The Wages of Faith

Guest (Male): Starting off today's Leading The Way with a few words of biblical truth. Here's bible teacher and author Dr. Michael Youssef.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Fear of death has no place in the life of a Christian. Fear of death is Satan's way to defeat us. Once we start living in fear, Satan has won. But I must confess to you that if I did not know the resurrected Christ, if I did not know the Jesus who defeated death and the grave is awaiting me on the other side, if I did not know him as my beloved Lord and savior of my life, if I did not know how wonderful heaven is, I would be fearful of death too.
Guest (Male): When reading and studying the bible, we often perceive the lives of those we read about to be completely different from what we're experiencing right now in 2026, distancing the impact of their stories a little bit. And yet, they were just like us. This series of messages from Dr. Youssef looks at people that God lists in the bible, and specifically list in the book of Hebrews, as examples of great faith. And when you look really closely, they are just like you and me. To allow Dr. Youssef just as much time as possible, let's go to him now and learn how ordinary lives become extraordinary.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Death is a very touchy subject. It's a very emotional subject. Death is fearful to many people. It really is. The subject of death is negative. As a matter of fact, this generation of preachers today, this generation of writers today, have been so influenced by the secular mindset and by the secular culture in thinking that your best life is here and now. That this life is all that really matters. That we must cling to this life at any cost and for as long as we can. Many a pulpit today, reflecting cultural thinking on the subject instead of biblical thinking and biblical teaching. Many Christians have been impacted by pagan worldview instead of biblical worldview. Pagan worldview that says that we can prolong this life. Pagan worldview that says that we can expand this lifespan of ours. That we can actually postpone the inevitable. All of these falsehoods are propagated by snake oil salesmen and women. Now, beloved, listen to me. This is the antithesis of what the bible teaches. For the bible said it is appointed unto men to die once. It is appointed in heaven. Jesus said, "Who of you, by worrying, you're going to add few minutes to your life?" And the answer is none of us. And here's where the confusion comes from. I want you to listen to me very carefully because this is the point where the confusion really comes in. The bible teaches that our bodies are the dwelling places of the Holy Spirit. Now, this is for the believers in Jesus Christ, not everybody. The apostle Paul called that the temple of the Holy Spirit. Namely, wherever the Holy Spirit resides becomes a temple. Our earthly bodies are therefore a stewardship that we have from God. And that stewardship of our bodies tells us that we must guard against all sins that can harm the body. Paul said that we must guard against sexual sins because that is dishonoring to the body in which the Holy Spirit dwells. It's dishonoring to the Holy Spirit himself. And that stewardship runs the whole gamut from the food we eat to the physical exercises that we need to do to taking your pills. Why? Why are we supposed to take care of this body? You see, pagan culture says, "Okay, you need to take care of that body so that you'll live longer. So that you may prolong your life." That's secular thinking. That's humanistic thinking. That is not biblical teaching. So why do we must be good stewards of this body? So that we can be effective in serving the living God. So that we may be clean vessels for his use. So that we may be good instruments to be used by God for the glory of God. But the snake oil sales people would say to you, "You must do these things so that you may live longer." I know some of you are bristling, the gritting of the teeth. I know some of you are disagreeing with me. But listen to me, just wait, be patient with me. I know why you're bristling. I know why. Because you have bought into this false teaching of our culture. It really has penetrated every area of our lives. And let me tell you something. I am one guy who watches what I eat and exercise on a regular basis, and I do take care of this body. But I know that is not so that I may live longer because the day is appointed in heaven. Listen to me. The day in which you were born, you had no choice for that. That was appointed in heaven. That date was written in heaven. The day you go and meet the Lord in heaven, that too is appointed in heaven and cannot be changed. No one can change that. Now beloved, here's what you need to understand. Fear of death has no place in the life of a Christian. Fear of death has no room in the Christian life. Fear of death is Satan's way to defeat us. Fear of death is man's way to manipulate us. Fear of death is not from God. Once we start living in fear, Satan has won. But I must confess to you that if I did not know the resurrected Christ, if I did not know the Jesus who defeated death and the grave is awaiting me on the other side, if I did not know him as my beloved Lord and savior of my life, if I did not know how wonderful heaven is, I would be fearful of death too. I would. Listen to me. As a child of the living God, as an heir and co-heir with Christ, as a prince and princess in waiting, as an inheritors of the entire universe awaiting us. As we walk with Christ now, believing the promises now, we have confidence and we don't have fear. Why? Because you can confidently say that no one can lay a finger on me unless God permits it. Because I belong to God and therefore I am under God's heavenly protection program until the day comes and he says to me, "Now it's time to come and see your heavenly daddy." Until he decides that, I am invincible. I'm indestructible. I am untouchable and I'm fearless. But listen to me. When that day comes, which will come to every one of us, don't fool yourself. It's going to come to all of us. But when that day comes to me, it's going to be a great day for me. I know some of you are going to be sorry. Not many, but some. My family will miss me until we meet again in heaven. I understand that. We've experienced that separation and I know how tough it is for those who are living. But not for the believer. You see, for me, that's going to be a great day when I go. It's going to be the day of my reigning and ruling with Christ in heaven. It's going to be my coronation day. It's going to be my graduation day. It's going to be my celebration day. And the bible said in Psalm 116, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones." Can you say that with me? Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Amen. God bless you. So Hebrews chapter 11 verses 20 and 21 and 22 tells us about three men. And these three men exercise the power of faith in death. The one thing that Hebrews 11:20, 21, and 22 wants us all to get is this. That no matter what happens in life, you can exercise faith in death. In fact, with the exception of Joseph, these three guys did not live good faithful lives. Like us, they were not always perfectly trusting in God. Like us, many times they succumbed to their fears. Like us, many times they compromised their convictions. Like us, many times they took things into their own hands and made a mess of things. Like us, they, by the grace of God, continued until the day they went to be with the Lord. And the reason these three men were chosen here in Hebrews 11:20, 21, and 22 is because of their faith that was manifested in their death. Now you can turn with me to Hebrews 11 if you haven't already. Beginning at verse 20. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob then Esau in regard to their future. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. Here three men, regardless of their ups and downs in life, they died trusting in the promises of God. Regardless of their failures and successes in life, they left a legacy of faith when they died. Regardless of their strength and weaknesses, all three exhorted the next generation to trust and believe in the promises of God that they will happen whether it's in their lifetime or in the lifetime of their children. Regardless of these three men's joys and sorrows in life, they left behind not a fortune as much as a bequest of faith. Bequest in what God said. Now there's something very important here that I don't want you to miss. You know and I know that it is easy to start strong, easy to start with enthusiasm. But it is the finishing well that really matters. It is the finish line that really is important. It is the ending that really counts. Let me illustrate this. Just give you a example from everyday life. The name Mickey Thompson used to be one of the most recognized names in auto racing. Before NASCAR, he was big name. His team built the fastest cars on track. But none of them ever brought Thompson a checkered flag. In all 29 races that his cars has entered into, they often took the lead but never won a race. You say why? Because they never finished a race. Thompson could make the fastest cars but he could not build them to last. They all broke down during the race. Engines blew up, gearboxes broke, carburetors failed. Thompson's cars were good starters. Thompson's cars were good runners but Thompson's cars were not good finishers. Hebrews 11:20, 21, and 22 praises Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph for finishing well. For finishing well. For running the race all the way to the end. They did not conk out right before the finish line. What is their secret? All three of them trusted in the promises of God to their forefather Abraham. You see, every one of them believed that promise of God. What did God promise Abraham? Three things. He promised Abraham a land of promise. He promised Abraham a great nation. And he promised Abraham that the Messiah would come from the loin of his descendants through Jacob's line. None of these three men have experienced any of these promises of God. They did not see it with their eyes. They did not experience it themselves. But they believed them by faith. They knew God is going to keep his word no matter what happens. Not only that, but they could tell each subsequent generation that they must believe and trust in the promises of God. They delivered to their next generation a bequest of faith. They left their descendants a legacy of trusting in the promises of God. Of taking God at his word. No matter how much it delay, no matter how much it doesn't appear like it, but it's going to happen. They told their progenies to wait expectantly for the promises of God to be fulfilled. Now I want the just give you the span of time, okay? From the time that God gave Abraham the promise and he said, "Your descendants will go to Egypt into slavery and then I'll bring them out again." So from the time of Abraham receiving the promise to the time they actually got into the promised land there was about 400 years. And then 1,600 years later the promise completely and totally fulfilled when Jesus Christ, the descendant of Abraham, came on the scene from heaven. The Son of man and Son of God. But it was 200 years, if you remember the 400 years before they got out, is 200 years from the time God promised Abraham and Joseph was passing that legacy into his children. 200 years. It was 200 years more before Moses came, which we'll see in the next message, and took them out of the land of the slavery into the promised land. Just think about this. 200 years later, what Joseph said to his descendants took place. I wish I have the time that I can go through all the lives of those three guys but I don't. So I'm going to go very fast, very quickly. Isaac, the son of promise. My goodness, he turned out to be a colorless guy. He cared more about his stomach and his taste of food than the promises of God. He really did. I mean, literally, he had to be tricked into obedience to the will of God through his wife. Through the younger son Jacob is the promise going to be fulfilled. But he was trying to do a run around God's promise and was going to bless Esau. Why? Because of his gluttony. Esau was a boy who was out wild, catching wild food and cooking it for his father just the way he likes it. And he allowed that gluttony to cloud his vision of what God said to Rebecca. Two nations come out of your womb but the younger shall rule the older. But he obeyed nonetheless at the end. And that's what the Hebrews 11 is trying to tell us. Jacob, turned Israel, God changing his name. He was a schemer and he was a manipulator and he was a deceiver. He could experience some incredible spiritual heights like a vision of the coming Messiah with the ladder coming up from heaven to earth and the angels up and down. And he could see that vision, the spiritual height in his life. And he could experience spiritual lows that caused him to manipulate and to cheat. But his last dying act was to pass the spiritual legacy to the sons of Joseph. Joseph was the exception of all three because he remained faithful all of his life. From the time he was a teenager he was faithful to God. The time he was a young man he was faithful to God. God destined him for the throne of Egypt, the superpower of the day, albeit through the pit and the prison. But he got to the palace nonetheless. He left a legacy of faith. He exhorted his children. He said, "You are going to see the promises of God fulfilled." And if you don't then you tell your next generation. He said, "I am so confident that God will keep his word, it doesn't matter how many hundreds of years it's going to take." And therefore I want you to promise me that you will take my bones with you when you leave Egypt. I mean, that's confidence in the promise of God. And they did. As they got unto the exodus, they made sure to carry Joseph's bones with them. You see, he believed the promises of God even though he did not experience it fully. All three men, oh they may have faltered and they may have fumbled in life. Yet they gave their children the greatest inheritance that they could ever give anyone. Legacy of trusting in the promises of God. Legacy of believing in the word of God. Legacy of believing in God's plan for their life. Legacy of believing and worshipping God alone, not any other gods. So let me ask you this question. Regardless of your age, have you ever asked yourself what legacy are you leaving behind? Some of you may say, "Michael, I'm young and I can't think of that right now." Why not? If you ever want to get to the finish line, you've got to start in the line somewhere. Might as well start now. Are you planning to leave your descendants money? Let me assure you, money can ruin them. Are you planning on leaving them possessions? Let me assure you that possessions could possess them. But if you are planning on leaving your descendants your testimony of how God saved you, of how God redeemed you, of how God provided for you, of how God blessed you, then you are leaving them the greatest legacy you could leave them. What legacy are you leaving the body of Christ? Is it souls that are saved because of things you have done and said that are going to meet you in heaven and thank you for what you've done? Is it lives that transformed because of what you have done through the power of Christ? Recently I was reading this statistics of some family in Pennsylvania left $404 million to the Nature Conservancy. $404 million. I said, that's fine. But I wonder who shall give to save the lost? When I read about Bill Gates Foundation giving $3.3 billion to education, I said fine. But I wonder who will give to the preaching of the only message that can change the world? When I read about Ted Turner giving a billion dollars to saving the environment, I wonder who will give to those who can be saved from darkness of sin? When I read about Jeffrey Beene giving $20 million to the society of the prevention of cruelty to animals, I said that's okay. But I wonder who's going to give to the only message that prevents cruelty to humanity? Like Thompson's cars, there are many people who start well but end badly. And that is why Hebrews 11:20, 21, and 22 tells us about the importance of ending well. Regardless of your age, plan to end well. Because when you plan to end well you're going to go well.
Guest (Male): Thank you for making time in your day for Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Would you like to chat about faith questions? Begin a conversation with a Leading The Way pastor or a counselor today and start by filling out a brief contact form at ltw.org/jesus.
Dr. Michael Youssef: My friends, I believe that you and I share the same goal in life. The reason you are my partner in this ministry is because you want to glorify Jesus. You want to see his name lifted high. You want to see people snatched out of the jaws of Satan and sin. You want people moved from heading toward hell to heaven. And therefore it is vitally important that we do this in practical ways. Because in the end, that's all we want is to hear from the lips of our precious Lord Jesus, "Well done." You notice he didn't say "Much done," but he said "Well done." He expects us to be faithful with whatever he has given us. "Well done, good and faithful servant." And we want to be a blessing to future generations. We want to build an eternal legacy for Christ. And if this is the cry of your heart, I want to encourage you to consider joining a community of like-minded ministry partners. Through a substantial legacy gift to Leading The Way, you can become a cornerstone partner and invest in Christ's kingdom for generations to come, even after you and I have gone to glory. Now as a thank you for your generous partnership, we have a special gift we want to give you. But the greatest gift you will receive is the assurance that your gift will be used to passionately proclaim uncompromising truth of Christ well after we have gone to glory. If you're interested in joining the cornerstone partner community, please contact Leading The Way today so our team of planned giving experts can assist you. Thank you for your desire to advance God's kingdom and build an eternal legacy for the Lord Jesus Christ, our cornerstone. God bless.
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