Know Where You Stand (Part 1)

An introduction to Dr. Michael you sent this message of Haggai is for those who claim to know the Lord Jesus Christ submitted to him as Lord.

You must save your life. This message today is for those refuse to conform the increasingly godless society values for those who have stood firm in the midst of Russia of compromise is for those above people enough to tell them the truth about the gospel of the Lord saying start strong, examine your life. Give careful thought to your words. Thank you for joining Dr. Michael you sent a message that is specifically it's a challenge to know where you stand because were living in a time that demands that Christians rise up and stand firm for what is godly and biblical standby for Encouraging Word's now the lesser-known Old Testament book called how can I and remember that if you can't listen to this entire message you can listen and connect with Dr. you sat through the leading the way.

Just go to LTW.org to learn more and how gay I chapter 1, here's Dr. Michael you set to begin in times when people call good evil and evil good, there's a word from the Lord in the times when wrong is called right from writer's call wrong. There is a word from the Lord in times when millions of people are departing from the truth one step at a time. At a time when thousands of pastors and preachers slowly but surely undermining the truth of the word of God and compromising it in a time when many are unable to stand under the heat of the pressure of culture in times when whole Christian denominations that once believed and taught the word of God.

Now they've departed from it. We have a word from the Lord in the times when people undermining the authority of the word of God, denying its relevance and marketing its power. We have a word from the Lord during times like ours. The Lord speaks of fresh from venture profit. Haggai and he speaking to the remnant and deported in the words of the prophet himself, both in verse five and seven repeated twice in the messages. This give careful thought to your words, give careful thought to your ways. This short series of messages I'm doing from the book of Haggai is truly a word from the Lord for each one of us and I pray that everyone at the sound of my voice will take at the heart of history like our history we are facing unprecedented challenges economically when refacing challenges morally spiritually where people's love for God has grown cold during these times times of danger times of trouble. Times of confusions, times when people are asking questions. Even those who don't believe in God saying where's God times like these, it is of the most importance for believers to know what to do. It can make all the difference in the world. Please give me a ride because I'm aware of the fact that not many people like to do self-examination at the Scripture both in the old and the New Testament says examine yourself, examine yourself, examine yourself in here as in the book of Haggai said know where you stand. Examine yourself.

Not many people like the word examination. I'm aware of that fact that my mom was a kid. Only the nerds like exam time. Most of us just crammed in the last minute while thought of this thought of the two boys who were talking with each other and one said to the other side. Why does your grandma spend so much time examining the Bible. The other boys and I don't how she might be cramming for finals now will take you back to the year 520 BC but don't switch off on me. This is not a boring ancient history time. This is a word from the Lord.

The year 520 year 520 would've been just like any other year. In fact, most historians will probably glanced over at them forgot all about it. But in Israel's history. It was a very significant year.

It was so important in the mind of God that he had to send one of his very special profits to bring a word to the people in times of crisis.

Crisis in faith crisis and commitment crisis and dedication that God had to bring the prophet Haggai in order that he might speak a word to his people.

You say how come when 18 years earlier, and that is the year 538 the Persian emperor Cyrus got taken over the Babylonian Empire.

He issued a decree in the decree says that God's people can return back from exile. They can return back from the land of slavery. They can return back to their own land to Jerusalem and that was in fulfillment of a promise that God made through the prophet Jeremiah 70 years earlier. God said I'm going allow you to get into that exit up but in 70 years time. I'm going to remember you and I'm gonna send you back to Jerusalem, bring you back to the heart of God bring you back to the heart of worship bring you back to me. But alas, all the hundreds of thousands of Jews were in Babylon at the time only around 50,000 returned under the leadership of the governor that was appointed the rest of the Jews was always enjoying pagan lifestyle too much in Babylon to go back to God. There were lots of business to be done in Babylon.

There were lots of entertainment to be had in Babylon.

There were lots of distraction from the faith that we can get into.

In fact, in the fall of 538 BC the faithful Jews who trusted God who I got there.

Hope on the promise of God, who were waiting for God to fulfill his promise. They returned in the fall of 538. By the spring of next year. The following year.

That is only six months they began the foundation of clearing the debris and beginning to build the destroyed temple of God and Jerusalem that was the real deal.

These were the real people of God. They do not the ones you stated Bob going to come back the moment they began to lay the foundation of the temple and clear the rubble. Trouble began, my beloved, listen to me it's always the case in your life and in your life and mine. That's always the case whenever you begin to take your walk with Jesus seriously whenever you begin to read the word of God regulates whenever you begin to rebuild your faith on God whenever you begin to take responsibility for building your family on the foundation of the word of God. Whenever you do that trouble always follows whenever you do that opposition will rise its ugly head.

Whenever you do that discouragement was set in whenever you do that someone mock you. Others will distract you. Others still replace obstacles in your way. And so, with that kind of opposition. The work of God came to a standstill.

And so, from 538 BC to 520 BC when God finally had to send this prophet Haggai to wake them up to call them to repentance. The call of the renewal to realize what they've done. They came in they started well but they finishing badly to warn them of the consequences of not finishing strong to warn them of the danger of giving up halfway to warn them of the terrible result of losing interest in the priority of God, and in many ways the Lord has a word for us from this very same prophet today. Beautiful warn of the danger of not building homes on the foundation of the word of God before warn of the danger of getting too busy with life's problems and falling away before warn of the danger of following the popular culture before warn of neglecting your spiritual life before warn. Who is this prophet Haggai when he come from. We have absolutely no idea is one prophet that we don't know much about it all, but not as well because you see the messenger means nothing. The message means everything.

The truth is Haggai was one of the very last profits that God sent in the Old Testament and in Revelation stopped. There was no word from the Lord. There was Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

And then it ended, but his message is very simple. It really is a very simple message, but is also a very different message from the rest of the prophets the prophets message was always to those who are sinful living in a sinful lifestyle and those who are self-righteous to repent. Because the judgment of God is around the corner as a message of all the prophets, but Haggai's message is very different. It really is you say why because his audience was the believers. His audience was the remnant his audience with those who knew God's with those who worship God to the neglected the rebuilding of the temple.

True, they lost heart and interest halfway through, but nonetheless they had spiritual sensitivity left to be sure, their priorities got mottled to be sure they began to live for self-interest, not the interest of God to be sure, there were temporary for God.

The glory of God and why they even came back from exile while they were delivered from the slavery to be sure they had shifted their focus, but none the less. There were the right people at the right place doing the right thing for the right reasons and the sum of four points.

This of the four points of the message. If you taking notes, write them down. This message is for the right people who are in the right place who are doing the right things and who are doing it for the right reasons. That's what messages is for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everyone claims to know him as personal Savior and Lord. What I mean by the right people are the right people and wrong people. Yes, their devotion and zeal, who are questioned. After all, they could have stayed in Babylon but they didn't they choose to return to the heart of God. They chose to return to the Lord and that is why there were called remnant the word remnant always refers to the ones who remained. That's what comes from there remained faithful believers inspired of opposition inspired of difficulties inspired of distractions but out of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who are in slavery in Babylon a handful 50,000 returned.

That's it.

So these are the right people.

This will not. The compromises were not the people who have part of the right people. In fact, 42,360 to be exact +7337 servants and 200 singers. They only ones who came they left the life of comfort.

They left the life of ease they dedicated themselves to God. They are the ones who made the long journey back to the heart of God. They're the ones who can to follow this man Zerubbabel, which was an expression of their devotion to the Lord as an expression of their zeal for his house. They distinguish themselves from the masses who fell into the cultural pressure of Babylon and ended up in conformity that you can hardly distinguish them from the nonbelievers listen to me, this message of Haggai is for those who claim to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are submitted to him as Lord.

Those who took him as Savior of the life vest message today is for those who have nonstandard comments with the stain of sin for those who refuse to conform to the increasingly godless society.

For those who have stood firm in the midst of the pressure of compromise is for those who have been separated and set aside for God and for his work is for those who love people enough to tell them the truth about the gospel is what the Lord saying, stay strong, examine your life, determine where your strength. He's speaking to the right people but is also speaking to those who are in the right place right place. They were in Jerusalem. There were not in Babylon doing Jerusalem. They sacrificed everything to prove the love for the Lord, the right people will always be in the right place. It is absolutely true, the true and discerning believer could not sit for too long where the gospel is being compromised. He cannot happen. I've seen it over and over and over again, and Haggai was speaking to the right people who are faithful and they found themselves in the right place, worshiping and serving the living God, but also fervently that were doing the right thing, doing the right work. Of course there were too many good things that needed to be done. All good coming back from exile, the need to provide homes for their families. They needed to make a living. They needed to establish schools and shops and businesses all good, all good stuff. These are valued and important things to do. But above all these right people at the right place wanted to do the work of God. They place their desire to serve God about their desire to serve the family or serve themselves.

No wonder Jesus said seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of your needs will be met. In fact, the book of Ezra. For those of you not familiar with the Old Testament book of Ezra gives you the details about these folks who return from Babylon.

Ezra Nehemiah, both of books written for that time. But in the book of Ezra tells you more give you more detail about these folks will come back to Jerusalem from Babylon. As soon as I got back, the first thing they did. They took a free will offering the right people at the right place doing the right things in their free will offering with me just give you a little bit of example of what it meant for those 50,000 folks out of the house that makes how many families but they gave 1100 pounds of gold 3 tons of silver right people in the right place doing the right things they give of themselves to the work of God and God blessed them, they put God's interest above their own interest and that was not forgotten by God.

Make no mistake about it, God will not forget your labor of love, and Haggai was speaking to these right people who were in the right place for doing the right things and there were doing it for the right reason, which is my fourth point today. Every time you watch the news we found that atheists and agnostics pagans all doing good things through the United Nations of feeding the hungry, that digging for wells they try to stop human trafficking all the good things they do the but if you ask any of them why you doing this would take you it makes me feel good and makes me feel good. In other words, is just helping me ease my guilty conscience. But, beloved, you know, and I know the only thing that eliminates the guilt from our conscious is the blood of Jesus Christ that was shut on Calvary, but when God's people.

When God's people serve God's people give of themselves they doing it for the right reasons.

They doing it in Thanksgiving for the redemption they doing it in gratitude for their salvation. They doing it to please the Lord, and bless the Lord, these folks returned from Babylon to Jerusalem and they began to build, to be sure they were not doing it to restore the national pride that were not doing it to assert their independence, they were not doing it because it makes them feel good doing not doing it because I have guilty conscience now. In fact the trust of God.

They put their faith in the promise of God.

They proved that the trust of God, but that were faithful to the Lord for keeping his promise that he made 70 years earlier and they trusted in God in thanksgiving for the faithfulness of God. They come back to Jerusalem. The 10 down the lecturing and the comfort of Babylon for the hard work of serving the living God's but tragically they now are being tempted to give up before the work is finished, there were tempted to say we've done enough.

We've given enough we served enough. We prayed enough and that temptation came at the most crucial time in the history of God's people the most crucial time always, always, Satan will tempt you to give up the crucial taught and beloved as I look around and see the Saints of God who have prayed for revival. The Saints of God who wanted to see God do his work with power Saints who have had zeal for the gospel and their zeal is undeniable, but that the guy discouraged. They discouraged beloved. This is a crucial time. This is not the time to fall in the temptation of giving up.

This is not the time to lose hope this is not the time to stop going to prayer meeting. This is not the time to just show up at church few minutes lately a few minutes early and think you're great spiritual giant. This is not the time. This is a time for you to text everyone on your list to say hey I'm going to charge come with me. This is a time when the work of God needs to be rebuilt. This is the time to begin the bill. The kingdom of God, the faithful Israelites were facing these temptations and they fell for them fell for the next message were going to see if they took heed of the words of the prophets. The warning of the profits on the question is taking. Would you think that is a word from the Lord, and a warning for us not to relax. Our dress you consider you wearing when you renew your new commitment to be united in prayer to seek God. Now more than ever before. Dr. Michael you sent on today's leading the way with a challenge to know where you stand.

If you'd like to begin a conversation exploring where you stand, fill out a form and LTW.org/Jesus, and you can walk through this with one of our compassionate staff members LTW.org/Jesus just about every day leading the way, receives calls and emails, cards, letters, and text detailing the impact of Dr. Yousef teaching and the impact it's having on individualized right nearing your neighborhood and all around the world and as our time comes to a close. Today I want to share. Note we received from a young woman in Algeria. Stay with us.

It's powerful Dr. UNICEF. One day I stumbled across your teaching on the kingdom sat hearing the words come to the Lord. I began watching feeling that you were speaking directly to me afterwards I talked to a Christian couple living nearby. They shared a Bible and they told me more about Jesus then gave my life to Jesus and visiting a church and asking about baptism that since they didn't know me. They didn't let me so I called leading the way.

Follow-up team to ask them to help get me baptized for my family discovered 90 faith and killed me. Our team connected her with the church guiding her in her new faith and what's exciting is that this story is repeated over and over again throughout the world. As more and more people are hearing the truth of God's word to leading the way. If you would like to partner with Dr. Yousef in leading people to Christ and guiding them in their fate want to consider becoming a frontline mission partner. Those are the folks who pray and give regularly. Here's our number give us a call 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 or you can go to LTW.org that's LTW.Ward, and you know there's so many wonderful electronic ways that you can get in touch with us that sometimes we forget to remind you that you can still write a letter and we love getting notes right to leading the way, PO Box 20100 Atlanta, GA 30325 PO Box 20100, Atlanta, GA 3325.

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