Know Where You Stand (Part 3)

Dr. Michael you set bring encouragement as you face the changing culture around you how good you are not be encouraged in the midst of what you see today all around us. This wholesale departure from the faith. How can you not be strong when circumstances sometimes ready to crush us and then succumb source of the words of the Scripture for when you declare the Lord. That is the secret of her. That is the source of encouragement welcome to leading the way with Dr. Michael, you set passionately proclaims uncompromising food. Many in our world today view the Bible as irrelevant. If you dig into it with an expectant heart God offer some very practical words of encouragement for life today and you'll see through the short book of Haggai at the word of God is timeless relevant for the things that your family is facing right here in 2020 years Dr. Michael you set now to show you what I mean. In the last message I told you that you should never underestimate Satan's power of discouragement. It is is most effective tool against the believer. By the same token, don't underestimate the power of encouragement while Satan is the one who discourage us. God is the one who encourages us encouragement strengthens the week encouragement uplifts the fainthearted encouragement gives hope to the hopeless encouragement boys up the fallen, and that is why in the Scripture hundreds of times you read again and again, be of good courage be encouraged whenever you see the word of the Lord to somebody saying, be of good courage be encouraged. Have courage whenever you see that in the Scripture you can be absolutely sure that most times is not all times is because the person being discouraged and that person is desperately in need of encouragement and as we come to this concluding message from the magnificent book of Haggai.

We see how the Lord himself encourages his faithful people encourages the remnant even though there were discouraged even though there were tempted to give up the work.

Even though there were going through a tough time but the Lord did not rebuke them. He encouraged them and this is a word from the Lord for us today. It's a word of encouragement for everyone here is discouraged and so turn with me please the chapter to the book of Haggai and verse four, particularly his word of encouragement. This would be stronger.

Zerubbabel was the king of the governor declares the Lord Almighty be stronger. Joshua the high priest, declares the Lord Almighty.

Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord.

How can that be strong when you're ready discouraged and give up the work.

How can you not be encouraged in the midst of what we see today all around us in this wholesale departure from the faith. How can we be strong and encouraged in the midst of compromise and defection from the truth. How can you not be strong when circumstances sometimes ready to crush us and then succumb source screaming from the words of the Scripture is found in verse four, for I am with you.

Declare the Lord. That is the secret of courage that is the source of encouragement.

The one thing that Satan you would do is that he would whisper in your ear.

You are all alone. You are all you the only one. Nobody believes like you do. Nobody is holding onto biblical truth like you do. God has moved on since the days of the Bible. The Bible does not meant to be taken literally. God does not answer prayer like answered in the Bible just go along and do some good and hope for the best but God's promise. Beloved is God's promise. A man never changes. He said I am with you and therefore you should be encouraged. I have promised never to leave you nor forsake you. And I'm as good as my promise keep on trusting me. I promise to honor those who honor me hold on your honor is on its way. Your honor is coming your way. All I'm your strong tower in the days of battle on your strong tower in the days of battle, and the Bible is not over yet.

Keep on being strong and keep on holding on to me people and being anchored in me. I promise in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Courage, for I have overcome the world. Amen belongs here while the promise of God for them to be courageous because he's with them is enough. But God goes on to say other things.

Whenever we go through discouragement recount of wistfully think back of the good old days you been there, rightly or wrongly, we become nostalgic in the midst of our discouragement and in the time of Haggai. God's people looked at where there are and that very discouraging condition of the temple and they began to weep that we visited for themselves they can bring those glorious days back.

So Paul will be able to bring back the good old days when this temple was in all of this glorious majesty and I wonder if you are like me, when you look around and you see how church and pastors and church leaders are defecting from the truth of the word of God every single day, albeit so slowly that when you see how some Christian leaders because they are being bullied and that being intimidated.

They gave up and they have surrendered the white flag and they have given up the battle when you see all of this happening we can get nostalgic even if we didn't see some good old days where he did in the history and was see how in days gone by when the God's spirit moved with power and days of revival and great awakenings and how people were coming to these meetings of George Whitfield and others in the begin to weep over the sin before they even heard a sermon preached will back in days that we read about when God's power was moving in his church days. Even when secular people respected Christian symbols days when school students began their day with prayer. It is easy to fall back in the past.

It's easy to fall back into nostalgia. I know that because I've been there. But when you begin to do that and look back nostalgically to the past you going to be penalized in the presence and this weather were as weatherworn and God knew that God saw that there will penalized in the presence and what people are looking around and saying what can one person do what can one family do what can one church do the answer come to us because God has a word for us for this generation for you and for me today. God has a word because he answer come straight to us from the word of God, the God who encourages us makes it very clear.

I know what you are. God knows how you feel. God knows what you need.

God knows I need a dozen goals over them. He doesn't gloss over where you are. He doesn't try to cover it up and move on.

He did not even try to rebuke them in the discouragement.

In fact, he said to them, don't get down on yourself so that means don't get down on yourself, don't put yourself down so much. Don't look back too much. Don't let the nostalgia of the past paralyzes you today, but instead it should be strong today. Be courageous because I am what don't be afraid.

Don't give up the fight. Don't give it up. Don't surrender how many of you needed a word of encouragement from the Lord is giving it you today. Not for Michael yourself.

It's from the law and fact. You see, that happens again and again and again in Deuteronomy chapter 31 verse six he gives the word of encouragement to Moses in the book of Joshua chapter 1, 3×6709 he gives that word of encouragement to Joshua because he needed it.

In fact, in Chronicles 1st Chronicles 28, 20 David gives that word of encouragement to his son Solomon, because he knew that he needed it. As he begins to build the temple.

The apostle Paul when he was discouraged in the present. The Lord himself showed up and said to him, be of good courage, Paul and then Paul began to encourage others as he does in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10 he said, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, God was doing the same thing here in the book of Haggai is he's doing it today to you is doing the same thing here.

For these folks this remnant. These faithful people and so he speaks to them. Be strong, all Zerubbabel. Be strong. Will Joshua be strong, all you people of the land.

How about remembering the presence of the Lord.

How easy it is for us to forget the presence of the Lord here when you're in the model when you're in that prison cell of your own making.

When you are in the dark place. It's easy to forget the presence of the Lord in the New Testament where believers are indwelt of the Holy Spirit. This word is even more poignant to us than it was in the Old Testament, but the word of God.

The something else that is so powerful.

I don't want you to miss it. He's not only telling them not to look back with nostalgia, but he tells him to look forward to the future. Looking forward to the future always would encourage you. Looking back, will paralyze looking forward would encourage you and so God is saying to them. The reason you are down in the dumps is because you are looking back. Look at verses six, all the way to nine is saying to them.

Look forward to the future. Let me read them to. This is what the Lord God Almighty says in a little while.

I would once more shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land I will shake all nations now if you look historically at this prophecy, it was physically fulfill literally perjure in the Persian Empire that was some mighty and powerful and dominated the world, got shaken to its knees by the Greeks and then followed by the Romans who paved the way for the coming of the Messiah, built all the roads in the Roman Empire and the places that occupied and so that the Messiah came at the right time at the appointed time so that the apostles and the disciples can take the gospel to the ends of the earth as they knew it. Back then, what is this nations desiring the desired one.

The desired one is the Messiah Jesus. How can the nation desiring the nations reviled him. The nations hate him what he saying here is that the believers from every nation, is the ones who desire him.

The faithful Christians from every nation. Today I desiring the return of Jesus.

This is a prophecy of the returning all of our glorious King Jesus for writing the great day of judgment.

God is going to shake the nations of the earth, the proud and the elegant kings and rulers and and heads of states are going about to him.

Even now the little announcements he keeps sending about this coming earthquakes and floods and tsunamis and wrongdoings are taking place. These are mere announcements that God is sending I'm coming and when I come is not going to be little announcements like this is going to be a complete shaking. These are gentle reminders that I'm coming. These are gentle reminders that the world is coming to an end. These are gentle reminders that are in charge.

These are gentle reminders that he is around the corner and maybe even closer than we think. Four.

On the day. The mountains are going to fall into the sea. On the day the elements Peter said will melt, the earth will shake like a leaf that heavens will fund with power, the mighty will be terrified the arrogant hearts will melt like butter. The powerful will bow down and fear those who persecuted Christian believers. Now today will tremble.

Those who hate God's people, and God's Messiah. They got a Wii blood.

Those who curse God's anointed will try to run but they won't be able to hide those who mock them. Those who reviled him. Those who hated him. Those who sold their birthrights. Those who have rejected his truth.

Those who took pride in denying Jesus those who have sought to modify his words, those who watered down his words, those who compromise his words that will be shaking like a leaf that sort of God. That's the promise of God, I'm gonna shake everything that's been shaken. There are four shake the heavens will shake look at verse nine.

You have to ask was that mean in the light of the New Testament listen very carefully. We don't have temples and God does not dwelling places and buildings. He dwells in the believers you are the temple of God dwells in you. God will never be satisfied again with animal blood when the purest blood of all his son Jesus Christ was shut on Calvary that end all animal sacrifices God's temple. Other people of God. We are the true temple of Jesus Christ and that is a prophecy about these days is not gonna be a mere physical glory is going to be a spiritual one. Don't miss this. Please don't miss this.

This is important is the word from the Lord.

Everyone of us because this glorious picture have been shown to us by John the Revel item when he was privileged to look into peer through history and see that the last day see that end time and John the Revel like the looks and there, and he sees all these people.

Millions of them worshiping the Lamb from every tribe, from every nation, from every time gather together praising the Lord.

That's where the glory of his temple. The believers is going to take place far greater than the greatest days of Solomon and his temple. But then in the second half of the chapter after God reminds us of the future and how that future should encourage us to keep on going to keep on trusting to keep on serving the people standing up even if we stand up alone. He gets back to the present.

He's back to the question, what can I do now, what can I do today. It's one God to be encouraged about the day that is coming in, which will reign and rule with him. It's wonderful. It's great to look forward to those glorious days. But what do I do now what do I do in the meanwhile we still living in one of the most discouraging times. I was still living in the grind of today we still facing ferocious enemy today. Again, God is not crossover that he speaks of to us here and now, this moment, whatever your whatever your circumstances then mother crushing you might be discouraging you.

They may be taking you through your own disseminate, but God is saying being college today beginning at verse 10. This is a dramatic way of God saying to the faithful ones that him the right people in the right place and doing the right thing at the right time is saying to them, because you didn't get discouraged. And because you have your priorities got inverted because you become lukewarm toward me and my work in my kingdom because of that you have become contaminated by the world but listen, listen, this is the greatest greatest news, but from this day forward. What days that the day of which are repented the day in which very consecrated themselves with the service of God.

From this day on the 24th day of the ninth months from this day onward. What I'm going to do is I'm gonna bless you, I'm gonna bless you, dear receiver from this day forward. I'm gonna bless you versus 15 to 19. He says something important.

He said the consider is that word again. I been talking about in the last two messages, consider or give very careful examination to where you are now doing a big law that all of your life. Now all your time of your talent of your treasure how to use it. Give careful thought. Now, which they did praise God these folks. In the last words of the prophet Haggai are directed to the governor Zerubbabel listen to me, beloved everything hinges on leadership, leadership can make or break an institution leadership can make or break a nation leadership can make or break a church leadership is of vital importance. It is so important to God that he saved his last words to the governor, Zerubbabel, he gives him a specific word because God values leadership God understand the importance of leadership, God knows that. That is why he saved those words to him, tells the probability of the governor. I will take you and I will make you like a signet ring. What is that what is it me a signet ring. It was a very precious object for a king or ruler, so much so that he either places it on his finger or he puts it on a cord around his neck. That's how important that signet ring was and so God is saying to this godly leader might be discouraged but is saying to him that God is going to God him so that the remnants remain strong and amazing amazing.

So what is God saying listen to me. Here's what he saying even in the best of your discouragement even in the midst of your disappointment. Even in the midst of disheartening circumstances. I am sovereign on Arlington's all I stand behind all of my promises.

No matter how bleak it might, no matter how dark it may appear, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how balding the circumstances, I am the Lord. I ran Dr. Michael you sent on today's leading the way with a reminder that in times of trouble. It offers assistance that he is with you in spite of his series called know where you stand and if you would like to discuss where you stand.

You're invited to have a conversation with one of our staff members. You can start it and LTW.org/Jesus, I am so grateful to our front lawn mission partners and for those who are going to be front lawn mission partners what God is doing through your consistent monthly giving is the most amazing things are happening. I personally never thought I'll see them a lot. We are seeing not only expansion of our programs all over the world. Think of it in the desperate part of the world where people have no near neighbor to tell them about Jesus, but we are seeing thousands upon thousands of lives are being transformed converted to Christ when they are signing their own death warrant when they come to Christ because that's the condition in their countries and yet God is doing it and because of you giving in your prayer. God has blessed but we are vicious for God, not for ourselves and so we want to see millions of people come to Christ, at least for us. We are saying we want to hear from 1 million people so continued to stand with us.

Continue to partner with me and we together going to see the glory of God happening in the lives of many people. The number to call about becoming a frontline mission partner is 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 and the website again. LTW.org will that have broadcasted a day to make it a point to join us again next time when Dr. Michael you Seth once again opens the word of God to passionately proclaim uncompromising truth on leading you can connect with us via television you to Facebook, twitter and other social media. You can find it directly and LTW that this program is furnished by leading the way with Dr. Michael you sent back to you.

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