R920 More Than Bread

Jesus is all about helping us understand not only what we want, but what we need.

Today in More Than Bread, that's the message theme. That's right, this is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton, and his message on More Than Bread helps us break down our understanding of both our needs, our wants, and more importantly, how Jesus is really ready to teach us something. As we open the Word of God together today, know that we're open to speak with you and pray with you as well.

We'd love to do so keyboard to keyboard on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org, a great place to follow Dr. Don on his social media or sign up for the Daily Encouraging Word email. Or if you'd like to speak with someone, 866-899-WORD will connect you anytime, 24 hours a day. That's 866-899-9673.

And now, Dr. Don Wilton. Now you're going to need your Bibles today, so open them to Matthew chapter 6. Jesus gathered his disciples around and he said, I want to teach you something. And when Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer, he didn't say, here's something that you can recite.

Learn parrot fashion and anytime you feel like it, get up and say it in a meaningless way. It's not about the words, it's about the content. Jesus gave us an insight into how we should live. Now, folks, I want you to know that I'm going to lay the smack down today. But the smack's not going to come from me. You're going to discover in this passage that we look at that Jesus Christ lays the smack down upon people like you and me.

Get ready, get ready to respond, get ready to act. I'm about to tell you something that nobody can do, but I'm about to tell you something that will set you free. And it's not about what I have to say, it's about what the Lord Jesus had to say. Here in Matthew chapter six, we know the story. Jesus said, this is how you pray.

He said, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I want to speak to you today on more than bread, more than bread. Have you ever had a whole series of things that you know are very important? But there's one thing that stands out more than anything else.

There's so much that's important, but I know that there are some things that are more important than others, even in my own life. Now, Jesus put it like this. He said, Give us today our daily bread and forgive us for our sin in just the same way as we forgive others for the sin that they've committed against us. Oops. Uh oh.

By the way, that's intensified. That means that when Jesus said, Give us this day our daily bread, He was saying, I want you to know I'm going to provide everything that you need to live this life. But much more important even than the food that you eat and the necessities of life is the imperative concerning your willingness to forgive people that you need to forgive. I'm going to show you in the Bible in just a moment that God tells us that even though we are believers and we belong to Jesus Christ, if you do not forgive other people, God will withhold His blessings from you.

Uh oh. We've just discovered why there are many marriages that are struggling. Now, there are lots of reasons why some marriages struggle. But I'll tell you, God tells us if in a marriage, the husband and wife are believers and one or both of them do not forgive one another for something that someone's done to somebody else, God will not bless that marriage.

Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it. You say, Well, I've got a business and I'm a Christian man and I'm a Christian lady and I've run this business, but it just doesn't seem to do what it's doing. Could it be that you have an unforgiving spirit? Jesus said, Forgive us for our sin in just the same way that I have forgiven those who have sinned against me.

Oops. By the way, I don't want anybody to raise their hands. Is there anybody here, anybody listening, anybody worshipping, anybody who's ever been hurt by anybody else? Tell you what, my hand will go up.

I want to speak to you on more than bread. You see, folks, some of us think that our bank balance is the most important thing in life. It's not.

Some of us think where we go on vacation is the most important thing in life. It's not. Some of us think that whether we graduate is the most important thing. It's not. Some of us say, Well, whether we can be drafted for the NBA. It's not.

Some of us believe if we can marry the right person or if we can date this person, it's the most important thing. It's not. Jesus said there's something much more than bread. Now watch this, folks.

This is exciting. I'm going to go through this like a railway train out of control. But listen, there are two absolutes of forgiveness. Number one, forgiveness in Christ is complete.

We know that. And number two, forgiveness in Christ is permanent. Completeness and permanence are both essential absolutes of forgiveness.

Right? Everybody nod like this. Come on, everybody nod. If Jesus has forgiven you, it is complete and it's permanent. He doesn't change his mind. You don't become unforgiven. Somebody say, Amen.

Wow. Those are two absolutes of forgiveness. It is complete.

It's permanent. But there are also two kinds of forgiveness. There's justification forgiveness, which is forgiveness unto salvation. We are justified. We are declared just as if we were without sin.

That's the initial step. When we come to know Jesus Christ, we receive justification forgiveness. But the second kind of forgiveness applies to Christian people, and that's called joy forgiveness. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation. I will guarantee you, I will guarantee you that I'm looking into the face of at least one Christian here today who's miserable.

And I'm going to tell you why you're miserable. You've lost your joy. I didn't say that you're not going to heaven. I didn't say that you weren't forgiven. I didn't say that you've lost your salvation. I said you've lost your joy. You look like you're recovering from hookworm treatment.

I don't know what hookworms are, but they awful things. Justification forgiveness, joy forgiveness. Now watch this, folks. There are two very important matters related here. Number one first matter is this, that without justification forgiveness, there can be no salvation. If you've never been forgiven of your sin unto salvation, you cannot be saved. You cannot go to heaven.

I've heard so many people over the years say, well, you know, maybe I hope so. Well, if I do the right thing and if I give enough money and if I live right and I do this and do that, Bible says there's only one way. Acts 2 and verse 38, Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin.

Any questions today? That's justification forgiveness. And without justification forgiveness, you and I cannot go to heaven.

That's the first important matter. But the second important matter is that without joy forgiveness, there can be no full and meaningful life. And that's what Jesus is talking about here when he talks about more than bread. Hebrews 12, 5 and 6. Listen to this. Hebrews 12, 5 and 6. My son, my daughter, listen, do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. Watch this.

Listen. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son and every daughter that belongs to him. Now, parents all look at me. Have you ever had to discipline your child? All young people, children, anybody look at you.

Have you ever been disciplined by your parents? It's not nice, is it? You know, you go up to a 10 year old who's been given a jolly good hiding by his dad. I mean, boom, boom, bang, bang.

The Second World War is breaking out. And go to that little boy 10 years of age and say to him, you having fun yet? They talk about hookworms. Folks, is there anybody who likes to be disciplined? The Bible uses the word scourged.

Now watch this. In Hebrews, God's Word tells us God scourges and disciplines who? Those whom he loves. In fact, the very nature of his scourging and discipline is the very essence of his love. That's how you know that he loves us. And he tells us that if we do not forgive one another on the basis of the fact that we have been forgiven, he is going to discipline us.

He's going to scourge us. He's going to take away from us the full and meaningful life and the blessings that he has available. Let me tell you something, folks, if your marriage is in trouble, if your work is in trouble, your relationships are in trouble, your whole life is in trouble.

One of the key ingredients just may revolve around this issue that's so hard to come to grips with. You mean to tell me I have to forgive others? You see, what Jesus is saying here in the Lord's Prayer, folks, is that there is something that is of far more significance than bread. It's called forgiveness. Both are considered sin.

Listen to this. Unforgiven sin has two major consequences. For the unbeliever, it has ultimate consequences, death and damnation. There are also living consequences. See, we like to talk about ultimate consequences. Many of us believers, we like to go around and say, man, you need to give your heart to Jesus. You don't give your heart to Jesus, you're going to face ultimate consequences. You're going to go to hell. You cannot go to heaven. But folks, we forget the essential ingredient of which Jesus spoke when he spoke about living consequences. And the living consequences are consequences that result because a person who claims to believe in Jesus Christ has refused to forgive somebody else for what they've done.

Boy, that's a tough one. What's the penalty? Misery, unhappiness, guilt.

There are so many different things. Sadness, blame. Have you ever met somebody who's always blaming everybody else? That's a consequence. Folks, have you ever met a Christian person who every day they get up, they got a chip on their shoulder?

It's a consequence. Have you ever met a Christian who is always discontented? Doesn't matter what you do. Always discontented. If they're this way, they're discontented that way. They're discontented with this motor car, with that color, with this church, with this community, whether it rains, whether it doesn't rain. They're always discontented and they're Christians.

That's a consequence. I believe that's part of the scourging of God. I'm telling you, folks, when I meet Christian people that come up to me and all they do is put their hookworms all over me. I look at them and I say, Oh God, would you deliver them from the consequences? I wouldn't like to live like that, would you?

Anybody here want to live like that? Jesus was talking about forgiveness. Proverbs 28, 13, He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper.

Any questions? The one who conceals their own transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. When you and I tap into the compassion of a righteous and a loving God, God pulls out to us the very best that He has in store for us. Forgive us for our sin just the same way as we forgiven. Now, why forgive others, folks? Let me give to you six reasons why we must forgive others.

Number one, because of genuineness. Do you know that when you forgive someone who has hurt you, it is a mark of your true Christian faith? That's what Jesus said.

He connected. Forgive us for our sins in the same way as that you've forgiven those who have sinned against us. It's a mark of genuineness.

Number two, it's a mark of thankfulness, gratitude to God. Lord, I forgive that person because you've forgiven me. Can you imagine that the Lord Jesus Christ would have forgiven people like you and me for our sin? What an incredible thing to think about.

Indeed, it is incredible. Forgive the interruption what Dr. Wilton wants me to remind you. We're here for you. Our phone number, 866-899-WORD is something that we pray you'll jot down.

Store it in your cell as a contact. We are available 24 hours a day. As Dr. Wilton would say, we would love to be one of your 2 a.m. friends.

You can talk with and pray with anytime at 866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Number three, reflectiveness.

Love that word, Steve. Mirror image. Mirror image reflecting Christ. Reflectiveness. I want to reflect Christ. Forgive me for my sin just the same way as I have reflected the manner with which you have forgiven me.

Number four, agreeableness. That's a great reason to forgive folks. Agreeing with God. Paul put it like this. He said, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Be like Jesus. Michael Jordan wanted us all to be like Mike. Jesus said, be like me.

We're going to be like Jesus. What did Jesus do? Hung upon the cross. He'd been beaten to a pulp, folks. Scourged, whipped, probably unrecognizable. And there he is hanging upon a cross. And what did he say? Father, forgive them.

For they don't know what they're doing. What forgiveness? Agreeableness. I want to be like Jesus. Number five, deliverance. Deliverance from God's discipline.

Bible tells us that if we don't do what he tells us to do, he's going to scourge us and discipline us. Now, is there anybody within the sound of my voice who hasn't been hurt? It is one of the jolly hardest things to do, folks, to forgive others. I've met people who have been molested, raped, beaten up, abused, lied about, gossiped about, treated in the worst kind of ways.

Folks, I've met people in marriages whose spouses have been unfaithful. You talk about that pain. All of us have been hurt. I've got lots of memories. You know, I went to boarding school when I was eight years of age in Africa. You know what happened to me on the first day of boarding school in Africa?

I haven't told a lot of people this. My first day, my parents dropped me off. I was eight years of age. I tell you, before I could turn around, they were gone. They dropped me. They were gone.

That's what they were instructed to do. This was in 1962, I think. Long time ago.

Just put it in perspective. Do you know that I slept in a dormitory with a whole bunch of boys? It was called the chicken run. The chicken run.

I've taken my family there to where I went to boarding school in the mountains of Zululand. Do you know that after lights out, which was probably about 8.30 or some unreasonable hour like that, all the lights had to be out. When you were at boarding school, folks, lights out, you don't talk. You don't breathe, you can get into trouble. After the lights had been out for about an hour, the door suddenly opened and in walked the headmaster.

Put on all the lights. I'll never forget it. I was eight years of age. He said, somebody's talking. I hadn't said a word.

This was my first day at boarding school. Somebody's talking. And when I find who it is, I'm going to skin him alive.

Who's talking? And Philip Parse, one of the little boys over there, leant out of his bed and pointed straight at me, at me, at this cute little innocent face. He came over there, jerked me out of that bed in front of that whole dormitory of boys, lay me down across that bed, took out a cane, a thin reed like that. He whipped me for about five minutes, just uncontrollably, just whipped me one lash after another. I was eight years of age.

You say things like that don't happen. Go and talk to some of us who grew up in that era. I want to tell you something, folks. I was eight.

That was 1962. Let me tell you something, for years and for years and for years, how do you think I felt about the headmaster? I mean, deep down here, you know what I'm saying? I got some good news for you. I forgave him. It's why I can talk about it. It means nothing to me. So I got a beating.

That was just one of many folks. I want deliverance. I don't know about you, but I don't want to go through the rest of my life dragging that lump on my back. I've been set free. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life tunneling underground and having a grudge against everybody. But there's a sixth reason why we should forgive others and that is for happiness. I promise you, when you forgive others, folks, there will come a joy in your life that you cannot begin to imagine. Now, what do you do if you've not been forgiven of your sin under salvation?

Well, we know what to do. Acknowledge your sin, confess your sin and trust in God to do what He said He'd do. If you haven't received justification, forgiveness, you've got to acknowledge your sin before God. You've got to confess that sin to Jesus Christ and you've got to trust God to do His work. So here's the issue today.

What do you do if you've not forgiven someone else? I'm going to give you very quickly, folks, a six point plan. Just going to give them to you. Boof, bang, like that. Can I make an announcement? Everybody look at me. Folks, listen, listen to me. I have prayed for you today because you and I are no different. I've prayed for marriages, for individuals, for people who have suffered hurt and pain and shame. People who have been maligned and beaten up because this is one of the most difficult things to do. But God will help you.

He has a six point plan. Number one, identify the person or persons you need to forgive. Who are they? Identify. Identify them, folks. Number two, write their name down.

You've heard me say that before. If all you do is carry it around in your mind, you've been carrying their names around in your mind long enough. Write it down. Most people who have hurt in their heart and pain because of what somebody else has done, part of that hurt is all you've done is carried around that person's picture and name in your heart. That person is right there. Put that person's name down in ink.

Write it down. Number three, share this with someone. Go and find somebody that you can trust. Not somebody who's going to run out and tell somebody else that they've got something that they want somebody else to pray about. Which really is just a way of saying I've got a juicy piece of gossip to share with you. Avoid the gossipers, folks. Avoid people who run their mouths off. Avoid people who are a telegraph system. Avoid people who continually make it their business to pass information. If you know somebody who's always texting, messaging you with information about other people, avoid them. Stop it. Tell them you're sick of it.

You're not going to have this anymore. If somebody keeps sending you a message about what everybody else is doing, when it comes down to this issue, find somebody you can trust. It could be your wife, your husband, your best friend, your neighbour, your son, your daughter.

Find somebody. Share it with them. Number four, pray together.

Now it's out. I promise you there is a tremendous value, folks, when it comes to the pain of being hurt. There's tremendous value in identifying that person, writing it down, sharing it with someone else. It'll get it out of your system and then pray together. Pray for that person. Lord, I have to pray right now.

I'm asking you. I'm praying because so and so has hurt me. This is what's happened. It might have been a series of events. It may be something years and years ago. Folks, much of the hurt we have are from our childhood. Did you know that? All the things we carry go years back and you've spent your whole life carrying this.

Jesus said He's not going to bless you so long as you don't forgive them. Pray about it. Number five, surrender. Watch this. Surrender. Give up. You know, one of the greatest lies that has ever been forecast. You can do it.

I've got to make an announcement to you. Listen, everybody, when it comes to forgiving some people for some things, you cannot do it. That's why you've carried it.

You can't do it. It's not beat around the bush. Listen, if somebody just comes up and slaps me, man, I can forgive that. But you talk to people who've been raped and molested and assaulted. Who've been keel hauled, maligned, people who've lost their jobs, their character. You can't talk to a spouse who's had a husband or wife who's cheated on them.

Go and talk to them about it. You think you just fall out of bed one day and say, oops, I just forgive you. Uh-uh.

Now, folks, watch this. That's a lie that you can do it. You cannot do it.

But Jesus Christ can do it in you. You've got to surrender. You've got to give it up. You've got to hand it over. You've got to say, Lord, I can't do this. Number six, act. It's time to stop thinking about it. Now you do it.

Act. What a powerful message from the pastor, and the challenge is so clear. Sometimes we all get in that point of we've thought about it, we're analyzing it.

A friend of mine calls it analysis paralysis. Are we just needing to stop thinking about it and take action? Today, God's ready to change your life from the inside out. And before we get away, you've heard the great preaching of our pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, as he comes into the studio, take a moment for these, perhaps the most important 60 seconds of our broadcast. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today, I repent of my sin, and by faith, I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. It's a joy to think about how God changes our life with just a simple yes. If you've said yes to Jesus today, or maybe you've rededicated your life and come home to Christ, oh, how we'd love to walk with you and partner with you in these next stages of growing in your faith, of stabilizing your faith, you can give us a call right now at 866-899-WORD. Let us know that you've made a decision for Christ, and let us send you some free information Dr. Don wants you to have. Call us again at 866-899-9673, or you can do the same online at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org.