What is he saying? He's saying when we wisely invest in the next generation, when we pour into the next generation, God will not only bless us, he's going to bless the next generation. But not only that, he's going to bless the generation next of the next generation. Look with me, please, at the condition of the promise. You see, we all love to claim the promise, right?

Very few people want to meet the condition of the promise. But look at the condition of the promise. It is that modeling that I talked about in the last message. It is our own walk with God. It is the example that we set for the next generation. That's the condition of the promise. This is the condition of the blessing. Verses 1 and 2: "Blessed or favored are all who fear the Lord, all who walk in his ways."

See, that's the condition. That's the condition. You will eat the fruit of your labor. Blessing and prosperity will be yours. The reason I emphasize modeling in the last message is because there is no use telling the next generation to do what I say. There is something that I need to explain here, particularly I want to explain it to the younger generation.

Fearing the Lord does not mean being terrified of God, absolute terrified of God, as some people used to teach and some people may still teach that. There are some who view God as someone who's always angry, capricious, and he can't wait for you to make a mistake or fail so he can whack you on the head. Martin Luther, the great reformer, he was thinking that way about God until he began to read the scripture, not the dogma of the church, but the word of God itself.

And he was set free and realized the character of God is very different. To be sure, yes, our God is a God of justice. Don't ever forget that. This is the other side of the coin of our God. He is the God of justice, and he will not allow injustice to remain forever. One day, sooner or later, he will take care of that. But he also reveals himself to us as the God of grace and the God of mercy, as the God who does not withhold forgiveness, his forgiveness, from those who seek it.

God's word speaks of fearing God, and that means that we are constantly being in profound reverence for God, that we desire to genuinely, genuinely obey God out of gratitude and out of thanksgiving. That we esteem him so highly that we do not deliberately and premeditatedly and angrily go out of our way to offend a holy God. That's what it means. But reverence for God has to begin by the spiritual head of the home, and this is where he starts.

The spiritual head of the home, the spiritual head of the home is the one who reveres God, obeys God, walks daily with God, expressed holy awe of God, seeking to honor God not just with his substance but in all aspects of life. Then the next generation will get spiritually blessed out of their socks. Even, listen to me, even, even in the times before they come to that realization themselves.

The reason so many of the next generation are turned off of Christianity is because of the hypocrisy of so many of us who are in the pulpits. I need to explain this. Most of you know what the word secular means. But just in case you have forgotten, or those who don't know what the word secular means, I need to just give you a quick definition. And I'm going to show it to you how it has invaded many a pulpit and many a church today.

The word secular comes from the Latin word seculum, which means this age, this world, this life. That's what it means as opposed to the spiritual other world, the eternal life. There are so many so-called evangelical preachers today who are very secular in their life and in their preaching, when bestselling books is all about this life, this life, this life, that this is your best life, not eternal life. No wonder the younger generation are turned off.

Secular means that their mental boundaries are limited to the here and now. Secular means that there is very little thought given to beyond the self, beyond the self-fulfillment, beyond this life. Secular means that we have given very little thought, if any, to our eternity in heaven, which is a long, long, long time. And beloved, when that happens, instant gratification rules supreme.

If we do not ultimately reject this secular thinking in the church, we will lose the next generation. And that is why the psalmist warns us that there can be no blessing to the next generation if this generation does not repent of secularism. If we do not place all aspects of life under the sovereign control of God, if we do not allow everything begins, continues, and ends with God, then whatever blessings we have will fly away.

Isn't that where we are today? But all this has to begin in the thought process. It has to begin in the thought process. You say why? Because action follows thought. Action follows thought. Say that with me: Action follows thought. And when the psalmist speaks of walking in God's way, he's not saying think about God on Sundays or think about God when you really need something from him, you want him to do something that you want, or think of God when you want him to obey your wishes.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, why does the Bible talk about walking with God? Walking with God. It never says sitting with God. There's a reason for that, because walking indicates a forward motion. Walking indicates a growing process. Growing in what? Growing in our spiritual and biblical thinking. Genesis chapter 5, Enoch walked with God. It doesn't mean that Enoch occasionally had a stroll with God.

It doesn't mean that Enoch prayed fervently when he wanted something from God. That's secular thinking. That's secular thinking. Genesis chapter 5, verses 21 all the way to 24 says Enoch was 65 years old when he began to walk with God. 65. At 65, he gave birth to Methuselah, the oldest human being who ever lived. But at the age of 65, Enoch walked with God, it says, and he walked with God for 300 years.

I know this is a big deal in the Old Testament. I'm glad I live in the New Testament. I don't want to live that long, not anywhere near that. Think about this. 300 years he walked with God. Not an occasional stroll. No. What did Enoch do in these 300 years of walking with God? Well, the half brother of Jesus, Jude, tells us in his epistle, one chapter epistle, he tells us that Enoch lived in total obedience.

See, that's what it means. That's what it means. And remember this: He did not have a Bible. He did not have a Bible study group to help him out. He did not have Christian friends to encourage him. He did not have worship time to uplift him. No. But because of his total obedience, God revealed to him the coming judgment. Before he told Noah, God told Enoch what the coming judgment.

My beloved friend, please listen to me. I know the word judgment is not the hottest thing in Wall Street. I know that. I know it is not a popular message to this generation. Judgment is not a positive thinking message. I know the word judgment is not a message that makes you feel good about yourself. For that's what most of these preachers say, I want people to feel good about themselves.

In fact, the time when Enoch walked with God was a time of utter and blatant rebellion against God. And that is why God said, "Enoch, tell them about the coming judgment." Beloved, because walking with God compels us to speak the truth to our culture, it compels us. Not falsehood or a popular message makes people feel good about their sin and themselves and they don't need to think about sin, forgiveness, and all that stuff. I just want them to feel good.

Walking faithfully with God means aiming to please God first and foremost. That's what it means. Look at Hebrews 11:5. It says Enoch was commended as one who pleased who? God. No wonder he bodily was transported to heaven, literally his body did not see death like Elijah. Please hear me right on this one. When we fear God and obey God, not only will we be ultimately blessed, but the next generation will be blessed.

Look at verse 2: "You will eat the fruit of your labor." Translation: This is an Old Testament way of saying that you will have God's favor. My friends, I told you I pray for God's favor on a daily basis. And I can testify to you before God, who really matters the most to me, that I seek and desire God's favor more than all of the wealth of the world. Something else I need to tell you. When you walk with God, nothing you do will be in vain.

Did you hear that? Nothing you will do will be in vain. Even your setbacks, even some crop failures that you may experience along the way. Even when you experience bumps along the way. None of it will be in vain. None of it will be in vain. God will take these failures and challenges and difficulties and he shakes them up in his sovereign shaker and he brings good out of them.

First blessing, when you constantly walk with God, is that he will work all your circumstances for your blessing and his glory. Second blessing, when you constantly walk with God, the next generation will be blessed. Even when they wander off, he's going to bring them back kicking and screaming. He did that to me. Even when they lose their way for a time, they will find their way back because of your walk with Christ.

Even if they break your heart, God will do his work in them. That is why he said the wife will be like a vine. Symbol of refreshment and lavishing joy. Why? Because the harvest of the grapes came after a long, hot, dry summer and refreshed them. There's something vitally important here I don't want you to miss. Why God does not call the next generation a vine. He only calls the wife a vine, but not the next generation.

He said the next generation will be like olive shoots. The wife is a vine, the next generation olive shoots. Very important distinction. Do you know why the next generation of those who are faithfully walking with the Lord are called olive shoots? I'll tell you a few things about olive trees. Olive trees grow best, they grow best in hard, rocky soil. The roots go deep and they find their way into the craggy soil.

But they are a very slow-growing plant. In fact, olive tree never produces fruit or berries until seven years in the ground. And even then, the berries are not very good. You have to wait 10 to 15 years before the berries are really good olives. Talk about future generation. Listen to me: With perseverance, pruning, instruction, God will raise olive shoots in your home and in our church.

With perseverance and not giving up and not being terrified and viewing them as a heritage of the Lord, as we saw in the last message, God will do great things through them. God the bowholder will use them as sharp arrows to light up a dark world. Something else I must tell you about olive trees before I leave you. Something very important. Properly rooted olive trees can last for 20 generations.

Did you get that? 20 generations. Properly rooted olive trees do not need much cultivation or supervision. Literally, once they get to that stage, they take care of themselves. Very different from the vine. If the vine is neglected, it will wither. But not the olive tree. Now husbands and future husbands, younger single man say, well, it's not talking to me. I'm talking to you also.

Talking to every man. Listen to me. I'm going to stop preaching for a minute and start meddling just for a little bit, okay? Just for a bit. Not for very long. It is of uttermost importance always, always, always to nurture your vine, your wife. But when the olive trees are established, they'll take care of themselves. The Bible said, "Train the child in the way he or she should go, and when they grow, and when they get old, they will not turn from it."

One last thing about olive trees. It's an evergreen. It's an evergreen. If it is set right in the soil, it will display beauty no matter what the season is. I want to tell you two contrasting stories, stories that illustrate the difference between those who seek to invest their all into the next generation and those who don't. Story number one: In April of 2000, Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards were killed in Cameroon, West Africa.

Ruby was over 80, single all of her life. She poured her life into the lives of the next generation in her Cameroon church. Laura was a widow, a medical doctor pushing 80 herself as well, served alongside Ruby side-by-side in Cameroon, pouring into the next generation. The brakes of their car as they were both in it failed, and the car went off a cliff, and they were instantly killed.

Let me ask you a question. Was that a tragedy? No! No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't. Two lives driven by passion for Christ, serving the next generation for God's glory. Not a tragedy at all. Their lives were not wasted but were invested, invested. Now I want to contrast this with a second story. Story was published in a well-known publication about a couple who decided to retire early from the Northeast and they moved to Punta Gorda, Florida.

He was 59, she was 51. They spend their retirement years cruising on their 50-foot trawler, playing golf, and collecting seashells. When you first read this and you kind of have to wonder if it's a joke or were they really the American dream. Tragically, that was their dream and they lived it. But when they came to the end of their most precious gift, make no mistake about it, it is the most precious gift next to salvation, that's life.

I can only imagine, I can only imagine the account that they're giving God. "Look Lord, see, isn't that a beautiful seashell collection? Isn't that beautiful? You see that?" Now that's tragic. That is a tragedy. What will it be for you? Will you keep ministering, pouring yourself, or keep living for self?

Guest (Female): Thanks for making time in your day for Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Would you like to speak with a counselor or a pastor about beginning a relationship with Jesus or any of your spiritual life questions? It's easy. Just start by filling out a brief contact form at ltw.org/jesus. One of our team will connect at your convenience at ltw.org/jesus.

Dr. Michael Youssef's My Journal is the invaluable monthly publication of Leading the Way. Each month, you'll find My Journal offering rich biblically-based devotionals from Dr. Youssef that help you deepen your study of scripture. You'll also find monthly scripture prompts to help you memorize God's word, trending articles to equip you with a biblical worldview on popular issues, and the "Ask Dr. Youssef" column, where Dr. Youssef answers your most pressing questions.

In the monthly My Journal, you'll receive frontline ministry updates and exclusive previews of Dr. Youssef's books before they're even released, as well as special offers, free digital resources, and more. My Journal is an amazing resource to not only cultivate your own personal walk with Christ, but to also stay informed about how and where God is moving through the world today through Leading the Way. Get your free subscription today. Subscribe now at ltw.org.

Get your subscription to My Journal started today. You can do it online at ltw.org or a ministry representative at the call center can help when you call 866-626-4356. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and more.