Leading The Way

Guest (Male): Welcome to Leading The Way with long-time pastor and author of more than 50 books, Dr. Michael Youssef.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Hello friends. You watch it on the news night after night: the rise of Islamization and Islamists taking places of leadership both in the United States and in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere.

I sought to write a book to explain to you the unholy alliance between the Left and the Islamization, how they invited the Islamic invasion. Get my new book, *An Unholy Alliance*. It's going to open your eyes and give you practical ways to make a difference for Christ.

Guest (Male): Get information right now about how you can order your copy of *An Unholy Alliance*. Give us a call. We are at 866-626-4356. And online, we're at ltw.org.

In a moment, experience the excitement of Heaven with Dr. Youssef as he points your heart and eyes toward your heavenly home. It's part of his timely series, "Unholy Alliance of the Antichrist."

Dr. Michael Youssef: Have you ever experienced the overruling of God's hand in your life when you have completely blown it? You know what that means: all by yourself, nobody helped you. And then you are sitting on a pile of mess and you have no one to blame but yourself.

You rushed and made a wrong decision. You rushed and made the wrong choices. You rushed and did not ask God in prayer. You did not seek His mind, His will. You went against clear biblical directives, which you know, on and on and on.

But then, to your utter amazement and surprise, God overruled and delivered you. God overruled and saved you. God overruled and protected you. Now, I want you to turn with me please to Hebrews chapter 11, verses nine and 10.

By faith, Abraham made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him in the same promise. For he, that is referring to Abraham, for he was looking forward to the city with the foundation whose architect and builder is God.

I think I speak for most believers in the Lord Jesus Christ when I say that one of the hardest things in our Christian walk, in our walk with Christ, in our life in Christ, one of the hardest things—there are a lot of hard things—one of the hardest things is waiting. Can I get a witness? Amen, I know.

During the time of waiting, we are tempted to say, even to God, "Oh, promises, promises, promises." But no one experienced such unbelievable waiting for God like Abraham. No one. I mean, he waited for years, over 25 years for the promised son, Isaac.

And yet, he waited all of his life for that earthly city so that it would be a symbol of the city that is to come, which he really looked forward to. And he never saw it with his eyes. But he never gave up waiting.

Beloved, listen to me. I think most of us with short attention spans—and a television show that begins and ends and literally gives you 35 years of experience in 35 minutes—God has a much bigger plan. God has the whole history in mind.

God may call you for something and give you a promise for something that may be fulfilled in your children or your grandchildren. So keep a big picture of God in mind. Hear me right on this one. I make no apologies for saying this to you. It's my testimony.

Ever since I was a young man, I've been looking forward to two things. I've been praying and looking forward to maybe I see a revival in my lifetime. But above all, I'm looking forward to seeing the return of the Lord. I may yet see it. With the way things are, I may yet see it.

But even if I don't, if I go to glory before the Lord returns, it doesn't make any difference. I will never give up waiting for the return of the Lord. I know it will happen. True faith in the promises of God is death to doubt. True faith in the promises of God is dumb to discouragement. True faith in the promises of God is blind to the impossibility.

Abraham looked forward to the city like no other city. And not until John the Revelator in the book of Revelation does he talk about that city that Abraham looked forward to, no matter how many temptations Abraham faced, no matter how many temptations he succumbed to, no matter how many temptations that beckoned him.

His eyes were never off the city of God. His eyes were never taken off what he knows that God is going to do at the end times. I don't know about you, and we've been talking about it throughout this series of messages, how dark things are becoming morally in our nation.

This darkness that we're seeing, these dreadful things that are happening in our culture, so many of us are lamenting how our culture has been hijacked. This and these are indisputable facts. But even so, no matter how dark it may get, like Abraham, we must keep our eyes on the city of God.

Look to that city that is built, and architect, and framer, and designer is God. Please hear me right, this is important. There is no greater cure to discouragement, and fatigue, and self-pity than thinking of being with Jesus for all of eternity.

If you allow your focus to be only on the darkness of this world, only on the problems of this world, only on the difficulties of this world, you are going to get mightily depressed and stressed out. Why do you think the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3 urges us, "Set your minds on things above, not on things here below"?

This is not just for old people. This setting your mind on things above is for teenagers, it's for those in their 20s and 30s, it's for those who are parents, it's for everyone. This divine city, this new Jerusalem that Abraham looked forward to, is called by many names in the Bible.

But to me, the best description is found in Ezekiel 48:35. Ezekiel 48:35 says, "The Lord is there." How can I think of a better way to get me all excited, no matter what's going on around me? The Lord is there.

Of all the beautiful things that are in that city of God, the best part is that the Lord is there. Beloved, faith is powerful because faith sees the invisible, and faith hears the inaudible, and faith touches the intangible, and faith accomplishes the impossible.

Ah, but listen. Faith is not wishful thinking. Faith is active, that you have to take a step of faith, that you have to take a step of trusting in the promises of God. In His sovereign grace, God provided an earthly city for His people, Israel.

It was supposed to be the shadow or foreshadow of the city of God that John saw coming down from heaven. It was a temporary provision to lift up the name of God on the earth. It was a temporary provision that gets people from all over the world to come and know the one true God.

It was a temporary provision to know the peace of God in the midst of difficult times. And that is why it is called Yerushalayim. Yerushalayim. Can you say that word with me? Yerushalayim. Jerusalem. The city of peace.

Why is it called the city of peace? Because Melchizedek, who is a type of Christ, was not only the king of righteousness, but he also was the king of peace. Today, listen to me. Every faithful church, every faithful Sunday school class, every faithful home group, every faithful ministry must be the place where God is present in a very unique way.

He's with us all the time, but these are the times when we gather in Jesus' name that He is to be present in a unique way. It is to be a place where the peace of God is found. It is to be a place where the Word of God is held in highest esteem. It's to be a place where encouragement is found. It's a place where we spur one another into faith.

Three things about that earthly Jerusalem, that foreshadow of the real city of God that is coming down from heaven where all the believers will be gathered at the throne room of God. The earthly Jerusalem had three characteristics. First of all, it was a temporary city that was chosen by God's grace.

Secondly, earthly Jerusalem was a temporary city that received a conditional promise—not unconditional, but a conditional promise. Thirdly, earthly Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of the real city that we are looking forward to.

First of all, it was a city that was chosen by God's grace. There can be no doubt that David, King David, had an overriding desire. You see it not only in the history, you see it in the Psalms. Read the Psalms and think of David when he was writing those. You can see the desire of his heart in all of these Psalms.

He had one overriding desire, and that is to honor the Lord. He really did. He had one overriding desire, and that is to revere the Lord. David's deep desire was to be in the presence of God all the time. As you look at the darkness of our world today, and just horrible stuff going on all the time, when you see all of that but you refuse to compromise, and you refuse to budge from your faith and trust in Jesus, when you choose to honor God in the midst of all of this, when you choose not to fear but exercise faith, when you choose to glorify God above all things regardless of the consequences, when your desire is to bring honor and glory and blessing to the name of the Lord, I can tell you on the authority of the Word of God: like David, God is going to rule and overrule your fumbling and your stumbling. Amen.

Listen. It's not a secret in any Sunday school elementary knowledge. No, that David, King David, messed up royally. Royally. And yet, he loved to honor God even in the midst of messing up. Look at the Psalms, particularly Psalm 120 all the way to 134.

Those 14 Psalms, they are known as the Psalms of Ascent because these are the Psalms that they were singing as they were climbing up the mountain going up to Jerusalem to the temple to worship. In fact, Psalm 46, 48, 67, 84, and 87 were known as the Psalms of Zion. They were synonymous with the presence of God in worship.

Ah, but they were only foreshadowing of the real city that you and I look forward to. It's the foreshadowing of the city of God that is coming down from heaven where you and I are going to be spending all of eternity in the presence of Jesus.

Earthly Jerusalem was a temporary city chosen by God's grace. Secondly, Jerusalem, earthly Jerusalem, was a temporary city that had a conditional promise. David and Solomon offered to the Lord when they built that temple. They offered to God what Cain failed to offer: sacrifice.

Deuteronomy 28, God warns them before they go into the Promised Land and He says to them, "Now I place before you a blessing and a curse. You choose." Thank God that in the New Testament His promises are unconditional. And I'm glad I'm living in the New Testament.

You see, in earthly Jerusalem, God's blessings were conditional. They were conditional on their obedience. But in the heavenly Jerusalem, God's blessings will be unconditional because we will be like Jesus. And I'm so grateful Jesus said, "Those whom the Father has given me, I lose none."

It is not up to me to hold on to God, but God is holding on to me. Because if it was up to me to hold on to God, I would have run a long time ago. Those of us who are living between the city of man, or in the city of man, looking forward to the city of God, we're always tempted to take our eyes off the city of God and plunge headlong into the city of man.

Finally, when Jerusalem had totally rejected God by crucifying His Messiah, at that point earthly Jerusalem ceased to be the place where God dwells. You see, God's conditional promise: you reject me, I leave. Thank God His children—He never leaves His children.

In Luke 19:41 all the way to 44, Jesus lamented over their rejection of the Father's plan to save them. And He lamented over Jerusalem and He said, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, had you known the time of your visitation."

I believe with all my heart that Jesus is weeping in heaven over many a church, churches that once proclaimed Him as the only way to heaven and to the Father, now they're preaching tolerance of sin.

The founding fathers of this great country, the United States of America, they believed that they were founding a city on a hill that shines a light to the world. And yet, today, the courts and the people in power have rejected any thought of obeying God and the laws of God and the Word of God and the absolutes of God. And they're putting politics ahead of everything else.

Listen to me. John Knox and John Wesley, great men of God who founded denominations for the sole purpose of lifting up Jesus as the only Savior, now so many of these denominations have allowed their feelings and their instincts and what is popular to take place.

Earthly Jerusalem was a temporary city chosen by God's grace. Earthly Jerusalem had a conditional promise. Thirdly, earthly Jerusalem was only a foreshadow of the heavenly Jerusalem. Jesus had an encounter with a woman, we call her the Samaritan woman, in John chapter 4.

When no man would talk to her, He honored her and talked to her. No Jew would talk to a Samaritan. He went out of His way and talked to her. And then He said to her when she was confused about where to worship, He said, "I tell you the day is coming and now is when true worshippers"—can you say "true worshippers"?

True worshippers will worship my Father neither in Jerusalem nor in this mountain. They're going to worship Him in truth and spirit. Earthly city of Jerusalem is more a foreshadow. Remember back in the old days before your iPhone and the pictures you take on your iPhone? We used to have the negative.

Remember that? I know it's a long, long time ago. Those negatives look terrible. You don't know if it's a man or a woman, you don't know who's who, you have to really look hard. That's what earthly Jerusalem is. It's a foreshadow, it's the negative. It's going to develop, and the full picture is going to be in the city that is coming down from heaven.

Earthly city Jerusalem was just a foreshadow. Earthly city Jerusalem was a mere representation of what it means for God to dwell in the midst of His people. Earthly city Jerusalem is only a sketch. It's only a small model of what will happen when the heavenly Jerusalem come down from heaven for the believers to dwell in.

And that is why Abraham, the Bible said, he looked forward to that city whose architect, whose designer, whose builder is God. And that is why nothing that is evil or wicked will be in that city. Why? Because Jesus is there.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining Dr. Michael Youssef for Leading The Way. He'll return in just a moment or two with a word of encouragement to conclude today's episode. You don't want to miss that, so stay with us.

First though, if you're new to Leading The Way, you may not be aware of all the ways you're able to connect with Dr. Youssef and the ministry happening worldwide. That's why we want to direct you to a free monthly magazine. It's called *My Journal*.

*My Journal* will help you understand and experience the global impact of Leading The Way. Each and every month, Dr. Youssef and the ministry team collaborate on content—content to help you grow stronger in your journey with Christ. You can learn ways that Leading The Way ministry teams are taking the gospel across six continents.

Give us a call, 866-626-4356. Speak with a ministry representative at the call center to begin your free subscription to *My Journal*. Or you can always sign up online: ltw.org. Now as mentioned, here is Dr. Youssef with a few words to close out today's Leading The Way.

Dr. Michael Youssef: The Bible tells us only in Jesus can we begin to comprehend what it means to have Him as Emmanuel, God with us. But we like the earthly city Jerusalem, we can never fully comprehend what Emmanuel really means, what it means for us to dwell with God, God dwells with us.

Why? Because the best of us, we tend to run away from Him. We tend to forget about Him. We tend to get so busy in all the problems of this life and we ignore Him. We tend to be persuaded by other voices. Ah, but in that new city of God, we will have an uninterrupted fellowship with Jesus.

I can't wait to get there. I can't wait to get there. There will be no television news to depress us. There'll be no tabloid newspapers to catch our attention. There will be no terrorism to frighten us. There will be no power to harass us.

In the earthly Jerusalem, they experienced the presence of God when His name was lifted high. But in the new city, the new Jerusalem that Abraham looked forward to, Jesus will always be there and His name will always be lifted high.

In the earthly Jerusalem, blessings were conditional, but in the new Jerusalem, His unconditional blessing is going to overwhelm us. In the old Jerusalem, earthly Jerusalem, the presence of God was sporadic, but in the heavenly Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem, His presence will be permanent.

In the old Jerusalem, God's people may or may not show up for worship, but in the new Jerusalem, believers will worship Him day and night. In the old Jerusalem, His people served Him occasionally when they feel like it, but in the new city of Jerusalem, we will be serving Him 24/7.

In the old Jerusalem, even His own people forsook Him and ignored Him and ran after other gods, but in the new Jerusalem, they will not. In the old Jerusalem, His people's heart often sought after worldly pleasures, but in the new city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, His true followers will be delighted in Him day and night.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Leading The Way Audio with Dr. Michael Youssef. Now if you're not sure about your eternal destination, we want to invite you to speak with a Leading The Way pastor or counselor. They'd be happy to answer questions to help you better understand the gospel and eternity. Connect at ltw.org/jesus.

Before we close out today's Leading The Way, here is a testimony that our team recently received and we thought that you would be encouraged to hear how God is using Dr. Youssef and Leading The Way.

Guest (Female): Dory wrote, "My mother had a massive stroke. I cared for her for 10 years while working full-time. Although it was a struggle, I was filled with joy and strength from listening to the teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.

When my mom died, I stopped studying the Word, stopped singing, stopped listening to any of my beloved music, and even stopped praying. During that time, I lost several jobs. I was completely lost and felt like Jesus had abandoned me.

Then my dad died, and I knew I had to somehow return to my Father in heaven. I again started listening to Dr. Youssef and love his truthful messages. Thanks to his messages, I'm listening to music, reading the Word, and praying again. For me, Dr. Youssef's sincere and simple teachings have been my lifeline. Thank you so much Dr. Youssef and Leading The Way."

Guest (Male): If Leading The Way has impacted your life in a special way, Dr. Youssef would love to hear about it. Call our special testimony line at 877-941-7934. And learn more about Dr. Youssef and the worldwide impact of this ministry by visiting us. We're at ltw.org. This program is brought to you by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.