Michael Youssef - We Preach Christ
I thought long and hard about what message should I bring. I sought the Lord with all my heart, and I sensed the Spirit of God saying, "Go back to the foundational message," a message upon which this church, "Leading The Way," Kingdom Sat, all the ministries that have sprung out of here has been founded. As a matter of fact, I heard the voice of God saying, "If this is the last message of my life, what would I say"? And I kept sensing again and again Lord saying, "Go back to the foundational message, go back to the foundational message". It is not only for this generation, those of you who are here today, but for future generation, for whoever's gonna occupy this pulpit after long I've gone to be with the Lord.
But I want to do today is to charge the next generation that in this place we have an always please God, we'll preach only the Christ of the Bible. It is the Christ of the Bible who is the way, the truth, and the life. Let it be known that on this day, from this hill, we proclaim that Jesus is the only way to the Father, that Jesus is the only way to heaven, that Jesus is the only Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives, that Jesus is the only giver of eternal life, and there can be no eternal life in heaven without him, that Jesus is not just the founder of another religion, that Jesus is God, the very God who laid the splendor of his glory and came to earth and became man, a very man so that he may save men and women, boys and girls, that we believe that the scripture says there is no name under heaven by which is given for men and women to be saved except the name of Jesus.
And therefore, the foundational text for this church and "Leading The Way," Kingdom Sat, all the other ministries is 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 4 and 5. "The god of this age," talking about Satan, "the god of this age has blinded unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and we ourselves as servants for Jesus's sake".
Now, if you study church history, and I love church history for this reason. In fact, church history and the study of church history has impacted my preaching because I learned that through the years, through the last 2000 years, every generation God calls men and women, boys and girls, to stand up for the truth for that generation, to stand up against the spirit of the age, to stand up against those who seek to water down, modify, or otherwise compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ, those who deny the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, those who seek to rewrite the gospel of Jesus Christ, those who seek to modify the message of salvation of Christ to fit the cultural milieu, those who seek to repaint the portrait of Jesus in order to make him acceptable to miserable sinners, those who seek to remove the offense of the cross, those who seek to shave off the mane of the Lion of Judah, those who preach that if you believe somewhat, you repent to a certain extent, you will be saved to a certain degree.
No and a million no to this. The call of God upon me, upon this church, upon "Leading The Way," Kingdom Sat, all the other ministries that have grown out of this church, is to be faithful to the proclamation of the truth in such a way that people will make an intelligent decision regarding Christ. They can either accept him or rejecting him. We don't force people to believe. God gives us a freedom of choice. Those who receive him as their only Savior and Lord will receive forgiveness from their sins here and now, joy and peace here and now, an eternity in heaven with him. Those who reject him as their only Savior, as the only Lord of their life, they will spend their eternity in a place called hell where there is torment, where there is pain.
Please listen to me. God calls us to stand firm and to stand strong and to stand up and say with the apostle Paul, we do not preach ourselves, but we preach Christ, and we are your servants for Jesus's sake. We do not preach our ideas, what makes us popular in culture, or will make us acceptable. We do not preach the rebranding of Jesus. I heard this from an evangelical preacher, "We need to rebrand Jesus". Nor do we preach a surrender to the power of sin, nor do we preach the capitulation to the enslavement of sin. No and a million no's to that. But we preach Christ and Christ alone. Just as Paul said, of the devices we are not ignorant.
Beloved, we need to be more alert, more than any other time in modern history. We need to be more discerning than any time in modern history. Rome always welcomed new gods. They would have been welcomed with open arms. They would have been beloved people in the Roman Empire, because the more gods, the merrier. But when they said, "Christ only," that's when they got dipped in hot tar. Then after that we came to the Dark Ages where superstition and witchcraft came into the very church, inside the church. But God raised the reformers who read the scripture, and they said, "No, it's only Christ, and salvation by faith in him alone".
Three-hundred years ago a man by the name of Erasmus who taught that God is incapable of converting us, we convert ourselves, but good and godly men like George Whitfield stood up and they said, "No, and a million no. We preach Christ, who can save from the guttermost to the uttermost". Today there are many saying that the Bible should be like a smorgasbord, a buffet. You come, and you pick, and you choose. You don't like that, you dump it, you take this. Or you don't like this, you do this, and you do this. Ah, this is more common than you realize.
In fact, that's the teaching that more than any other teaching probably, at least in my personal opinion, that has weakened the church of Jesus Christ, that has nullified the message of the gospel, that has muffled the voice of Christ, confused millions of people, some of them into eternal destruction. And that is why today more than ever we must preach only the Christ of the Bible.
Christ, who is God, the very God, the God of power and might, who is the only one who can forgive our sins eternally, who can break the power of sin, who can help restore sanity in our lives. He is the only who can set the captive free. He is the only one who can liberate from the chains of addiction. He's the only one who one day is gonna judge the living and the dead. He is the only who one day is gonna reign supreme over the universe before our own eyes. He's the only to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
We preach Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, and we ourselves, your servants for Jesus's sake. We preach the only Christ who was promised by God the Father back in Genesis. We preach the only Christ who was born of a pure virgin. We preach the only Christ who healed the sick, raised the dead, made the lame to walk, and set the captive free. We preach the only Christ who was crucified on Mount Golgotha and was buried for three days, but then, thank God, on the third day with every power of his omnipotence he rose from the dead, never to die again. The Christ that we preach is the only one who can promise eternal life. He's the only one who can forgive sinners like me and you.
We preach the only Christ who has ascended alive in heaven, and from there right now he sits on the rim of the universe. Even when the world seem to be falling apart, he's not. Even when things look out of control, it's not out of his control. But one day he's gonna come back, and he's gonna reign and rule before our own eyes. We preach the only Christ who's in his First Coming was born in a manger, but when in his Second Coming, he will rule with an iron scepter. We preach the only Christ for whom and through whom the whole universe was made and created, but he left that splendor of heaven and came to earth. And on his second coming we will see him ruling in power and great glory.
We preach the only Christ who hung helplessly on the cross, but in his Second Coming he will be sitting on the throne of God. We preach the only Christ who was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of everyone who believes in him. But soon on his Second Coming he will come as the Lion of Judah. We preach Christ and not ourselves. That's the saddest part, is when people preach themselves. That's the tragedy. We do not preach pop psychology, helpful that may be. We don't preach self-help, good as that may be. We don't preach Band-Aid, they only give you temporary relief. No, we preach the only one who can do a total job on the total person, and that is not going to come as a surprise to some of you, or most of you.
It certainly isn't gonna come as a surprise, what I'm about to say, to my family. I'm a man who is far, far, far, far from being perfect. I know that, but I weep over my sin, I repent of my sin, I don't gloss over my sin, I don't explain away my sin, I don't rationalize my sin, I don't try to blame others for my sin, for I know that it was my sin that fastened him to that cross. And that's my sin that kept him on that cross until he paid my ransom.
Beloved, this is Christianity 101. God is not looking for perfect people, but he's looking for imperfect people so he can perfect them, and that's all that God is expecting from those who love him. To lower the bar of righteousness, to lower the standards so that sinners can accept Christ without repenting, without believing, without transformation, without conversion, is the worst sin that could be committed. To paint or repaint the portrait of Christ without confessing him as Lord is the worst sin of all, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God.
Far from Jesus the Christ being the founder of another religion, as so many preachers in pulpits are saying today, he is the Creator-God who became man. Far from this newly-fangled idea that is preached from many a pulpit today, he's not a way, a truth, and a life. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE only giver of eternal life. Far from this false claim that everybody, whether they believe or not, they're gonna go to heaven. This is a lie from the pit of hell, otherwise known as Hollywood. Jesus said, "No one," and when he says no one, he means no one, "No one comes to the Father but by me".
That's his words, not mine. And that is why from Genesis to Revelation he is the central focus of the entire Bible, for he was promised by God the Father to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And that is why 2,000 years, 1,600 plus, sometimes 1,800, we're not really sure, but thereabouts, 1,600 to 2,000 years is when the scripture writers were writing. They were all from different professions, they were all from different backgrounds. There were some Gentiles, there was some Jews, but they were all writing this history that we call Genesis to Revelation.
That book, the holy book of God, the infallible Word of God, they were writing, but the reason they all write one message is because they were all inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That is why Jesus is the central figure from beginning to end. He is the beginning and the end and everything in between. He is the Alpha and the Omega and the rest of the alphabet. He is the only true revelation of God, and no one else is the revelation of God other than Jesus the Christ. And you can find him in every book of the Bible, every book of the Bible if you have the spiritual eyes to see it. If you look at the scripture, you're gonna see it very clearly that:
In the book of Genesis he is the seed of the woman that the Father promised Adam and Eve.
In Exodus he is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus he is the high priest.
In Numbers he is the smitten rock.
In Deuteronomy he is the prophet.
In Joshua he is the captain of the Lord of Hosts.
In Judges he is the Creator and the final judge.
In Ruth he is the heavenly kinsman redeemer.
In Samuel he is the anointed one.
In Kings he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
In Chronicles he is the glory of God in the temple.
In Ezra he is the teacher comes from God.
In Nehemiah he is the rebuilder of broken lives.
In Esther he is the protector of his people.
In Job he's the only comforter in times of trouble.
In Psalm he's our good shepherd.
In Proverbs he is the wisdom of God.
In Ecclesiastes he is the preacher of the kingdom of God.
In the Song of Songs he is the bridegroom who's coming to his bride, the church.
In Isaiah he's the mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
In Jeremiah he is the potter who shapes the clay of our lives into the image of God.
In Lamentation he is the weeping prophet.
In Ezekiel he is the wheel inside the wheel.
In Daniel he is the Son of Man coming on clouds of great glory, and he's the fourth person in the fiery furnace.
In Hosea he is the love of God to the backslider.
In Joel he is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In Amos he is the author of judgement and mercy.
In Obadiah he is the God of vengeance.
In Jonah he is the salvation of our Lord.
In Micah he is the great intercessor.
In Nahum he is the stronghold in the days of trouble.
In Habakkuk he is the God of mercy.
In Zephaniah he is the establisher of the kingdom of God upon the earth.
In Haggai he is the desire of all nations.
In Zechariah he is the branch of Jehovah.
In Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, he is the refiner's fire, the sun of righteousness that shall rise over all the world with healing in his wings.
And that's announcing for over 2,000 years that he's coming. That's who he is. Look for those characteristics in him when he arrives. Look for him, look for him. Some did and believed. Many didn't. Because they wanted a Messiah that fits them, just like now we want a Jesus who agrees with us. Someone said that God created man in his own image, and now we have returned the favor and created a God in our own image.
Beloved, be immovable from the truth of the gospel. And that is why when Jesus showed up, he said, "Before Abraham was, I AM". "I AM". That word should've really given them goosebumps. It should have reminded them that this is the very God who appeared to Moses at the burning bush, and when Moses said, "What do I tell them? Who sent me"? He said, "Tell them, 'I AM sent you.'" And when Jesus said, "I AM," they should have jumped all over the place to welcome him as their Messiah, but they didn't. And that is why in the New Testament you see with clarity, of course, no symbolism, you see clarity.
You see him in Matthew as the kingly Messiah.
In Mark he is the miracle worker.
In Luke he is the great physician.
In John he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
In Acts he is the risen Lord.
In Romans he is our justification.
In Corinthians he is our sanctification.
In Galatians he is our liberation.
In Ephesians he is our perfection.
In the Philippians he is our joy.
In Colossians he is the head of the body of the church.
In Thessalonians he is the coming Lord who reigned and ruled forever.
In Timothy he is the judge of all men.
In Titus he is the redeemer of the world.
In Philemon he is the friend that sticks to you closer than a brother.
In Hebrews he is the author and the finisher of our salvation.
In James he is the healer of all nations.
In Peter he is the chief shepherd and the bishop of our souls.
In John's epistles he is the Word of God.
In Jude he is the coming Lord with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgement upon the earth.
In Revelation he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of Jessie, the root of David, the Lamb of God, the Word of God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
We preach Christ, and ourselves as servants for Christ's sake. If you are here or watching around the world, and we have millions of people watching on Kingdom Sat, and we're so thrilled and delighted for all the Kingdom Sat viewers who are watching in Saudi Arabia, who are watching in the Gulf States, who are watching in North Africa, who are watching in Egypt and Lebanon and Syria. We welcome you, and we thank God for you. We're glad you're watching. But I wanted to tell you, and I tell everybody in this room, that if you have never bent a knee to Jesus, today is the day you can do that.
If you have never come to him confessing your sin, receiving his forgiveness, if you have never received that gift of forgiveness of sins and the peace that you're searching for, eternal life with him be assured, you can do that today. If you have never come to know the love and the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, you can do that today. Today you can confess your sins, repent of them, receive his loving invitation.
See, God loves you. I was talking to a neighbor, and it breaks my heart, because for two years I shared Christ with him. And he said, "I just can't accept this". Every time together I would say something to him. Three weeks ago I got a word that he had a stroke. He's younger than me. Never recovered. Last week he died.
Beloved friends, I don't want anyone would allow this sermon to serve as a witness against them in that last days. This is the opportunity, this is the moment, this is the time. How can you doubt that he loves you when he left the splendor of heaven and came to earth and died for you in order to pay the wages and the consequences of your sin and mine? Will you respond to him? Will you respond to his love?