It Is Supernatural | Part 6 | Dr. Michael Youssef | 10-13-2019

[Music] hello friends welcome to the Church of the Apostles thank you for joining us today wherever you are around the world we pray that God will use this time to bless you and that the Holy Spirit will speak to you in a personal way to them before I bring the message Wednesday last Wednesday Farid Garris who is the head of our kingdom set shared with the prayer meeting this 10th anniversary celebration coming up next week will be next Thursday one o'clock in the afternoon Atlanta time you can stream it from leading the way or Kingdom said calm or you can watch it live this is a 10-year anniversary of a vision that when God gave me I honestly laughed I said the only thing I know about television is how to turn it on and off and I'm gonna start a channel but there was God there has nothing to do we often say this and don't get tired of it a god looked down found the most unlikely person who said well you do it and that's I'm I'm it that most unlikely person so if you pray for our meetings in Cairo if you want to watch live there'll be a great opportunity the entire Cairo Philharmonic Orchestra will be singing and the maestro is going to be leading he said a kingdom said changed his life and therefore he's volunteering to do this and then we're gonna be singing in Arabic English and certainly I'll be speaking in English that's for sure because my Arabic will never be understood and so if you would pray that God would give it we live on kingdoms had millions of people be watching and then of course the next morning I'll be preaching and Friday morning in the same place that's my home church when I lived in Cairo and so thank you in advance for your prayers I know that it is all God's work and we just privileged to be along for the ride amen amen give God praise give god praise amen amen you know IIIi let you're on the secret I'm gonna share with this I've traveled a great deal in the 70s and the 80s really much too much and my wife would think much much much too much and in the 70s and the 80s particularly I was circling the globe working for the ministry the hygienist I was working for at the Thomas preaching and teaching on whatever opportunity I had and and I was privileged to have these opportunities and as some of you know I lived in five countries I of course was born in Egypt lived in Lebanon and then Australia then California and finally the United States when I came to Atlanta 42 years ago I met I don't want any of my California friends be offended but I think they agree but every time I traveled and I come back home literally one to kiss the ground thankful to be in America but there was a question that dogged me as I traveled and as I looked as I saw particularly in the third-world countries and the question just dogged me and and and I could not rest until I found an answer at least for me satisfactory answer the question is this how come people in the third world countries have less material goods than we do they have less far less technological gadgets than we do how come they have far less of the creature comforts that we have than we do and yet by the same token and this is really the crux of it by the same token they have less depression they have less mental illness they have less insomnia than we do they have less nervous breakdowns than we do they have less worry and anxiety than we do they have less hypertension's than we do and that question really basically in the early eighties as I was finishing my doctorate degree at Emory University I began to search I began to look very closely and I want to know why and finally I came to a conclusion I take full responsibility by the way I'm not I'm not gonna blame anybody else this is my personal finding it's my personal opinion and you can dispute it all you want but it's just it's it's my opinion my conclusion two words two words unrealistic expectations that's the difference unrealistic expectations can you say that with me we have far more unrealistic expectations than they do and to me that was the only answer I can come up with here's the problem unrealistic expectations is like a deck of cards literally it will easily collapse and crumble whenever you conjure up unrealistic expectations which is devoid of reality it's like a set of dominoes they got tick tick tick tick tick tick tick I think my colleagues heard this and decided to show you how my beloved friends listen to me unrealistic expectations cuts across the board there are some husbands who have unrealistic expectations of their wives there are some wives who have unrealistic expectations of their husbands there are some parents who have unrealistic expectations of their children there are some children who have unrealistic expectations of their parents and with my tongue firmly in my cheek I can say there are congregation that can place unrealistic expectations of their pastor and vice versa but since I discover I don't do it but that goes on and on and on between employer employees and between citizens and politicians on and on and on and on here's the problem here's the problem when unrealistic expectations go unmet when unrealistic expectations go unfulfilled they can leave us confused discouraged depressed and disheartened I was thinking about unrealistic expectations and I was preparing and I thought of a true story a story that read some time ago about a very wealthy oil baron who was never married and had no children when he died family members showed up from all over the place I mean they came out of the Woodworks all with great unrealistic expectations and so the day after the funeral the lawyer gathered all of these people who claim to be relatives and he didn't know who's the relative and who's not so he he got up and and and ceremoniously he started reading the will I so and so by the in in sound mind I leave my cousin Nancy my ranch I leave my brother George my bank I leave my brother Stanley the oil company and that went on and on and naming all these people and finally he said and to my nephew Willie who have never done a day's work in his life and always asked me to remember him in my will hi Willie unrealistic expectations causes devastation unrealistic expectations can actually be traumatic and listen carefully unrealistic expectations can torpedo the life of faith so Michael how come this whole series you've been talking about supernatural and walking by faith and not by sight how come oh I need to explain that because it's very important he sees there's so many people thanks to the prosperity preachers confuse faith with fantasy they really do there are many people who confuse faith with selfish ambitions there are so many people who confuse faith with selfishness I've been saying throughout the series of messages entitled it is supernatural that it is a complete trust in the Living God that brings about fulfillment of the promises of God can I get an amen by the way if you're visiting with us this is the last six unlost in the series and if you haven't been here download them I pray to god they'll cause be a cause of encouragement for you here in this Bible reading that was able to read to us this morning we have an example of how unrealistic expectations nearly just nearly nullified the miracle here's an example of how unrealistic expectation nearly I say nearly robbed the man of God's supernatural miracle is an example of a man who nearly became a casualty of his own unrealistic expectations by the same token you see an example of a young slave girl young Jewish girl's faith in action turn with me if you haven't already to second King chapter 5 second Kings chapter 5 during that period of time Syria was a when you hear Aram I told you before it it's Syria Aram Syria is the same country Syria which is north of Israel at that period of history was very powerful country and there was a general actually he was the chairman of the joint chief of staff just get it like that you you'll get it he was a decorated general his uniform was literally laden with medals he had a complete an unfettered access to the king of Syria he was a national hero as far as they were concerned but he had one humongous problem please listen carefully listen carefully life is never perfect can you say that with me life is never perfect when you point to someone as it all he's got it easier than me she got it easier than me when you point to someone and you say that it is because you don't know what their problems are Amen god bless you general naman epitomize the song everything is going my way except for one painful embarrassing humiliating humiliating thing the great general had leprosy every morning before he puts on the uniform he would spend hours bathing and dabbing herbs and natural medicine to alleviate the pain his uniform could cover most of his body but it cannot cover his hands and his face all revealed the disease thank God none of us really know or experience leprosy anymore I just thank God every day this is not something we have first-hand experience with few missionaries who work in in leprosy colonies in India probably the only ones that I know who've chemical you know hand to head in in modern times none of us none of us can understand or comprehend the extent of what leprosy is all about the symptoms of leprosy start by discoloration in a patches in the skin then it changes into pink and brown color and then the skin thickens around these spots and then it begins to produce foul discharge the eyebrows fall out the voice becomes hoarse and breathing becomes wheezy hands and feet are like bleeding stumps making it difficult to put shoes on it is no wonder that in the Old Testament in Judaism they associated or equated leprosy with sin do you know why beloved listen to me sin is like a leprosy it does a total job unless you place it under the blood of Jesus Christ it's unbearable I'm sure general naman would have given all of his wealth to get his health back I am absolutely confident that general naman would have exchanged his uniform and his medals and everything he has to get healing ah but it took the faith of a little Jewish girl who's serving in there his house it took the faith of a young Jewish girl it took the faith of a young girl who was captured by the Syrians in one of the rides raids on Israel it took the faith of that little girl faith in the power of God the God of power and might to witness to her master listen to me this young slave girl she had every right to be wrapped up in herself to be wrapped up in her pain to be wrapped up in her loneliness to be wrapped up in her suffering to be wrapped up in her and in estrangement in a strange country and the condition of slavery that she was in she had every right to be wrapped up in her separation from her family and from the isolation from whom she had every right to do that she could have looked at her master and said why should I witness to him why should i why should I tell him about our God why should I tell him about the man of God the prophet Elijah and yet she in faith stepped out and said verse er II underline it ver sory if only my master would go to the Prophet who is in Samaria samaria is remember after Solomon that Israel split northern kingdom southern kingdom the southern kingdom Judah and the northern kingdom is Israel and the capital Sumeria if he goes to the man of God in Israel in Samaria he'll be cleaned from his leprosy he didn't say there is a possibility that he may help him now beloved that's faith that's faith of a little girl we should well he may see him know that faith was real I want to speak to the student just for a minute young men and young women I want to tell you that you can accomplish great things for God now not when you grow up where you do that too you can be a champion for Christ right now in your school or in sports or whatever you are good you can witness through their grown ups to college students I want to tell you I want to tell something about your professor your professors mine are great deal about mathematics and geography and philosophy whatever the subject may be but if they are don't know Jesus they're desperate for your witness don't be intimidated by their knowledge witness to them lovingly and witness to them humbly I like the faith of the little fifth grader she was in a class and one of the teachers was unbelievable believing teacher and she won always made fun of her and one day she said to that little girl she said you know this parting of the Red Sea thing that's not a miracle let's see was only had two or three inches of water it's not a big miracle they could have just walked across and the little girl said wow what a miracle those two inches of water drowned the entire Egyptian army don't you love that that's faith of a little girl because I want to tell you if your teacher or professor does not know Jesus and his saving power chances are beneath that academic gown they are suffering from spiritual leprosy and they desperately need to hear your loving witness the supernatural power of Jesus Christ this little girl this Jewish girl had confidence not just in Elijah but in the god of Elijah this little girl has the assurance that her God is yahwah rafi this little girl was not intimidated by the generals uniform as much as he had compassion for his pain this little girl there was not afraid of the generals bodyguard as much as she wanting to bring glory to Yahweh and when the general finally Gump's comes to Israel for healing he comes with three how many three unrealistic expectations and then one of them nearly torpedoed the miracle unexpect an unrealistic expectations can hinder the miracle I'm going to explain that it's very important very important first of all unrealistic expectation number one he takes a letter from the king of Syria letter of introduction and he takes it to the king of Israel that's unrealistic expectation number one secondly he comes with a preconceived idea of how he should be healed are you with me so far can you raise your hand if you stay with me thank you or most of you he comes with silver and gold and he thought he gonna buy pay for the miracle an unrealistic expectation number three he did not like the way God was going to perform the miracle and that is why it was a travesty it literally gives me goosebumps every time I read that part that Gaza is greed their Gaza is blindness for material things got the literacy that naman was healed from stuck to him and his family if that does not bring tears to your eyes I don't know what this is a man who was the right-hand man of God he's the right-hand man of Elisha is when with him we've been seeing it throughout the series of messages I said to you I said you're gonna see him in four DS today and here it is here it is beloved listen to me our world is filled with people who think that they can buy their way to heaven whether they think they are good enough to go to heaven or whether they think they have done enough charitable work is going to get them to heaven or they think they've done enough good is going to act ways are bad and they're gonna make it to heaven sadly they're going to be shocked that it's going to be delayed it's gonna be too late let's look first of all at unrealistic expectation number one he goes to the wrong address be careful don't go to the wrong address you know where you should go right don't go to the wrong address instead of going to the man of God just as the little girl tested might testify to him he goes to the king of Israel verse eight the king of Israel thinking that this is basically an act of international provocation that's really how I put it in in the vernacular he said this is an act of international provocation he's provoked and he tears his clothes a sign of sadness and sorrow ah but when Elijah heard about this fiasco he sent his messenger to the great general said hey you went to the wrong address come here not there verse nine the general turns his camel motorcade have you ever seen a camel motorcade they're very slow but I think he had some horses and chariots he turns it around and he goes to Elijah now he expected I mean actually actually all of us would have with a thought that Elijah would be waiting for him at the door right ah a great famous hero general he's coming here I better go down and greet him let's have a welcoming committee and greet him at the foot of the stairs of Air Force One well we'll have signs placards saying hey welcome the great hero welcome the great general naman he would have organized a welcoming committee but none of that happened none of that happen you know why do you know why because the man of God and a woman of God is not impressed to a celebrity's can I get an amen the man of God or the woman of God is not starstruck by the famous and the infamous gods man and gods woman are nothing all of the big shots I'm getting ahead of myself here and so namin unrealistic expectation number one he went to the wrong address who entered the king of Israel unrealistic expectations number two which was really shattering to the general was shattering how come he wouldn't come down and greet me instead Elijah Shen sends him his assistant and he said go and tell the bigshot I say Yusuf translation but you get the meaning right go and wash seven times in the river Jordan and your body will be restored and you will be cleansed hmm before I explain this or even get to Sri I need to explain a geographical fact a true fact the Jordan River in fact one time we had a group want to go be baptized in the same place where Jesus was baptized and I know it well I've been there it's very murky it's very muddy your feet will really dip deep in the mud it is like a little muddy water puddle in comparison to the beautiful river Euphrates the River Jordan is shallow and murky and muddy in comparison to the beautiful rivers in Syria and the great general Naaman becomes furious I mean he was furious and that is unrealistic expectation number two first the man of God would not even come to lay hands on him and heal him he thought this is the way to do it unrealistic expectations as if he'd say to himself he's telling me to go and dip in the river Jordan seven times he wants me to go where he wants me to do what he wants me to dip how many times if he's a southerner he would say is he out of his mind does he know who I'm oh yes he does just Elijah ain't impressed with what impresses people after all he is the servant of the Living God the God of Israel the God of power and might look at verses 11 and 12 you can literally if you read semitic languages you really can almost visualize the smoke coming out of naimans ears smoke coming out he was steaming I mean he was hopping mad he was fuming he was fussing and his furious to say the least now don't miss this don't miss how I'm going to tell you let me summarize first unrealistic expectation number one he went where the wrong address unrealistic expectation number two Elijah does not count that come down and meet him as he expected but then listen to what his bodyguard said to him well he said this to the his his craft his bodyguard I thought that he would calm down lay hands on me call upon his God and I would be healed beloved are you with me can you see that can you see the fallacy here unrealistic expectation number three just closed his mind completely completely closed his mind because of the method that God used for his miracle he had different expectations he's sending me to the murky water of the Jordan come on no way if I'm clean and get into that River I will get dirty and so he gets his camel motorcade turned around and he's going home he's gone home he's going home to Syria he's heading home now in addition to his disease he's hitting home disappointed and he's hitting home angry it's okay none of you are laughing I am laughing for but for all of you we listen to me just one more time beloved listen to me I wonder issue a warning is is a warning I never give you a warning that I don't give myself I never exhaust you about something and I don't constantly and daily say to myself so let me warn you be very careful of wanting God to perform a miracle according to your expectations be very careful of one in God to bless you according to your expectations be very careful of unrealistic expectations be very careful of confusing faith with fantasy be very careful of not wanting to meet the conditions of the promises of God and yet you're expecting those promises to be fulfilled Hebrews 10 36 Hebrews 10 36 says that we first do the will of God then the promises are fulfilled look at verse 13 second Kings 5 these general bodyguards and travelling companions all these people are with him they must have picked up some courage because you don't talk to a guy like this Minh the fear of he might lob your head off I mean that's just the way things were but they picked up courage and set the emboss what have you got to lose boss don't be stubborn as the use of translation and so reluctantly the great general goes into the river Jordan turns around go back to the river Jordan I often tell you don't miss this and don't miss this some people said I'm getting tired of it it's okay I'm gonna keep saying it until I die but I'm not gonna tell you don't miss what I'm gonna tell you I'm gonna say don't forget what I'm gonna tell you don't forget what I'm going to tell you if you're writing write it down naimans healing was not in the Jordan River naimans healing was not even in Elijah's words named as healing was on the trip to the River Jordan did he get that it's on the trip that's where the healing was let me ask you this has God been speaking to you about something in your life that you need to do is been softly gently speaking to you every time he gets a chance she speaks to you to your spirit but you're dragging your heels let me tell you something I know all about dragging their heels and all about it what is it that God is constantly speaking to you about the Holy Spirit is where they bring you under conviction I want you to do something whatever it may be it's between you and God has nothing to do with me what is it that God is constantly calling you to do OB what is it that God wants you to deal with in your life some issues that you need to deal with and you're reluctant you're reluctant the reason I said don't forget this because of what I'm going to tell you right now whatever it is only you know it between you and God whatever is it could be I'm repeating it could be the secret to your blessing it could be I repeat again it could be I'm not saying it is the key to your miracle it could be it could be the answer that you've been waiting for only you and God know only you and God know this great general was reluctant to obey maybe was embarrassed with a cross grotesque nature of his disease I don't know maybe it was embarrassed take off his clothes in front of his staff and bodyguards and embarrass of the ugliness of the skin and but begrudgingly he gets into the River Jordan first dip nothing happened second dip surely something should have happened by now right third fourth dip I am absolutely convinced in my mind the sixth dip at the sixth dip he nearly gave up that's my personal don't don't try to find it in the Bible it's not a human nature surely if something is gonna happen would have began now at least to take place nothing and then he takes his seventh dip and then he comes out Wow the body's healed well the God of Israel is the only one true God the God of Israel is the one who is a God of power and might here's the god of the supernatural and don't you ever forget it the problem is so many professing Christians are living just like the secular people are they do nothing practice nothing that would distinguishing them to be men and women boys and girls of faith there may be someone here today who might never have experienced what the joy of knowing that all of your sins are forgiven and that you have been set free I received the gift of eternal life you might be adamant in thinking like I said that you're going to heaven because you're a good person or because of your charitable work or because of all the the weighing of the good things they're going to be more than the bad things so maybe because you think your denomination or your church is gonna make you it's gonna allow you to get to heaven listen to me Jesus never never never said that a church can save you Church can never save you he said coming to me come directly to me I am the one who paid the penalty of your sins I am the only one who can save you eternally and assure you of heaven one more thing before our close very important very important thing naimans obedience was so significant it was so important not only v'n he became sensitive and saying you know I want God to forgive me because if I go with the King holding his hand and against that temple I'm not gonna worship those gods anymore I'm gonna worship Yahweh that is a great thing but this obedience of this Gentile was so significant that the Lord Jesus Christ himself mentions him by name in Luke chapter 4 Jesus sat in the synagogue in Nazareth whenever I take a group with me to Israel there are three places I don't allow the guides to preach I do the teaching because they will never understand the theological significance because when Jesus sat in the synagogue in Nazareth its hometown and he picked up the scroll and began to read from the book of Isaiah all the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah and then he rolls the scroll and he said this prophecy has been fulfilled in your ears I am the one they weren't very impressed they weren't impressed and then he said something that made them hopping mad he points to naman and he points to the Gentile woman and the thumb of Elijah both Gentiles he said were there not a lot of Jews at that time those are the people were saved by grace man you mean the Messiah is gonna save Gentiles as well and they got so angry they grabbed him and they took him to the precipices this is what I do the teaching from Luke 4 and they stood there it's a very sheer amazingly sheer drop and they want to push him out there but because his time was not yet Jesus walked stretch through them but that's what obedience did caused our Lord of glory to even give Nehemiah and then Amon a mention I know some preachers tell you send me a thousand dollars in a get a miracle let me tell you something they charlatans in our preachers God is always faithful to his faithful children you don't pay for the miracle did I get that right you don't pay for the miracle it's about grace it's by grace and the exercising of faith as many of you know I many times God gives me faith to believe force on behalf of somebody else I don't think I've ever exercised faith for me it's always on behalf of somebody else but that's how you know it's a faith it's not something for me it's not a selfish thing and that is why my beloved friend you see the greed of Gazzara the assistant elijah a Jew in companion with the prophet heard saw he gets celebrity and the Gentile is saved by grace alone she's always been like that all Testament New Testaments by grace every one was saved by faith and grace four hundred years before the law and we see here a man saved by grace in the Old Testament the Bible said in the Old Testament that it is obedience not sacrifice that God desires now sometimes obedience lead to a sacrifice but that's different one comes first and the other one follows obedience comes first thank you for being part of our worship today we would love to hear from you please contact us and tell us about what God is doing in your life if you are in the Atlanta area we hope that you can visit us in person I love to shake your hands may God bless you today and throughout the week [Music]

Channel: The Church Of The Apostles

Views: 2,224

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Sermons by great preachers, testimonies of christians, jesus christ, leading the way, Dr Michael Youssef, The Church of the Apostles

Id: Zp2npvacKOs

Length: 43min 1sec (2581 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 27 2019