R1006 In Christ More Is Possible, Pt.2

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton as we head to the book of Romans, Chapter 10, together. In Christ, more is possible. Now, we know that, we affirm that, but how do we live that out in the sense of discovering not only where we can do more through the power of Christ, but we can learn how to do less and accomplish more. Again, today's topic, more is possible, is coming up next with Dr. Don Wilton, and while we dive in, we want to remind you we're connecting both on our website, www.tewonline.org, and our phone number, 866-899-WORD, 24 hours a day, connection with wonderful resources like the wonderful book from Stormy O'Martian, called The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children. You can take a look right now at our website, www.tewonline.org.

But now, today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. A lot of things that we're searching for, and you're one of those people, aren't you? You've got everything. I don't know what you have or you don't have. I know that we're in the midst of a hard time in our country, but we're still the most blessed people on the face of the earth.

I came back from Asia just recently, wanted to get on my knees and kiss the ground, because I love America so much. But regardless of whether your pantry is filled with food or empty, regardless of whether your marriage is healthy or on rocky ground, regardless of whether your children are growing up strong or whether they are struggling like I did, I've discovered that people all over the world are trying to find something, looking there's got to be more to life. Surely there's more to life than just this rigmarole that you and I are engaged in.

This thing called life that you and I go through and we wake up in the morning and the second verse is the same as the first. It seems like the more we have, the more we realize how much we do not have. Seems like the more we eat, the hungrier we become. It seems like that our thirst grows like an insatiable desire. And I have found people just like you and me everywhere we go, because I am no different searching.

Well, there are four things people search for. All people are searching for forgiveness. All people want to be forgiven. I want to be forgiven, don't you? I've messed up so many times.

Bible says all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All people want to be loved. I had a man come to me a year or so ago and he said to me, pastor, he said, do you know that I never heard my father ever, not once, tell me that he loved me? I said, you're kidding me?

He said, oh no, my dad would take me to play tennis and we would play golf and we would go swimming and we would go on vacations, but my father would never say the word. All people want to be loved. Loved is not just a word, it's an action. All people want that, it doesn't matter how high and mighty we become. It doesn't matter how filled we are with a sense of our own importance. All people want to be loved, all people want to have purpose. Everybody wants to have a purpose. I want to know, I want to wake up and know what my purpose is here on this earth. Why am I here? What is this life all about? What am I doing?

Where am I going? How can I have meaning in my life? And number four, all people want to belong. That's why we have so many organizations and clubs and societies and groups. There's nothing worse than being lonely.

Spoke to a precious lady that I know just recently who lost her husband of many, many years and they had such a love relationship together and she looked at me and she said to me, Brother Don, she said, I'm just so lonely. I feel as though I have no one to belong to. Everybody wants to belong. It's not a matter of being owned or being possessed. You want to be part of and be accepted as being part of, to be part of the family. And I've got such good news for you today because the Bible tells us that when we look into the empty tomb, that Jesus by the power of God was raised from the dead to the point at which you and I can know that we know that we know that in Christ more is possible than you and I can ever imagine. I've got such good news for you today.

And this passage in Romans that I've just read speaks about two essentials. You see, I don't know if you're anything like me, but when I was young and in my 20s, you know, this was what I was saying. Well, what do I need to do?

Tell me how to do this. You know, I hear it. I've listened to my father preach and I've read the Bible and I've gone to church and I've been to all of these things, but just tell me what do I need to do?

Give me the nuts and bolts of this thing. Well, here Paul was writing and he said, listen, if you want to be saved, and you know, I love that word saved, it's the same word that we get our word to rescue. Do you know that when Jesus came out of the grave, he accomplished God's plan to rescue you and me.

That's why he hung upon the cross and he said it is finished. I've carried out God's rescue plan for people like Don Wilton and for all people upon the earth. And so Paul here uses that word saved. What am I being saved? I'm being saved from my search, my search for forgiveness. I'm being saved from my search for love. I'm being saved from this feeling of emptiness that has no purpose. I'm being saved from that. I'm being saved from my loneliness because when I give my heart to Jesus, I'm immediately included in the family of God. I am adopted into God's family. I become one of his children.

Wow! That's why in Christ more is possible than you and I can ever imagine. It's all about Easter Sunday. Jesus has risen from the grave.

He's alive. Well, what are these two essentials? They're right here.

You can read them for yourself. Essential number one, this is what you've got to do. You've got to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. You've got to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

That's what the Bible says there in verse nine. I had two gentlemen come to my door on Friday night. They knocked on my door. I'm not sure if they really understood whose door they knocked on, but they did 45 minutes later when they asked me if they could leave. I told them how much I respect them, and I told them I was so courteous to them, but I'm going to tell you one thing, folks. I said let's take a look at this in God's word together, and I'm not interested in some other book. I'm not interested in what some man has to say. Folks, listen, there are too many men and women in this world who have said, I got the answer. No, you don't.

If whoever it is from the White House to the Prime Minister's office, if you have an answer, how come we're in such a mess, huh? I'm telling you, let's give God a hand for that, folks. That's one for the future. I love it. I love it.

I could gobble it up right now. Two essentials, all right? You ready for this? Number one, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. You might say to me today, pastor, what does that mean?

It means three things. When you confess that Jesus is Lord, this is why it's essential. You cannot be rescued, you cannot be saved unless you confess that Jesus is Lord. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher here on The Encouraging Word. Please don't go away. He'll be back in just a moment to complete today's message in Christ.

More is possible. But a part of our ministry here together is following through the chest hyacinth of our pastor, saying it's not just about the Sunday service or the Wednesday service or the daily broadcast of The Encouraging Word. It's about spending time personally in God's Word on a daily basis. And so one of the first things we developed as we began this ministry was Dr. Don would take a moment and create something that we could spend every day studying God's Word. It's now grown into the daily Encouraging Word devotional, and you can receive it both physically, we can send that to you in the mail, or you can sign up on our website right now at TEWOnline.org and receive it via email every single day. Again, you can sign up on our website right now at TEWOnline.org for this email to drop into your email box, and like many of us, it literally can be that opportunity to spend some time reading a passage of Scripture, gaining some insight from Dr. Don, some application to how we need to live this out in the day, and then pray our way into a morning. It's a wonderful way to start your day, and we have not only the email version, but we also have a physical copy, a quarterly devotion we print every quarter. If you'd like a copy, you can either sign up on our website, TEWOnline.org, or call for your free copy at 866-899-WORD. We would be happy to send it to you.

That's 866-899-9673. And now let's dive back into today's great teaching in Christ, More is Possible, today's message from Dr. Don Wilton. What does it mean?

Three things. It means, first of all, that Jesus is the only one who can receive your confession. You can go to your preacher, your priest, your neighbor, your friend. Nobody can receive your confession. Only Jesus can. That's what it means that He is Lord. That's why it's essential to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

Number two, it means that Jesus is the only one who can forgive you. Nobody else can. Nobody else can. You know, I've often thought to myself, you know, goodness, this is America, free enterprise. I'm gonna set up a forgiveness institute. I tell you, I could finance a lot of things, especially when I look around and I see Greg and Kaz and Steve sitting down here.

I'd make a lot of money just out of those three alone. What does it mean to confess that Jesus is Lord? It means He's the only one who can receive my confession. But it also means that He is the only one who can forgive me for my sin.

Nobody else can. Not all the Baptists in the world, not all the Methodists in the world, not all the Presbyterian in the world, not all the Episcopalian in the world, not all the good works in the world. Only Jesus can forgive me for my sin. That's why I've got to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And number three, it means that Jesus is the only one who can give you eternal life, this new life. Listen, folks, everywhere I go, I find people saying, bottom line, you want to get it down to where the water hits the wheel? I want to be different. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of going in a circle. I'm tired of paddling my own canoe. I'm tired of tunneling underground. I'm tired of going in reverse gear. I'm tired of the struggle.

I'm just tired. I need a new life, a new beginning. And the Bible says if you're in Christ, you become a brand new creature. Old things are passed away, and old things become brand new.

All that happened because Jesus Christ, by the power of God, was raised from the dead. Somebody say amen. Amen. Woo! I like that. Isn't that wonderful? All right, there's essential number one.

Have you got it? You must confess with your mouth. There's no such thing as a secret service agent in the kingdom of God. Let me tell you something, folks. God hears you speak. That's why you've got to confess with your mouth.

This doesn't happen by osmosis. You've got to say it. You've got to speak up. But the second essential is that you've got to believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Do you see that? That's what he says in Romans 10, verse 9. He says you've got to believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.

That's the second essential. Now, what does it mean, this belief, that you believe in the resurrection in the empty tomb? It means three things. It means that Jesus is the only one who conquered sin. That's what it means.

When you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. And by the way, the word there is the word faith. Doesn't mean that you understand it. Hey, hey, I don't understand all of this, do you?

I'm not some kind of genius. I don't understand, but I believe it. I take God at his word. If you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, what are you doing?

This belief. It means that you actually believe that Jesus is the only one who conquered sin. You see, folks, we've got a sin problem.

We've got a real sin problem. Bible says all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But number two, it means that Jesus is the only one who defeated death. Bible says the wages of sin is death. And when Jesus came out of the grave, folks, he came back to life by the power of God. He conquered death. I'm often around death, folks.

I've been around a lot of people who have died. You can't imagine the difference between a person who is saved, who's been rescued by God, a person who has Jesus in their hearts. You can't imagine the difference between the death of someone who knows Jesus and someone who doesn't. It's like chalk and cheese.

You can't even measure the two. If you want to know the difference, go to a funeral service of somebody who doesn't know Jesus. You know what you'll hear at those funeral services? And we should. All you'll read is all the accolades of what they've done in life, and you should. I think that's very important because people accomplish a lot of things, but there's no joy because there's no hope. I mean, what happens?

What do you do? Just evaporate, go back to dust? Death is this mystery. It's this fear, but then you go to the funeral service of someone who's died in Christ. You can sense, you can feel the joy.

Why? Because when you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you are believing that Jesus is the only one who defeated death. He's defeated it. It's over.

The battle's won. I'm not going to die because in Christ I'm made alive. And then thirdly, when you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you believe that Jesus is the only one who raises people like you and me to life. Bible says in Adam all die, but in Christ we're all made alive. And you know, I do this wonderful study on Sunday nights at five o'clock, and we're studying through the book of Revelation at the moment.

It's incredible. I'm telling you, when you talk about heaven and Jesus coming in the clouds and all those who are alive and remain being caught up together with those who have already died to meet the Lord in the air, talk about the second coming of the Lord Jesus. You talk about being in heaven, this incredible place.

Paul put it like as he said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That's what happens when you are in Christ because in Christ more is possible than you could ever imagine. Now, do you know the Lord Jesus? Have you trusted him as your savior?

Have you given him your heart and your life? I'm gonna ask you today to give your life, your heart to Jesus, to carry through with these two essentials. You might say to me, pastor, well, is it that simple?

Yes. He said if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. I'm gonna pray for you right now. Would everybody bow their heads today?

Every head bowed and every eye closed. Father, right now there are people who are saying I want more, not more money, more this and more that. I just want more. There's gotta be more and today, Lord Jesus, they have come to a fresh understanding that you are more because in Christ more is possible than we could ever imagine. And so right now, Lord Jesus, if there is anybody within the sound of this preacher's voice who's listening to the voice of God, which is the only voice that counts, I'm gonna pray that this person would pray this prayer. I'm just gonna pray a prayer with you right now and I'm gonna invite you to pray this prayer. If you want to be saved, you want Jesus to come into your heart, you pray this prayer. Dear God, I know that Jesus died for me. I confess that Jesus is Lord and I confess my sin to you today. I repented my sin. I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.

I believe that Jesus is alive. And today, I trust in you. I put my faith in you and I receive you into my heart in Jesus' name. Now with nobody looking around, private moment, if you've prayed that prayer this morning, I want you to just raise your hand up, just put it up, just pop it up wherever you are. God bless you and God bless you. God bless you, my friend, and you too. And I see you up in the valley. Just put your hand up quickly and put it down again. God bless you, my friend.

Would you all look at me, folks? I'm not trying to count, but God is. I cannot see, but God does. Do you know that He hears you speak and He knows what's in your heart? That's why He says, confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. He hears you speak and He knows what's in your heart. And if today you have confessed that Jesus is Lord and in your heart you've received Jesus into your life because you believe that God raised Him from the dead, you are saved.

Now this is just the beginning. And Jesus said if we confess Him publicly before men, He'll confess us publicly before the Father who's in heaven. Perhaps moments ago you were praying along with Dr. Wilton as he led in that prayer of giving your life to Jesus Christ.

Or perhaps you've known Jesus Christ but have straightaway even turned your back on God, and today's the day that you are rededicating your life and from this day forward you are all in for Jesus. We want to rejoice with you. We want to pray for you and put free resources in your hands that will help you grow.

Dr. Wilton would love for you to call 866-899-WORD and share your decision today. That number again is 866-899-9673. And we'd love to put these resources in your hands so that you would gain not only the strength to grow but the opportunity to share your faith with others.

866-899-9673 or meet us online at www.tewonline.org where you'll discover great resources like this. Hello everybody. You know, my friends know me as Don Wilton, pastor, friend, neighbor, dad, husband, grandpa. But I'm going to tell you people all around the world just like you know and identify Dr. Billy Graham as that man that God used to reach so many people around the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of knowing Mr. Graham in a very personal and intimate way both as his friend and as his pastor.

In fact, for many years I drove up to his home in Montreat, North Carolina and visited with him every Saturday. Just like friends do everywhere, we sat together and ate together, walked, talked. We discussed politics, friends, places, people. We laughed our heads off. We did everything one could possibly imagine. That's why I wrote this wonderful book, Saturdays with Billy.

It's all about a personal relationship. And I hope and pray that Saturdays with Billy will be a blessing to you, will inspire you, and will encourage your heart, just as Mr. Graham encouraged my heart and changed my life. God bless you, my friends.

Now that's just one of many great resources on our website we'd love to connect you with at www.tewonline.org. And before we get away, closing thoughts from Dr. Don. You know, before we go today, what a day of worship we've had. You know, you and I have in the middle of our hearts a beloved nation, don't we? How much I love America.

I'm so proud to be an American. And you know, this broadcast is seen by so many of our armed forces across the world, and we hear from many, many of them. And we love them. We admire them.

We respect them. They are our real heroes. And I want you to join with me as we are praying for them that God would protect them and their families and loved ones. Let's do that right now, shall we, just before we go? Why don't you join with me? Lord Jesus, I'm joining with thousands of people right now and praying for our members, our brave, brave members of our community and our world who are in uniform. Many are overseas in strange and difficult places, families left behind. Lord Jesus, bless them.

Keep your hand upon them in every way. In Jesus' name, Amen. If you just prayed along with Dr. Wilton to give your life to Christ or rededicate your life to Jesus, Dr. Don wants to pray for you and put some free resources in your hands right away. If you'll call us at 866-899-WORD, we'll get this into the mail right away. 866-899-9673 will connect with us, but you can also meet us on our website at tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, Dr. Don would love to hear from you and pray for you if you email Dr. Don at tewonline.org.

He will pray for you and then give us the information so we can make sure you receive all of the information that will help you grow in your faith absolutely free. Again, Don, D-O-N, at tewonline.org is the email address. We would love to hear from you. Remember, we can keep connected beyond these broadcasts on our website at tewonline.org. That's t-e-w online dot o-r-g.