R1619 God Can Do This Pt.2

We all could use some encouragement, and we'll find it together today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and part two of this latest message.

I know it's like a cliffhanger. We hate to leave you hanging as we did on Friday, but the truth is all that we learned about what God can do as we submit to Him is really standing alone. And today, we add on top of that what God can do this part two with Dr. Don Wilton. As we dive back in, we're going to understand more about John 5, at least in my life, than I've ever understood before.

As we know how we live out in these difficult times, a life passionately committed to Jesus. We're passionately committed to you as well. We're here to encourage you at the other end of 866-899. Word anytime, day or night, jot the number down. It's our prayer line.

866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org. The Encouraging One. And now, Dr. Don Wilton. You think perhaps we've convinced ourselves that we are not capable, that we're not the lords of our own manner anymore? We can't just call meetings and say, hello be our name, our kingdom come, our will be done.

It don't work people. I'm a Christian man. My life has been handed over to the Lord Jesus. It's in Him that I live and move. I don't have that wisdom.

You know, the Bible says if we seek after His wisdom, He'll give it to us and then liberally, that means in an overabundance. Isn't that fantastic? God does it. God can do this. We've got hope. I'm telling you, we've got hope.

We've got an incredible future. Accept the facts. And when you accept the facts, you've got to do two things. You've got to ask yourself, what's going on? And then you've got to ask how you are responding. Now let's get awfully personal. So how have you responded this week? You just as bad as everybody else? You know, we got COVID all around us.

Do I need to remind you of that? Where would we be without Jesus? We can't do this. But God can do this. So you've got to ask yourself how you're responding. Number one, accept the facts. Number two, settle allegiance.

That's my second point. Settle your allegiance. Do you know what Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24 says? Now Jesus gave us this. He said this. You cannot serve two masters. You are either for God or you're against God.

Did you get that? Jesus said that. Jesus made this clear when it comes to our allegiance. You either belong to the Lord Jesus or you don't.

What is it? Do you belong to the one foot club? One foot in the world and one foot in God's kingdom. Do you serve God and Jesus just on Sunday mornings and on other special occasions when grandma's there or do you serve him with all your heart and your soul and your mind? I'm so grateful in my church.

I'm surrounded by so many people who are so sold out to Jesus. And you can see the difference. You can see the difference in parents with their children. You can see the difference in businessmen and women. You can see the difference in school teachers. You can see the difference in so many of our young people who've settled the issue of their allegiance.

Are you a hoverer? You hover between two opinions. All across America today, we just got people everywhere who just they don't know what they want anymore. They don't know what they do. They can't make up their mind.

And when something happens and they've got convictions about it, they've got nothing else to do but to go ballistic. There's never an excuse for violence. That is not the way you carry out your convictions.

It doesn't matter. That's not how we live and that's not how we operate. That's not how we behave. And if you're a believer, God will do this.

He loves us that much. Number one, accept the facts. Number two, settle allegiance. Well, maybe some of you thought I might have said, no, you wouldn't. But you might have thought, you got to decide, are you a Republican or a Democrat? Listen, there are incredibly strong, strong feelings. Boy, do I respect those feelings.

Do we not respect the feelings of one another and the convictions, by the way, and the rights that we have as an Americans? I'm not ashamed of the political convictions that I've got. I'm going to stand on that.

I believe in these things. They are important, they critical, they vital. I'm going to fight for them. I'm going to do everything I can.

But the word fight doesn't mean I'm going ballistic over it. Because my allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ. And God's word said, I am to conduct myself in a manner that is worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ in every circumstance. No exception to it. That's pretty tough.

It's very tough. Well, if you've accepted the facts and settled the allegiance that you have to the Lord Jesus. How about number three, establish foundations, establish foundations. Well, you know, in America today, we've got a hundred thousand wonderful foundations, the freedoms that we have. And I'm telling you, I'm one of those people. I love the constitution of this nation. I stand on the freedom to worship. I'm one of those people that believes profoundly in the Second Amendment. We have freedoms, freedom from want and freedom from fear, freedom to provide, freedom to work, freedom to earn.

And we believe in the equality of all people, bar none, no exception. When it comes to the foundations of a believer, there are three foundations. Number one, trust in Jesus. Number two, follow Jesus. Number three, obey Jesus. That's foundational. Trust, follow and obey.

That's what it means. That's foundational. That's the constitution of every believer. I trust in Jesus. I'm going to follow Jesus. I'm going to obey Jesus. We are not doing any of those, evidently, in America today. I'm talking about among Christian people. And if we don't do it, where does that leave the rest of America?

Because the salt loses its savor, and if the salt loses its savor, it's just going to drop all over the place and men are going to trample on it. We are being trampled on America by people, mankind, men and women, voices, the court of public opinion, bad behavior, people just going ballistic. Not us as believers, surely my brothers and sisters, not us. We are to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord Jesus. God will do this for us because God can do this.

All right. So number four, getting down to bringing it all together. Number four, determine instructions. Well, if we're going to trust Jesus, this is foundational. And we're going to follow Jesus and we're going to obey him. What are his instructions? I'm going to tell you that there are so many incredible instructions that God gives us in his word. He fills us with his directives and they are all designed for our good. If my foundation is to trust and to follow and to obey, here it is. Number four, I have to determine what his instructions are. So I just singled out four of them. Is that OK? You can go home and get your Bible out and you'll never stop writing it down.

There's so many of them. I'm just going to give you four. All right.

Here it is. Number one, repent and confess. 1 John chapter 1, verse 9. If we confess our sin, Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us for our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Repent and confess.

You as a believer, my friend, me as a believer. Listen, when you give your life to Christ and you're a follower of Christ, doesn't mean to say you don't stop sinning and we are sinning against God. We are guilty of sin, people. We are sinning against him. We are not living according to God's standards of holiness. We're not studying his word. We're not we're not upholding his standard of righteousness. We are not conducting ourselves in a manner that is worthy of Jesus Christ. That is sin. And the Bible says repent and confess.

So if we're going to follow the instructions in a time like us and God is going to do this. Number one, repent and confess. Will you do that?

Forgive the interruption as Dr. Don asked that question. Will we do that? Will we confess and repent?

We're reminding of the great scripture that says if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If you'd like to talk with someone, Dr. Don insists I interrupt to give you this phone number so you know that you can have a conversation with us as you are listening and hearing from God's word through God's servant, Dr. Don Wilton. We'd love to speak with you, pray with you at 866-899-WORD. Again, the number is 866-899-9673.

If the Lord stirred questions in these moments, let's go to the scripture and find the answers. That's 866-899-9673. Or if you'd rather connect keyboard to keyboard, let's do that online. Our website is tewonline.org. That's tewonline.org. And while you're there, sign up for the daily encouraging word devotional from Dr. Don. It comes out via email every morning, and you can sign up right now and beginning it tomorrow.

That's online at tewonline.org. Now back to today's message with Dr. Don Wilton. I'm doing that. Lord Jesus, I repent before you of my sin. I confess my sin. I confess my anger. I confess my hostility.

I confess my attitude the way I confess the way I just tell him that he will forgive you for that. Number two, trust and acknowledge. Second instruction, Proverbs chapter three in verse five and six. Bible says in all your ways acknowledge him. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Did you get that? Trust in the Lord. That's to place yourself in his hands with all your heart. Listen, folks, trust with all your heart in all your ways.

Acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. We're here in America today. We're facing the inauguration of a new president. There are many people upset. There are many people rejoicing. There are opinions everywhere.

Everybody is going ballistic. Believers, let's trust the Lord and acknowledge him. Watch this. He will direct our paths. He's already there and he's going to show us where to go, how to go and how to get there and what's going to happen.

And he'll keep his hand on it because he loves us. Number three, pray and plead. Just to reiterate, number one, repent and confess. These are instructions. Number two, trust and acknowledge.

Number three, pray and plead. In the book of Philippians, chapter four, verse six and verse seven. The Bible says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your request be made known under God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your heart and your mind in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, that is so precious.

That is so wonderful, my friends. What does it bring to bear there? What is God's instruction?

It's twofold. Pray. You know, even in our church, we're beginning a new initiative to pray. All of us praying for revival. We're doing that.

We're starting that today, this week, this month, for this year. We believe it. Pray. We've got to seek our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Forgive us for our sin, just as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And please, Lord, lead us not into temptation, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and forever and forever. Pray. And then he says, but pray and with supplication, that word supplication there means your attitude with which you pray.

Listen, this is urgent. And God says, listen, this is what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to answer your prayer and you come to me and you pray and you present it to me and you tell me about it.

But do it with urgency. Folks, this is not like a little powder puff, little let's just have a little whisper prayer with Jesus. God is calling upon us to call out to him with an earnestness. Will you join me? Will you join us through the encouraging word?

Will you partner together with us? Let's do this, people. Instructions, repent and confess, trust and acknowledge, pray and plead. And then there's just one more.

I just got to give this to you. Here's a fourth instruction. Sprinkle and shine. Remember, I read to you out of Matthew, chapter five and verse 13. Sprinkle your salt.

Bible says you the salt of the earth. Listen, I hang around people at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg. Every time I'm around, so many of you and I get letters from people all across our region, precious people. Man, I read them every day.

Just so many letters coming in through the encouraging word and people worshipping with us and partnering with us and people from other churches in our communities. You're such salt. You give such flavor.

You're so tasty. Sprinkle yourself around. Give it out.

Give it away. Sprinkle. The second part of that is shine. You are the light of the world.

Take that hoodie off and let somebody see the light coming out of you. Let your light so shine before this world that others may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. All right. About to wrap up here with you. So what's a final word? How can we bring this all together?

Here it is. Number five. Stand firm. Stand firm. God will do this. Second Timothy Chapter one and verse seven. God's not given us a spirit of fear. My brother, my sister. No, given us three things. Number one, spirit of love.

Oh, you don't see a lot of love going on, do you? Just listen to our politicians. Listen to our presidents. Listen to our people. Listen to us.

Wow. God is love. He loves you. Hasn't given us a spirit of fear. Has given us a spirit of love. Second, a spirit of power. We think we're just so magnificent, but we are demonstrating our utter uselessness, people.

We are becoming a useless nation. God says he'll give us power. And third, he'll give us a spirit of self-discipline. It takes a self-disciplined person to conduct him or herself worthy of the calling of Christ. That's self-discipline. And that's something that God gives to us.

So watch this. If you take love and power and self-discipline out of a community, what are you left with? A spirit of fear.

That's exactly where America is today. We are plunging into a spirit of fear with all our arrogance and convictions and finger pointing and bitterness. God says, no, no, no, no, no. Stand firm, my friends. For I, the Lord your God, I love you so much. When I come into your heart and in your life, I give you a spirit of power and of love and of sound mind.

You will no longer have a spirit of fear. You see, I think Billy Graham was right. My beloved friend, Dr. Billy Graham, he said the future is as bright as the promises of God. I believe it. I believe there's hope for America. I believe tomorrow is going to be incredible.

These things too shall pass. And I believe God is causing you and me, people who love Jesus, to look up into the face of God and to know that he has us in the palm of his hand. Every head bowed. Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Do you know him? Why don't you give your life to Christ today? That is the question, isn't it?

Why don't you give your life to Jesus Christ? If you have questions about what that really means, we have friends that would love to speak with you one on one at the other end of 866-899-WORD. Jot the number down.

Store it in your cell. It's available to connect with us any time, day or night. That's 866-899-9673. And right now, as you are calling, and maybe if you're just thinking about calling, would you open your heart to not just what Dr. Don has said from the pulpit, but as he comes into the studio, what he wants to share next from his heart. God has spoken to you, hasn't he? And you're ready to give your heart to Jesus.

I'd love to help you right now. Would you pray this prayer with me and accept Jesus into your heart and life? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner.

I know that Jesus loves me and died for me on the cross. Right now, I repent of my sin and I confess my sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. Come into my heart and save me today and forgive me for my sin. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. If you've prayed that prayer, we'd love to get alongside of you and celebrate with you and send you some literature and help you as you begin to grow. And I want you to know that I love you very, very much. And by the way, don't leave. Don't go away, whatever you do, because I'll be right back. You just prayed that prayer and gave your life to Jesus Christ or rededicated your life. Welcome to the family of God.

Welcome home. We have wonderful resources. Dr. Don wants you to have what you need to call us and let us know what God's doing in your life. 866-899 word is our phone number. That's 866-899-9673. And we'd love to put these wonderful resources in your hands that will help you grow in your faith, help you get connected to a local church fellowship. All of that, again, starts with a phone call at 866-899-9673. And if you'd rather connect keyboard to keyboard, we're online as well at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, that's the place you'll discover this Walking with Giants series, such a powerful series from Dr. Wilton.

Here Liz with all the details about how to get your copy. God's intended purpose for us never changed. We are not defeated. We are overcomers through Jesus Christ. The Word of God is alive and is relevant to all times in which we live. There are countless testimonies of people who walked with God in the Bible. They are our cloud of witnesses to encourage us on the Christian journey.

Learn from them. You can walk with God's giants. With your gift of $20 or more in support of the encouraging word, you will receive Dr. Wilton's new dynamic two-part series, Walking with God's Giants. Series 2, Walking with God's Giants is available on CD or DVD. It includes four messages on the lives of Nehemiah, Naaman, Solomon, and David. Call us today at 866-899-WORD to request Series 2, Walking with God's Giants. If you missed the first series, you can request it too. Thank you for your continued partnership to help us share the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.

It really is a powerful series. You can discover more online at www.tewonline.org. And while you are there, sign up for the daily encouraging word email. It comes out from Dr. Don every day.

You can also get a hard copy if you prefer. But this morning, Dr. Don was right there in Psalm 55 talking about casting our burdens on the Lord and releasing the weight of it so that he could sustain us. Again, just another way we can encourage you.

It's absolutely free. Sign up online at www.tewonline.org for the daily encouraging word. We'd love to put that in your email box or give you a physical copy. If you'd like to call for your copy, we'll send it out in the mail at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. And now a closing thought from our pastor and chief encourager, Dr. Don Wilton. 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 our beloved nation, don't we? How much I love America.

I'm so proud to be an American. 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.

It's been a great day. And that number again to connect with us is 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. You'll find that number and many ways to connect on our website at tewonline.org as well. Tomorrow we dive into another two-part series with Dr. Don called Dealing with God. Again, you might get a taste of it if you want to look ahead on our website at tewonline.org. I hope you'll join us again tomorrow at the same time and perhaps invite a friend for more of The Encouraging Word.