Michael Youssef

Michael Youssef - Living In The Past

March 8, 2025 | S25:E10

Dr. Michael Youssef passionately proclaims uncompromising truth from God's Word to people around the world through the ministries of Leading The Way. Join him for sound Biblical teaching each week.

#Faith #Religion #Culture #Focus #WordofGod #SelfImage #inActive #Emotion #Condemnation #MichaelYoussef #Reputation #Deception #Revelation3:1

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Michael Youssef | Michael Youssef - Living In The Past | March 8, 2025

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Dr. michael youssef: everyone who comes to christ
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In repentance and faith will receive eternal life.
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Rico: dr. youssef is using this teaching
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To penetrate the world through 190-plus nations
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And 28 languages
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And we just think that's part of our ministry as a couple,
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Is to be participants in that.
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Chris makin: we're so grateful here in australia
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To be a part of a global ministry
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That is passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth.
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Tarusa stewart: i have listened to dr. youssef over the years
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And i knew that if he was coming to macon, georgia,
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That there was a move of god that was coming with him.
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Pilar lowden: it was really indeed a life-changing moment.
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Sonny perdue: every organization, large and small,
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Takes its culture and its passion
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From its leader,
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And you've led well, god bless.
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Rt kendall: passionately proclaiming
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Uncompromising truth, what a ministry.
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May you have many more years of leading the way
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And preaching the gospel.
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Mike huckabee: this dear friend has been
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One of the most effective proclaimers of the gospel
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I've ever heard.
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His ministry has been a blessing to people across the globe.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Dr. youssef: in the 20th century,
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I was taught from childhood
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That one's reputation
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Is one of the most prized possessions.
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One's reputation is really more important
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Than money or power or prestige,
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That one's reputation is more valuable
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Than even life itself.
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For they say, if you lose your reputation,
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You lose everything.
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But you know and i know
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That obsession with one's reputation
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Can easily lead to hypocrisy.
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It can easily lead to unhealthy concern
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With only what is external.
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Obsession with one's reputation
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Can also lead to dual personality,
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That is having a personality for public consumption
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And a personality in private life.
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In fact, we see this dreadful trap in the new testament,
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Where the pharisees have fallen into,
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It's a dreadful trap.
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We read repeatedly in the gospels
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How our lord jesus christ condemned the pharisees
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For their obsession
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With only, only the outward appearance,
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With only, only their reputation,
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Only, only the style but no substance.
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That's the obsession
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And that's why jesus rebuked them
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And he condemned them over and over and over again.
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Now, having lived in three different cultures
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And three different continents in my lifetime,
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I can testify to you
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That unhealthy obsession with one's reputation
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Causes all sorts of tragic consequences.
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Unhealthy obsession with one's reputation
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Can hide the real person.
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Unhealthy obsession with one's reputation
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Causes one to always kind of be as an actor
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On a stage, acting.
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The only reputation that matters is your reputation with god.
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The only reputation that you need to be concerned about
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And i need to be concerned about is our reputation in heaven.
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That is why the only reputation
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That really, really, really matters
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Is what god thinks of us, that's really what matters.
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After all, only god can give us favor,
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Only god can reward our labor of love,
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Only god can bless our faithfulness to him,
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Only god can honor our faithfulness to his word.
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And today in jesus's letter
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That he sends to the church in sardis,
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He could not find a one blessed thing,
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That is good thing to say about that church.
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It is a depressing letter, i don't mind telling you.
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We are going through the seven letters
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That the resurrected, glorified jesus
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Who can see straight through us and beyond the veneer,
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Seven letters
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To the seven churches in asia minor,
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And why seven?
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Because those seven churches and those seven letters
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Represent the situation and the condition
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Of every church anywhere in the world all the time.
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Our dear, precious, gracious lord jesus
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Has always, as we've seen,
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Those of you who are following in the series,
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That we have seen,
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He will find something good to praise him for,
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In order to encourage them.
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And i said, "attaboy, you're doing all right
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On this area, good, keep doing it."
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But he could not find a single thing good to say
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About the church in sardis.
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All that our glorified savior saw was a church
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That was obsessed with their reputation,
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They were obsessed with it.
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A church that was totally focused on what people think,
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"what the world think of us,
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How do we improve our image with the world?"
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So they have a public relations director
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And they have a marketing director,
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And they were sitting on their blessed assurance
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Doing nothing.
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All they cared about was their reputation.
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Seven hundred years before this letter was sent
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By our lord jesus christ to the church in sardis,
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The resurrected, glorified jesus sending that church,
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700 years before he did, sardis was
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One of the great cities of the world, actually.
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The wealth of sardis was legendary,
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The reputation and their wealth and their power
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Was all over the world, was renowned.
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But then two centuries later,
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That's the fifth century if you're counting,
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History repeats itself,
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It's amazing, it's amazing.
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The persians from modern-day iran came and invaded sardis,
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Invaded that city.
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And after two centuries of being battered and battered
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By the persians,
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Sardis was surrounded by alexander the great
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Until they surrendered to him,
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And alexander the great rebuilt it as a greek city.
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Then history repeats itself, as i said,
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After the death of alexander the great,
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It was defeated once more
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Until it was taken over by the romans.
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You say, "michael, why are you giving us
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This little history lesson?
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There's a reason for that, just listen carefully.
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Because what our lord jesus does,
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We've been seeing this throughout the letters,
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He sees and he takes a cultural phenomena
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Or a cultural characteristic of the city,
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And then he warns
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The church, his church.
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It is, after all, jesus's church,
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He warns his church against adopting
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These cultural characteristics,
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And he's doing the same thing here.
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He warns the christian believers in sardis of the pitfall
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Of adopting those cultural characteristics
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Of sardis, the culture.
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What was sardis's cultural characteristic?
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Well, it was they had the reputation
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Of being lazy, lazy.
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The people of sardis were known for relying
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On their past blessed reputation and wealth,
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And often they failed to protect their city.
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As soon as a foreign attack has come, they surrendered.
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Sardis, the characteristics of sardis is being lazy,
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Is now adopted by the church of jesus christ in that city.
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They, too, were taking it easy
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And let the world run roughshods over them,
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And that has deeply, deeply, deeply grieved
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The heart of jesus.
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If you think that spiritual life
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Is anything but a spiritual warfare,
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You are giving satan the upper hand.
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If we live without being alert as to his deceptive tricks
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That he's constantly roaring around,
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Not just in the individual lives
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And trying to absolutely zero in.
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He knows our hot buttons and our weaknesses,
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But he does that to churches as a whole.
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He does it to individuals, he does it to churches.
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And now sardis is about to fall in that trap,
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And jesus is warning them before it's too late.
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Now, put the map back on the screen please,
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I want to show you that sardis was basically
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30 miles southeast of thyatira, which we looked at.
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Fifty miles east, due east from smyrna.
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You can see it right across.
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Our lord jesus christ
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Is basically saying three things:
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The first thing he tells them
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Is that he admonishes them
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About their obsession with reputation.
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Secondly, he gives them the antidote for a revival,
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An antidote for restoration.
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And thirdly, he assures the faithful ones, the few left,
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The faithful ones in their church
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Of their rewards,
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So you got it: admonition, antidote, assurance.
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First, christ's admonition
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About their reputation, a false reputation,
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And they're sitting
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On the importance of their reputation.
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Verse 1, this is very important by the way,
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Verse 1, of chapter 3 of revelation,
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Jesus describes himself as, "the one who has
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The seven spirits and seven stars."
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This is important.
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What does it mean?
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I mentioned that before,
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But let me just repeat it because it's very important.
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The number seven is the number of completion,
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Seven letters and the seven spirits,
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What does that mean?
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It's the number of fullness, and therefore,
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Jesus is saying that his spirit, that is the holy spirit,
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And so jesus is saying when you talk about the seven spirits
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Is his holy spirit is complete, his holy spirit is perfect,
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His holy spirit is perfect in knowledge,
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His holy spirit sees what nobody else can see,
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And he can see everything all the time,
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All the time, everywhere.
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And he sees through every one of us as believers,
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He sees on the inside.
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Hear me right, this is important
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Because people can misunderstand you.
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People can misjudge you, people can mistreat you,
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People can be unfair, but not jesus.
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Never, never, never, never jesus,
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Because he sees straight through us
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All the way in the depth of our hearts.
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And that's why he's saying he has a complete authority
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Over every one of his churches.
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He has a complete authority over one of his children,
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That's why there are seven stars.
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And that is why he's the only one
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Who can expose the spiritual bankruptcy.
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They were in a condition of a spiritual bankruptcy,
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He's the only one who can expose it.
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Nobody else, everybody from the outside,
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They go, "isn't that wonderful, this is a great church."
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And jesus said, "no, no, no, i can see through you."
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Listen to what jesus said,
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He said, "you have the reputation of being alive,
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But in reality, you are spiritually dead."
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Reputation, reputation,
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This church must have had a very large attendance.
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They were socially involved, there was a church
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That was renowned throughout the region,
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Maybe throughout the country,
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Throughout the asia minor as relevant to the culture.
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This church must have been known
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As being accommodating to the pressure of culture.
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In the church, non-believers were so comfortable
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In their non-belief,
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Proud sinners were proud
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Of their sin displayed in the church.
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Ah, but in reality, they were a spiritual graveyard,
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That's what they were, spiritual graveyard.
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All that hyperactivity is,
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Like god said this to israel one time,
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He said, you're like a vine that's full of green shoots,
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But no fruit.
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Hyper activities, but no spiritual depth.
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Listen to me, long time ago, my precious lord
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Taught me how deceptive appearances can be.
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And i have lived long enough, and i thank god for that,
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To realize how deadly it is
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When the world speaks well of you.
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Long time ago i've learned
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That when the world speaks well of you,
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God is not very happy.
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It's like the old timer who said,
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"when your world becomes so churchy,
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It's because your church has become so worldly."
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Now beloved, it is your reputation with god,
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It's our reputation with god that really matters in the end.
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And let me tell you something,
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Before i start condemning the culture
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And condemning all the stuff that's going on,
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I point my finger on the church.
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Because as goes the pulpit, so goes the pew,
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And as goes the pew, so goes the culture.
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You see, the problem started in the church,
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Not outside there, it started in the church.
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Spiritual zombies are everywhere,
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But the all-seeing, the all-knowing,
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The all-searching eyes of jesus,
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The seven spirits is seeing straight through them.
00:16:53.595 --> 00:16:58.200
He's saying, "i'm seeing through you,
00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:01.136
I know what's going on, on the inside of you.
00:17:01.136 --> 00:17:04.940
I know what you're thinking, i know your motives,
00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:09.178
I know your inward secrets.
00:17:09.178 --> 00:17:13.148
You have the reputation of being great,
00:17:13.148 --> 00:17:16.985
But i know better, i know better,
00:17:16.985 --> 00:17:22.124
Christ admonition.
00:17:22.124 --> 00:17:23.459
Secondly, christ antidote for faith restoration.
00:17:23.459 --> 00:17:29.731
What is jesus's antidote?
00:17:29.731 --> 00:17:32.968
Wake up!
00:17:32.968 --> 00:17:35.604
I want to give you a word picture
00:17:35.604 --> 00:17:37.973
Of what's going on in that church in sardis.
00:17:37.973 --> 00:17:40.209
Just try to imagine a smoldering fire,
00:17:40.209 --> 00:17:43.745
A smoldering fire, but at the bottom,
00:17:43.745 --> 00:17:48.550
At the bottom of that fire, there are a few coals,
00:17:48.550 --> 00:17:52.187
Pieces of coals that are still burning.
00:17:52.187 --> 00:17:57.860
And jesus is saying, "there is a small remnant
00:17:57.860 --> 00:18:04.433
That has some spark left.
00:18:04.433 --> 00:18:10.472
Let that remnant wake up
00:18:10.472 --> 00:18:13.108
And ignite the rest of the church.
00:18:13.108 --> 00:18:16.211
Wake up and see your true pathetic spiritual condition.
00:18:16.211 --> 00:18:22.818
Wake up and light up the flame
00:18:22.818 --> 00:18:26.255
For this dying church, spiritually dying church.
00:18:26.255 --> 00:18:29.391
Wake up and go back to biblical truth,
00:18:29.391 --> 00:18:32.861
Wake up and get on your knees
00:18:32.861 --> 00:18:36.465
On behalf of those who have become a dead word.
00:18:36.465 --> 00:18:43.172
Wake up and repent and weep and be in sorrow
00:18:43.172 --> 00:18:48.510
Over the true spiritual condition of the church."
00:18:48.510 --> 00:18:54.149
If jesus has a message for the church in america today,
00:18:54.149 --> 00:18:58.520
I would venture to say he would say,
00:18:58.520 --> 00:19:00.622
"stop being deceived by the size of your churches
00:19:00.622 --> 00:19:05.661
And the tolerance of sin, stop being deceived."
00:19:05.661 --> 00:19:13.268
That's christ's antidote is this: "wake up,
00:19:13.268 --> 00:19:16.171
Remember, repent,
00:19:16.171 --> 00:19:18.106
Receive the power of the holy spirit afresh."
00:19:18.106 --> 00:19:23.045
Jesus's admonition,
00:19:23.045 --> 00:19:26.949
Jesus's antidote for faith restoration,
00:19:26.949 --> 00:19:31.620
And thirdly, christ's assurance
00:19:31.620 --> 00:19:35.257
To the faithful remnant in that church,
00:19:35.257 --> 00:19:41.597
For there were few faithful ones were left.
00:19:41.597 --> 00:19:49.238
In that church in sardis, god has not forgotten them.
00:19:49.238 --> 00:19:55.644
He knows who are his faithful ones,
00:19:55.644 --> 00:19:59.681
And he gave them twofold promises, twofold.
00:19:59.681 --> 00:20:03.952
First, he would clothe them with a white robe.
00:20:03.952 --> 00:20:07.856
Why a white robe?
00:20:07.856 --> 00:20:09.191
I have four reasons i'm going to share with you.
00:20:09.191 --> 00:20:11.927
First of all, white robe
00:20:11.927 --> 00:20:14.363
Represents festivities, festivities.
00:20:14.363 --> 00:20:18.834
From the parable of the wedding feast,
00:20:18.834 --> 00:20:21.303
You remember that those who came to the wedding feast
00:20:21.303 --> 00:20:25.107
Or invited to the wedding feast were handed robes,
00:20:25.107 --> 00:20:28.110
They were handed white robes,
00:20:28.110 --> 00:20:29.511
And that, beloved friends, are going to be handed to us
00:20:29.511 --> 00:20:33.682
By the bridegroom himself, the lord jesus.
00:20:33.682 --> 00:20:39.087
Second, the white robes are a symbol of victory.
00:20:39.087 --> 00:20:43.058
In the roman culture, whenever they had victory
00:20:43.058 --> 00:20:45.861
And they would have a big parade for that victory,
00:20:45.861 --> 00:20:50.565
They handed people white robes, they wore white robes,
00:20:50.565 --> 00:20:54.269
And they're called their cities, "white cities."
00:20:54.269 --> 00:20:57.906
But also white robes, a symbol of purity,
00:20:57.906 --> 00:21:02.377
A symbol of purity.
00:21:02.377 --> 00:21:03.979
Those who have kept themselves from the stain and the soil
00:21:03.979 --> 00:21:10.552
And the dirt of sin from the world,
00:21:10.552 --> 00:21:14.489
They will receive a white robe.
00:21:14.489 --> 00:21:18.527
And he's talking, not about perfection,
00:21:18.527 --> 00:21:21.630
Listen carefully, he's not talking about perfection.
00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:24.566
But he's talking about those who hate sin
00:21:24.566 --> 00:21:27.969
And they cannot wait to repent
00:21:27.969 --> 00:21:29.705
When they fail and fall into sin,
00:21:29.705 --> 00:21:32.607
They will receive the white robes
00:21:32.607 --> 00:21:34.242
Of the righteousness of jesus,
00:21:34.242 --> 00:21:36.611
Not our own, we have none.
00:21:36.611 --> 00:21:39.648
But fourthly, white robe also stands for resurrection.
00:21:39.648 --> 00:21:44.186
These white robes are ours, they are ours.
00:21:44.186 --> 00:21:50.025
You cannot earn them in a million lifetimes,
00:21:50.025 --> 00:21:52.861
You cannot buy them
00:21:52.861 --> 00:21:54.196
With all the wealth of the world.
00:21:54.196 --> 00:21:57.466
They're a gift of jesus's grace to every faithful believer.
00:21:57.466 --> 00:22:03.205
But that's not all.
00:22:03.205 --> 00:22:06.074
The second promise for jesus
00:22:06.074 --> 00:22:07.976
For those faithful ones who are left,
00:22:07.976 --> 00:22:12.647
Their names will never, never, never, can you say that with me?
00:22:12.647 --> 00:22:19.855
Congregation: never.
00:22:19.855 --> 00:22:21.623
Dr. youssef: be blotted out of the book of life.
00:22:21.623 --> 00:22:30.098
But rather they will be acknowledged
00:22:30.098 --> 00:22:32.334
By jesus before his father.
00:22:32.334 --> 00:22:38.106
In the ancient world,
00:22:38.106 --> 00:22:41.209
They kept a registry in the palace of the king.
00:22:41.209 --> 00:22:46.248
Every king, they have a registry office
00:22:46.248 --> 00:22:49.317
And then they have all the names of the citizens of that town.
00:22:49.317 --> 00:22:54.723
All the citizens' names are written in that registry.
00:22:54.723 --> 00:23:00.028
Only two conditions that removes those names from that registry,
00:23:00.028 --> 00:23:05.434
Two conditions, two causes,
00:23:05.434 --> 00:23:07.636
The first one is when that citizen commits
00:23:07.636 --> 00:23:10.739
A crime against the state.
00:23:10.739 --> 00:23:15.010
If that person commits a crime against the state,
00:23:15.010 --> 00:23:17.112
They remove his or her name.
00:23:17.112 --> 00:23:19.581
And the second cause
00:23:19.581 --> 00:23:21.249
For removing of the name is death,
00:23:21.249 --> 00:23:23.885
When a person dies, they remove it.
00:23:23.885 --> 00:23:27.155
But death determined
00:23:27.155 --> 00:23:29.257
That your name in the registry of the palace of the king
00:23:29.257 --> 00:23:32.794
Is to be removed from that royal registry.
00:23:32.794 --> 00:23:38.099
My faithful friend, listen to me as i conclude.
00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:41.069
Jesus has a book in heaven, and in that book
00:23:41.069 --> 00:23:45.173
All the names of his faithful children
00:23:45.173 --> 00:23:47.809
Are written,
00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:49.244
And they are not written with a pencil
00:23:49.244 --> 00:23:52.147
In order that they can be erased,
00:23:52.147 --> 00:23:54.115
But it's written by the blood of jesus christ himself
00:23:54.115 --> 00:23:57.752
So it can never be removed.
00:23:57.752 --> 00:24:02.257
And the reason they are written by the blood of jesus
00:24:02.257 --> 00:24:05.360
Is because no one, no one, no one, say it with me,
00:24:05.360 --> 00:24:09.998
No one can remove them from the book of life.
00:24:09.998 --> 00:24:14.269
No one, no one can wipe them out.
00:24:14.269 --> 00:24:18.440
And on that day,
00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:20.242
I'm going to hear my name called from that book.
00:24:20.242 --> 00:24:25.046
[congregation applauding]
00:24:25.046 --> 00:24:29.217
Dr. youssef: and when jesus calls my name,
00:24:29.217 --> 00:24:32.921
When jesus acknowledges me before his father,
00:24:32.921 --> 00:24:39.160
I'm going to fall on my face and say,
00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:42.597
"thank you, jesus, thank you, jesus.
00:24:42.597 --> 00:24:46.334
Thank you for saving me, thank you for redeeming me,
00:24:46.334 --> 00:24:50.238
Thank you for sustaining me, thank you for keeping me,
00:24:50.238 --> 00:24:54.175
Thank you for acknowledging me before your father.
00:24:54.175 --> 00:25:02.150
I have acknowledged you before man,
00:25:02.150 --> 00:25:05.120
Now you are true to your promise and you are acknowledging me
00:25:05.120 --> 00:25:08.723
Before your father in heaven."
00:25:08.723 --> 00:25:11.092
Beloved, when the roll is called up yonder,
00:25:11.092 --> 00:25:13.795
When the roll is called up yonder,
00:25:13.795 --> 00:25:16.097
When the roll is called up yonder,
00:25:16.097 --> 00:25:18.066
I'll be there, i'll be there.
00:25:18.066 --> 00:25:20.435
Will you be there?
00:25:20.435 --> 00:25:22.103
Will you be there, will you be there?
00:25:22.103 --> 00:25:24.539
♪♪♪
00:25:24.539 --> 00:25:30.712
Male announcer: what would jesus say to the church today?
00:25:32.714 --> 00:25:35.550
As darkness rises and faith is tested,
00:25:35.550 --> 00:25:38.119
His words to the seven churches in revelation echo through time,
00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:41.856
Calling us back to him.
00:25:41.856 --> 00:25:43.658
"blessed is the one
00:25:43.658 --> 00:25:44.993
Who reads aloud the words of this prophecy,
00:25:44.993 --> 00:25:47.429
And blessed are those who hear it and take to heart
00:25:47.429 --> 00:25:49.998
What is written in it because the time is near."
00:25:49.998 --> 00:25:53.335
In his new book, "god's final call,"
00:25:53.335 --> 00:25:55.570
Dr. michael youssef unveils
00:25:55.570 --> 00:25:57.305
The urgent message of revelation,
00:25:57.305 --> 00:25:59.274
A call to reclaim our first love.
00:25:59.274 --> 00:26:01.643
Learn how to stand firm for christ against opposition,
00:26:01.643 --> 00:26:04.980
Compromise, and cultural pressure.
00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:07.282
With "god's final call," discover how to confidently walk
00:26:07.282 --> 00:26:10.652
Through the open doors god places before you,
00:26:10.652 --> 00:26:13.355
Making the most of leading opportunities
00:26:13.355 --> 00:26:15.557
To share the gospel.
00:26:15.557 --> 00:26:17.092
Pre-order your copy of "god's final call"
00:26:17.092 --> 00:26:19.260
For your gift of any amount
00:26:19.260 --> 00:26:20.595
And equip yourself to discern truth from deception
00:26:20.595 --> 00:26:23.665
In a world flooded with false gospels
00:26:23.665 --> 00:26:25.934
And cheap grace.
00:26:25.934 --> 00:26:27.402
♪♪♪
00:26:27.402 --> 00:26:33.441
Announcer: passionately proclaiming
00:26:36.945 --> 00:26:38.279
Uncompromising truth,
00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:39.681
"leading the way" with dr. michael youssef
00:26:39.681 --> 00:26:41.616
Thanks you for your faithful support
00:26:41.616 --> 00:26:43.785
Through your continued prayers and gifts.
00:26:43.785 --> 00:26:46.321
♪♪♪
00:26:46.321 --> 00:26:59.467
Male: "behold, he is coming with clouds,
00:27:02.003 --> 00:27:04.973
And every eye will see him, even they who pierced him."
00:27:04.973 --> 00:27:09.144
Male announcer: the churches of revelation
00:27:12.747 --> 00:27:14.215
Departed from god's truth,
00:27:14.215 --> 00:27:16.017
And they serve as a warning for us today.
00:27:16.017 --> 00:27:19.854
Join us next week for a special message
00:27:19.854 --> 00:27:21.823
From dr. michael youssef
00:27:21.823 --> 00:27:23.158
As he unpacks
00:27:23.158 --> 00:27:24.492
God's final call
00:27:24.492 --> 00:27:25.827
To the church of our time.
00:27:25.827 --> 00:27:30.001

Michael Youssef - Living In The Past

March 8, 2025 | S25:E10

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